Isaiah 42:5–43:10
eWho created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
fWho gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I, gthe Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You hand give You as a covenant to the people,
As ia light to the Gentiles,
7 jTo open blind eyes,
To kbring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in ldarkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My mglory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
10 nSing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise from the ends of the earth,
oYou who go down to the sea, and 4all that is in it,
You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice,
The villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,
Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord,
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man;
He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.
He shall cry out, pyes, shout aloud;
He shall prevail against His enemies.
14 “I have held My peace a long time,
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in 5labor,
I will pant and gasp at once.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills,
And dry up all their vegetation;
I will make the rivers coastlands,
And I will dry up the pools.
16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;
I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
And not forsake them.
17 They shall be qturned back,
They shall be greatly ashamed,
Who trust in carved images,
Who say to the molded images,
‘You are our gods.’
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 rWho is blind but My servant,
Or deaf as My messenger whom I send?
Who is blind as he who is perfect,
And blind as the Lord’s servant?
20 Seeing many things, sbut you do not observe;
Opening the ears, but he does not hear.”
Israel’s Obstinate Disobedience
21 The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake;
He will exalt the law and make it honorable.
22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;
All of them are 6snared in holes,
And they are hidden in prison houses;
They are for prey, and no one delivers;
For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!”
23 Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not the Lord,
He against whom we have sinned?
tFor they would not walk in His ways,
Nor were they obedient to His law.
25 Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger
And the strength of battle;
uIt has set him on fire all around,
vYet he did not know;
And it burned him,
Yet he did not take it to wheart.
43 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, afor I have redeemed you;
bI have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 cWhen you pass through the waters, dI will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you ewalk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
fI gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have gloved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.
5 hFear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And igather you from the west;
6 I will say to the jnorth, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 Everyone who is kcalled by My name,
Whom lI have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
8 mBring out the blind people who have eyes,
And the ndeaf who have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered together,
And let the people be assembled.
oWho among them can declare this,
And show us former things?
Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified;
Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”
10 “You pare My witnesses,” says the Lord,
q“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and rbelieve Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.