Isaiah 42:1-17

1“1Behold, My 2Servant, whom I 3uphold; My 4chosen one in whom My 5soul delights. I have put My 6Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth 7justice to the 8nations.2He will not cry out nor raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street.3A bent reed He will not break off And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth 9justice.4He will not be 10disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice on the earth; And the 11coastlands will wait expectantly for His 12law.”

5This is what God the Lord says, Who 13created the heavens and 14stretched them out, Who spread out the 15earth and its 16offspring, Who 17gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it:6“I am the Lord, I have 18called You in righteousness, I will also 19hold You by the hand and 20watch over You, And I will appoint You as a 21covenant to the people, As a 22light to the nations,7To 23open blind eyes, To 24bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.825I am the Lord, that is 26My name; I will not give My 27glory to another, Nor My praise to idols.9Behold, the 28former things have come to pass, Now I declare 29new things; Before they sprout I proclaim them to you.”

10Sing to the Lord a 30new song, Sing His praise from the 31end of the earth! 32You who go down to the sea, and 33all that is in it; You 34islands, and those who live on them.11Let the 35wilderness and its cities raise their voices, The settlements which 36Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of 37Sela sing aloud, Let them shout for joy from the tops of the 38mountains.12Let them 39give glory to the Lord And declare His praise in the 40coastlands.1341The Lord will go out like a warrior, He will stir His 42zeal like a man of war. He will shout, indeed, He will raise a war cry. He will 43prevail against His enemies.

14“44I have kept silent for a long time, I have kept still and restrained Myself. Now like a woman in labor I will groan, I will both gasp and pant.15I will 45lay waste the mountains and hills And wither all their vegetation; I will 46turn the rivers into coastlands And dry up the ponds.16I will 47lead those who are blind by a way they have not known, In paths they have not known I will guide them. I will 48turn darkness into light before them And 49uneven land into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will 50not leave them undone.”17They will be turned back and be 51utterly put to shame, Who trust in 52idols, Who say to cast metal images, “You are our gods.”