Yesaya 45:9-10

The Lord Gives a Warning

45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger, ¹ 

one who is like a mere ²  shard among the other shards on the ground!

The clay should not say to the potter, ³ 

“What in the world ⁴  are you doing?

Your work lacks skill!” ⁵ 

45:10 Danger awaits one who says ⁶  to his father,

“What in the world ⁷  are you fathering?”

and to his mother,

“What in the world are you bringing forth?” ⁸ 

Yesaya 42:18

The Lord Reasons with His People

42:18 “Listen, you deaf ones!

Take notice, ⁹  you blind ones!

Yesaya 40:27

40:27 Why do you say, Jacob,

Why do you say, Israel,

“The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me, ¹⁰ 

My God is not concerned with my vindication”? ¹¹ 

Yesaya 46:12-13

46:12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, ¹² 

you who distance yourself from doing what is right. ¹³ 

46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;

I am bringing my salvation near, ¹⁴  it does not wait.

I will save Zion; ¹⁵ 

I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 50:2

50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?

Why does no one respond when I call? ¹⁷ 

Is my hand too weak ¹⁸  to deliver ¹⁹  you?

Do I lack the power to rescue you?

Look, with a mere shout ²⁰  I can dry up the sea;

I can turn streams into a desert,

so the fish rot away and die

from lack of water. ²¹ 

[45:9]  ¹ tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who argues with the one who formed him.”

[45:9]  ² tn The words “one who is like a mere” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and clarification.

[45:9]  ³ tn Heb “Should the clay say to the one who forms it?” The rhetorical question anticipates a reply, “Of course not!”

[45:9]  ⁴ tn The words “in the world” are supplied in the translation to approximate in English idiom the force of the sarcastic question.

[45:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “your work, there are no hands for it,” i.e., “your work looks like something made by a person who has no hands.”

[45:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “Woe [to] one who says” (NASB and NIV both similar); NCV “How terrible it will be.”

[45:10]  ⁷ tn See the note at v. 9. This phrase occurs a second time later in this verse.

[45:10]  ⁸ sn Verses 9-10 may allude to the exiles’ criticism that the Lord does not appear to know what he is doing.

[42:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “look to see”; NAB, NCV “look and see”; NRSV “look up and see.”

[40:27]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “my way is hidden from the Lord” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[40:27]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and from my God my justice passes away”; NRSV “my right is disregarded by my God.”

[46:12]  ¹² tn Heb “strong of heart [or, mind]”; KJV “stouthearted”; NAB “fainthearted”; NIV “stubborn-hearted.”

[46:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “who are far from righteousness [or perhaps, “deliverance”].”

[46:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).

[46:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”

[46:13]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”

[50:2]  ¹⁷ sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.

[50:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ¹⁹ tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “with my rebuke.”

[50:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”