The LORD's Servant

421 " Behold , My Servant , whom I uphold ; My chosen one in whom My soul delights . I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations . 2 "He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street . 3 "A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish ; He will faithfully bring forth justice . 4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth ; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law ."

5 Thus says God the Lord , Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring , Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, 6 "I am the Lord , I have called You in righteousness , I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people , As a light to the nations , 7 To open blind eyes , To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison e . 8 " I am the Lord , that is My name ; I will not give My glory to another , Nor My praise to graven images . 9 "Behold , the former things have come to pass , Now I declare new things ; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you."

Praise for the LORD's Mighty Deliverance

10 Sing to the Lord a new song , Sing His praise from the end of the earth ! You who go down to the sea , and all that is in it. You islands , and those who dwell on them. 11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices, The settlements where Kedar inhabits . Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud , Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains . 12 Let them give glory to the Lord And declare His praise in the coastlands .

13 The Lord will go forth like a warrior , He will arouse His zeal like a man of war . He will utter a shout , yes , He will raise a war cry . He will prevail against His enemies . 14 " 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 lay waste the mountains and hills And wither all their vegetation ; I will make the rivers into coastlands And dry up the ponds . 16 "I will lead the blind by a way they do not know , In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains . These are the things I will do , And I will not leave them undone ." 17 They will be turned back and be utterly put to shame , Who trust in idols , Who say to molten images , "You are our gods ."

Israel's Failure to Profit from Discipline

18 Hear , you deaf ! And look , you blind , that you may see . 19 Who is blind but My servant , Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send ? Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me, Or so blind as the servant of the Lord ? 20 You have seen many things , but you do not observe them; Your ears are open , but none hears . 21 The Lord was pleased for His righteousness' sake To make the law great and glorious . 22 But this is a people plundered and despoiled ; All of them are trapped in caves , Or are hidden away in prisons ; They have become a prey with none to deliver them, And a spoil , with none to say , "Give them back !" 23 Who among you will give ear to this ? Who will give heed and listen hereafter ? 24 Who gave Jacob up for spoil , and Israel to plunderers ? Was it not the Lord , against whom we have sinned , And in whose ways they were not willing to walk , And whose law they did not obey ? 25 So He poured out on him the heat of His anger And the fierceness of battle ; And it set him aflame all e around , Yet he did not recognize it; And it burned him, but he paid no attention e .

The LORD the Only Redeemer

431 But now , thus says the Lord , your Creator , O Jacob , And He who formed you, O Israel , "Do not fear , for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name ; you are Mine! 2 "When you pass through the waters , I will be with you; And through the rivers , they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire , you will not be scorched , Nor will the flame burn you. 3 "For I am the Lord your God , The Holy One of Israel , your Savior ; I have given Egypt as your ransom , Cush and Seba in your place . 4 "Since e you are precious in My sight , Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life . 5 "Do not fear , for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east , And gather you from the west . 6 "I will say to the north , 'Give them up!' And to the south , 'Do not hold them back .' Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth , 7 Everyone who is called by My name , And whom I have created for My glory , Whom I have formed , even whom I have made ."

8 Bring out the people who are blind , even though they have eyes , And the deaf , even though they have ears . 9 All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled . Who among them can declare this And proclaim to us the former things ? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified , Or let them hear and say , "It is true ." 10 "You are My witnesses ," declares the Lord , "And My servant whom I have chosen , So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed , And there will be none after Me. 11 "I, even I, am the Lord , And there is no savior besides e Me. 12 "It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed , And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses ," declares the Lord , "And I am God . 13 "Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand ; I act and who can reverse it?"

14 Thus says the Lord your Redeemer , the Holy One of Israel , "For your sake I have sent to Babylon , And will bring them all down as fugitives , Even the Chaldeans , into the ships in which they rejoice . 15 "I am the Lord , your Holy One , The Creator of Israel , your King ." 16 Thus says the Lord , Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters , 17 Who brings forth the chariot and the horse , The army and the mighty man (They will lie down together and not rise again; They have been quenched and extinguished like a wick ): 18 " Do not call to mind the former things , Or ponder things of the past . 19 "Behold , I will do something new , Now it will spring forth ; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness , Rivers in the desert . 20 "The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches , Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert , To give drink to My chosen people . 21 "The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise .

22 "Yet you have not called on Me, O Jacob ; But you have become weary of Me, O Israel . 23 "You have not brought to Me the sheep of your burnt offerings , Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices . I have not burdened you with offerings , Nor wearied you with incense . 24 "You have bought Me not sweet cane with money , Nor have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices ; Rather you have burdened Me with your sins , You have wearied Me with your iniquities . 25 "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake , And I will not remember your sins . 26 "Put Me in remembrance , let us argue our case together ; State your cause, that you may be proved right . 27 "Your first forefather sinned , And your spokesmen have transgressed against Me. 28 "So I will pollute the princes of the sanctuary , And I will consign Jacob to the ban and Israel to revilement .

The LORD the Only God

441 "But now listen , O Jacob , My servant , And Israel , whom I have chosen : 2 Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb , who will help you, ' Do not fear , O Jacob My servant ; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen . 3 'For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground ; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants ; 4 And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water .' 5 "This one will say , 'I am the Lord'S '; And that one will call on the name of Jacob ; And another will write on his hand , 'Belonging to the Lord ,' And will name Israel's name with honor . 6 "Thus says the Lord , the King of Israel and his Redeemer , the Lord of hosts : 'I am the first and I am the last , And there is no God besides e Me. 7 'Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order , From the time that I established the ancient nation . And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place . 8 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid ; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses . Is there any God besides e Me, Or is there any other Rock ? I know of none .' "

The Folly of Idolatry

9 Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile , and their precious things are of no profit ; even their own witnesses fail to see or know , so that they will be put to shame . 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit ? 11 Behold , all his companions will be put to shame , for the craftsmen themselves are mere men . Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble , let them together be put to shame . 12 The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals , fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm . He also gets hungry and his strength fails ; he drinks no water and becomes weary . 13 Another shapes wood , he extends a measuring line ; he outlines it with red chalk . He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass , and makes it like the form of a man , like the beauty of man , so that it may sit in a house . 14 Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest . He plants a fir , and the rain makes it grow . 15 Then it becomes something for a man to burn , so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread . He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire ; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied . He also warms himself and says , "Aha ! I am warm , I have seen the fire ." 17 But the rest of it he makes into a god , his graven image . He falls down before it and worships ; he also prays to it and says , "Deliver me, for you are my god ." 18 They do not know , nor do they understand , for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend . 19 No one recalls e e , nor is there knowledge or understanding to say , "I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals . I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination , I fall down before a block of wood !" 20 He feeds on ashes ; a deceived heart has turned him aside . And he cannot deliver himself , nor say , " Is there not a lie in my right hand ?"

The LORD the Redeemer of Israel

21 " Remember these things , O Jacob , And Israel , for you are My servant ; I have formed you, you are My servant , O Israel , you will not be forgotten by Me. 22 "I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist . Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." 23 Shout for joy , O heavens , for the Lord has done it! Shout joyfully , you lower parts of the earth ; Break forth into a shout of joy , you mountains , O forest , and every tree in it; For the Lord has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He shows forth His glory . 24 Thus says the Lord , your Redeemer , and the one who formed you from the womb , "I, the Lord , am the maker of all things , Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all e alone e , 25 Causing the omens of boasters to fail , Making fools out of diviners , Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness , 26 Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers . It is I who says of Jerusalem , 'She shall be inhabited !' And of the cities of Judah , ' They shall be built .' And I will raise up her ruins again. 27 "It is I who says to the depth of the sea , 'Be dried up!' And I will make your rivers dry . 28 "It is I who says of Cyrus , 'He is My shepherd ! And he will perform all My desire .' And he declares of Jerusalem , ' She will be built ,' And of the temple , 'Your foundation will be laid .' "