1tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV, CEV “people of Israel.” 2tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and from the waters of Judah came out.” מִמֵּי (mimme) could be a corruption of מִמְּעֵי (mimm˙’e, “from the inner parts of”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT, NRSV) as suggested in the above translation. Some translations (ESV, NKJV) retain the MT reading because the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa, which corrects a similar form to “from inner parts of” in 39:7, does not do it here. 3tn Heb “cause to remember”; KJV, ASV “make mention of.” 4tn Heb “not in truth and not in righteousness.” 5tn Heb “they call themselves [or “are called”] from the holy city.” The precise meaning of the statement is uncertain. The Niphal of קָרָא (qara’) is combined with the preposition מִן (min) only here. When the Qal of קָרָא is used with מִן, the preposition often indicates the place from which one is summoned (see 46:11). So one could translate, “from the holy city they are summoned,” meaning that they reside there. 6tn Heb “lean on” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “rely on.” 7tn Heb “the former things beforehand I declared.” 8tn Heb “and from my mouth they came forth and I caused them to be heard.” 9tn The words “I did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 4 is subordinated to v. 3. 10sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal. 11tn Heb “gaze [at] all of it”; KJV “see all this.” 12tn Heb “[as for] you, will you not declare?” 13tn Heb “and hidden things, and you do not know them.” 14tn Heb “are created” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “They are brand new.” 15tn Heb “look”; KJV, NASB “Behold.” 16tn Heb “beforehand your ear did not open.” 17tn Heb “deceiving, you deceive.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis. 18tn Or “called” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). 19tn Heb “for the sake of my name” (so NAB, NASB); NLT “for my own sake.” 20tn Heb “and my praise.” לְמַעַן (l˙ma’an, “for the sake of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line). 21tn Heb “I restrain [myself] concerning you not to cut you off.” 22tc The Hebrew text has בְּחַרְתִּיךָ (b˙khartikha, “I have chosen you”), but the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads correctly בחנתיכה (“I have tested you”). The metallurgical background of the imagery suggests that purification through testing is the idea. 23tn The Hebrew text repeats לְמַעֲנִי (l˙ma’ani, “for my sake”) for emphasis. 24tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “for how can it be defiled?” The subject of the verb is probably “name” (v. 9). 25sn See 42:8. 26tn Heb “I [am] he, I [am the] first, also I [am the] last.” 27sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5). 28tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.” sn The Lord’s ally is a reference to Cyrus. 29tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.” 30tn Heb “and his way will be prosperous.” 31tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.” 32sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15. 33tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14. 34sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4. 35tn Heb “paid attention to” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “had listened to.” 36tn Heb “like a river your peace would have been.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom) probably refers here to the peace and prosperity which God promised in return for obedience to the covenant. 37tn Heb “and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” צְדָקָה (ts˙daqah) probably refers here to divine deliverance from enemies. See v. 19. 38tn Heb “like sand”; NCV “as many as the grains of sand.” 39tn Heb “and the issue from your inner parts.” 40tn Heb “and his name would not be cut off and would not be destroyed from before me.” 41tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). 42tn Heb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14. 43sn The translation above (present tense) assumes that this verse describes God’s provision for returning Babylonian exiles (see v. 20; 35:6; 49:10) in terms reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exod 17:6).
1tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV, CEV “people of Israel.”
2tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and from the waters of Judah came out.” מִמֵּי (mimme) could be a corruption of מִמְּעֵי (mimm˙’e, “from the inner parts of”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT, NRSV) as suggested in the above translation. Some translations (ESV, NKJV) retain the MT reading because the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa, which corrects a similar form to “from inner parts of” in 39:7, does not do it here.
3tn Heb “cause to remember”; KJV, ASV “make mention of.”
4tn Heb “not in truth and not in righteousness.”
5tn Heb “they call themselves [or “are called”] from the holy city.” The precise meaning of the statement is uncertain. The Niphal of קָרָא (qara’) is combined with the preposition מִן (min) only here. When the Qal of קָרָא is used with מִן, the preposition often indicates the place from which one is summoned (see 46:11). So one could translate, “from the holy city they are summoned,” meaning that they reside there.
6tn Heb “lean on” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “rely on.”
7tn Heb “the former things beforehand I declared.”
8tn Heb “and from my mouth they came forth and I caused them to be heard.”
9tn The words “I did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 4 is subordinated to v. 3.
10sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal.
11tn Heb “gaze [at] all of it”; KJV “see all this.”
12tn Heb “[as for] you, will you not declare?”
13tn Heb “and hidden things, and you do not know them.”
14tn Heb “are created” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “They are brand new.”
15tn Heb “look”; KJV, NASB “Behold.”
16tn Heb “beforehand your ear did not open.”
17tn Heb “deceiving, you deceive.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
18tn Or “called” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
19tn Heb “for the sake of my name” (so NAB, NASB); NLT “for my own sake.”
20tn Heb “and my praise.” לְמַעַן (l˙ma’an, “for the sake of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
21tn Heb “I restrain [myself] concerning you not to cut you off.”
22tc The Hebrew text has בְּחַרְתִּיךָ (b˙khartikha, “I have chosen you”), but the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads correctly בחנתיכה (“I have tested you”). The metallurgical background of the imagery suggests that purification through testing is the idea.
23tn The Hebrew text repeats לְמַעֲנִי (l˙ma’ani, “for my sake”) for emphasis.
24tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “for how can it be defiled?” The subject of the verb is probably “name” (v. 9).
25sn See 42:8.
26tn Heb “I [am] he, I [am the] first, also I [am the] last.”
27sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).
28tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”
sn The Lord’s ally is a reference to Cyrus.
29tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”
30tn Heb “and his way will be prosperous.”
31tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.”
32sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.
33tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
34sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
35tn Heb “paid attention to” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “had listened to.”
36tn Heb “like a river your peace would have been.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom) probably refers here to the peace and prosperity which God promised in return for obedience to the covenant.
37tn Heb “and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” צְדָקָה (ts˙daqah) probably refers here to divine deliverance from enemies. See v. 19.
38tn Heb “like sand”; NCV “as many as the grains of sand.”
39tn Heb “and the issue from your inner parts.”
40tn Heb “and his name would not be cut off and would not be destroyed from before me.”
41tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
42tn Heb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.
43sn The translation above (present tense) assumes that this verse describes God’s provision for returning Babylonian exiles (see v. 20; 35:6; 49:10) in terms reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exod 17:6).