Isaiah 42:10-25

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.

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 the whole world glorify the Lord; let it sing his praise.

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.

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 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 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.

17But those who trust in idols, who say, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned away in shame.

18“Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you 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 and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.”

21Because he is righteous, the Lord has exalted his glorious law.

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 will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future?

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.

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.