Isaiah 42

The Lord’s Chosen Servant

42“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.H5650H8551H972H5315H7521H5414H7307H3318H4941H14712He will not shout or raise his voice in public.H6817H5375H6963H8085H23513He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.H7533H7070H7665H3544H6594H3518H3318H4941H5714He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction

.”H3543H7533H7760H4941H776H339H3176H84515God, 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,H559H410H3068H1254H8064H5186H7554H776H6631H5414H5397H5971H7307H19806“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.H3068H7121H6664H2388H3027H5341H5414H1285H5971H216H14717You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.H6491H5787H5869H3318H616H4525H3427H2822H3608H10048“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.H3068H8034H3519H5414H312H8416H64569Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”H7223H935H2319H5046H6779H8085

A Song of Praise to the Lord

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.H7891H3068H2319H7892H8416H7097H776H3381H3220H4393H339H342711Join 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!H4057H5892H5375H2691H6938H3427H3427H5553H7442H6681H7218H202212Let the whole world glorify the Lord; let it sing his praise.H7760H3519H3068H5046H8416H33913The 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.H3068H3318H1368H5782H7068H376H4421H7321H6873H1396H34114He 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.H5769H2814H2790H662H6463H3205H5395H8074H7602H316215I 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.H2717H2022H1389H3001H6212H7760H5104H339H3001H9816I 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.H3212H5787H1870H3045H1869H5410H3045H7760H4285H216H6440H4625H4334H1697H6213H580017But those who trust in idols, who say, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned away in shame.H5472H268H1322H954H982H6459H559H4541H430

Israel’s Failure to Listen and See

18“Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind!H8085H2795H5027H5787H720019Who 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?H5787H5650H2795H4397H7971H5787H7999H5787H3068H565020You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.”H7200H7200H7227H8104H6491H241H808521Because he is righteous, the Lord has exalted his glorious law.H3068H2654H6664H1431H8451H14222But 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.H5971H962H8154H6351H2352H970H2244H3608H1004H957H5337H4933H559H772523Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future?H238H7181H8085H26824Who 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.H5414H3290H4933H4882H3478H962H3068H2098H2398H14H1980H1870H8085H845125Therefore, 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.H8210H2534H639H5807H4421H3857H5439H3045H1197H7760H3820