41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?
Who announced it 1 ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?
Indeed, none of them decreed it!
Indeed, none of them announced it!
Indeed, no one heard you say anything!
42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;
all of them are trapped in pits 2
and held captive 3 in prisons.
They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;
they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” 4
47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. 5
Let them take their stand –
the ones who see omens in the sky,
who gaze at the stars,
who make monthly predictions –
let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! 6
56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;
I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. 7
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,
for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.” 8
57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols 9 help you!
The wind blows them all away, 10
a breeze carries them away. 11
But the one who looks to me for help 12 will inherit the land
and will have access to 13 my holy mountain.”
63:3 “I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself;
no one from the nations joined me.
I stomped on them 14 in my anger;
I trampled them down in my rage.
Their juice splashed on my garments,
and stained 15 all my clothes.
66:4 So I will choose severe punishment 16 for them;
I will bring on them what they dread,
because I called, and no one responded,
I spoke and they did not listen.
They did evil before me; 17
they chose to do what displeases me.”
1 tn The words “who announced it” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The interrogative particle and verb are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
2 tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).
3 tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”
4 tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”
5 tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”
6 tn Heb “let them stand and rescue you – the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make known by months – from those things which are coming upon you.”
7 tn Heb “in the house of my prayer.”
8 tn Heb “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”
9 tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.
10 tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”
11 tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”
12 tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”
13 tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.
14 sn Nations, headed by Edom, are the object of the Lord’s anger (see v. 6). He compares military slaughter to stomping on grapes in a vat.
15 tn Heb “and I stained.” For discussion of the difficult verb form, see HALOT 170 s.v. II גאל. Perhaps the form is mixed, combining the first person forms of the imperfect (note the alef prefix) and perfect (note the תי- ending).
16 tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (’alal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”
17 tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”