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42 “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen, in whom my soul delights:
    I have put my Spirit on him.
    He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout,
    nor raise his voice,
    nor cause it to be heard in the street.
He won’t break a bruised reed.
    He won’t quench a dimly burning wick.
    He will faithfully bring justice.
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
    until he has set justice in the earth,
    and the islands wait for his law.”

God Yahweh,
    he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    he who spread out the earth and that which comes out of it,
    he who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk in it, says:
“I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness.
    I will hold your hand.
    I will keep you,
    and make you a covenant for the people,
    as a light for the nations,
    to open the blind eyes,
    to bring the prisoners out of the dungeon,
    and those who sit in darkness out of the prison.

“I am Yahweh.
    That is my name.
    I will not give my glory to another,
    nor my praise to engraved images.
Behold, the former things have happened
    and I declare new things.
    I tell you about them before they come up.”

10 Sing to Yahweh a new song,
    and his praise from the end of the earth,
    you who go down to the sea,
    and all that is therein,
    the islands and their inhabitants.
11 Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices,
    with the villages that Kedar inhabits.
    Let the inhabitants of Sela sing.
    Let them shout from the top of the mountains!
12 Let them give glory to Yahweh,
    and declare his praise in the islands.
13 Yahweh will go out like a mighty man.
    He will stir up zeal like a man of war.
    He will raise a war cry.
    Yes, he will shout aloud.
    He will triumph over his enemies.

14 “I have been silent a long time.
    I have been quiet and restrained myself.
    Now I will cry out like a travailing woman. I will both gasp and pant.
15 I will destroy mountains and hills,
    and dry up all their herbs.
    I will make the rivers islands,
    and will dry up the pools.
16 I will bring the blind by a way that they don’t know.
    I will lead them in paths that they don’t know.
    I will make darkness light before them,
    and crooked places straight.
    I will do these things,
    and I will not forsake them.

17 “Those who trust in engraved images,
    who tell molten images,
    ‘You are our gods,’
    will be turned back.
    They will be utterly disappointed.

18 “Hear, you deaf,
    and look, you blind,
    that you may see.
19 Who is blind, but my servant?
    Or who is as deaf as my messenger whom I send?
Who is as blind as he who is at peace,
    and as blind as Yahweh’s servant?
20 You see many things, but don’t observe.
    His ears are open, but he doesn’t listen.
21 It pleased Yahweh, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify the law
    and make it honorable.
22 But this is a robbed and plundered people.
    All of them are snared in holes,
    and they are hidden in prisons.
They have become captives, and no one delivers,
    and a plunder, and no one says, ‘Restore them!’

23 Who is there among you who will give ear to this?
    Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob as plunder,
    and Israel to the robbers?
    Didn’t Yahweh, he against whom we have sinned?
    For they would not walk in his ways,
    and they disobeyed his law.
25 Therefore he poured the fierceness of his anger on him,
    and the strength of battle.
It set him on fire all around, but he didn’t know.
    It burned him, but he didn’t take it to heart.”

The Servant of the Lord

42 “Here is my servant,(A) whom I uphold,
    my chosen one(B) in whom I delight;(C)
I will put my Spirit(D) on him,
    and he will bring justice(E) to the nations.(F)
He will not shout or cry out,(G)
    or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed(H) he will not break,(I)
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.(J)
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;(K)
    he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice(L) on earth.
    In his teaching(M) the islands(N) will put their hope.”(O)

This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,(P) who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth(Q) with all that springs from it,(R)
    who gives breath(S) to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called(T) you in righteousness;(U)
    I will take hold of your hand.(V)
I will keep(W) you and will make you
    to be a covenant(X) for the people
    and a light(Y) for the Gentiles,(Z)
to open eyes that are blind,(AA)
    to free(AB) captives from prison(AC)
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(AD)

“I am the Lord;(AE) that is my name!(AF)
    I will not yield my glory to another(AG)
    or my praise to idols.(AH)
See, the former things(AI) have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce(AJ) them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord

10 Sing(AK) to the Lord a new song,(AL)
    his praise(AM) from the ends of the earth,(AN)
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,(AO)
    you islands,(AP) and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness(AQ) and its towns raise their voices;
    let the settlements where Kedar(AR) lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela(AS) sing for joy;
    let them shout from the mountaintops.(AT)
12 Let them give glory(AU) to the Lord
    and proclaim his praise(AV) in the islands.(AW)
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,(AX)
    like a warrior(AY) he will stir up his zeal;(AZ)
with a shout(BA) he will raise the battle cry
    and will triumph over his enemies.(BB)

14 “For a long time I have kept silent,(BC)
    I have been quiet and held myself back.(BD)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
    I cry out, I gasp and pant.(BE)
15 I will lay waste(BF) the mountains(BG) and hills
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
    and dry up(BH) the pools.
16 I will lead(BI) the blind(BJ) by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(BK) before them
    and make the rough places smooth.(BL)
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake(BM) them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
    who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’(BN)
    will be turned back in utter shame.(BO)

Israel Blind and Deaf

18 “Hear, you deaf;(BP)
    look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind(BQ) but my servant,(BR)
    and deaf like the messenger(BS) I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant(BT) with me,
    blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
    your ears are open, but you do not listen.”(BU)
21 It pleased the Lord
    for the sake(BV) of his righteousness
    to make his law(BW) great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered(BX) and looted,
    all of them trapped in pits(BY)
    or hidden away in prisons.(BZ)
They have become plunder,
    with no one to rescue them;(CA)
they have been made loot,
    with no one to say, “Send them back.”

23 Which of you will listen to this
    or pay close attention(CB) in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
    and Israel to the plunderers?(CC)
Was it not the Lord,(CD)
    against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow(CE) his ways;
    they did not obey his law.(CF)
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,(CG)
    the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,(CH) yet they did not understand;(CI)
    it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.(CJ)