The Lord's Chosen Servant

42 (A)Behold (B)my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen, (C)in whom my soul delights;
(D)I have put my Spirit upon him;
    (E)he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
    or make it heard in the street;
(F)a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
    (G)he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged[a]
    till he has established justice in the earth;
    and (H)the coastlands wait for his law.

Thus says God, the Lord,
    who created the heavens (I)and stretched them out,
    who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
(J)who gives breath to the people on it
    and spirit to those who walk in it:
“I am the Lord; (K)I have called you[b] in righteousness;
    I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you (L)as a covenant for the people,
    (M)a light for the nations,
    (N)to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
    (O)from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord; that is my name;
    (P)my glory I give to no other,
    nor my praise to carved idols.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
    (Q)and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
    I tell you of them.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 42:4 Or bruised
  2. Isaiah 42:6 The Hebrew for you is singular; four times in this verse

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.”

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God’s Servant Will Set Everything Right

42 1-4 “Take a good look at my servant.
    I’m backing him to the hilt.
He’s the one I chose,
    and I couldn’t be more pleased with him.
I’ve bathed him with my Spirit, my life.
    He’ll set everything right among the nations.
He won’t call attention to what he does
    with loud speeches or gaudy parades.
He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt
    and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant,
    but he’ll steadily and firmly set things right.
He won’t tire out and quit. He won’t be stopped
    until he’s finished his work—to set things right on earth.
Far-flung ocean islands
    wait expectantly for his teaching.”

The God Who Makes Us Alive with His Own Life

5-9 God’s Message,
    the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies,
    laid out the earth and all that grows from it,
Who breathes life into earth’s people,
    makes them alive with his own life:
“I am God. I have called you to live right and well.
    I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe.
I have set you among my people to bind them to me,
    and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations,
To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light:
    opening blind eyes,
    releasing prisoners from dungeons,
    emptying the dark prisons.
I am God. That’s my name.
    I don’t franchise my glory,
    don’t endorse the no-god idols.
Take note: The earlier predictions of judgment have been fulfilled.
    I’m announcing the new salvation work.
Before it bursts on the scene,
    I’m telling you all about it.”

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