2:13 Be sure of this! The Lord who commands armies has decreed:
The nations’ efforts will go up in smoke;
their exhausting work will be for nothing. 1
44:20 He feeds on ashes; 2
his deceived mind misleads him.
He cannot rescue himself,
nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ 3
55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? 4
Why spend 5 your hard-earned money 6 on something that will not satisfy?
Listen carefully 7 to me and eat what is nourishing! 8
Enjoy fine food! 9
1 tn Heb “Is it not, look, from the
2 tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”
3 tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”
4 tn Heb “for what is not food.”
5 tn The interrogative particle and the verb “spend” are understood here by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
6 tn Heb “your labor,” which stands by metonymy for that which one earns.
7 tn The infinitive absolute follows the imperative and lends emphasis to the exhortation.
8 tn Heb “good” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
9 tn Heb “Let your appetite delight in fine food.”