Isaiah 42–55

The Servant of the Lord

42“Here is my servant,^l whom I uphold,

my chosen one^m in whom I delight;ⁿ

I will put my Spirit^o on him,

and he will bring justice^p to the nations.^q

²He will not shout or cry out,^r

or raise his voice in the streets.

³A bruised reed^s he will not break,^t

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.^u

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;^v

⁴he will not falter or be discouraged

till he establishes justice^w on earth.

In his teaching^x the islands^y will put their hope.”^z

⁵This is what God the Lord says—

the Creator of the heavens,^a who stretches them out,

who spreads out the earth^b with all that springs from it,^c

who gives breath^d to its people,

and life to those who walk on it:

⁶“I, the Lord, have called^e you in righteousness;^f

I will take hold of your hand.^g

I will keep^h you and will make you

to be a covenantⁱ for the people

and a light^j for the Gentiles,^k

⁷to open eyes that are blind,^l

to free^m captives from prisonⁿ

and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.^o

⁸“I am the Lord;^p that is my name!^q

I will not yield my glory to another^r

or my praise to idols.^s

⁹See, the former things^t have taken place,

and new things I declare;

before they spring into being

I announce^u them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord

¹⁰Sing^v to the Lord a new song,^w

his praise^x from the ends of the earth,^y

you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,^z

you islands,^a and all who live in them.

¹¹Let the wilderness^b and its towns raise their voices;

let the settlements where Kedar^c lives rejoice.

Let the people of Sela^d sing for joy;

let them shout from the mountaintops.^e

¹²Let them give glory^f to the Lord

and proclaim his praise^g in the islands.^h

¹³The Lord will march out like a champion,ⁱ

like a warrior^j he will stir up his zeal;^k

with a shout^l he will raise the battle cry

and will triumph over his enemies.^m

¹⁴“For a long time I have kept silent,ⁿ

I have been quiet and held myself back.^o

But now, like a woman in childbirth,

I cry out, I gasp and pant.^p

¹⁵I will lay waste^q the mountains^r and hills

and dry up all their vegetation;

I will turn rivers into islands

and dry up^s the pools.

¹⁶I will lead^t the blind^u by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light^v before them

and make the rough places smooth.^w

These are the things I will do;

I will not forsake^x them.

¹⁷But those who trust in idols,

who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’^y

will be turned back in utter shame.^z

Israel Blind and Deaf

¹⁸“Hear, you deaf;^a

look, you blind, and see!

¹⁹Who is blind^b but my servant,^c

and deaf like the messenger^d I send?

Who is blind like the one in covenant^e with me,

blind like the servant of the Lord?

²⁰You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;

your ears are open, but you do not listen.”^f

²¹It pleased the Lord

for the sake^g of his righteousness

to make his law^h great and glorious.

²²But this is a people plunderedⁱ and looted,

all of them trapped in pits^j

or hidden away in prisons.^k

They have become plunder,

with no one to rescue them;^l

they have been made loot,

with no one to say, “Send them back.”

²³Which of you will listen to this

or pay close attention^m in time to come?

²⁴Who handed Jacob over to become loot,

and Israel to the plunderers?ⁿ

Was it not the Lord,^o

against whom we have sinned?

For they would not follow^p his ways;

they did not obey his law.^q

²⁵So he poured out on them his burning anger,^r

the violence of war.

It enveloped them in flames,^s yet they did not understand;^t

it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.^u

Israel’s Only Savior

43But now, this is what the Lord says—

he who created^v you, Jacob,

he who formed^w you, Israel:^x

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed^y you;

I have summoned you by name;^z you are mine.^a

²When you pass through the waters,^b

I will be with you;^c

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,^d

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.^e

³For I am the Lord your God,^f

the Holy One^g of Israel, your Savior;^h

I give Egyptⁱ for your ransom,

Cush^aj and Seba^k in your stead.^l

⁴Since you are precious and honored^m in my sight,

and because I loveⁿ you,

I will give people in exchange for you,

nations in exchange for your life.

⁵Do not be afraid,^o for I am with you;^p

I will bring your children^q from the east

and gather^r you from the west.^s

⁶I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

and to the south,^t ‘Do not hold them back.’

Bring my sons from afar

and my daughters^u from the ends of the earth^v—

⁷everyone who is called by my name,^w

whom I created^x for my glory,^y

whom I formed and made.^z”

⁸Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,^a

who have ears but are deaf.^b

⁹All the nations gather together^c

and the peoples assemble.

Which of their gods foretold^d this

and proclaimed to us the former things?

Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,

so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”

¹⁰“You are my witnesses,^e” declares the Lord,

“and my servant^f whom I have chosen,

so that you may know^g and believe me

and understand that I am he.

Before me no god^h was formed,

nor will there be one after me.ⁱ

¹¹I, even I, am the Lord,^j

and apart from me there is no savior.^k

¹²I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—

I, and not some foreign god^l among you.

You are my witnesses,^m” declares the Lord, “that I am God.

¹³Yes, and from ancient daysⁿ I am he.^o

No one can deliver out of my hand.

When I act, who can reverse it?”^p

God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness

¹⁴This is what the Lord says—

your Redeemer,^q the Holy One^r of Israel:

“For your sake I will send to Babylon

and bring down as fugitives^s all the Babylonians,^bt

in the ships in which they took pride.

¹⁵I am the Lord,^u your Holy One,

Israel’s Creator,^v your King.^w”

¹⁶This is what the Lord says—

he who made a way through the sea,

a path through the mighty waters,^x

¹⁷who drew out^y the chariots and horses,^z

the army and reinforcements together,^a

and they lay^b there, never to rise again,

extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:^c

¹⁸“Forget the former things;^d

do not dwell on the past.

¹⁹See, I am doing a new thing!^e

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness^f

and streams in the wasteland.^g

²⁰The wild animals^h honor me,

the jackalsⁱ and the owls,

because I provide water^j in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland,

to give drink to my people, my chosen,

²¹the people I formed^k for myself^l

that they may proclaim my praise.^m

²²“Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,

you have not weariedⁿ yourselves for^c me, Israel.^o

²³You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,^p

nor honored^q me with your sacrifices.^r

I have not burdened^s you with grain offerings

nor wearied you with demands^t for incense.^u

²⁴You have not bought any fragrant calamus^v for me,

or lavished on me the fat^w of your sacrifices.

But you have burdened me with your sins

and wearied^x me with your offenses.^y

²⁵“I, even I, am he who blots out

your transgressions,^z for my own sake,^a

and remembers your sins^b no more.^c

²⁶Review the past for me,

let us argue the matter together;^d

state the case^e for your innocence.

²⁷Your first father^f sinned;

those I sent to teach^g you rebelled^h against me.

²⁸So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;

I consigned Jacob to destruction^di

and Israel to scorn.^j

Israel the Chosen

44“But now listen, Jacob, my servant,^k

Israel, whom I have chosen.^l

²This is what the Lord says—

he who made^m you, who formed you in the womb,ⁿ

and who will help^o you:

Do not be afraid,^p Jacob, my servant,^q

Jeshurun,^ar whom I have chosen.

³For I will pour water^s on the thirsty land,

and streams on the dry ground;^t

I will pour out my Spirit^u on your offspring,

and my blessing^v on your descendants.^w

⁴They will spring up like grass^x in a meadow,

like poplar trees^y by flowing streams.^z

⁵Some will say, ‘I belong^a to the Lord’;

others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;

still others will write on their hand,^b ‘The Lord’s,’^c

and will take the name Israel.

The Lord, Not Idols

⁶“This is what the Lord says—

Israel’s King^d and Redeemer,^e the Lord Almighty:

I am the first and I am the last;^f

apart from me there is no God.^g

⁷Who then is like me?^h Let him proclaim it.

Let him declare and lay out before me

what has happened since I established my ancient people,

and what is yet to come—

yes, let them foretellⁱ what will come.

⁸Do not tremble, do not be afraid.

Did I not proclaim^j this and foretell it long ago?

You are my witnesses. Is there any God^k besides me?

No, there is no other Rock;^l I know not one.”

⁹All who make idols^m are nothing,

and the things they treasure are worthless.ⁿ

Those who would speak up for them are blind;^o

they are ignorant, to their own shame.^p

¹⁰Who shapes a god and casts an idol,^q

which can profit nothing?^r

¹¹People who do that will be put to shame;^s

such craftsmen are only human beings.

Let them all come together and take their stand;

they will be brought down to terror and shame.^t

¹²The blacksmith^u takes a tool

and works with it in the coals;

he shapes an idol with hammers,

he forges it with the might of his arm.^v

He gets hungry and loses his strength;

he drinks no water and grows faint.^w

¹³The carpenter^x measures with a line

and makes an outline with a marker;

he roughs it out with chisels

and marks it with compasses.

He shapes it in human form,^y

human form in all its glory,

that it may dwell in a shrine.^z

¹⁴He cut down cedars,

or perhaps took a cypress or oak.

He let it grow among the trees of the forest,

or planted a pine,^a and the rain made it grow.

¹⁵It is used as fuel^b for burning;

some of it he takes and warms himself,

he kindles a fire and bakes bread.

But he also fashions a god and worships^c it;

he makes an idol and bows^d down to it.

¹⁶Half of the wood he burns in the fire;

over it he prepares his meal,

he roasts his meat and eats his fill.

He also warms himself and says,

“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.^e”

¹⁷From the…