43:14 This is what the Lord says,
your protector, 1 the Holy One of Israel: 2
“For your sake I send to Babylon
and make them all fugitives, 3
turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs. 4
1 tn Or “kinsman redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
2 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
3 tn Heb “and I bring down [as] fugitives all of them.”
4 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “as for the Babylonians, in ships their joyful shout.” This might be paraphrased, “even the Babylonians in the ships [over which] they joyfully shouted.” The point would be that the Lord caused the Babylonians to flee for safety in the ships in which they took such great pride. A slight change in vocalization yields the reading “into mourning songs,” which provides a good contrast with “joyful shout.” The prefixed bet (בְּ) would indicate identity.