Yesaya 46:2-13

46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down;

they are unable to rescue the images; ¹ 

they themselves ²  head off into captivity. ³ 

46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, ⁴ 

all you who are left from the family of Israel, ⁵ 

you who have been carried from birth, ⁶ 

you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. ⁷ 

46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, ⁸ 

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. ⁹ 

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 ¹⁰ 

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 ¹¹  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! ¹² 

Think about it, you rebels! ¹³ 

46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! ¹⁴ 

Truly I am God, I have no peer; ¹⁵ 

I am God, and there is none like me,

46:10 who announces the end from the beginning

and reveals beforehand ¹⁶  what has not yet occurred,

who says, ‘My plan will be realized,

I will accomplish what I desire,’

46:11 who summons an eagle ¹⁷  from the east,

from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.

Yes, I have decreed, ¹⁸ 

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, ¹⁹ 

you who distance yourself from doing what is right. ²⁰ 

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

I am bringing my salvation near, ²¹  it does not wait.

I will save Zion; ²² 

I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” ²³ 

[46:2]  ¹ tn Heb “[the] burden,” i.e., their images, the heavy burden carried by the animals.

[46:2]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV “descendants of Jacob.”

[46:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “and all the remnant of the house of Israel.”

[46:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “from the womb” (so NRSV); KJV “from the belly”; NAB “from your infancy.”

[46:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “who have been lifted up from the womb.”

[46:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”

[46:4]  ⁹ sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.

[46:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the reed,” probably referring to the beam of a scales. See BDB 889 s.v. קָנֶה 4.c.

[46:7]  ¹¹ tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.

[46:8]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “return [it], rebels, to heart”; NRSV “recall it to mind, you transgressors.”

[46:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “remember the former things, from antiquity”; KJV, ASV “the former things of old.”

[46:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and there is no other” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[46:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “from long ago”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “from ancient times.”

[46:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).

[46:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”

[46:12]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “strong of heart [or, mind]”; KJV “stouthearted”; NAB “fainthearted”; NIV “stubborn-hearted.”

[46:12]  ²⁰ tn Heb “who are far from righteousness [or perhaps, “deliverance”].”

[46:13]  ²¹ tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).

[46:13]  ²² tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”

[46:13]  ²³ tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”