5:19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly, 1
so we can see;
let the plan of the Holy One of Israel 2 take shape 3 and come to pass,
then we will know it!”
26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,
they do not learn about justice. 4
Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; 5
they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.
26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act, 6
but they don’t even notice.
They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, 7
yes, fire will consume your enemies. 8
57:11 Whom are you worried about?
Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully
and not remember me
or think about me? 9
Because I have been silent for so long, 10
you are not afraid of me. 11
1 tn Heb “let his work hurry, let it hasten.” The pronoun “his” refers to God, as the parallel line makes clear. The reference to his “work” alludes back to v. 12, which refers to his ‘work” of judgment. With these words the people challenged the prophet’s warning of approaching judgment. They were in essence saying that they saw no evidence that God was about to work in such a way.
2 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
3 tn Heb “draw near” (so NASB); NRSV “hasten to fulfillment.”
4 tn As in verse 9b, the translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “they do not learn to live in a righteous manner.”
5 tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”
6 tn Heb “O Lord, your hand is lifted up.”
7 tn Heb “They will see and be ashamed of zeal of people.” Some take the prefixed verbs as jussives and translate the statement as a prayer, “Let them see and be put to shame.” The meaning of the phrase קִנְאַת־עָם (qin’at-’am, “zeal of people”) is unclear. The translation assumes that this refers to God’s angry judgment upon people. Another option is to understand the phrase as referring to God’s zealous, protective love of his covenant people. In this case one might translate, “by your zealous devotion to your people.”
8 tn Heb “yes, fire, your enemies, will consume them.” Many understand the prefixed verb form to be jussive and translate, “let [fire] consume” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The mem suffixed to the verb may be enclitic; if a pronominal suffix, it refers back to “your enemies.”
9 tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”
10 tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”
11 sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.