45:14 This is what the Lord says:
“The profit 1 of Egypt and the revenue 2 of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you 3 and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. 4
They will bow down to you
and pray to you: 5
‘Truly God is with 6 you; he has no peer; 7
there is no other God!’”
45:15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,
O God of Israel, deliverer!
45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! 8
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; 9
there is none but me.
45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, 10
all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!
For I am God, and I have no peer.
45:23 I solemnly make this oath 11 –
what I say is true and reliable: 12
‘Surely every knee will bow to me,
every tongue will solemnly affirm; 13
45:24 they will say about me,
“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” 14
All who are angry at him will cower before him. 15
45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord
and will boast in him. 16
1 tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”
2 tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”
3 tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”
4 sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.
5 sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.
6 tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”
7 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.
8 tn Heb “Declare! Bring near!”; NASB “Declare and set forth your case.” See 41:21.
9 tn Or “a righteous God and deliverer”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “a righteous God and a Savior.”
10 tn The Niphal imperative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The Niphal probably has a tolerative sense, “allow yourselves to be delivered, accept help.”
11 tn Heb “I swear by myself”; KJV, NASB “have sworn.”
12 tn Heb “a word goes out from my mouth [in] truth and will not return.”
13 tn Heb “swear” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “confess allegiance.”
14 tn Heb “‘Yes, in the Lord,’ one says about me, ‘is deliverance and strength.’”
15 tn Heb “will come to him and be ashamed.”
16 tn Heb “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be vindicated and boast.”