1 L o, My servant, I take hold on him, My chosen one -- My soul hath accepted, I have put My Spirit upon him, Judgment to nations he bringeth forth.

“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 doth not cry, nor lift up, 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 breaketh not, And dim flax he quencheth not, To truth he bringeth forth judgment.

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

4 H e doth not become weak nor bruised, Till he setteth judgment in the earth, And for his law isles wait with hope.

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 said God, Jehovah, preparing The heavens, and stretching them out, Spreading out the earth and its productions, Giving breath to the people on it, And spirit to those walking in 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 , Jehovah, did call thee in righteousness, And I lay hold on thy hand, and keep thee, And I give thee for a covenant of a people, And a light of nations.

“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 the eyes of the blind, To bring forth from prison the bound one, From the house of restraint those sitting in darkness.

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

8 I Jehovah, this My name, And Mine honour to another I give not, Nor My praise to graven 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 T he former things, lo, have come, And new things I am declaring, Before they spring up I cause you to hear.

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 Jehovah a new song, His praise from the end of the earth, Ye who are going down to the sea, and its fulness, Isles, and their inhabitants.

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 T he wilderness and its cities do lift up, The villages Kedar doth inhabit, Sing do the inhabitants of Sela, From the top of mountains they cry.

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 T hey ascribe to Jehovah honour, And His praise in the isles they declare.

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

13 J ehovah as a mighty one goeth forth. As a man of war He stirreth up zeal, He crieth, yea, He shrieketh, Against His enemies He showeth Himself mighty.

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 kept silent from of old, I keep silent, I refrain myself, As a travailing woman I cry out, I desolate and swallow up together.

“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 make waste mountains and hills, And all their herbs I dry up, And I have made rivers become isles, And ponds I dry up.

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 A nd I have caused the blind to go, In a way they have not known, In paths they have not known I cause them to tread, I make a dark place before them become light, And unlevelled places become a plain, These the things I have done to them, And I have not forsaken 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 R emoved backward -- utterly ashamed, Are those trusting in a graven image, Those saying to a molten image, `Ye 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 Y e deaf, hear; and ye blind, look to see.

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

19 W ho blind but My servant? And deaf as My messenger I send? Who blind as he who is at peace, Yea, blind, as the servant of Jehovah?

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, and thou observest not, Opening ears, and he heareth not.

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

21 J ehovah hath delight for the sake of His righteousness, He magnifieth law, and maketh honourable.

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

22 A nd this a people seized and spoiled, Snared in holes -- all of them, And in houses of restraint they were hidden, They have been for a prey, And there is no deliverer, A spoil, and none is saying, `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 giveth ear this? Attendeth, and heareth afterwards.

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

24 W ho hath given Jacob for a spoil, And Israel to the spoilers? Is it not Jehovah -- He against whom we sinned? Yea, they have not been willing in His ways to walk, Nor have they hearkened 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 A nd He poureth on him fury, His anger, and the strength of battle, And it setteth him on fire round about, And he hath not known, And it burneth against him, and he layeth it not 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.