45:19 I have not spoken in secret,
in some hidden place. 1
I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in vain!’ 2
I am the Lord,
the one who speaks honestly,
who makes reliable announcements. 3
45:23 I solemnly make this oath 4 –
what I say is true and reliable: 5
‘Surely every knee will bow to me,
every tongue will solemnly affirm; 6
1 tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”
2 tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”
3 tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”
4 tn Heb “I swear by myself”; KJV, NASB “have sworn.”
5 tn Heb “a word goes out from my mouth [in] truth and will not return.”
6 tn Heb “swear” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “confess allegiance.”