1 “ Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

“See! My servant, My chosen one! My much Loved, in Whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit on Him. He will say to the nations what is right from wrong.

2 H e will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

He will not cry out or speak with a loud voice. His voice will not be heard in the streets.

3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.

He will not break a broken branch or put out a little fire. He will be faithful to make everything fair.

4 H e will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

He will not lose hope or be crushed, until He has made things right on the earth. And the islands will wait with hope in His Law.”

5 T hus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:

This is what God the Lord Who made the heavens and spread them out and Who spread out the earth and what comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk in it, says,

6 “ I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles,

“I am the Lord. I have called you to be right and good. I will hold you by the hand and watch over you. And I will give you as an agreement to the people, as a light to the nations.

7 T o open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

You will open blind eyes. You will bring people out of prison, out of the prison where they live in darkness.

8 I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

I am the Lord. That is My name. I will not give My shining-greatness to another, or My praise to false gods.

9 B ehold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Praise to the Lord

See, the things told about in the past have happened. Now I speak about new things. Before they happen I will tell you about them.” A Song of Praise to the Lord

10 S ing to the Lord a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!

Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing His praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands and those who live on them.

11 L et 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.

Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the towns where Kedar lives. Let the people of Sela sing. Let them call out for joy from the tops of the mountains.

12 L et them give glory to the Lord, And declare His praise in the coastlands.

Let them give honor to the Lord, and praise Him in the islands.

13 T he Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. Promise of the Lord ’s Help

The Lord will go out like a powerful soldier. He will be ready like a man of war. He will call out, yes, He will call out a war cry. He will be strong against those who hate Him. God Promises to Help His People

14 “ I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once.

“I have been quiet for a long time. I have been quiet and have held Myself back. Now I will cry out like a woman giving birth. I will breathe hard and fast.

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.

I will lay waste the mountains and hills, and dry up all their plants. I will make the rivers into islands, and 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.

I will lead the blind by a way that they do not know. I will lead them in paths they do not know. I will turn darkness into light in front of them. And I will make the bad places smooth. These are the things I will do and I will not leave them.”

17 T hey shall be turned back, They shall be greatly ashamed, Who trust in carved images, Who say to the molded images, ‘You are our gods.’

They will be turned back and be put to shame who trust in false gods, who say to these objects of worship, “You are our gods.” Israel Is Blind and Cannot Hear

18 “ Hear, you deaf; And look, you blind, that you may see.

Listen, you who do not hear! And look, you blind, that you may see.

19 W ho 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?

Who is blind but My servant? Who does not hear, as the one whom I send with news? Who is so blind as he who is at peace with Me, or so blind as the servant of the Lord?

20 S eeing many things, but you do not observe; Opening the ears, but he does not hear.” Israel’s Obstinate Disobedience

You see many things, but you cannot tell what you see. Your ears are open, but you do not hear.

21 T he Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will exalt the law and make it honorable.

Because He is right and good, the Lord was pleased to make the Law great and give it honor.

22 B ut this is a people robbed and plundered; All of them are snared in holes, And they are hidden in prison houses; They are for prey, and no one delivers; For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!”

But this is a people robbed of what they owned. All of them are trapped in deep holes, or hidden in prisons. They have been robbed of what they have, with no one to help them. They have been taken away, with no one to say, “Give them back!”

23 W ho among you will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come?

Who among you will hear this? Who will listen and hear in the future?

24 W ho gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in His ways, Nor were they obedient to His law.

Who let Jacob be taken? Who gave Israel to robbers? Was it not the Lord, Whom we have sinned against, in Whose ways we were not willing to walk, and Whose Law we did not obey?

25 T herefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger And the strength of battle; It has set him on fire all around, Yet he did not know; And it burned him, Yet he did not take it to heart.

So He poured out upon Israel the heat of His anger and the power of battle. It set him on fire all around. Yet he did not understand. It burned him, but he did not think about it.