14 “I have kept silent from ages past;
I have been quiet and restrained myself.(A)
But now, I will groan like a woman in labor,(B)
gasping breathlessly.
15 I will lay waste mountains and hills
and dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up marshes.(C)
16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know;(D)
I will guide them on paths they have not known.
I will turn darkness to light in front of them(E)
and rough places into level ground.(F)
This is what I will do for them,
and I will not abandon them.(G)
17 They will be turned back and utterly ashamed—
those who trust in an idol
and say to a cast image,
‘You are our gods!’ (H)

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The Blindness of the People

14 (A)I have kept silent for a long time,
I have kept still and restrained Myself.
Now like a woman in labor I will groan,
I will both gasp and pant.
15 I will (B)lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will (C)turn the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.
16 I will (D)lead those who are blind by a way they have not known,
In paths they have not known I will guide them.
I will (E)turn darkness into light before them
And (F)uneven land into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will (G)not leave them undone.”
17 They will be turned back and be (H)utterly put to shame,
Who trust in [a]idols,
Who say to cast metal images,
“You are our gods.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 42:17 Or carved images