Yesaya 40:26

40:26 Look up at the sky! ¹ 

Who created all these heavenly lights? ² 

He is the one who leads out their ranks; ³ 

he calls them all by name.

Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,

not one of them is missing.

Yesaya 40:29

40:29 He gives strength to those who are tired;

to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.

Yesaya 40:31--41:1

40:31 But those who wait for the Lord’s help ⁴  find renewed strength;

they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, ⁵ 

they run without growing weary,

they walk without getting tired.

The Lord Challenges the Nations

41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! ⁶ 

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate! ⁷ 

Yesaya 44:12

44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool ⁸ 

and forges metal over the coals.

He forms it ⁹  with hammers;

he makes it with his strong arm.

He gets hungry and loses his energy; ¹⁰ 

he drinks no water and gets tired.

Yesaya 50:2

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

Why does no one respond when I call? ¹¹ 

Is my hand too weak ¹²  to deliver ¹³  you?

Do I lack the power to rescue you?

Look, with a mere shout ¹⁴  I can dry up the sea;

I can turn streams into a desert,

so the fish rot away and die

from lack of water. ¹⁵ 

[40:26]  ¹ tn Heb “Lift on high your eyes and see.”

[40:26]  ² tn The words “heavenly lights” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the following lines.

[40:26]  ³ tn Heb “the one who brings out by number their host.” The stars are here likened to a huge army that the Lord leads out. Perhaps the next line pictures God calling roll. If so, the final line may be indicating that none of them dares “go AWOL.” (“AWOL” is a military acronym for “absent without leave.”)

[40:31]  ⁴ tn The words “for the Lord’s help” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[40:31]  ⁵ tn Heb “they rise up [on] wings like eagles” (TEV similar).

[41:1]  ⁶ tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”

[41:1]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) could be translated “judgment,” but here it seems to refer to the dispute or debate between the Lord and the nations.

[44:12]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and there is no strength”; NASB “his strength fails.”

[50:2]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ¹³ tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “with my rebuke.”

[50:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”