Isaiah Chapter 42

5So said God the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the One Who stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and what springs forth from it, Who gave a soul to the people upon it and a spirit to those who walk thereon.   הכֹּֽה־אָמַ֞ר הָאֵ֣ל | יְהֹוָ֗ה בּוֹרֵ֚א הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְנ֣וֹטֵיהֶ֔ם רֹקַ֥ע הָאָ֖רֶץ וְצֶֽאֱצָאֶ֑יהָ נֹתֵ֚ן נְשָׁמָה֙ לָעָ֣ם עָלֶ֔יהָ וְר֖וּחַ לַהֹֽלְכִ֥ים בָּֽהּ:
God the Lord: The Master of justice and the Master of clemency.  
the Creator of the heavens: First like a sort of ball of warp thread, and afterward He stretched it out as it is stated in Tractate Hagigah (12a).  
and what springs forth from it: And He creates what springs forth from it.  
Who gave a soul: A soul of life.  
to the people upon it: To all of them equally.  
and a spirit: of sanctity.  
to those who walk thereon: To those who walk before Him.  
6I am the Lord; I called you with righteousness and I will strengthen your hand; and I formed you, and I made you for a people's covenant, for a light to nations.   ואֲנִ֧י יְהֹוָ֛ה קְרָאתִ֥יךָ בְצֶ֖דֶק וְאַחְזֵ֣ק בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וְאֶצָּרְךָ֗ וְאֶתֶּנְךָ֛ לִבְרִ֥ית עָ֖ם לְא֥וֹר גּוֹיִֽם:
I called you: To Isaiah He says.  
and I formed you: Heb. וְאֶצָּרְ. When I formed you (כְּשֶׁיְצַרְתִּי) , this was My thought, that you return My people to My covenant and to enlighten them.  
for a light to nations: Every tribe is called a nation by itself, as the matter is stated (Gen. 35:11): “A nation and a congregation of nations.”  
7To open blind eyes, to bring prisoners out of a dungeon, those who sit in darkness out of a prison.   זלִפְקֹ֖חַ עֵינַ֣יִם עִוְר֑וֹת לְהוֹצִ֚יא מִמַּסְגֵּר֙ אַסִּ֔יר מִבֵּ֥ית כֶּ֖לֶא י֥שְׁבֵי חֹֽשֶׁךְ:
To open blind eyes: who do not see My might, to take heart to return to Me.  
to bring prisoners out of a dungeon: And because their eyes will be opened, the prisoners will come out of the dungeon. Another explanation: To inform them of the exile destined to befall them, out of which they will eventually come.  
8I am the Lord, that is My Name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to the graven images.   חאֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה ה֣וּא שְׁמִ֑י וּכְבוֹדִי֙ לְאַחֵ֣ר לֹֽא־אֶתֵּ֔ן וּתְהִלָּתִ֖י לַפְּסִילִֽים:
that is My Name: This is explained as an expression of Lordship and power. I must show that I am the Master. Therefore, My glory I will not give to another, that the heathens shall rule over My people forever and say that the hand of their God is powerful.  
9The former things, behold they have come to pass, and the new things I tell; before they sprout I will let you hear.   טהָרִֽאשֹׁנ֖וֹת הִנֵּה־בָ֑אוּ וַֽחֲדָשׁוֹת֙ אֲנִ֣י מַגִּ֔יד בְּטֶ֥רֶם תִּצְמַ֖חְנָה אַשְׁמִ֥יע אֶתְכֶֽם:
The former things: that I promised Abraham concerning the exile of Egypt (Gen. 15:14), “And also the nation etc.”  
behold they have come to pass: I kept My promise, and now new things I tell My people, to promise them concerning a second exile.  
10Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise from the end of the earth, those who go down to the sea and those therein, the islands and their inhabitants.   ישִׁ֚ירוּ לַֽיהֹוָה֙ שִׁ֣יר חָדָ֔שׁ תְּהִלָּת֖וֹ מִקְצֵ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ יֽוֹרְדֵ֚י הַיָּם֙ וּמְלֹא֔וֹ אִיִּ֖ים וְיֹֽשְׁבֵיהֶֽם:
His praise from the end of the earth: Perforce, when they see My mighty deeds for Israel, all the heathens (nations [Parshandatha, K’li Paz]) will admit that I am God.  
those who go down to the sea: Those who embark in ships.  
and those therein: Those whose permanent residence is in the sea and not in the islands, but in the midst of the water, they spill earth, each one of them, enough for a house, and go from house to house by boat, like the city of Venice. [As in Warsaw ed. and Parshandatha.]  
11The desert and its cities shall raise [their voice]; Kedar shall be inhabited with villages; the rock dwellers shall exult, from the mountain peaks they shall shout.   יאיִשְׂא֚וּ מִדְבָּר֙ וְעָרָ֔יו חֲצֵרִ֖ים תֵּשֵׁ֣ב קֵדָ֑ר יָרֹ֙נּוּ֙ י֣שְׁבֵי סֶ֔לַע מֵרֹ֥אשׁ הָרִ֖ים יִצְוָֽחוּ:
The desert and its cities shall raise [their voice]: their voice in song.  
Kedar shall be inhabited with villages: (Connected to “The desert… shall raise.” The desert of Kedar, where they now dwell in tents, shall raise their voice and sing. It is like: And the villages with which Kedar is settled.) The desert of Kedar, where they now dwell in tents, will be permanent cities and villages.  
rock dwellers: The dead who will be resurrected. So did Jonathan render this.  
from the mountain peaks they shall shout: From the mountain peaks they shall raise their voices [from Jonathan].  
12They shall give glory to the Lord, and they shall recite His praise on the islands.   יביָשִׂ֥ימוּ לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה כָּב֑וֹד וּתְהִלָּת֖וֹ בָּֽאִיִּ֥ים יַגִּֽידוּ:
13The Lord shall go out like a hero; like a warrior shall He arouse zeal; He shall shout, He shall even cry, He shall overpower His foes.   יגיְהֹוָה֙ כַּגִּבּ֣וֹר יֵצֵ֔א כְּאִ֥ישׁ מִלְחָמ֖וֹת יָעִ֣יר קִנְאָ֑ה יָרִ֙יעַ֙ אַף־יַצְרִ֔יחַ עַל־אֹֽיְבָ֖יו יִתְגַּבָּֽר:
14I was silent from time immemorial; I am still, I restrain Myself. Like a travailing woman will I cry; I will be terrified and destroy them together.   ידהֶֽחֱשֵׁ֙יתִי֙ מֵֽעוֹלָ֔ם אַֽחֲרִ֖ישׁ אֶתְאַפָּ֑ק כַּיּֽוֹלֵדָ֣ה אֶפְעֶ֔ה אֶשֹּׁ֥ם וְאֶשְׁאַ֖ף יָֽחַד:
I was silent from time immemorial: Already for a long time I have been silent about the destruction of My Temple, and always…  
I am still; I restrain Myself: This is present tense. Until now My spirit has constrained Me, and from now, like a travailing woman will I cry.  
I will be terrified: Heb. אֶשֹּׁם, I will be terrified.  
and destroy [them] together: And I will long to destroy everyone together, all My adversaries.  
15I will destroy mountains and hills, and all their grass I will dry out, and I will make rivers into islands and I will dry up the pools.   טואַֽחֲרִ֚יב הָרִים֙ וּגְבָע֔וֹת וְכָל־עֶשְׂבָּ֖ם אוֹבִ֑ישׁ וְשַׂמְתִּ֚י נְהָרוֹת֙ לָֽאִיִּ֔ים וַֽאֲגַמִּ֖ים אוֹבִֽישׁ:
I will destroy mountains and hills: I will slay kings and rulers.  
and all their grass: All their followers.  
I will dry out: Heb. אוֹבִישׁ. This is an expression of drying, used in reference to wet things, e.g., grass and rivers.  
16And I will lead the blind on a road they did not know; in paths they did not know I will lead them; I will make darkness into light before them, and crooked paths into straight ones. These things, I will do them and I will not forsake them.   טזוְהֽוֹלַכְתִּ֣י עִוְרִ֗ים בְּדֶ֙רֶךְ֙ לֹ֣א יָֽדָ֔עוּ בִּנְתִיב֥וֹת לֹֽא־יָֽדְע֖וּ אַדְרִיכֵ֑ם אָשִׂים֩ מַחְשָׁ֨ךְ לִפְנֵיהֶ֜ם לָא֗וֹר וּמַֽעֲקַשִּׁים֙ לְמִישׁ֔וֹר אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים עֲשִׂיתִ֖ם וְלֹ֥א עֲזַבְתִּֽים:
And I will lead the blind: Israel, who were heretofore blind from looking to Me, I will lead in the good way, upon which they did not know to walk.  
I will do them: Heb. עֲשִׂיתִם [lit. I did them], I will do. So is the language of prophecy, to speak of the future as if it was already done.  
17They shall turn back greatly ashamed, those who trust in the graven image, who say to the molten idols, "You are our gods."   יזנָסֹ֚גוּ אָחוֹר֙ יֵבֹ֣שׁוּ בֹ֔שֶׁת הַבֹּֽטְחִ֖ים בַּפָּ֑סֶל הָאֹֽמְרִ֥ים לְמַסֵּכָ֖ה אַתֶּ֥ם אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ:
18You deaf ones, listen, and you blind ones, look to see.   יחהַחֵֽרְשִׁ֖ים שְׁמָ֑עוּ וְהַֽעִוְרִ֖ים הַבִּ֥יטוּ לִרְאֽוֹת:
You deaf ones… and you blind ones: He is referring to Israel.  
19Who is blind but My servant, and deaf as My messenger whom I will send? He who was blind is as the one who received his payment, and he who was blind is as the servant of the Lord.   יטמִ֚י עִוֵּר֙ כִּ֣י אִם־עַבְדִּ֔י וְחֵרֵ֖שׁ כְּמַלְאָכִ֣י אֶשְׁלָ֑ח מִ֚י עִוֵּר֙ כִּמְשֻׁלָּ֔ם וְעִוֵּ֖ר כְּעֶ֥בֶד יְהֹוָֽה:
Who is blind: among you? There is no one but My servant; he is the most blind of all of you. And the most deaf among you is like My messenger whom I send to prophesy prophecies.  
He who was blind is as the one who received his payment: He who was blind among you has already received his chastisements, and he is as one who was paid all payments due him and has emerged cleansed.  
20There is much to see but you do not observe, to open the ears but no one listens.   כרָא֥וֹת (כתיב רָאֹ֥ית) רַבּ֖וֹת וְלֹ֣א תִשְׁמֹ֑ר פָּק֥וֹחַ אָזְנַ֖יִם וְלֹ֥א יִשְׁמָֽע:
There is much to see: There are many sights before you, and you do not observe to look at My deeds and to return to Me.  
to open the ears: I am busy opening your ears through My prophets, but none of you listens to My words. This is a present tense.  
21The Lord desires [this] for His righteousness' sake; He magnifies the Torah and strengthens it.   כאיְהֹוָ֥ה חָפֵ֖ץ לְמַ֣עַן צִדְק֑וֹ יַגְדִּ֥יל תּוֹרָ֖ה וְיַאְדִּֽיר:
The Lord desires: to show you and to open your ears for His righteousness’ sake; therefore, he magnifies and strengthens the Torah for you.