42:1 1 “Here is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.
I have placed my spirit on him;
he will make just decrees 2 for the nations. 3
62:1 “For the sake of Zion I will not be silent;
for the sake of Jerusalem 4 I will not be quiet,
until her vindication shines brightly 5
and her deliverance burns like a torch.”
65:22 No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it, 6
or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit, 7
for my people will live as long as trees, 8
and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced. 9
1 sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.
2 tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).
3 sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.
4 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
5 tn Heb “goes forth like brightness.”
6 tn Heb “they will not build, and another live [in it].”
7 tn Heb “they will not plant, and another eat.”
8 tn Heb “for like the days of the tree [will be] the days of my people.”
9 tn Heb “the work of their hands” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “their hard-won gains.”