31:2 Yet he too is wise 1 and he will bring disaster;
he does not retract his decree. 2
He will attack the wicked nation, 3
and the nation that helps 4 those who commit sin. 5
34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! 6
Not one of these creatures will be missing, 7
none will lack a mate. 8
For the Lord has issued the decree, 9
and his own spirit gathers them. 10
41:22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!
Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, 11
so we may examine them 12 and see how they were fulfilled. 13
Or decree for us some future events!
44:8 Don’t panic! Don’t be afraid! 14
Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?
You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me?
There is no other sheltering rock; 15 I know of none.
44:28 who commissions 16 Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd 17
to carry out all my wishes 18
and to decree concerning Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’
and concerning the temple, ‘It will be reconstructed.’” 19
61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen 20 me. 21
He has commissioned 22 me to encourage 23 the poor,
to help 24 the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
1 sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts.
2 tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”
3 tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”
4 sn That is, Egypt.
5 tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”
6 tn Heb “Seek from upon the scroll of the Lord and read.”
sn It is uncertain what particular scroll is referred to here. Perhaps the phrase simply refers to this prophecy and is an admonition to pay close attention to the details of the message.
7 tn Heb “one from these will not be missing.” הֵנָּה (hennah, “these”) is feminine plural in the Hebrew text. It may refer only to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or may include all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
8 tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”
9 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for a mouth, it has commanded.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and a few medieval
10 tn Heb “and his spirit, he gathers them.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
11 tn Heb “As for the former things, tell us what they are!”
12 tn Heb “so we might set [them to] our heart.”
13 tn Heb “and might know their outcome.”
14 tn BDB 923 s.v. רָהָה derives this verb from an otherwise unattested root, while HALOT 403 s.v. יָרָה defines it as “be stupefied” on the basis of an Arabic cognate. The form is likely a corruption of תיראו, the reading attested in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
15 tn Heb “rock” or “rocky cliff,” a title that depicts God as a protective refuge in his role as sovereign king; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”
16 tn Heb “says to.” It is possible that the sentence is not completed, as the description of Cyrus and his God-given role is developed in the rest of the verse. 45:1 picks up where 44:28a leaves off with the Lord’s actual words to Cyrus finally being quoted in 45:2.
17 tn Heb “my shepherd.” The shepherd motif is sometimes applied, as here, to a royal figure who is responsible for the well-being of the people whom he rules.
18 tn Heb “that he might bring to completion all my desire.”
19 tn Heb “and [concerning the] temple, you will be founded.” The preposition -לְ (lÿ) is understood by ellipsis at the beginning of the second line. The verb תִּוָּסֵד (tivvased, “you will be founded”) is second masculine singular and is probably addressed to the personified temple (הֵיכָל [hekhal, “temple”] is masculine).
20 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
21 sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
22 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
23 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
24 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”