Isaiah 42

The Lord's Chosen Servant

1 "Behold! a My Servant whom I uphold,
My 1 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 2 smoking flax He will not 3 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."

Sing to the Lord a New Song

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 4 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.

14 "I have held My peace a long time,
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in 5 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.'

Israel's Failure to Hear and See

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."
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 6 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.

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 43:10
    You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.
    Isaiah 49:3
    "And He said to me, 'You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.'
    Isaiah 49:6
    Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.'
    Matthew 12:18
    Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
    Philippians 2:7
    But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
  2. Cross References
    Matthew 3:17
    And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
    Matthew 17:5
    While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!
    Mark 1:11
    Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
    Luke 3:22
    And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.
    Ephesians 1:6
    To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
  3. Cross References
    Isaiah 11:2
    The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The...
    Matthew 3:16
    When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immedi...
    Luke 4:18
    The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He h...
    Luke 4:19
    To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.
    Luke 4:21
    And He began to say to them, "Today this Script...
    John 3:34
    For He whom God has sent speaks the words of Go...
  4. Cross References
    Genesis 49:10
    The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 44:24
    Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself.
    Zechariah 12:1
    The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
  6. Cross References
    Job 12:10
    In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?
    Job 33:4
    The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
    Isaiah 57:16
    For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls which I have made.
    Daniel 5:23
    And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.
    Acts 17:25
    Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
  7. Cross References
    Isaiah 43:1
    But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
  8. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:8
    Thus says the LORD: "In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages.
  9. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:6
    Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.
    Luke 2:32
    A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.
    Acts 10:45
    And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
    Acts 13:47
    "For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
    Galatians 3:14
    That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
  10. Cross References
    Isaiah 35:5
    Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
  11. Cross References
    Isaiah 61:1
    The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
    Luke 4:18
    The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed.
    2 Timothy 2:26
    And that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
    Hebrews 2:14
    Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.
  12. Cross References
    Isaiah 9:2
    The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.
  13. Cross References
    Exodus 20:3 - 5
    You shall have no other gods before Me.
    Isaiah 48:11
    For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.
  14. Cross References
    Psalms 33:3
    Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
    Psalms 40:3
    He has put a new song in my mouth - Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.
    Psalms 98:1
    Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
  15. Cross References
    Psalms 107:23
    Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters.
  16. Cross References
    Isaiah 31:4
    For thus the LORD has spoken to me: "As a lion roars, And a young lion over his prey (When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, He will not be afraid of their voice Nor be disturbed by their noise), So the LORD of hosts will come down To fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.
  17. Cross References
    Psalms 97:7
    Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, Who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods.
    Isaiah 1:29
    For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees Which you have desired; And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens Which you have chosen.
    Isaiah 44:11
    Surely all his companions would be ashamed; And the workmen, they are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, Let them stand up; Yet they shall fear, They shall be ashamed together.
    Isaiah 45:16
    They shall be ashamed And also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols.
  18. Cross References
    Isaiah 43:8
    Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears.
    Ezekiel 12:2
    Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.
    John 9:39
    And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.
    John 9:41
    Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.
  19. Cross References
    Romans 2:21
    You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?
  20. Cross References
    Isaiah 65:2
    I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way that is not good, According to their own thoughts.
  21. Cross References
    2 Kings 25:9
    He burned the house of the LORD and the king's house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire.
  22. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:3
    The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.
    Isaiah 5:13
    Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst.
    Hosea 7:9
    Aliens have devoured his strength, But he does not know it; Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, Yet he does not know it.
  23. Cross References
    Isaiah 29:13
    Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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