Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options

Isaiah 45-48
New English Translation

45 “This is what the Lord says to his chosen one,[a]

to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold[b]
in order to subdue nations before him,
and disarm kings,[c]
to open doors before him,
so gates remain unclosed:

2 ‘I will go before you
and level mountains.[d]
Bronze doors I will shatter
and iron bars[e] I will hack through.
3 I will give you hidden treasures,[f]
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.
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 submit[g] to me.
5 I am the Lord, I have no peer,[h]
there is no God but me.
I arm you for battle,[i] even though you do not recognize[j] me.
6 I do this[k] so people[l] will recognize from east to west
that there is no God but me;
I am the Lord, I have no peer.
7 I am[m] the one who forms light
and creates darkness;[n]
the one who brings about peace
and creates calamity.[o]
I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.
8 O sky, rain down from above!
Let the clouds send down showers[p] of deliverance!
Let the earth absorb it[q] so salvation may grow,[r]
and deliverance may sprout up[s] along with it.
I, the Lord, create it.’”[t]

The Lord Gives a Warning

9 One who argues with his Creator is in grave danger,[u]
one who is like a mere[v] shard among the other shards on the ground!
The clay should not say to the potter,[w]
“What in the world[x] are you doing?
Your work lacks skill!”[y]
10 Danger awaits one who says[z] to his father,
“What in the world[aa] are you fathering?”
and to his mother,
“What in the world are you bringing forth?”[ab]
11 This is what the Lord says,
the Holy One of Israel,[ac] the one who formed him,
concerning things to come:[ad]
“How dare you question me[ae] about my children!
How dare you tell me what to do with[af] the work of my own hands!
12 I made the earth;
I created the people who live[ag] on it.
It was me—my hands[ah] stretched out the sky.[ai]
I give orders to all the heavenly lights.[aj]
13 It is me—I stir him up and commission him;[ak]
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 of Heaven’s Armies.

The Lord is the Nations’ Only Hope

14 This is what the Lord says:

“The profit[al] of Egypt and the revenue[am] of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you[an] and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains.[ao]
They will bow down to you
and pray to you:[ap]
‘Truly God is with[aq] you; he has no peer;[ar]
there is no other God!’”
15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,
O God of Israel, deliverer!
16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed;
those who fashion idols will all be humiliated.[as]
17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the Lord;[at]
you will never again be ashamed or humiliated.[au]
18 For this is what the Lord says,
the one who created the sky—
he is the true God,[av]
the one who formed the earth and made it;
he established it,
he did not create it without order,[aw]
he formed it to be inhabited:
“I am the Lord, I have no peer.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
in some hidden place.[ax]
I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in vain!’[ay]
I am the Lord,
the one who speaks honestly,
who makes reliable announcements.[az]
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.
21 Tell me! Present the evidence![ba]
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;[bb]
there is none but me.
22 Turn to me so you can be delivered,[bc]
all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!
For I am God, and I have no peer.
23 I solemnly make this oath[bd]—
what I say is true and reliable:[be]
‘Surely every knee will bow to me,
every tongue will solemnly affirm;[bf]
24 they will say about me,
“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’”[bg]
All who are angry at him will cower before him.[bh]
25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord
and will boast in him.[bi]

The Lord Carries His People

46 Bel[bj] kneels down,
Nebo[bk] bends low.
Their images weigh down animals and beasts.[bl]
Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals.[bm]
2 Together they bend low and kneel down;
they are unable to rescue the images;[bn]
they themselves[bo] head off into captivity.[bp]
3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob,[bq]
all you who are left from the family of Israel,[br]
you who have been carried from birth,[bs]
you who have been supported from the time you left the womb.[bt]
4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you,[bu]
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.[bv]
5 To whom can you compare and liken me?
Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!
6 Those who empty out gold from a purse
and weigh out silver on the scale[bw]
hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.
They then bow down and worship it.
7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;
they put it in its place and it just stands there;
it does not[bx] move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;
it does not deliver him from his distress.
8 Remember this, so you can be brave.[by]
Think about it, you rebels![bz]
9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity.[ca]
Truly I am God, I have no peer;[cb]
I am God, and there is none like me,
10 who announces the end from the beginning
and reveals beforehand[cc] what has not yet occurred;
who says, ‘My plan will be realized,
I will accomplish what I desire;’
11 who summons an eagle[cd] from the east,
from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.
Yes, I have decreed,[ce]
yes, I will bring it to pass;
I have formulated a plan,
yes, I will carry it out.
12 Listen to me, you stubborn people,[cf]
you who distance yourselves from doing what is right.[cg]
13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;
I am bringing my salvation near,[ch] it does not wait.
I will save Zion;[ci]
I will adorn Israel with my splendor.[cj]

Babylon Will Fall

47 “Fall down! Sit in the dirt,
O virgin[ck] daughter Babylon!
Sit on the ground, not on a throne,
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed,[cl] you will no longer be called delicate and pampered.
2 Pick up millstones and grind flour.
Remove your veil,
strip off your skirt,
expose your legs,
cross the streams.
3 Let your naked body be exposed.
Your shame will be on display![cm]
I will get revenge;
I will not have pity on anyone,”[cn]
4 says our Protector—
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name,
the Holy One of Israel.[co]
5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place,[cp]
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed,[cq] you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’
6 I was angry at my people;
I defiled my special possession
and handed them over to you.
You showed them no mercy;[cr]
you even placed a very heavy burden on old people.[cs]
7 You said,
‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’[ct]
You did not think about these things;[cu]
you did not consider how it would turn out.[cv]
8 So now, listen to this,
O one who lives so lavishly,[cw]
who lives securely,
who says to herself,[cx]
‘I am unique! No one can compare to me![cy]
I will never have to live as a widow;
I will never lose my children.’[cz]
9 Both of these will come upon you
suddenly, in one day!
You will lose your children and be widowed.[da]
You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies,[db]
despite[dc] your many incantations
and your numerous amulets.[dd]
10 You were complacent in your evil deeds;[de]
you thought,[df] ‘No one sees me.’
Your self-professed[dg] wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,
when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’[dh]
11 Disaster will overtake you;
you will not know how to charm it away.[di]
Destruction will fall on you;
you will not be able to appease it.
Calamity will strike you suddenly,
before you recognize it.[dj]
12 Persist[dk] in trusting[dl] your amulets
and your many incantations,
which you have faithfully recited[dm] since your youth!
Maybe you will be successful[dn]—
maybe you will scare away disaster.[do]
13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice.[dp]
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![dq]
14 Look, they are like straw,
that the fire burns up;
they cannot rescue themselves
from the heat[dr] of the flames.
There are no coals to warm them,
no firelight to enjoy.[ds]
15 They will disappoint you,[dt]
those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth.[du]
Each strays off in his own direction,[dv]
leaving no one to rescue you.”

The Lord Appeals to the Exiles

48 Listen to this, O family of Jacob,[dw]
you who are called by the name ‘Israel,’
and are descended from Judah,[dx]
who take oaths in the name of the Lord,
and invoke[dy] the God of Israel—
but not in an honest and just manner.[dz]
2 Indeed, they live in the holy city;[ea]
they trust in[eb] the God of Israel,
whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
3 “I announced events beforehand,[ec]
I issued the decrees and made the predictions;[ed]
suddenly I acted and they came to pass.
4 I did this[ee] because I know how stubborn you are.
Your neck muscles are like iron
and your forehead like bronze.[ef]
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.’
6 You have heard; now look at all the evidence![eg]
Will you not admit that what I say is true?[eh]
From this point on I am announcing to you new events
that are previously unrevealed and you do not know about.[ei]
7 Now they come into being,[ej] not in the past;
before today you did not hear about them,
so you could not say,
‘Yes,[ek] I know about them.’
8 You did not hear,
you do not know,
you were not told beforehand.[el]
For I know that you are very deceitful;[em]
you were labeled[en] a rebel from birth.
9 For the sake of my reputation[eo] I hold back my anger;
for the sake of my prestige[ep] I restrain myself from destroying you.[eq]
10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have purified you[er] in the furnace of misery.
11 For my sake alone[es] I will act,
for how can I allow my name to be defiled?[et]
I will not share my glory with anyone else![eu]
12 Listen to me, O Jacob,
Israel, whom I summoned.
I am the one;
I am present at the very beginning
and at the very end.[ev]
13 Yes, my hand founded the earth;
my right hand spread out the sky.
I summon them;
they stand together.
14 All of you, gather together and listen!
Who among them[ew] announced these things?
The Lord’s ally[ex] will carry out his desire against Babylon;
he will exert his power against the Babylonians.[ey]
15 I, I have spoken—
yes, I have summoned him;
I lead him and he will succeed.[ez]
16 Approach me—listen to this!
From the very first I have not spoken in secret;
when it happens,[fa] I am there.”
So now, the Sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his Spirit.[fb]
17 This is what the Lord, your Protector,[fc] says,
the Holy One of Israel:[fd]
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you how to succeed,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had obeyed my[fe] commandments,
prosperity would have flowed to you like a river,[ff]
deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea.[fg]
19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as sand,[fh]
and your children[fi] like its granules.
Their name would not have been cut off
and eliminated from my presence.[fj]
20 Leave Babylon!
Flee from the Babylonians!
Announce it with a shout of joy!
Make this known—
proclaim it throughout the earth![fk]
Say, ‘The Lord protects[fl] his servant Jacob.
21 They do not thirst as he leads them through dry regions;
he makes water flow out of a rock for them;
he splits open a rock and water flows out.’[fm]
22 There will be no prosperity for the wicked,” says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 45:1 tn Heb “anointed” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “his appointed king.”
  2. Isaiah 45:1 sn The “right hand” is a symbol of activity and strength; the Lord directs Cyrus’ activities and assures his success.
  3. Isaiah 45:1 tn Heb “and the belts of kings I will loosen”; NRSV “strip kings of their robes”; NIV “strip kings of their armor.”
  4. Isaiah 45:2 tc The form הֲדוּרִים (hadurim) is difficult. It may need to be emended to an original הָרָרִים (hararim, “mountains”), the reduplicated form of הָר (har, “mountain”). 1QIsaa and the LXX support an unambiguous text of “mountains.”
  5. Isaiah 45:2 tn That is, on the gates. Cf. CEV “break the iron bars on bronze gates.”
  6. Isaiah 45:3 tn Heb “treasures of darkness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “treasures from dark, secret places.”
  7. Isaiah 45:4 tn Or “know” (NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT); NIV “acknowledge.” The common verb יָדַע (yadaʿ) means “to know.” Among homophonous roots DCH includes יָדַע II meaning “be submissive, humbled; be quiet, at rest” (cf. Job 21:19; Prov 5:6; Jer 14:18; Hos 9:7).
  8. Isaiah 45:5 tn Heb “and there is none besides.” On the use of עוֹד (ʿod) here, see BDB 729 s.v. 1.c.
  9. Isaiah 45:5 tn Heb “gird you” (so NASB) or “strengthen you” (so NIV).
  10. Isaiah 45:5 tn Or “know” (NAB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT); NIV “have not acknowledged.”
  11. Isaiah 45:6 tn The words “I do this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  12. Isaiah 45:6 tn Heb “they” (so KJV, ASV); TEV, CEV “everyone”; NLT “all the world.”
  13. Isaiah 45:7 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.
  14. Isaiah 45:7 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.”
  15. Isaiah 45:7 sn This verse 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).
  16. Isaiah 45:8 tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”
  17. Isaiah 45:8 tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”
  18. Isaiah 45:8 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).
  19. Isaiah 45:8 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).
  20. Isaiah 45:8 tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yashaʿ, “salvation”).
  21. Isaiah 45:9 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who argues with the one who formed him.”
  22. Isaiah 45:9 tn The words “one who is like a mere” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and clarification.
  23. Isaiah 45:9 tn Heb “Should the clay say to the one who forms it,…?” The rhetorical question anticipates a reply, “Of course not!”
  24. Isaiah 45:9 tn The words “in the world” are supplied in the translation to approximate in English idiom the force of the sarcastic question.
  25. Isaiah 45:9 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.”
  26. Isaiah 45:10 tn Heb “Woe [to] one who says” (NASB and NIV both similar); NCV “How terrible it will be.”
  27. Isaiah 45:10 tn See the note at v. 9. This phrase occurs a second time later in this verse.
  28. Isaiah 45:10 sn Verses 9-10 may allude to the exiles’ criticism that the Lord does not appear to know what he is doing.
  29. Isaiah 45:11 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
  30. Isaiah 45:11 tc The Hebrew text reads “the one who formed him, the coming things.” Among various suggestions, some have proposed an emendation of יֹצְרוֹ (yotsero, “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.”
  31. Isaiah 45:11 tn Heb “Ask me.” The rhetorical command sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.
  32. Isaiah 45:11 tn Heb “Do you command me about…?” The rhetorical question sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.
  33. Isaiah 45:12 tn The words “who live” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  34. Isaiah 45:12 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.
  35. Isaiah 45:12 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
  36. Isaiah 45:12 tn Heb “and to all their host I commanded.” See the notes at 40:26.
  37. Isaiah 45:13 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.
  38. Isaiah 45:14 tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”
  39. Isaiah 45:14 tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”
  40. Isaiah 45:14 tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”
  41. Isaiah 45:14 sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.
  42. Isaiah 45:14 sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.
  43. Isaiah 45:14 tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”
  44. Isaiah 45:14 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. Isaiah 45:16 tn “together they will walk in humiliation, the makers of images.”
  46. Isaiah 45:17 tn Heb “Israel will be delivered by the Lord [with] a permanent deliverance.”
  47. Isaiah 45:17 tn Heb “you will not be ashamed and you will not be humiliated for ages of future time.”
  48. Isaiah 45:18 tn Heb “he [is] the God.” The article here indicates uniqueness.
  49. Isaiah 45:18 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.
  50. Isaiah 45:19 tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”
  51. Isaiah 45:19 tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”
  52. Isaiah 45:19 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.”
  53. Isaiah 45:21 tn Heb “Declare! Bring near!”; NASB “Declare and set forth your case.” See 41:21.
  54. Isaiah 45:21 tn Or “a righteous God and deliverer”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “a righteous God and a Savior.”
  55. Isaiah 45:22 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.”
  56. Isaiah 45:23 tn Heb “I swear by myself”; KJV, NASB “have sworn.”
  57. Isaiah 45:23 tn Heb “a word goes out from my mouth [in] truth and will not return.”
  58. Isaiah 45:23 tn Heb “swear” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “confess allegiance.”
  59. Isaiah 45:24 tn Heb “‘Yes, in the Lord,’ one says about me, ‘is deliverance and strength.’”
  60. Isaiah 45:24 tn Heb “will come to him and be ashamed.”
  61. Isaiah 45:25 tn Heb “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be vindicated and boast.”
  62. Isaiah 46:1 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.
  63. Isaiah 46:1 sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.
  64. Isaiah 46:1 tn Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”
  65. Isaiah 46:1 tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”
  66. Isaiah 46:2 tn Heb “[the] burden,” i.e., their images, the heavy burden carried by the animals.
  67. Isaiah 46:2 tn Heb “Their soul/life has gone into captivity.
  68. Isaiah 46:2 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.
  69. Isaiah 46:3 tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV “descendants of Jacob.”
  70. Isaiah 46:3 tn Heb “and all the remnant of the house of Israel.”
  71. Isaiah 46:3 tn Heb “from the womb” (so NRSV); KJV “from the belly”; NAB “from your infancy.”
  72. Isaiah 46:3 tn Heb “who have been lifted up from the womb.”
  73. Isaiah 46:4 tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”
  74. Isaiah 46:4 sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.
  75. Isaiah 46:6 tn Heb “the reed,” probably referring to the beam of a scales. See BDB 889 s.v. קָנֶה 4.c.
  76. Isaiah 46:7 tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.
  77. Isaiah 46:8 tn The meaning of the verb אָשַׁשׁ (ʾashash, 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.
  78. Isaiah 46:8 tn Heb “return [it], rebels, to heart”; NRSV “recall it to mind, you transgressors.”
  79. Isaiah 46:9 tn Heb “remember the former things, from antiquity”; KJV, ASV “the former things of old.”
  80. Isaiah 46:9 tn Heb “and there is no other” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  81. Isaiah 46:10 tn Or “from long ago”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “from ancient times.”
  82. Isaiah 46:11 tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).
  83. Isaiah 46:11 tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”
  84. Isaiah 46:12 tn Heb “strong of heart [or, mind]”; KJV “stouthearted”; NAB “fainthearted”; NIV “stubborn-hearted.”
  85. Isaiah 46:12 tn Heb “who are far from righteousness [or perhaps, “deliverance”].”
  86. Isaiah 46:13 tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).
  87. Isaiah 46:13 tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”
  88. Isaiah 46:13 tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”
  89. Isaiah 47:1 tn בְּתוּלַה (betulah) 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).
  90. Isaiah 47:1 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
  91. Isaiah 47:3 tn Heb In this context “shame” is a euphemism referring to their naked bodies.
  92. Isaiah 47:3 tn Heb “I will not meet a man.” The verb פָּגַע (paga‘) apparently carries the nuance “meet with kindness” here (cf. 64:5, and see BDB 803 s.v. Qal.2).
  93. Isaiah 47:4 tc The Hebrew text reads, “Our redeemer—the Lord of armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”] is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” The ancient Greek version adds “says” before “our redeemer.” אָמַר (ʾamar) may have accidentally dropped from the text by virtual haplography. Note that the preceding word אָדָם (ʾadam) is graphically similar.sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
  94. Isaiah 47:5 tn Heb “darkness,” which may indicate a place of hiding where a fugitive would seek shelter and protection.
  95. Isaiah 47:5 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
  96. Isaiah 47:6 tn Or “compassion.”
  97. Isaiah 47:6 tn Heb “on the old you made very heavy your yoke.”
  98. Isaiah 47:7 tn Heb “Forever I [will be] permanent queen”; NIV “the eternal queen”; CEV “queen forever.”
  99. Isaiah 47:7 tn Heb “you did not set these things upon your heart [or “mind”].”
  100. Isaiah 47:7 tn Heb “you did not remember its outcome”; NAB “you disregarded their outcome.”
  101. Isaiah 47:8 tn Or perhaps, “voluptuous one” (NAB); NAB “you sensual one”; NLT “You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom.”
  102. Isaiah 47:8 tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”
  103. Isaiah 47:8 tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.” See Zeph 2:15.
  104. Isaiah 47:8 tn Heb “I will not live [as] a widow, and I will not know loss of children.”
  105. Isaiah 47:9 tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.
  106. Isaiah 47:9 tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”
  107. Isaiah 47:9 tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.
  108. Isaiah 47:9 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.
  109. Isaiah 47:10 tn Heb “you trusted in your evil”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “wickedness.”
  110. Isaiah 47:10 tn Or “said”; NAB “said to yourself”’ NASB “said in your heart.”
  111. Isaiah 47:10 tn The words “self-professed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  112. Isaiah 47:10 tn See the note at v. 8.
  113. Isaiah 47:11 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.
  114. Isaiah 47:11 tn Heb “you will not know”; NIV “you cannot foresee.”
  115. Isaiah 47:12 tn Heb “stand” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “Stand fast.”
  116. Isaiah 47:12 tn The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.
  117. Isaiah 47:12 tn Heb “in that which you have toiled.”
  118. Isaiah 47:12 tn Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”
  119. Isaiah 47:12 tn Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. 9.
  120. Isaiah 47:13 tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”
  121. Isaiah 47:13 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.”
  122. Isaiah 47:14 tn Heb “hand,” here a metaphor for the strength or power of the flames.
  123. Isaiah 47:14 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 (lekhummam, “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.
  124. Isaiah 47:15 tn Heb “So they will be to you”; NIV “That is all they can do for you.”
  125. Isaiah 47:15 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.
  126. Isaiah 47:15 tn Heb “each to his own side, they err.”
  127. Isaiah 48:1 tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV, CEV “people of Israel.”
  128. Isaiah 48:1 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and from the waters of Judah came out.” מִמֵּי (mimme) could be a variation from an original מִמְּעֵי (mimmeʿe, “from the inner parts of”). The translation above as well as several other translations treat the text this way or understand that this is what the Hebrew phrase figuratively means (cf. HCSB, NASB, NIV, NLT, NRSV). Some translations (ESV, NKJV) retain the MT reading and render it literally as “waters.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa, which corrects a similar form to “from inner parts of” in 39:7, does not do it here.
  129. Isaiah 48:1 tn Heb “cause to remember”; KJV, ASV “make mention of.”
  130. Isaiah 48:1 tn Heb “not in truth and not in righteousness.”
  131. Isaiah 48:2 tn Heb “they call themselves [or “are called”] from the holy city.” The precise meaning of the statement is uncertain. The Niphal of קָרָא (qaraʾ) 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.
  132. Isaiah 48:2 tn Heb “lean on” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “rely on.”
  133. Isaiah 48:3 tn Heb “the former things beforehand I declared.”
  134. Isaiah 48:3 tn Heb “and from my mouth they came forth, and I caused them to be heard.”
  135. Isaiah 48:4 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.
  136. Isaiah 48:4 sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal.
  137. Isaiah 48:6 tn Heb “gaze [at] all of it”; KJV “see all this.”
  138. Isaiah 48:6 tn Heb “[as for] you, will you not declare?”
  139. Isaiah 48:6 tn Heb “and hidden things, and you do not know them.”
  140. Isaiah 48:7 tn Heb “are created” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “They are brand new.”
  141. Isaiah 48:7 tn Heb “look”; KJV, NASB “Behold.”
  142. Isaiah 48:8 tn Heb “beforehand your ear did not open.”
  143. Isaiah 48:8 tn Heb “deceiving, you deceive.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
  144. Isaiah 48:8 tn Or “called” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  145. Isaiah 48:9 tn Heb “for the sake of my name” (so NAB, NASB); NLT “for my own sake.”
  146. Isaiah 48:9 tn Heb “and my praise.” לְמַעַן (lemaʿan, “for the sake of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  147. Isaiah 48:9 tn Heb “I restrain [myself] concerning you not to cut you off.”
  148. Isaiah 48:10 tc The Hebrew text has בְּחַרְתִּיךָ (bekhartikha, “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.
  149. Isaiah 48:11 tn The Hebrew text repeats לְמַעֲנִי (lemaʿani, “for my sake”) for emphasis.
  150. Isaiah 48:11 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “for how can it be defiled?” The subject of the verb is probably “name” (v. 9).
  151. Isaiah 48:11 sn See 42:8.
  152. Isaiah 48:12 tn Heb “I [am] he, I [am the] first, also I [am the] last.”
  153. Isaiah 48:14 sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).
  154. Isaiah 48:14 tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.” sn The Lord’s ally is a reference to Cyrus.
  155. Isaiah 48:14 tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”
  156. Isaiah 48:15 tn Heb “and his way will be prosperous.”
  157. Isaiah 48:16 tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.”
  158. Isaiah 48:16 sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.
  159. Isaiah 48:17 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
  160. Isaiah 48:17 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
  161. Isaiah 48:18 tn Heb “paid attention to” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “had listened to.”
  162. Isaiah 48:18 tn Heb “like a river your peace would have been.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom) probably refers here to the peace and prosperity which God promised in return for obedience to the covenant.
  163. Isaiah 48:18 tn Heb “and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” צְדָקָה (tsedaqah) probably refers here to divine deliverance from enemies. See v. 19.
  164. Isaiah 48:19 tn Heb “like sand”; NCV “as many as the grains of sand.”
  165. Isaiah 48:19 tn Heb “and the issue from your inner parts.”
  166. Isaiah 48:19 tn Heb “and his name would not be cut off and would not be destroyed from before me.”
  167. Isaiah 48:20 tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
  168. Isaiah 48:20 tn Heb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.
  169. Isaiah 48:21 sn The translation above (present tense) assumes that this verse describes God’s provision for returning Babylonian exiles (see v. 20; 35:6; 49:10) in terms reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exod 17:6).
Next
Isaiah 44
Isaiah 49
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.