Isaiah 42
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1"Here is my servant whom I support, my chosen one in whom I take pleasure. I have placed my spirit on him; he will make just decrees for the nations. 1“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations.
2He will not cry out or shout; he will not publicize himself in the streets. 2He will not shout or raise his voice in public.
3A crushed reed he will not break, a dim wick he will not extinguish; he will faithfully make just decrees. 3He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.
4He will not grow dim or be crushed before establishing justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait in anticipation for his decrees." 4He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction. ”
5This is what the true God, the LORD, says--the one who created the sky and stretched it out, the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, the one who gives breath to the people on it, and life to those who live on it: 5God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says,
6"I, the LORD, officially commission you; I take hold of your hand. I protect you and make you a covenant mediator for people, and a light to the nations, 6“I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations.
7to open blind eyes, to release prisoners from dungeons, those who live in darkness from prisons. 7You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.
8I am the LORD! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else, or the praise due me with idols. 8“I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.
9Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass; now I announce new events. Before they begin to occur, I reveal them to you." 9Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.” A Song of Praise to the LORD
10Sing to the LORD a brand new song! Praise him from the horizon of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and everything that lives in it, you coastlands and those who live there! 10Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands.
11Let the desert and its cities shout out, the towns where the nomads of Kedar live! Let the residents of Sela shout joyfully; let them shout loudly from the mountaintops. 11Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountaintops!
12Let them give the LORD the honor he deserves; let them praise his deeds in the coastlands. 12Let the whole world glorify the LORD; let it sing his praise.
13The LORD emerges like a hero, like a warrior he inspires himself for battle; he shouts, yes, he yells, he shows his enemies his power. 13The LORD will march forth like a mighty hero; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his battle cry and crush all his enemies.
14"I have been inactive for a long time; I kept quiet and held back. Like a woman in labor I groan; I pant and gasp. 14He will say, “I have long been silent; yes, I have restrained myself. But now, like a woman in labor, I will cry and groan and pant.
15I will make the trees on the mountains and hills wither up; I will dry up all their vegetation. I will turn streams into islands, and dry up pools of water. 15I will level the mountains and hills and blight all their greenery. I will turn the rivers into dry land and will dry up all the pools.
16I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way; I will guide them down paths they have never traveled. I will turn the darkness in front of them into light, and level out the rough ground. This is what I will do for them. I will not abandon them. 16I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.
17Those who trust in idols will turn back and be utterly humiliated, those who say to metal images, 'You are our gods.'" 17But those who trust in idols, who say, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned away in shame. Israel’s Failure to Listen and See
18"Listen, you deaf ones! Take notice, you blind ones! 18“Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind!
19My servant is truly blind, my messenger is truly deaf. My covenant partner, the servant of the LORD, is truly blind. 19Who is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messenger? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the LORD?
20You see many things, but don't comprehend; their ears are open, but do not hear." 20You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.”
21The LORD wanted to exhibit his justice by magnifying his law and displaying it. 21Because he is righteous, the LORD has exalted his glorious law.
22But these people are looted and plundered; all of them are trapped in pits and held captive in prisons. They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them; they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, "Bring that back!" 22But his own people have been robbed and plundered, enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped. They are fair game for anyone and have no one to protect them, no one to take them back home.
23Who among you will pay attention to this? Who will listen attentively in the future? 23Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future?
24Who handed Jacob over to the robber? Who handed Israel over to the looters? Was it not the LORD, against whom we sinned? They refused to follow his commands; they disobeyed his law. 24Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt? It was the LORD, against whom we sinned, for the people would not walk in his path, nor would they obey his law.
25So he poured out his fierce anger on them, along with the devastation of war. Its flames encircled them, but they did not realize it; it burned against them, but they did notice. 25Therefore, he poured out his fury on them and destroyed them in battle. They were enveloped in flames, but they still refused to understand. They were consumed by fire, but they did not learn their lesson.
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Isaiah 41
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