42
1 Here is Avdi,* whom I uphold;
Mine Bechir (Elect One, Chosen One), in whom My nefesh delighteth;
I have put My Ruach† upon Him;
He‡ shall bring forth mishpat to the Goyim.
2 He§ shall not cry out, nor lift up His kol (voice),
nor cause it to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed shall He* not break,
and a smoking wick shall He not quench;
He shall bring forth mishpat according to emes.
4 He† shall not fail nor be discouraged,
till He establish mishpat ba'aretz;
and the iyim shall wait for His (Moshiachʼs) torah.‡
5 Thus saith HaEl Hashem,
Boreh HaShomayim, and the One stretching them out;
He that spread out ha'aretz, and that which cometh out of it as produce;
He that giveth neshamah (soul) unto HaAm upon it,
and ruach to them that walk thereon:§
6 I Hashem have called Thee in tzedek,
and will take hold of Thine yad, and will keep Thee,
and give Thee* for a Brit†(Covenant) of the Am (People),
for an Ohr Goyim;
7 To open the einayim ivrot (blind eyes),
to bring out the captives from confinement,
and them that sit in choshech out of the bais keleh (dungeon, prison).
8 I am Hashem, that is Shmi;
and My kavod will I not give to another,
neither My tehillah (praise) to pesilim.
9 Hinei, the rishonot (former things) are come to pass,
and chadashot (new things) do I declare;
before titzmachnah (they spring forth; Tzemach)
I tell you of them.
10 Sing unto Hashem a shir chadesh (new song),
and His tehillah from the ketzeh ha'aretz,
ye that go down to the yam, and all that is therein.
You iyim (islands), and the inhabitants thereof.
11 Let the midbar and the towns thereof lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar doth inhabit;
let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy,
let them shout from the rosh harim.
12 Let them give kavod unto Hashem,
and declare His tehillah in the iyim.
13 Hashem shall go forth like a Gibbor,
He shall arouse kina (zeal) like an ish milchamah;
He shall shout, indeed, raise a war cry;
He shall prevail against His oyevim.
14 I have me'olam held My peace;
I have been quiet, and refrained Myself;
now will I cry out like a travailing woman;
I will lay waste and devour at once.
15 I will lay waste harim and geva'ot (hills),
and dry up all their esev (vegetation);
and I will make the neharot into iyim,
and I will dry up agamim (pools, lakes).
16 And I will bring the ivrim (blind)
by a derech that they knew not;
I will lead them in paths
that they have not known;
I will make choshech into ohr before them,
and crooked things straight.
These things will I do unto them,
and not forsake them.
17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed,
that trust in pesel,
that say to the masekhah (molten images):
You (plural) are eloheinu (our g-ds).
18 Hear, ye chereshim (deaf people);
and look, ye ivrim (blind people) that ye may see.
19 Who is ivver (blind), but Avdi?‡
Or cheresh (deaf), like malachi that I sent?
Who is ivver (blind) like meshullam (the one committed),§
and ivver like the Eved Hashem.*
20 Seeing rabbot, but thou observest not;
opening the oznayim, but he heareth not.
21 Hashem is well pleased lema'an (for the sake of) His tzedek;
He will magnify the torah, and make it glorious.
22 But this is Am (People) robbed and looted;
they are all of them snared in holes,
or hidden in batei kela'im (dungeons):
they are for plunder,
and none delivereth;
for loot, and none saith, Give it back!
23 Who among you will give ozen (ear) to this?
Who will pay heed and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Ya'akov as loot,
and Yisroel to ones plundering?
Did not Hashem, He against Whom we have sinned?
For they would not walk in the darkhei HaShem,
neither were they obedient unto His torah.
25 Therefore He hath poured upon it
the chemah (burning heat) of His anger,
and the strength of the fury of milchamah;
and it hath set him on fire round about,
yet it knew not;
and it consumed it,
yet it laid it not to lev.
* 42:1 Moshiach, see Zech 3:8; Isa 52:13 † 42:1 Hakodesh ‡ 42:1 Moshiach § 42:2 Moshiach * 42:3 Moshiach † 42:4 Moshiach ‡ 42:4 1C 9:21 § 42:5 See 1Th 5:23 * 42:6 Moshiach † 42:6 Mt 26:28 ‡ 42:19 Yisroel § 42:19 to Me * 42:19 i.e., Yisroel