THE SERVANT’S MISSION

42 “Thiso is my servant;p I strengthen him,

this is my chosen one;q I delight in him.r

I have put my Spirit on him;s

he will bring justiceE to the nations.t

2 He will not cry out or shout

or make his voice heard in the streets.

3 He will not break a bruised reed,

and he will not put out a smoldering wick;

he will faithfully bring justice.

4 He will not grow weak or be discouraged

until he has established justice on earth.

The coasts and islands will wait for his instruction.”u

5 This is what God, the Lord, says—

who created the heavens and stretched them out,v

who spread out the earth and what comes from it,w

who gives breath to the people on it

and spirit to those who walk on itx—

6 “I am the Lord. I have called you

for a righteous purpose,F,y

and I will hold you by your hand.z

I will watch over you, and I will appoint you

to be a covenant for the peoplea

and a light to the nations,b

7 in order to open blind eyes,c

to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,d

and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.

8 I am the Lord. That is my name,

and I will not give my glory to anothere

or my praise to idols.

9 The past events have indeed happened.

Now I declare new events;f

I announce them to you before they occur.”

A SONG OF PRAISE

10 Sing a new song to the Lord;g

sing his praise from the ends of the earth,

you who go down to the sea with all that fills it,h

you coasts and islands with yourA inhabitants.

11 Let the desert and its cities shout,

the settlements where Kedar dwells cry aloud.i

Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy;j

let them cry out from the mountaintops.

12 Let them give glory to the Lord

and declare his praise in the coasts and islands.

13 The Lord advances like a warrior;

he stirs up his zeal like a soldier.k

He shouts, he roars aloud,

he prevails over his enemies.

14 “I have kept silent from ages past;

I have been quiet and restrained myself.l

But now, I will groan like a woman in labor,m

gasping breathlessly.

15 I will lay waste mountains and hills

and dry up all their vegetation.

I will turn rivers into islands

and dry up marshes.n

16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know;o

I will guide them on paths they have not known.

I will turn darkness to light in front of themp

and rough places into level ground.q

This is what I will do for them,

and I will not abandon them.r