Yesaya 44:6--48:11
Konteks44:6 This is what the Lord, Israel’s king, says,
their protector, 1 the Lord who commands armies:
“I am the first and I am the last,
there is no God but me.
44:7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim! 2
Let him announce it and explain it to me –
since I established an ancient people – 3
let them announce future events! 4
44:8 Don’t panic! Don’t be afraid! 5
Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?
You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me?
There is no other sheltering rock; 6 I know of none.
44:9 All who form idols are nothing;
the things in which they delight are worthless.
Their witnesses cannot see;
they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.
44:10 Who forms a god and casts an idol
that will prove worthless? 7
44:11 Look, all his associates 8 will be put to shame;
the craftsmen are mere humans. 9
Let them all assemble and take their stand!
They will panic and be put to shame.
44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool 10
and forges metal over the coals.
He forms it 11 with hammers;
he makes it with his strong arm.
He gets hungry and loses his energy; 12
he drinks no water and gets tired.
44:13 A carpenter takes measurements; 13
he marks out an outline of its form; 14
he scrapes 15 it with chisels,
and marks it with a compass.
He patterns it after the human form, 16
like a well-built human being,
and puts it in a shrine. 17
44:14 He cuts down cedars
and acquires a cypress 18 or an oak.
He gets 19 trees from the forest;
he plants a cedar 20 and the rain makes it grow.
44:15 A man uses it to make a fire; 21
he takes some of it and warms himself.
Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Then he makes a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it. 22
44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –
over that half he cooks 23 meat;
he roasts a meal and fills himself.
Yes, he warms himself and says,
‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’
44:17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships it.
He prays to it, saying,
‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’
44:18 They do not comprehend or understand,
for their eyes are blind and cannot see;
their minds do not discern. 24
44:19 No one thinks to himself,
nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:
‘I burned half of it in the fire –
yes, I baked bread over the coals;
I roasted meat and ate it.
With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?
Should I bow down to dry wood?’ 25
his deceived mind misleads him.
He cannot rescue himself,
nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ 27
44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob,
O Israel, for you are my servant.
I formed you to be my servant;
O Israel, I will not forget you! 28
44:22 I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud,
the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. 29
Come back to me, for I protect 30 you.”
44:23 Shout for joy, O sky, for the Lord intervenes; 31
shout out, you subterranean regions 32 of the earth.
O mountains, give a joyful shout;
you too, O forest and all your trees! 33
For the Lord protects 34 Jacob;
he reveals his splendor through Israel. 35
44:24 This is what the Lord, your protector, 36 says,
the one who formed you in the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made everything,
who alone stretched out the sky,
who fashioned the earth all by myself, 37
44:25 who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers 38
and humiliates 39 the omen readers,
who overturns the counsel of the wise men 40
and makes their advice 41 seem foolish,
44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants 42
and brings to pass the announcements 43 of his messengers,
who says about Jerusalem, 44 ‘She will be inhabited,’
and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,
her ruins I will raise up,’
44:27 who says to the deep sea, ‘Be dry!
I will dry up your sea currents,’
44:28 who commissions 45 Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd 46
to carry out all my wishes 47
and to decree concerning Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’
and concerning the temple, ‘It will be reconstructed.’” 48
45:1 This is what the Lord says to his chosen 49 one,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold 50
in order to subdue nations before him,
and disarm kings, 51
to open doors before him,
so gates remain unclosed:
45:2 “I will go before you
and level mountains. 52
Bronze doors I will shatter
and iron bars 53 I will hack through.
45:3 I will give you hidden treasures, 54
riches stashed away in secret places,
so you may recognize that I am the Lord,
the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.
45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I call you by name
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize 55 me.
45:5 I am the Lord, I have no peer, 56
there is no God but me.
I arm you for battle, 57 even though you do not recognize 58 me.
45:6 I do this 59 so people 60 will recognize from east to west
that there is no God but me;
I am the Lord, I have no peer.
45:7 I am 61 the one who forms light
and creates darkness; 62
the one who brings about peace
and creates calamity. 63
I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.
45:8 O sky, rain down from above!
Let the clouds send down showers 64 of deliverance!
Let the earth absorb it 65 so salvation may grow, 66
and deliverance may sprout up 67 along with it.
I, the Lord, create it. 68
45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger, 69
one who is like a mere 70 shard among the other shards on the ground!
The clay should not say to the potter, 71
“What in the world 72 are you doing?
Your work lacks skill!” 73
45:10 Danger awaits one who says 74 to his father,
“What in the world 75 are you fathering?”
and to his mother,
“What in the world are you bringing forth?” 76
45:11 This is what the Lord says,
the Holy One of Israel, 77 the one who formed him,
concerning things to come: 78
“How dare you question me 79 about my children!
How dare you tell me what to do with 80 the work of my own hands!
45:12 I made the earth,
I created the people who live 81 on it.
It was me – my hands 82 stretched out the sky, 83
I give orders to all the heavenly lights. 84
45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him; 85
I will make all his ways level.
He will rebuild my city;
he will send my exiled people home,
but not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
45:14 This is what the Lord says:
“The profit 86 of Egypt and the revenue 87 of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you 88 and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. 89
They will bow down to you
and pray to you: 90
‘Truly God is with 91 you; he has no peer; 92
there is no other God!’”
45:15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,
O God of Israel, deliverer!
45:16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed;
those who fashion idols will all be humiliated. 93
45:17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the Lord; 94
you will never again be ashamed or humiliated. 95
45:18 For this is what the Lord says,
the one who created the sky –
he is the true God, 96
the one who formed the earth and made it;
he established it,
he did not create it without order, 97
he formed it to be inhabited –
“I am the Lord, I have no peer.
45:19 I have not spoken in secret,
in some hidden place. 98
I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in vain!’ 99
I am the Lord,
the one who speaks honestly,
who makes reliable announcements. 100
45:20 Gather together and come!
Approach together, you refugees from the nations!
Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,
those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.
45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! 101
Let them consult with one another!
Who predicted this in the past?
Who announced it beforehand?
Was it not I, the Lord?
I have no peer, there is no God but me,
a God who vindicates and delivers; 102
there is none but me.
45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, 103
all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!
For I am God, and I have no peer.
45:23 I solemnly make this oath 104 –
what I say is true and reliable: 105
‘Surely every knee will bow to me,
every tongue will solemnly affirm; 106
45:24 they will say about me,
“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” 107
All who are angry at him will cower before him. 108
45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord
and will boast in him. 109
Nebo 111 bends low.
Their images weigh down animals and beasts. 112
Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. 113
46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down;
they are unable to rescue the images; 114
they themselves 115 head off into captivity. 116
46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, 117
all you who are left from the family of Israel, 118
you who have been carried from birth, 119
you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. 120
46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, 121
even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.
I made you and I will support you;
I will carry you and rescue you. 122
46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?
Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!
46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse
and weigh out silver on the scale 123
hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.
They then bow down and worship it.
46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;
they put it in its place and it just stands there;
it does not 124 move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;
it does not deliver him from his distress.
46:8 Remember this, so you can be brave! 125
Think about it, you rebels! 126
46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! 127
Truly I am God, I have no peer; 128
I am God, and there is none like me,
46:10 who announces the end from the beginning
and reveals beforehand 129 what has not yet occurred,
who says, ‘My plan will be realized,
I will accomplish what I desire,’
46:11 who summons an eagle 130 from the east,
from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.
Yes, I have decreed, 131
yes, I will bring it to pass;
I have formulated a plan,
yes, I will carry it out.
46:12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, 132
you who distance yourself from doing what is right. 133
46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;
I am bringing my salvation near, 134 it does not wait.
I will save Zion; 135
I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” 136
47:1 “Fall down! Sit in the dirt,
O virgin 137 daughter Babylon!
Sit on the ground, not on a throne,
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 138 you will no longer be called delicate and pampered.
47:2 Pick up millstones and grind flour!
Remove your veil,
strip off your skirt,
expose your legs,
cross the streams!
47:3 Let your private parts be exposed!
Your genitals will be on display! 139
I will get revenge;
I will not have pity on anyone,” 140
47:4 says our protector –
the Lord who commands armies is his name,
the Holy One of Israel. 141
47:5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, 142
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 143 you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’
47:6 I was angry at my people;
I defiled my special possession
and handed them over to you.
You showed them no mercy; 144
you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. 145
47:7 You said,
‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’ 146
You did not think about these things; 147
you did not consider how it would turn out. 148
47:8 So now, listen to this,
O one who lives so lavishly, 149
who lives securely,
who says to herself, 150
‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! 151
I will never have to live as a widow;
I will never lose my children.’ 152
47:9 Both of these will come upon you
suddenly, in one day!
You will lose your children and be widowed. 153
You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, 154
despite 155 your many incantations
and your numerous amulets. 156
47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; 157
you thought, 158 ‘No one sees me.’
Your self-professed 159 wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,
when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’ 160
47:11 Disaster will overtake you;
you will not know how to charm it away. 161
Destruction will fall on you;
you will not be able to appease it.
Calamity will strike you suddenly,
before you recognize it. 162
47:12 Persist 163 in trusting 164 your amulets
and your many incantations,
which you have faithfully recited 165 since your youth!
Maybe you will be successful 166 –
maybe you will scare away disaster. 167
47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. 168
Let them take their stand –
the ones who see omens in the sky,
who gaze at the stars,
who make monthly predictions –
let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! 169
47:14 Look, they are like straw,
which the fire burns up;
they cannot rescue themselves
from the heat 170 of the flames.
There are no coals to warm them,
no firelight to enjoy. 171
47:15 They will disappoint you, 172
those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth. 173
Each strays off in his own direction, 174
leaving no one to rescue you.”
48:1 Listen to this, O family of Jacob, 175
you who are called by the name ‘Israel,’
and are descended from Judah, 176
who take oaths in the name of the Lord,
and invoke 177 the God of Israel –
but not in an honest and just manner. 178
48:2 Indeed, they live in the holy city; 179
they trust in 180 the God of Israel,
whose name is the Lord who commands armies.
48:3 “I announced events beforehand, 181
I issued the decrees and made the predictions; 182
suddenly I acted and they came to pass.
48:4 I did this 183 because I know how stubborn you are.
Your neck muscles are like iron
and your forehead like bronze. 184
48:5 I announced them to you beforehand;
before they happened, I predicted them for you,
so you could never say,
‘My image did these things,
my idol, my cast image, decreed them.’
48:6 You have heard; now look at all the evidence! 185
Will you not admit that what I say is true? 186
From this point on I am announcing to you new events
that are previously unrevealed and you do not know about. 187
48:7 Now they come into being, 188 not in the past;
before today you did not hear about them,
so you could not say,
‘Yes, 189 I know about them.’
48:8 You did not hear,
you do not know,
you were not told beforehand. 190
For I know that you are very deceitful; 191
you were labeled 192 a rebel from birth.
48:9 For the sake of my reputation 193 I hold back my anger;
for the sake of my prestige 194 I restrain myself from destroying you. 195
48:10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have purified you 196 in the furnace of misery.
48:11 For my sake alone 197 I will act,
for how can I allow my name to be defiled? 198
I will not share my glory with anyone else! 199
[44:6] 1 tn Heb “his kinsman redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[44:7] 2 tn Heb “let him call” or “let him proclaim” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “Let him stand up and speak.”
[44:7] 3 tc The Hebrew text reads, “from (the time) I established an ancient people, and the coming things.” Various emendations have been proposed. One of the options assumes the reading מַשְׁמִיעִים מֵעוֹלָם אוֹתִיּוֹת (mashmi’im me’olam ’otiyyot); This literally reads “the ones causing to hear from antiquity coming things,” but more idiomatically would read “as for those who predict from antiquity what will happen” (cf. NAB, NEB, REB). The emendation directs the attention of the reader to those who claim to be able to predict the future, challenging them to actually do what they claim they can do. The MT presents Yahweh as an example to whom these alleged “predictors of the future” can compare themselves. Since the ancient versions are unanimous in their support of the MT, the emendations should be set aside.
[44:7] 4 tn Heb and those things which are coming let them declare for themselves.”
[44:8] 5 tn BDB 923 s.v. רָהָה derives this verb from an otherwise unattested root, while HALOT 403 s.v. יָרָה defines it as “be stupefied” on the basis of an Arabic cognate. The form is likely a corruption of תיראו, the reading attested in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
[44:8] 6 tn Heb “rock” or “rocky cliff,” a title that depicts God as a protective refuge in his role as sovereign king; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”
[44:10] 7 tn The rhetorical question is sarcastic. The sense is, “Who is foolish enough…?”
[44:11] 8 tn The pronoun “his” probably refers to the one who forms/casts an idol (v. 10), in which case it refers to the craftsman’s associates in the idol-manufacturing guild.
[44:11] 9 sn The point seems to be this: If the idols are the mere products of human hands, then those who trust in them will be disappointed, for man-made gods are incapable of helping their “creators.”
[44:12] 10 tn The noun מַעֲצָד (ma’atsad), which refers to some type of tool used for cutting, occurs only here and in Jer 10:3. See HALOT 615 s.v. מַעֲצָד.
[44:12] 11 tn Some English versions take the pronoun “it” to refer to an idol being fashioned by the blacksmith (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV). NLT understands the referent to be “a sharp tool,” which is then used by the carpenter in the following verse to carve an idol from wood.
[44:12] 12 tn Heb “and there is no strength”; NASB “his strength fails.”
[44:13] 13 tn Heb “stretches out a line” (ASV similar); NIV “measures with a line.”
[44:13] 14 tn Heb “he makes an outline with the [?].” The noun שֶׂרֶד (shered) occurs only here; it apparently refers to some type of tool or marker. Cf. KJV “with a line”; ASV “with a pencil”; NAB, NRSV “with a stylus”; NASB “with red chalk”; NIV “with a marker.”
[44:13] 15 tn Heb “works” (so NASB) or “fashions” (so NRSV); NIV “he roughs it out.”
[44:13] 16 tn Heb “he makes it like the pattern of a man”; NAB “like a man in appearance.”
[44:13] 17 tn Heb “like the glory of man to sit [in] a house”; NIV “that it may dwell in a shrine.”
[44:14] 18 tn It is not certain what type of tree this otherwise unattested noun refers to. Cf. ASV “a holm-tree” (NRSV similar).
[44:14] 19 tn Heb “strengthens for himself,” i.e., “secures for himself” (see BDB 55 s.v. אָמֵץ Pi.2).
[44:14] 20 tn Some prefer to emend אֹרֶן (’oren) to אֶרֶז (’erez, “cedar”), but the otherwise unattested noun appears to have an Akkadian cognate, meaning “cedar.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 44-45. HALOT 90 s.v. I אֹרֶן offers the meaning “laurel.”
[44:15] 21 tn Heb “and it becomes burning [i.e., firewood] for a man”; NAB “to serve man for fuel.”
[44:15] 22 tn Or perhaps, “them.”
[44:16] 23 tn Heb “eats” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “roasts.”
[44:18] 24 tn Heb “for their eyes are smeared over so they cannot see, so their heart cannot be wise.”
[44:19] 25 tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.
[44:20] 26 tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”
[44:20] 27 tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”
[44:21] 28 tc The verb in the Hebrew text is a Niphal imperfect with a pronominal suffix. Although the Niphal ordinarily has the passive sense, it can have a reflexive nuance as well (see above translation). Some have suggested an emendation to a Qal form: “Do not forget me” (all the ancient versions, NEB, REB; see GKC 369 §117.x). “Do not forget me” would make a good parallel with “remember these things” in the first line. Since the MT is the harder reading and fits with Israel’s complaint that God had forgotten her (Isa 40:27), the MT reading should be retained (NASB, NKJV, NRSV, ESV). The passive has been rendered as an active in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style (so also NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).
[44:22] 29 tn Heb “I blot out like a cloud your rebellious deeds, and like a cloud your sins.” “Rebellious deeds” and “sins” stand by metonymy for the guilt they produce. Both עָב (’av) and עָנָן (’anan) refer to the clouds in the sky. It is tempting for stylistic purposes to translate the second with “fog” or “mist” (cf. NAB, NRSV “cloud…mist”; NIV “cloud…morning mist”; NLT “morning mists…clouds”), but this distinction between the synonyms is unwarranted here. The point of the simile seems to be this: The Lord forgives their sins, causing them to vanish just as clouds disappear from the sky (see Job 7:9; 30:15).
[44:22] 30 tn Heb “redeem.” See the note at 41:14.
[44:23] 31 tn Heb “acts”; NASB, NRSV “has done it”; NLT “has done this wondrous thing.”
[44:23] 32 tn Heb “lower regions.” This refers to Sheol and forms a merism with “sky” in the previous line. See Pss 63:9; 71:20.
[44:23] 33 tn Heb “O forest and all the trees in it”; NASB, NRSV “and every tree in it.”
[44:23] 34 tn Heb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.
[44:23] 35 tn That is, by delivering Israel. Cf. NCV “showed his glory when he saved Israel”; TEV “has shown his greatness by saving his people Israel.”
[44:24] 36 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[44:24] 37 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “Who [was] with me?” The marginal reading (Qere) is “from with me,” i.e., “by myself.” See BDB 87 s.v. II אֵת 4.c.
[44:25] 38 tc The Hebrew text has בַּדִּים (baddim), perhaps meaning “empty talkers” (BDB 95 s.v. III בַּד). In the four other occurrences of this word (Job 11:3; Isa 16:6; Jer 48:30; 50:36) the context does not make the meaning of the term very clear. Its primary point appears to be that the words spoken are meaningless or false. In light of its parallelism with “omen readers,” some have proposed an emendation to בָּרִים (barim, “seers”). The Mesopotamian baru-priests were divination specialists who played an important role in court life. See R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel, 93-98. Rather than supporting an emendation, J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:189, n. 79) suggests that Isaiah used בַּדִּים purposively as a derisive wordplay on the Akkadian word baru (in light of the close similarity of the d and r consonants).
[44:25] 39 tn Or “makes fools of” (NIV, NRSV); NAB and NASB both similar.
[44:25] 40 tn Heb “who turns back the wise” (so NRSV); NIV “overthrows the learning of the wise”; TEV “The words of the wise I refute.”
[44:25] 41 tn Heb “their knowledge” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[44:26] 42 tn Heb “the word of his servant.” The following context indicates that the Lord’s prophets are in view.
[44:26] 43 tn Heb “counsel.” The Hebrew term עֵצָה (’etsah) probably refers here to the divine plan as announced by the prophets. See HALOT 867 s.v. I עֵצָה.
[44:26] 44 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[44:28] 45 tn Heb “says to.” It is possible that the sentence is not completed, as the description of Cyrus and his God-given role is developed in the rest of the verse. 45:1 picks up where 44:28a leaves off with the Lord’s actual words to Cyrus finally being quoted in 45:2.
[44:28] 46 tn Heb “my shepherd.” The shepherd motif is sometimes applied, as here, to a royal figure who is responsible for the well-being of the people whom he rules.
[44:28] 47 tn Heb “that he might bring to completion all my desire.”
[44:28] 48 tn Heb “and [concerning the] temple, you will be founded.” The preposition -לְ (lÿ) is understood by ellipsis at the beginning of the second line. The verb תִּוָּסֵד (tivvased, “you will be founded”) is second masculine singular and is probably addressed to the personified temple (הֵיכָל [hekhal, “temple”] is masculine).
[45:1] 49 tn Heb “anointed” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “his appointed king.”
[45:1] 50 sn The “right hand” is a symbol of activity and strength; the Lord directs Cyrus’ activities and assures his success.
[45:1] 51 tn Heb “and the belts of kings I will loosen”; NRSV “strip kings of their robes”; NIV “strip kings of their armor.”
[45:2] 52 tc The form הֲדוּרִים (hadurim) makes little, if any, sense here. It is probably a corruption of an original הָרָרִים (hararim, “mountains”), the reduplicated form of הָר (har, “mountain”).
[45:2] 53 tn That is, on the gates. Cf. CEV “break the iron bars on bronze gates.”
[45:3] 54 tn Heb “treasures of darkness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “treasures from dark, secret places.”
[45:4] 55 tn Or “know” (NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT); NIV “acknowledge.”
[45:5] 56 tn Heb “and there is none besides.” On the use of עוֹד (’od) here, see BDB 729 s.v. 1.c.
[45:5] 57 tn Heb “gird you” (so NASB) or “strengthen you” (so NIV).
[45:5] 58 tn Or “know” (NAB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT); NIV “have not acknowledged.”
[45:6] 59 tn The words “I do this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[45:6] 60 tn Heb “they” (so KJV, ASV); TEV, CEV “everyone”; NLT “all the world.”
[45:7] 61 tn The words “I am” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the participle at the beginning of v. 7 stands in apposition to “the Lord” in v. 6.
[45:7] 62 tn On the surface v. 7a appears to describe God’s sovereign control over the cycle of day and night, but the following statement suggests that “light” and “darkness” symbolize “deliverance” and “judgment.”
[45:7] 63 sn This verses affirms that God is ultimately sovereign over his world, including mankind and nations. In accordance with his sovereign will, he can cause wars to cease and peace to predominate (as he was about to do for his exiled people through Cyrus), or he can bring disaster and judgment on nations (as he was about to do to Babylon through Cyrus).
[45:8] 64 tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”
[45:8] 65 tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”
[45:8] 66 tc The plural verb should be emended to a singular form. The vav (ו) ending is probably virtually dittographic (note the yod at the beginning of the following word).
[45:8] 67 tc The Hiphil verb form (תַצְמִיחַ, tatsmiakh) should probably be emended to a Qal (תִצְמַח, titsmakh). The יח sequence at the end of the form is probably due to dittography (note the following יַחַד, yakhad).
[45:8] 68 tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yasha’, “salvation”).
[45:9] 69 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who argues with the one who formed him.”
[45:9] 70 tn The words “one who is like a mere” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and clarification.
[45:9] 71 tn Heb “Should the clay say to the one who forms it?” The rhetorical question anticipates a reply, “Of course not!”
[45:9] 72 tn The words “in the world” are supplied in the translation to approximate in English idiom the force of the sarcastic question.
[45:9] 73 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] 74 tn Heb “Woe [to] one who says” (NASB and NIV both similar); NCV “How terrible it will be.”
[45:10] 75 tn See the note at v. 9. This phrase occurs a second time later in this verse.
[45:10] 76 sn Verses 9-10 may allude to the exiles’ criticism that the Lord does not appear to know what he is doing.
[45:11] 77 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[45:11] 78 tc The Hebrew text reads “the one who formed him, the coming things.” Among various suggestions, some have proposed an emendation of יֹצְרוֹ (yotsÿro, “the one who formed him”) to יֹצֵר (yotser, “the one who forms”; the suffixed form in the Hebrew text may be influenced by vv. 9-10, where the same form appears twice) and takes “coming things” as the object of the participle (either objective genitive or accusative): “the one who brings the future into being.”
[45:11] 79 tn Heb “Ask me” The rhetorical command sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.
[45:11] 80 tn Heb “Do you command me about…?” The rhetorical question sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.
[45:12] 81 tn The words “who live” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[45:12] 82 tn Heb “I, even my hands”; NASB “I stretched out…with My hands”; NRSV “it was my hands that stretched out.” The same construction occurs at the beginning of v. 13.
[45:12] 83 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[45:12] 84 tn Heb “and to all their host I commanded.” See the notes at 40:26.
[45:13] 85 tn Heb “I stir him up in righteousness”; NASB “I have aroused him.” See the note at 41:2. Cyrus (cf. 44:28) is in view here.
[45:14] 86 tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”
[45:14] 87 tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”
[45:14] 88 tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”
[45:14] 89 sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.
[45:14] 90 sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.
[45:14] 91 tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”
[45:14] 92 tn Heb “there is no other” (so NIV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 18, in v. 21, and at the end of v. 22.
[45:16] 93 tn “together they will walk in humiliation, the makers of images.”
[45:17] 94 tn Heb “Israel will be delivered by the Lord [with] a permanent deliverance.”
[45:17] 95 tn Heb “you will not be ashamed and you will not be humiliated for ages of future time.”
[45:18] 96 tn Heb “he [is] the God.” The article here indicates uniqueness.
[45:18] 97 tn Or “unformed.” Gen 1:2 describes the world as “unformed” (תֹהוּ, tohu) prior to God’s creative work, but God then formed the world and made it fit for habitation.
[45:19] 98 tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”
[45:19] 99 tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”
[45:19] 100 tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”
[45:21] 101 tn Heb “Declare! Bring near!”; NASB “Declare and set forth your case.” See 41:21.
[45:21] 102 tn Or “a righteous God and deliverer”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “a righteous God and a Savior.”
[45:22] 103 tn The Niphal imperative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The Niphal probably has a tolerative sense, “allow yourselves to be delivered, accept help.”
[45:23] 104 tn Heb “I swear by myself”; KJV, NASB “have sworn.”
[45:23] 105 tn Heb “a word goes out from my mouth [in] truth and will not return.”
[45:23] 106 tn Heb “swear” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “confess allegiance.”
[45:24] 107 tn Heb “‘Yes, in the Lord,’ one says about me, ‘is deliverance and strength.’”
[45:24] 108 tn Heb “will come to him and be ashamed.”
[45:25] 109 tn Heb “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be vindicated and boast.”
[46:1] 110 sn Bel was the name of a Babylonian god. The name was originally associated with Enlil, but later was applied to Marduk. See HALOT 132 s.v. בֵּל.
[46:1] 111 sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.
[46:1] 112 tn Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”
[46:1] 113 tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”
[46:2] 114 tn Heb “[the] burden,” i.e., their images, the heavy burden carried by the animals.
[46:2] 115 tn נַפְשָׁם (nafsham, “their souls/lives”) is equivalent here to a third masculine plural suffix, but the third feminine singular verb הָלָכָה (halakhah, “they go”) agrees with the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, life”).
[46:2] 116 sn The downfall of Babylon is depicted here. The idols are carried off by the victorious enemy; the gods are likened to defeated captives who cower before the enemy and are taken into exile.
[46:3] 117 tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV “descendants of Jacob.”
[46:3] 118 tn Heb “and all the remnant of the house of Israel.”
[46:3] 119 tn Heb “from the womb” (so NRSV); KJV “from the belly”; NAB “from your infancy.”
[46:3] 120 tn Heb “who have been lifted up from the womb.”
[46:4] 121 tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”
[46:4] 122 sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.
[46:6] 123 tn Heb “the reed,” probably referring to the beam of a scales. See BDB 889 s.v. קָנֶה 4.c.
[46:7] 124 tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.
[46:8] 125 tn The meaning of the verb אָשַׁשׁ (’ashash, which appears here in the Hitpolel stem) is uncertain. BDB 84 s.v. אשׁשׁ relates it to a root meaning “found, establish” in Arabic; HALOT 100 s.v. II אשׁשׁ gives the meaning “pluck up courage.” The imperative with vav (ו) may indicate purpose following the preceding imperative.
[46:8] 126 tn Heb “return [it], rebels, to heart”; NRSV “recall it to mind, you transgressors.”
[46:9] 127 tn Heb “remember the former things, from antiquity”; KJV, ASV “the former things of old.”
[46:9] 128 tn Heb “and there is no other” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[46:10] 129 tn Or “from long ago”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “from ancient times.”
[46:11] 130 tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).
[46:11] 131 tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”
[46:12] 132 tn Heb “strong of heart [or, mind]”; KJV “stouthearted”; NAB “fainthearted”; NIV “stubborn-hearted.”
[46:12] 133 tn Heb “who are far from righteousness [or perhaps, “deliverance”].”
[46:13] 134 tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).
[46:13] 135 tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”
[46:13] 136 tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”
[47:1] 137 tn בְּתוּלַה (bÿtulah) often refers to a virgin, but the phrase “virgin daughter” is apparently stylized (see also 23:12; 37:22). In the extended metaphor of this chapter, where Babylon is personified as a queen (vv. 5, 7), she is depicted as being both a wife and mother (vv. 8-9).
[47:1] 138 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[47:3] 139 tn Heb “Your shame will be seen.” In this context “shame” is a euphemism referring to the genitals.
[47:3] 140 tn Heb “I will not meet a man.” The verb פָּגַע (pagah) apparently carries the nuance “meet with kindness” here (cf. 64:5, and see BDB 803 s.v. Qal.2).
[47:4] 141 tc The Hebrew text reads, “Our redeemer – the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” The ancient Greek version adds “says” before “our redeemer.” אָמַר (’amar) may have accidentally dropped from the text by virtual haplography. Note that the preceding word אָדָם (’adam) is graphically similar.
[47:4] sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[47:5] 142 tn Heb “darkness,” which may indicate a place of hiding where a fugitive would seek shelter and protection.
[47:5] 143 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[47:6] 144 tn Or “compassion.”
[47:6] 145 tn Heb “on the old you made very heavy your yoke.”
[47:7] 146 tn Heb “Forever I [will be] permanent queen”; NIV “the eternal queen”; CEV “queen forever.”
[47:7] 147 tn Heb “you did not set these things upon your heart [or “mind”].”
[47:7] 148 tn Heb “you did not remember its outcome”; NAB “you disregarded their outcome.”
[47:8] 149 tn Or perhaps, “voluptuous one” (NAB); NAB “you sensual one”; NLT “You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom.”
[47:8] 150 tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”
[47:8] 151 tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.” See Zeph 2:15.
[47:8] 152 tn Heb “I will not live [as] a widow, and I will not know loss of children.”
[47:9] 153 tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.
[47:9] 154 tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”
[47:9] 155 tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.
[47:9] 156 sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.
[47:10] 157 tn Heb “you trusted in your evil”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “wickedness.”
[47:10] 158 tn Or “said”; NAB “said to yourself”’ NASB “said in your heart.”
[47:10] 159 tn The words “self-professed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[47:10] 160 tn See the note at v. 8.
[47:11] 161 tc The Hebrew text has שַׁחְרָהּ (shakhrah), which is either a suffixed noun (“its dawning,” i.e., origin) or infinitive (“to look early for it”). Some have suggested an emendation to שַׁחֲדָהּ (shakhadah), a suffixed infinitive from שָׁחַד (shakhad, “[how] to buy it off”; see BDB 1005 s.v. שָׁחַד). This forms a nice parallel with the following couplet. The above translation is based on a different etymology of the verb in question. HALOT 1466 s.v. III שׁחר references a verbal root with these letters (שׁחד) that refers to magical activity.
[47:11] 162 tn Heb “you will not know”; NIV “you cannot foresee.”
[47:12] 163 tn Heb “stand” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “Stand fast.”
[47:12] 164 tn The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.
[47:12] 165 tn Heb “in that which you have toiled.”
[47:12] 166 tn Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”
[47:12] 167 tn Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. 9.
[47:13] 168 tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”
[47:13] 169 tn Heb “let them stand and rescue you – the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make known by months – from those things which are coming upon you.”
[47:14] 170 tn Heb “hand,” here a metaphor for the strength or power of the flames.
[47:14] 171 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “there is no coal [for?] their food, light to sit before it.” Some emend לַחְמָם (lakhmam, “their food”) to לְחֻמָּם (lÿkhummam, “to warm them”; see HALOT 328 s.v. חמם). This statement may allude to Isa 44:16, where idolaters are depicted warming themselves over a fire made from wood, part of which was used to form idols. The fire of divine judgment will be no such campfire; its flames will devour and destroy.
[47:15] 172 tn Heb “So they will be to you”; NIV “That is all they can do for you.”
[47:15] 173 tn Heb “that for which you toiled, your traders from your youth.” The omen readers and star gazers are likened to merchants with whom Babylon has had an ongoing economic relationship.
[47:15] 174 tn Heb “each to his own side, they err.”
[48:1] 175 tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV, CEV “people of Israel.”
[48:1] 176 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and from the waters of Judah came out.” מִמֵּי (mimme) could be a corruption of מִמְּעֵי (mimmÿ’e, “from the inner parts of”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT, NRSV) as suggested in the above translation. Some translations (ESV, NKJV) retain the MT reading because the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa, which corrects a similar form to “from inner parts of” in 39:7, does not do it here.
[48:1] 177 tn Heb “cause to remember”; KJV, ASV “make mention of.”
[48:1] 178 tn Heb “not in truth and not in righteousness.”
[48:2] 179 tn Heb “they call themselves [or “are called”] from the holy city.” The precise meaning of the statement is uncertain. The Niphal of קָרָא (qara’) is combined with the preposition מִן (min) only here. When the Qal of קָרָא is used with מִן, the preposition often indicates the place from which one is summoned (see 46:11). So one could translate, “from the holy city they are summoned,” meaning that they reside there.
[48:2] 180 tn Heb “lean on” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “rely on.”
[48:3] 181 tn Heb “the former things beforehand I declared.”
[48:3] 182 tn Heb “and from my mouth they came forth and I caused them to be heard.”
[48:4] 183 tn The words “I did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 4 is subordinated to v. 3.
[48:4] 184 sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal.
[48:6] 185 tn Heb “gaze [at] all of it”; KJV “see all this.”
[48:6] 186 tn Heb “[as for] you, will you not declare?”
[48:6] 187 tn Heb “and hidden things, and you do not know them.”
[48:7] 188 tn Heb “are created” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “They are brand new.”
[48:7] 189 tn Heb “look”; KJV, NASB “Behold.”
[48:8] 190 tn Heb “beforehand your ear did not open.”
[48:8] 191 tn Heb “deceiving, you deceive.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[48:8] 192 tn Or “called” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[48:9] 193 tn Heb “for the sake of my name” (so NAB, NASB); NLT “for my own sake.”
[48:9] 194 tn Heb “and my praise.” לְמַעַן (lÿma’an, “for the sake of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[48:9] 195 tn Heb “I restrain [myself] concerning you not to cut you off.”
[48:10] 196 tc The Hebrew text has בְּחַרְתִּיךָ (bÿkhartikha, “I have chosen you”), but the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads correctly בחנתיכה (“I have tested you”). The metallurgical background of the imagery suggests that purification through testing is the idea.
[48:11] 197 tn The Hebrew text repeats לְמַעֲנִי (lÿma’ani, “for my sake”) for emphasis.
[48:11] 198 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “for how can it be defiled?” The subject of the verb is probably “name” (v. 9).
