1“Look, my servant, whom I support; my chosen one, in whom I take delight—I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.
2He will not shout, or raise his voice, or make it heard in the streets.
3He will not break a bent reed or put out a flickering candle. He will faithfully bring about justice.
4He will not fail or be discouraged until he has brought justice to the earth, and the distant lands will wait for his law.”
5This is what God Yahweh says, he who created the heavens and spread them out, he who made the earth and everything that grows on it, he who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who live in it.
6“I, Yahweh, have called you righteously; I will hold your hand, and keep you safe. I will make you a covenant for the people and a light for the nations;
7to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness out of prison.
8“I am Yahweh; that is my name. I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
9Look, the former things have happened, and I announce new things. I tell you about them before they occur.”
10Sing a new song to Yahweh, and his praise from the ends of the earth, you who travel the sea, and everything in it, the islands and their inhabitants.
11Let the desert and its cities, and the villages where Kedar lives, shout with joy. Let the people of Sela sing. Let them shout from the mountaintops!
12Let them give glory to Yahweh and announce his praise in the faraway lands.
13Yahweh will go out like a strong soldier. He will be as eager as a warrior. He will let out a battle cry. Yes, he will shout loudly. He will win against his enemies.
14“I have been quiet for a long time. I have been silent and held myself back. Now I will cry out like a woman giving birth. I will both gasp and pant.
15I will destroy mountains and hills, and dry up all their plants. I will turn rivers into dry land, and dry up the pools.
16I will lead the blind on a path they don't know. I will guide them on roads they haven't seen. I will turn darkness into light for them, and make crooked paths straight. I will do these things, and I will not abandon them.
17“Those who trust in carved idols, who say to metal statues, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned away. They will be completely disappointed.”
18“Listen, you deaf people, and look, you blind people, so that you may see.”
19Who is blind, if not my servant? Or who is as deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is as blind as the one at peace, and as blind as Yahweh’s servant?
20You see many things, but don’t pay attention. His ears are open, but he doesn’t listen.
21Yahweh was pleased, for the sake of his justice, to make his law great and honorable.
22But these people have been robbed and plundered. They are all trapped in holes and hidden in prisons. They have been taken captive, and no one rescues them. They have been plundered, and no one says, 'Give them back!'
23Who among you will listen to this? Who will pay attention and hear for the future?
24Who allowed Jacob to be plundered, and Israel to be robbed? Wasn't it Yahweh, the one we sinned against? They refused to follow his ways and disobeyed his law.
25Therefore, he poured out his fierce anger on them, along with the power of battle. It set them on fire all around, but they didn't understand. It burned them, but they didn't take it to heart.