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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 89:5-37

⁵O Lord, the heavens^[a] praise your amazing deeds,
as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.^[b]
⁶For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings,^[c]
⁷a God who is honored^[d] in the great angelic assembly,^[e]
and more awesome than^[f] all who surround him?
⁸O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!^[g]
Who is strong like you, O Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
⁹You rule over the proud sea.^[h]
When its waves surge,^[i] you calm them.
¹⁰You crushed the Proud One^[j] and killed it;^[k]
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
¹¹The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.
You made the world and all it contains.^[l]
¹²You created the north and the south.
Tabor and Hermon^[m] rejoice in your name.
¹³Your arm is powerful,
your hand strong,
your right hand^[n] victorious.^[o]
¹⁴Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne.^[p]
Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule.^[q]
¹⁵How blessed are the people who worship you!^[r]
O Lord, they experience your favor.^[s]
¹⁶They rejoice in your name all day long,
and are vindicated^[t] by your justice.
¹⁷For you give them splendor and strength.^[u]
By your favor we are victorious.^[v]
¹⁸For our shield^[w] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.^[x]
¹⁹Then you^[y] spoke through a vision to your faithful followers^[z] and said:
“I have placed a young hero^[aa] over a warrior;
I have raised up a young man^[ab] from the people.
²⁰I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.^[ac]
²¹My hand will support him,^[ad]
and my arm will strengthen him.
²²No enemy will be able to exact tribute^[ae] from him;^[af]
a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.^[ag]
²³I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
²⁴He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,^[ah]
and by my name he will win victories.^[ai]
²⁵I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.^[aj]
²⁶He will call out to me,
‘You are my father,^[ak] my God, and the protector who delivers me.’^[al]
²⁷I will appoint him to be my firstborn son,^[am]
the most exalted of the earth’s kings.
²⁸I will always extend my loyal love to him,
and my covenant with him is secure.^[an]
²⁹I will give him an eternal dynasty,^[ao]
and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.^[ap]
³⁰If his sons reject my law
and disobey my regulations,
³¹if they break^[aq] my rules
and do not keep my commandments,
³²I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club,^[ar]
their sin by inflicting them with bruises.^[as]
³³But I will not remove^[at] my loyal love from him,
nor be unfaithful to my promise.^[au]
³⁴I will not break^[av] my covenant
or go back on what I promised.^[aw]
³⁵Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,
I will never deceive^[ax] David.
³⁶His dynasty will last forever.^[ay]
His throne will endure before me, like the sun;^[az]
³⁷it will remain stable, like the moon.^[ba]
His throne will endure like the skies.”^[bb] (Selah)

Footnotes

Psalm 89:5 tn As the following context makes clear, the personified “heavens” here stand by metonymy for the angelic beings that surround God’s heavenly throne.
Psalm 89:5 tn Heb “in the assembly of the holy ones.” The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3), but here it refers to God’s heavenly assembly and the angels that surround his throne (see vv. 6-7).
Psalm 89:6 tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (ʾelim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem (ם) is actually enclitic rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8. The phrase בְנֵי אֵלִים (v^ene ʾelim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly (comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings) appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround the Lord’s heavenly throne.
Psalm 89:7 tn Heb “feared.”
Psalm 89:7 tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”
Psalm 89:7 tn Or perhaps “feared by.”
Psalm 89:8 tn Traditionally “God of hosts.” The title here pictures the Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heaven.
Psalm 89:9 tn Heb “the majesty of the sea.”
Psalm 89:9 tn Heb “rise up.”
Psalm 89:10 tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.
Psalm 89:10 tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”
Psalm 89:11 tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established them.”
Psalm 89:12 sn Tabor and Hermon were two of the most prominent mountains in Palestine.
Psalm 89:13 sn The Lord’s arm, hand, and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.
Psalm 89:13 tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16).
Psalm 89:14 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
Psalm 89:14 tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).
Psalm 89:15 tn Heb “who know the shout.” “Shout” here refers to the shouts of the Lord’s worshipers (see Pss 27:6; 33:3; 47:5).
Psalm 89:15 tn Heb “in the light of your face they walk.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; Dan 9:17).
Psalm 89:16 tn Heb “are lifted up.”
Psalm 89:17 tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength [is] you.”
Psalm 89:17 tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or if one follows the marginal reading (Qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
Psalm 89:18 tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “our king” here and with “your anointed one” in Ps 84:9.
Psalm 89:18 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.
Psalm 89:19 tn The pronoun “you” refers to the Lord, who is addressed here. The quotation that follows further develops the announcement of vv. 3-4.
Psalm 89:19 tc Many medieval mss read the singular here, “your faithful follower.” In this case the statement refers directly to Nathan’s oracle to David (see 2 Sam 7:17).
Psalm 89:19 tc The MT reads עֵזֶר (ʿezer, “help, strength”), thus “I have placed help on a warrior,” which might effectively mean “I have strengthened a warrior.” The BHS note suggests reading נֵזֶר (nezer, “crown”), similar to the sentiment of anointing in the next verse. HALOT suggests reading עֹזֶר (ʿozer, “hero”) based on an Ugaritic cognate which means “young man, hero, warrior” (HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר). Craigie treats it similarly, taking עזר as “lad/boy/stripling,” parallel to “young man” in the next line, and seeing either David and Saul or David and Goliath as the historical referent (P. C. Craigie, Psalms [WBC], 19:410).
Psalm 89:19 tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”
Psalm 89:20 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.
Psalm 89:21 tn Heb “with whom my hand will be firm.”
Psalm 89:22 tn Heb “an enemy will not exact tribute.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential.
Psalm 89:22 tn The translation understands the Hiphil of נָשַׁא (nashaʾ) in the sense of “act as a creditor.” This may allude to the practice of a conqueror forcing his subjects to pay tribute in exchange for “protection.” Another option is to take the verb from a homonymic verbal root meaning “to deceive,” “to trick.” Still another option is to emend the form to יִשָּׂא (yissaʾ), a Qal imperfect from נָאַשׂ (naʾas, “rise up”) and to translate “an enemy will not rise up against him” (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 2:317).
Psalm 89:22 tn Heb “and a son of violence will not oppress him.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential. The reference to a “son of violence” echoes the language of God’s promise to David in 2 Sam 7:10 (see also 1 Chr 17:9).
Psalm 89:24 tn Heb “and my faithfulness and my loyal love [will be] with him.”
Psalm 89:24 tn Heb “and by my name his horn will be lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
Psalm 89:25 tn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “the rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:3-4).
Psalm 89:26 sn You are my father. The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
Psalm 89:26 tn Heb “the rocky summit of my deliverance.”
Psalm 89:27 sn The firstborn son typically had special status and received special privileges.
Psalm 89:28 tn Heb “forever I will keep for him my loyal love and will make my covenant secure for him.”
Psalm 89:29 tn Heb “and I will set in place forever his offspring.”
Psalm 89:29 tn Heb “and his throne like the days of the heavens.”
Psalm 89:31 tn Or “desecrate.”
Psalm 89:32 tn Heb “I will punish with a club their rebellion.”sn Despite the harsh image of beating…with a club, the language reflects a father-son relationship (see v. 30; 2 Sam 7:14). According to Proverbs, a שֵׁבֶט (shevet, “club”) was sometimes utilized to administer corporal punishment to rebellious children (see Prov 13:24; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15).
Psalm 89:32 tn Heb “with blows their sin.”
Psalm 89:33 tn Heb “break”; “make ineffectual.” Some prefer to emend אָפִיר (ʾafir; the Hiphil of פָּרַר, parar, “to break”) to אָסִיר (ʾasir; the Hiphil of סוּר, sur, “to turn aside”), a verb that appears in 2 Sam 7:15.
Psalm 89:33 tn Heb “and I will not deal falsely with my faithfulness.”
Psalm 89:34 tn Or “desecrate.”
Psalm 89:34 tn Heb “and what proceeds out of my lips I will not alter.”
Psalm 89:35 tn Or “lie to.”
Psalm 89:36 tn Heb “his offspring forever will be.”
Psalm 89:36 tn Heb “and his throne like the sun before me.”
Psalm 89:37 tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”
Psalm 89:37 tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (v^eʿed) to עוֹלָם (ʿolam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisseʾ, “throne”) and ʿd (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”)—bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested—one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, sh^ekhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.

Isaiah 51:1-16

There is Hope for the Future

51 “Listen to me, you who pursue godliness,^[a]
who seek the Lord.
Look at the rock from which you were chiseled,
at the quarry^[b] from which you were dug.^[c]
²Look at Abraham, your father,
and Sarah, who gave you birth.^[d]
When I summoned him, he was a lone individual,^[e]
but I blessed him^[f] and gave him numerous descendants.^[g]
³Certainly the Lord will console Zion;
he will console all her ruins.
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
her arid rift valley like the garden of the Lord.^[h]
Happiness and joy will be restored to^[i] her,
thanksgiving and the sound of music.
⁴Pay attention to me, my people.
Listen to me, my people!
For^[j] I will issue a decree,^[k]
I will make my justice a light to the nations.^[l]
⁵I am ready to vindicate,^[m]
I am ready to deliver,^[n]
I will establish justice among the nations.^[o]
The coastlands^[p] wait patiently for me;
they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power.^[q]
⁶Look up at the sky.
Look at the earth below.
For the sky will dissipate^[r] like smoke,
and the earth will wear out like clothes;
its residents will die like gnats.
But the deliverance I give^[s] is permanent;
the vindication I provide^[t] will not disappear.^[u]
⁷Listen to me, you who know what is right,
you people who are aware of my law.^[v]
Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;
don’t be discouraged because of their abuse.
⁸For a moth will eat away at them like clothes;
a clothes moth will devour them like wool.
But the vindication I provide^[w] will be permanent;
the deliverance I give will last.”
⁹Wake up! Wake up!
Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord!^[x]
Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity.
Did you not smash^[y] the Proud One?^[z]
Did you not^[aa] wound the sea monster?^[ab]
¹⁰Did you not dry up the sea,
the waters of the great deep?
Did you not make^[ac] a path through the depths of the sea,
so those delivered from bondage^[ad] could cross over?
¹¹Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return;
they will enter Zion with a happy shout.
Unending joy will crown them,^[ae]
happiness and joy will overwhelm^[af] them;
grief and suffering will disappear.^[ag]
¹²“I, I am the one who consoles you.^[ah]
Why are you afraid of mortal men,
of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass?^[ai]
¹³Why do you forget^[aj] the Lord, who made you,
who stretched out the sky^[ak]
and founded the earth?
Why do you constantly tremble all day long^[al]
at the anger of the oppressor,
when he makes plans to destroy?
Where is the anger of the oppressor?^[am]
¹⁴The one who suffers^[an] will soon be released;
he will not die in prison,^[ao]
he will not go hungry.^[ap]
¹⁵I am the Lord your God,
who churns up the sea so that its waves surge.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!

Zion’s Time to Celebrate

¹⁶“I commission you^[aq] as my spokesman;^[ar]
I cover you with the palm of my hand,^[as]
to establish^[at] the sky and to found the earth,
to say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”^[au]

Footnotes

Isaiah 51:1 tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “justice”; NLT “hope for deliverance.”
Isaiah 51:1 tn Heb “the excavation of the hole.”
Isaiah 51:1 sn The “rock” and “quarry” refer here to Abraham and Sarah, the progenitors of the nation.
Isaiah 51:2 sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.
Isaiah 51:2 tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”
Isaiah 51:2 tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.
Isaiah 51:2 tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”
Isaiah 51:3 sn The rift valley (עֲרָבָה, ʿaravah) is known for its dry, desert-like conditions in the area of the Dead Sea and southward (although it also includes the Jordan Valley to the north). The wilderness (מִדְבָּר, midbar) is an area that receives less than twelve inches of rain per year and so can only support meager vegetation at best. The imagery here focuses on the transformation from arid and lifeless to watered and luxuriant.
Isaiah 51:3 tn Heb “found in” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
Isaiah 51:4 tn Or “certainly.”
Isaiah 51:4 tn Heb “instruction [or “a law”] will go out from me.”
Isaiah 51:4 tn Heb “and my justice for a light to the nations I will cause to rest.”
Isaiah 51:5 tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”] is near.”
Isaiah 51:5 tn Heb “my deliverance goes forth.”
Isaiah 51:5 tn Heb “and my arms will judge [on behalf of] nations.”
Isaiah 51:5 tn Or “islands” (NIV); TEV “Distant lands.”
Isaiah 51:5 tn Heb “for my arm” (so NIV, NRSV).
Isaiah 51:6 tn Heb “will be torn in pieces.” The perfect indicates the certitude of the event, from the Lord’s rhetorical perspective.
Isaiah 51:6 tn Heb “my deliverance.” The same Hebrew word can also be translated “salvation” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); cf. CEV “victory.”
Isaiah 51:6 tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”].”
Isaiah 51:6 tn Heb “will not be shattered [or “dismayed”].”
Isaiah 51:7 tn Heb “people (who have) my law in their heart.”
Isaiah 51:8 tn Heb “my vindication”; many English versions “my righteousness”; NRSV, TEV “my deliverance”; CEV “my victory.”
Isaiah 51:9 tn The arm of the Lord is a symbol of divine military power. Here it is personified and told to arouse itself from sleep and prepare for action.
Isaiah 51:9 tn Heb “Are you not the one who smashed?” The feminine singular forms agree grammatically with the feminine noun “arm.” The Hebrew text hasהַמַּחְצֶבֶת (hammakhtsevet), from the verbal root חָצַב (khatsav, “hew, chop”). The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has, probably correctly, המחצת, from the verbal root מָחַץ (makhats, “smash”) which is used in Job 26:12 to describe God’s victory over “the Proud One.”
Isaiah 51:9 tn This title (רַהַב, rahav, “proud one”) is sometimes translated as a proper name: “Rahab” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). It is used here of a symbolic sea monster, known elsewhere in the Bible and in Ugaritic myth as Leviathan. This sea creature symbolizes the forces of chaos that seek to destroy the created order. In the Bible “the Proud One” opposes God’s creative work, but is defeated (see Job 26:12; Ps 89:10). Here the title refers to Pharaoh’s Egyptian army that opposed Israel at the Red Sea (see v. 10, and note also Isa 30:7 and Ps 87:4, where the title is used of Egypt).
Isaiah 51:9 tn The words “did you not” are understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line). The rhetorical questions here and in v. 10 expect the answer, “Yes, you certainly did!”
Isaiah 51:9 tn Hebrew תַּנִּין (tannin) is another name for the symbolic sea monster. See the note at 27:1. In this context the sea creature represents Egypt. See the note on the title “Proud One” earlier in this verse.
Isaiah 51:10 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Are you not the one who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made…?”
Isaiah 51:10 tn Heb “the redeemed” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV “the ransomed.”
Isaiah 51:11 tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.
Isaiah 51:11 tn Heb “overtake” (so NIV); NASB “they will obtain.”
Isaiah 51:11 tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee.”
Isaiah 51:12 tc The plural suffix should probably be emended to the second masculine singular (which is used in v. 13). The final mem (ם) is probably dittographic; note the mem at the beginning of the next word.
Isaiah 51:12 tn Heb “Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, and of the son of man who [as] grass is given up?” The feminine singular forms should probably be emended to the masculine singular (see v. 13). They have probably been influenced by the construction אַתְּ־הִיא (ʾat-hiʾ) in vv. 9-10.
Isaiah 51:13 tn Heb “and that you forget.”
Isaiah 51:13 tn Or “the heavens” (also in v. 16). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
Isaiah 51:13 tn Heb “and that you tremble constantly all the day.”
Isaiah 51:13 tn The question anticipates the answer, “Ready to disappear!” See v. 14.
Isaiah 51:14 tn Heb “who is stooped over” (under a burden).
Isaiah 51:14 tn Heb “the pit” (so KJV); ASV, NAB “die and go down into the pit”; NASB, NIV “dungeon”; NCV “prison.”
Isaiah 51:14 tn Heb “he will not lack his bread.”
Isaiah 51:16 tn The addressee (second masculine singular, as in vv. 13, 15) in this verse is unclear. The exiles are addressed in the immediately preceding verses (note the critical tone of vv. 12-13 and the reference to the exiles in v. 14). However, it seems unlikely that they are addressed in v. 16, for the addressee appears to be commissioned to tell Zion, who here represents the restored exiles, “you are my people.” The addressee is distinct from the exiles. The language of v. 16a is reminiscent of 49:2 and 50:4, where the Lord’s special servant says he is God’s spokesman and effective instrument. Perhaps the Lord, having spoken to the exiles in vv. 1-15, now responds to this servant, who spoke just prior to this in 50:4-11.
Isaiah 51:16 tn Heb “I place my words in your mouth.”
Isaiah 51:16 tn Heb “with the shadow of my hand.”
Isaiah 51:16 tc The Hebrew text has לִנְטֹעַ (lintoaʿ, “to plant”). Several scholars prefer to emend this form to לִנְטֹת (lintot) from נָטָה (natah, “to stretch out”); see v. 13, as well as 40:22; 42:5; 44:24; 45:12; cf. NAB, NCV, NRSV. However, since the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a, LXX (and Aquila and Symmachus), and Vulgate support the MT reading, there is no need to emend the form. The interpretation is clear enough: Yahweh fixed the sky in its place.
Isaiah 51:16 tn The infinitives in v. 16b are most naturally understood as indicating the purpose of the divine actions described in v. 16a. The relationship of the third infinitive to the commission is clear enough—the Lord has made the addressee (his special servant?) his spokesman so that the latter might speak encouraging words to those in Zion. But how do the first two infinitives relate? The text seems to indicate that the Lord has commissioned the addressee so that the latter might create the universe! Perhaps creation imagery is employed metaphorically here to refer to the transformation that Jerusalem will experience (see 65:17-18).

Matthew 12:15-21

God’s Special Servant

¹⁵Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from there. Great^[a] crowds^[b] followed him, and he healed them all. ¹⁶But he sternly warned them not to make him known. ¹⁷This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:^[c]

¹⁸“Here is^[d] my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I take great delight.^[e]
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
²⁰He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick,
until he brings justice to victory.
²¹And in his name the Gentiles^[f] will hope.”^[g]

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

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