Isaiah 42:14–16

For a long time I have held my peace;

I have kept still and restrained myself;

now I will cry out like a woman in labor;

I will gasp and pant.

I will lay waste mountains and hills,

and dry up all their vegetation;

I will turn the rivers into islands,

and dry up the pools.

And I will lead the blind

in a way that they do not know,

in paths that they have not known

I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness before them into light,

the rough places into level ground.

These are the things I do,

and I do not forsake them.

“For a long time I have kept silent,

I have been quiet and held myself back.

But now, like a woman in childbirth,

I cry out, I gasp and pant.

I will lay waste the mountains and hills

and dry up all their vegetation;

I will turn rivers into islands

and dry up the pools.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them

and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do;

I will not forsake them.

“I have kept silent from ages past;

I have been quiet and restrained myself.

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

gasping breathlessly.

I will lay waste mountains and hills

and dry up all their vegetation.

I will turn rivers into islands

and dry up marshes.

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

I will guide them on paths they have not known.

I will turn darkness to light in front of them

and rough places into level ground.

This is what I will do for them,

and I will not abandon them.

He 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.

I 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.

I 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.

I have been silent for a long time;

I have kept silent;

I have restrained myself like one giving birth;

I will moan, pant, and gasp together.

I will cause mountains and hills to dry up,

and I will cause all their herbage to wither;

and I will make rivers like islands,

and I will cause pools to dry up.

And I will lead the blind by a road they do not know;

I will cause them to tread on paths they have not known.

I will make darkness in their presence into light

and rough places into level ground.

These are the things I will do,

and I will not forsake them.

I have long time holden my peace;

I have been still, and refrained myself:

Now will I cry like a travailing woman;

I will destroy and devour at once.

I will make waste mountains and hills,

And dry up all their herbs;

And I will make the rivers islands,

And I will dry up the pools.

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not;

I will lead them in paths that they have not known:

I will make darkness light before them,

And crooked things straight.

These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.