New Century Version NCV
Good News Translation GNT
1 "Here is my servant, the one I support. He is the one I chose, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him, and he will bring justice to all nations.
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The Lord says, "Here is my servant, whom I strengthen - the one I have chosen, with whom I am pleased. I have filled him with my Spirit, and he will bring justice to every nation.
2 He will not cry out or yell or speak loudly in the streets.
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He will not shout or raise his voice or make loud speeches in the streets.
3 He will not break a crushed blade of grass or put out even a weak flame. He will truly bring justice;
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He will not break off a bent reed nor put out a flickering lamp. He will bring lasting justice to all.
4 he will not lose hope or give up until he brings justice to the world. And people far away will trust his teachings."
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He will not lose hope or courage; he will establish justice on the earth. Distant lands eagerly wait for his teaching."
5 God, the Lord, said these things. He created the skies and stretched them out. He spread out the earth and everything on it. He gives life to all people on earth, to everyone who walks on the earth.
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God created the heavens and stretched them out; he fashioned the earth and all that lives there; he gave life and breath to all its people. And now the Lord God says to his servant,
6 The Lord says, "I, the Lord, called you to do right, and I will hold your hand and protect you. You will be the sign of my agreement with the people, a light to shine for all people.
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"I, the Lord, have called you and given you power to see that justice is done on earth. Through you I will make a covenant with all peoples; through you I will bring light to the nations.
7 You will help the blind to see. You will free those who are in prison, and you will lead those who live in darkness out of their prison.
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You will open the eyes of the blind and set free those who sit in dark prisons.
8 "I am the Lord. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another; I will not let idols take the praise that should be mine.
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"I alone am the Lord your God. No other god may share my glory; I will not let idols share my praise.
9 The things I said would happen have happened, and now I tell you about new things. Before those things happen, I tell you about them."
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The things I predicted have now come true. Now I will tell you of new things even before they begin to happen."
10 Sing a new song to the Lord; sing his praise everywhere on the earth. Praise him, you people who sail on the seas and you animals who live in them. Praise him, you people living in faraway places.
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Sing a new song to the Lord; sing his praise, all the world! Praise him, you that sail the sea; praise him, all creatures of the sea! Sing, distant lands and all who live there!
11 The deserts and their cities should praise him. The settlements of Kedar should praise him. The people living in Sela should sing for joy; they should shout from the mountaintops.
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Let the desert and its towns praise God; let the people of Kedar praise him! Let those who live in the city of Sela shout for joy from the tops of the mountains!
12 They should give glory to the Lord. People in faraway lands should praise him.
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Let those who live in distant lands give praise and glory to the Lord!
13 The Lord will march out like a strong soldier; he will be excited like a man ready to fight a war. He will shout out the battle cry and defeat his enemies.
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The Lord goes out to fight like a warrior; he is ready and eager for battle. He gives a war cry, a battle shout; he shows his power against his enemies.
14 The Lord says, "For a long time I have said nothing; I have been quiet and held myself back. But now I will cry out and strain like a woman giving birth to a child.
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God says, "For a long time I kept silent; I did not answer my people. But now the time to act has come; I cry out like a woman in labor.
15 I will destroy the hills and mountains and dry up all their plants. I will make the rivers become dry land and dry up the pools of water.
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I will destroy the hills and mountains and dry up the grass and trees. I will turn the river valleys into deserts and dry up the pools of water.
16 Then I will lead the blind along a way they never knew; I will guide them along paths they have not known. I will make the darkness become light for them, and the rough ground smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not leave my people.
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"I will lead my blind people by roads they have never traveled. I will turn their darkness into light and make rough country smooth before them. These are my promises, and I will keep them without fail.
17 But those who trust in idols, who say to their statues, 'You are our gods' will be rejected in disgrace.
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All who trust in idols, who call images their gods, will be humiliated and disgraced."
18 "You who are deaf, hear me. You who are blind, look and see.
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The Lord says, "Listen, you deaf people! Look closely, you that are blind!
19 No one is more blind than my servant Israel or more deaf than the messenger I send. No one is more blind than the person I own or more blind than the servant of the Lord.
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Is anyone more blind than my servant, more deaf than the messenger I send?
20 Israel, you have seen much, but you have not obeyed. You hear, but you refuse to listen."
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Israel, you have seen so much, but what has it meant to you? You have ears to hear with, but what have you really heard?"
21 The Lord made his teachings wonderful, because he is good.
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The Lord is a God who is eager to save, so he exalted his laws and teachings, and he wanted his people to honor them.
22 These people have been defeated and robbed. They are trapped in pits or locked up in prison. Like robbers, enemies have taken them away, and there is no one to save them. Enemies carried them off, and no one said, "Bring them back."
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But now his people have been plundered; they are locked up in dungeons and hidden away in prisons. They were robbed and plundered, with no one to come to their rescue.
23 Will any of you listen to this? Will you listen carefully in the future?
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Will any of you listen to this? From now on will you listen with care?
24 Who let the people of Jacob be carried off? The Lord allowed this to happen, because we sinned against him. We did not live the way he wanted us to live and did not obey his teaching.
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Who gave Israel up to the looters? It was the Lord himself, against whom we sinned! We would not live as he wanted us to live or obey the teachings he gave us.
25 So he became very angry with us and brought terrible wars against us. It was as if the people of Israel had fire all around them, but they didn't know what was happening. It was as if they were burning, but they didn't pay any attention.
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So he made us feel the force of his anger and suffer the violence of war. Like fire his anger burned throughout Israel, but we never knew what was happening; we learned nothing at all from it.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.