Isaiah 42
New King James Version
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Behold! (A)My Servant whom I uphold,
My [a]Elect One in whom My soul (B)delights!
(C)I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And [b]smoking flax He will not [c]quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
(D)And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
5 Thus says God the Lord,
(E)Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
(F)Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I,(G) the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You (H)and give You as a covenant to the people,
As (I)a light to the Gentiles,
7 (J)To open blind eyes,
To (K)bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in (L)darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My (M)glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, 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
10 (N)Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise from the ends of the earth,
(O)You who go down to the sea, and [d]all that is in it,
You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
11 Let 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.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord,
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man;
He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.
He shall cry out, (P)yes, shout aloud;
He shall prevail against His enemies.
Promise of the Lord’s Help
14 “I have held My peace a long time,
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in [e]labor,
I will pant and gasp at once.
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.
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.
17 They shall be (Q)turned back,
They shall be greatly ashamed,
Who trust in carved images,
Who say to the molded images,
‘You are our gods.’
18 “Hear, you deaf;
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 (R)Who 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?
20 Seeing many things, (S)but you do not observe;
Opening the ears, but he does not hear.”
Israel’s Obstinate Disobedience
21 The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake;
He will exalt the law and make it honorable.
22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;
All of them are [f]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!”
23 Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not the Lord,
He against whom we have sinned?
(T)For they would not walk in His ways,
Nor were they obedient to His law.
25 Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger
And the strength of battle;
(U)It has set him on fire all around,
(V)Yet he did not know;
And it burned him,
Yet he did not take it to (W)heart.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 42:1 Chosen
- Isaiah 42:3 dimly burning
- Isaiah 42:3 extinguish
- Isaiah 42:10 Lit. its fullness
- Isaiah 42:14 childbirth
- Isaiah 42:22 Or trapped in caves
Isaiah 42
The Voice
42 Eternal One: Look here, let Me present My servant;
I have taken hold of him. He is My chosen, and I delight in him.
I have put My Spirit on him; by this he will bring justice to the nations.
This poem is the first of several Servant Songs. God’s special Servant is described in various ways. In this song (42:1–9), the Servant is portrayed as one who faithfully establishes justice in the world and serves as a light for the nations. In the second song (49:1–13), the Servant is called from the womb and ordained to restore the nation of Israel and take salvation to the ends of the earth. In the third song (50:4–9), the Servant is portrayed as a teacher, intimately in touch with God, yet brutally beaten and disgraced by his enemies. In the fourth song (52:13–53:12), the suffering and rejection of God’s Servant takes priority over his other tasks; yet even in his suffering God is working to repair the world from the harm done by sin and evil.
2 Eternal One: He will not scream or yell,
crying out for all to hear.
3 What is bruised and bent, he will not break;
he will not blow out a smoldering candle.
Rather, he will faithfully turn his attention to doing justice.
4 And though he faces obstacles, resistance, and great pressure,
he will not crack; he will not give up until things are set right.
Even the coastlands wait patiently for his instruction.
5 God, the Eternal One, who made the starry skies,
stretched them tight above and around;
Who cast the shimmering globe of earth and filled it with life;
who gives breath and animates the people;
Who walks and talks with life-giving spirit has this to say:
6 Eternal One: I am the Eternal One. By righteousness I have called you.
I will take you by the hand and keep you safe.
You are given as a covenant between Me and the people:
a light for the nations, a shining beacon to the world.
7 You will open blind eyes so they will see again.
You will lead prisoners, blinking, out from caverns of captivity,
from cells pitch black with despair.
8 I am the Eternal One.
I Am is My name.
My beauty is unique, a weighty splendor all My own.
And nothing else—no idols could possibly gain My praise.
9 Look here, what’s done is done and gone.
The now is new, and there’s hope in the not-yet.
I will tell you what’s to come, even before the events are brand-new.
10 So make up a song like none other. Sing a new song to the Eternal.
And let His praise echo clear across the earth.
Let those who go to sea set sail with praise in the air.
Let those who live along the waters’ edge sing His praise.
11 Let desert places, urban and rural, wild and settled, sing!
Let the settlements of Kedar and those in the craggy cliffs of Sela join in the celebration.
The peaks of mountains, too, raise your voices with a great, glad cry.
12 Let them all give glory to the Eternal.
Let them praise the One who is, was, and will be heard along the coasts.
13 As a hero throws himself into battle, the Eternal will take on His enemies;
with passion, shouting out a deafening roar, He will power over them.
14 Eternal One: As a woman fiercely strains to give birth, I will gasp, pant, and cry out.
I have been quiet for a long time; I have held back in the face of it all.
Well, no more.
15 When My power is loosed, I will make level the heights
and render them bare.
I will dry up the rivers until bare islands appear,
and empty the sweet water from the pools.
16 I will escort the blind down roads they do not know,
guide them down paths they’ve never seen.
I will smooth their passage and light their way.
I will indeed do it—they are abandoned no more.
17 Meanwhile, those who put their stock in worthless images,
who worship things impotent and breakable
And say to idols, “You are our gods,”
will be turned away and mortified.
18 Eternal One: You, deaf to the world, hear!
You, blind in your eyes, look! And you will see.
19 My servant is as blind as any.
Who could be more deaf than the one who goes where I direct and tells what I want told?
The identity of the Servant is much debated. On the one hand, Isaiah often refers to God’s people, Israel, as “the servant of the Eternal” (41:8–9; 42:19; 45:4; especially 49:3). Yet at other times the Servant seems to be an individual, distinct from Israel, with a special mission to and for Israel. Early Christians hear these Servant Songs and reflect on Jesus’ significance; they better understand His role as the light of the world, teacher, and Suffering Servant of God. They see His life and ministry as the embodiment and representative of true Israel and therefore the fulfillment of these words. They use the prophet’s poetry to formulate songs and sermons that express not only Jesus’ unique relationship to God but also His unique career as the Light of the world.
Who is as blind as the one committed to do what the Eternal One wills,
the servant of the Eternal?
20 The seer-of-much nevertheless doesn’t get it;
privy to sound and speech and tone, he still doesn’t hear.
21 On account of God’s goodness, His right ways and deeds,
the Eternal was pleased to make the instruction grand and glorious.
22 But this people is compromised.
They’ve been plundered and robbed.
They have lost—things, liberty, place, and name.
They are all trapped in holes and tucked away in prisons.
They’ve been plundered and depleted with none to the rescue.
They’ve been stolen away with none to insist, “Give them back.”
23 Is there anyone who understands? Who, out of all of you, will pay attention,
understand, and take note concerning what’s to come?
God is the one who lies behind these events. He makes it possible for His people to be defeated and taken away.
24 Wasn’t it the Lord, because we turned our backs,
who gave up Jacob’s descendants, Israel, for robbery and plunder?
We refused to live as God would have us live. We did not heed
the instruction that God gave us through Moses so long ago.
25 That’s why God sent all fury against Jacob
in the shape of war, and we were burned.
We experienced all this;
Yet we didn’t get it. God’s people did not take it to heart.
Isaías 42
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Promesa de Dios a Su Siervo
42 »Este es Mi Siervo(A), a quien Yo sostengo,
Mi escogido(B), en quien Mi alma se complace(C).
He puesto Mi Espíritu sobre Él(D);
Él traerá justicia a las naciones[a](E).
2 No clamará ni alzará Su voz,
Ni hará oír Su voz en la calle.
3 No quebrará la caña cascada,
Ni apagará la mecha que casi no arde;
Con fidelidad traerá justicia[b](F).
4 No se desanimará ni desfallecerá(G)
Hasta que haya establecido en la tierra la justicia[c].
Su ley esperarán las costas[d](H)».
5 Así dice Dios el Señor,
Que crea los cielos y los extiende(I),
Que afirma[e] la tierra(J) y lo que de ella brota[f](K),
Que da aliento al pueblo que hay en ella(L),
Y espíritu a los que por ella andan:
6 «Yo soy el Señor, en justicia te he llamado(M).
Te sostendré por la mano(N) y por ti velaré(O),
Y te pondré como pacto para el pueblo(P),
Como luz para las naciones(Q),
7 Para que abras los ojos a los ciegos(R),
Para que saques de la cárcel a los presos(S),
Y de la prisión a los que moran en tinieblas.
8 Yo soy el Señor(T), ese es Mi nombre(U);
Mi gloria a otro no daré(V),
Ni Mi alabanza a imágenes talladas[g](W).
9 Las cosas anteriores ya se han cumplido(X),
Y Yo anuncio cosas nuevas(Y);
Antes que sucedan[h], se las anuncio».
Canto triunfal
10 Canten al Señor un cántico nuevo(Z),
Canten Su alabanza desde los confines de la tierra(AA),
Los que descienden al mar(AB) y cuanto hay en él(AC),
Las islas[i](AD) y sus moradores.
11 Levanten la voz el desierto(AE) y sus ciudades,
Las aldeas donde habita Cedar(AF).
Canten de júbilo los habitantes de Sela(AG),
Desde las cimas de los montes griten de alegría(AH).
12 Den gloria al Señor(AI),
Y proclamen en las costas[j](AJ) Su alabanza.
13 El Señor como guerrero saldrá(AK),
Como hombre de guerra despertará Su celo(AL).
Gritará, sí, lanzará un grito de guerra,
Contra Sus enemigos prevalecerá(AM).
14 Por mucho tiempo he guardado silencio(AN),
He estado callado y me he contenido.
Pero ahora grito como mujer de parto,
Resuello y jadeo a la vez.
15 Asolaré montes y collados(AO),
Y secaré toda su vegetación.
Convertiré los ríos en islas[k](AP),
Y las lagunas secaré.
16 Conduciré a los ciegos por un camino que no conocen,
Por sendas que no conocen los guiaré(AQ);
Cambiaré delante de ellos las tinieblas en luz(AR)
Y lo escabroso en llanura(AS).
Estas cosas haré,
Y no las dejaré sin hacer(AT).
17 Serán vueltos atrás y completamente avergonzados,
Los que confían en ídolos[l](AU),
Los que dicen a las imágenes fundidas:
Ustedes son nuestros dioses.
18 Sordos, oigan;
Ciegos, miren y vean(AV).
19 ¿Quién es ciego sino Mi siervo(AW),
O tan sordo como el mensajero(AX) a quien envío?
¿Quién es tan ciego como el que está en paz[m](AY) conmigo,
O tan ciego como el siervo del Señor?
20 Tú has visto muchas cosas, pero no las observas.
Los oídos están abiertos, pero nadie oye(AZ).
21 El Señor se agradó por causa de Su justicia
En hacer la ley grande y gloriosa(BA).
22 Pero este es un pueblo saqueado y despojado,
Todos están atrapados en cuevas[n](BB),
O escondidos en prisiones(BC).
Se han convertido en presa sin que nadie los libre
Y en despojo sin que nadie diga: «Devuélvelos».
23 ¿Quién de ustedes prestará oído a esto?
¿Quién pondrá atención y escuchará en el futuro?
24 ¿Quién entregó a Jacob al despojo,
Y a Israel a los saqueadores?
¿No fue el Señor, contra quien pecamos?
En Sus caminos no quisieron andar(BD),
Ni obedecieron Su ley(BE).
25 Por eso derramó sobre él el ardor de Su ira
Y la violencia de la batalla.
Le prendió fuego por todos lados(BF),
Pero él no se dio cuenta;
Lo consumió, pero él no hizo caso[o](BG).
Footnotes
- Isaías 42:1 O a los gentiles.
- Isaías 42:3 O el derecho.
- Isaías 42:4 O el derecho.
- Isaías 42:4 O islas.
- Isaías 42:5 Lit. expande.
- Isaías 42:5 O y su vegetación.
- Isaías 42:8 O ídolos.
- Isaías 42:9 Lit. broten.
- Isaías 42:10 O costas.
- Isaías 42:12 O islas.
- Isaías 42:15 O costas.
- Isaías 42:17 O imágenes talladas.
- Isaías 42:19 O el consagrado.
- Isaías 42:22 O agujeros.
- Isaías 42:25 Lit. no lo puso en el corazón.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Nueva Biblia de las Américas™ NBLA™ Copyright © 2005 por The Lockman Foundation
