1:6 Look, I am about to empower 1 the Babylonians,
that ruthless 2 and greedy 3 nation.
They sweep across the surface 4 of the earth,
seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.
3:13 You march out to deliver your people,
to deliver your special servant. 5
You strike the leader of the wicked nation, 6
laying him open from the lower body to the neck. 7 Selah.
1 tn Heb “raise up” (so KJV, ASV).
2 tn Heb “bitter.” Other translation options for this word in this context include “fierce” (NASB, NRSV); “savage” (NEB); or “grim.”
3 tn Heb “hasty, quick.” Some translate here “impetuous” (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “rash,” but in this context greed may very well be the idea. The Babylonians move quickly and recklessly ahead in their greedy quest to expand their empire.
4 tn Heb “the open spaces.”
5 tn Heb “anointed one.” In light of the parallelism with “your people” in the preceding line this could refer to Israel, but elsewhere the Lord’s anointed one is always an individual. The Davidic king is the more likely referent here.
6 tn Heb “you strike the head from the house of wickedness.”
7 tn Heb “laying bare [from] foundation to neck.”