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!’”
66:8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen this?
Can a country 8 be brought forth in one day?
Can a nation be born in a single moment?
Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!
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 “land,” but here אֶרֶץ (’erets) stands metonymically for an organized nation (see the following line).