42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;
all of them are trapped in pits 1
and held captive 2 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!” 3
45:14 This is what the Lord says:
“The profit 4 of Egypt and the revenue 5 of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you 6 and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. 7
They will bow down to you
and pray to you: 8
‘Truly God is with 9 you; he has no peer; 10
there is no other God!’”
45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! 11
Let them consult with one another!
Who predicted this in the past?
Who announced it beforehand?
Was it not I, the Lord?
I have no peer, there is no God but me,
a God who vindicates and delivers; 12
there is none but me.
50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?
Why does no one respond when I call? 13
Is my hand too weak 14 to deliver 15 you?
Do I lack the power to rescue you?
Look, with a mere shout 16 I can dry up the sea;
I can turn streams into a desert,
so the fish rot away and die
from lack of water. 17
62:4 You will no longer be called, “Abandoned,”
and your land will no longer be called “Desolate.”
Indeed, 18 you will be called “My Delight is in Her,” 19
and your land “Married.” 20
For the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be married to him. 21
1 tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).
2 tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”
3 tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”
4 tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”
5 tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”
6 tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”
7 sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.
8 sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.
9 tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”
10 tn Heb “there is no other” (so NIV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 18, in v. 21, and at the end of v. 22.
11 tn Heb “Declare! Bring near!”; NASB “Declare and set forth your case.” See 41:21.
12 tn Or “a righteous God and deliverer”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “a righteous God and a Savior.”
13 sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.
14 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).
15 tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).
16 tn Heb “with my rebuke.”
17 tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”
18 tn Or “for”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “but.”
19 tn Hebrew חֶפְצִי־בָהּ (kheftsi-vah), traditionally transliterated “Hephzibah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).
20 tn Hebrew בְּעוּלָה (bÿ’ulah), traditionally transliterated “Beulah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).
21 tn That is, the land will be restored to the Lord’s favor and once again enjoy his blessing and protection. To indicate the land’s relationship to the Lord, the words “to him” have been supplied at the end of the clause.