Passage

Isaiah 42.1

Book: Isaiah · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"1. Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles."

"2. He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. 3. A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth." (Isaiah 42:1-3, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights, I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations."

"2. He will not shout, nor raise his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. 3. He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice." (Isaiah 42:1-3, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles."

"2. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. 3. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. ^{smoking: or, dimly burning} ^{quench: Heb. quench it}" (Isaiah 42:1-3, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. Lo, My servant, I take hold on him, My chosen one, My soul hath accepted, I have put My Spirit upon him, Judgment to nations he bringeth forth."

"2. He doth not cry, nor lift up, Nor cause his voice to be heard, in the street. 3. A bruised reed he breaketh not, And dim flax he quencheth not, To truth he bringeth forth judgment." (Isaiah 42:1-3, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Isaiah son of Amoz (traditional unity) + LORD direct discourse
Audience: Judah under Uzziah/Jotham/Ahaz/Hezekiah + exilic remnant
Location: Jerusalem and Judah
Time period: ministry c. 740-680 BC

Theological reading

Key words

H4941 - mishpat, mishpat (Strong's H4941). Also appears in: Leviticus 25, Numbers 15.15-17, Deuteronomy 7.
H5315 - nephesh, nephesh (Strong's H5315). Also appears in: Genesis 1.21, Genesis 1.24-28, Genesis 2.7.
H5650 - ebed, ebed (Strong's H5650). Also appears in: Genesis 9.26, Genesis 12, Genesis 18.1-15.
H7307 - ruach, ruach (Strong's H7307). Also appears in: Genesis 1.2, Genesis 3.8, Genesis 6.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.