“By my strong hand I have accomplished this,
by my strategy that I devised.
I invaded the territory of nations, 1
and looted their storehouses.
Like a mighty conqueror, 2 I brought down rulers. 3
43:9 All nations gather together,
the peoples assemble.
Who among them announced this?
Who predicted earlier events for us? 4
Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;
let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’
1 tn Heb “removed the borders of nations”; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV “boundaries.”
2 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has כְּאַבִּיר (kÿ’abir, “like a strong one”); the marginal reading (Qere) is כַּבִיר (kavir, “mighty one”).
3 tn Heb “and I brought down, like a strong one, ones sitting [or “living”].” The participle יוֹשְׁבִים (yoshÿvim, “ones sitting”) could refer to the inhabitants of the nations, but the translation assumes that it refers to those who sit on thrones, i.e., rulers. See BDB 442 s.v. יָשַׁב and HALOT 444 s.v. ישׁב.
4 tn Heb “and the former things was causing us to hear?”