24:2 Everyone will suffer – the priest as well as the people, 2
the master as well as the servant, 3
the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, 4
the seller as well as the buyer, 5
the borrower as well as the lender, 6
the creditor as well as the debtor. 7
41:9 you whom I am bringing back 9 from the earth’s extremities,
and have summoned from the remote regions –
I told you, “You are my servant.”
I have chosen you and not rejected you.
42:1 10 “Here is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.
I have placed my spirit on him;
he will make just decrees 11 for the nations. 12
44:2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says –
the one who formed you in the womb and helps you:
“Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,
Jeshurun, 13 whom I have chosen!
44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants 14
and brings to pass the announcements 15 of his messengers,
who says about Jerusalem, 16 ‘She will be inhabited,’
and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,
her ruins I will raise up,’
48:20 Leave Babylon!
Flee from the Babylonians!
Announce it with a shout of joy!
Make this known!
Proclaim it throughout the earth! 17
Say, ‘The Lord protects 18 his servant Jacob.
50:10 Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys 19 his servant?
Whoever walks in deep darkness, 20
without light,
should trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
66:14 When you see this, you will be happy, 21
and you will be revived. 22
The Lord will reveal his power to his servants
and his anger to his enemies. 23
1 tn Heb “and the house of Jacob will take possession of them [i.e., the nations], on the land of the Lord, as male servants and female servants.”
2 tn Heb “and it will be like the people, like the priest.”
3 tn Heb “like the servant, like his master.”
4 tn Heb “like the female servant, like her mistress.”
5 tn Heb “like the buyer, like the seller.”
6 tn Heb “like the lender, like the borrower.”
7 tn Heb “like the creditor, just as the one to whom he lends.”
3 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 8-9 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 6. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
4 tn Heb “whom I have taken hold of [i.e., to lead back].”
5 sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.
6 tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).
7 sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.
6 sn Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel; it occurs here and in Deut 32:15; 33:5, 26.
7 tn Heb “the word of his servant.” The following context indicates that the Lord’s prophets are in view.
8 tn Heb “counsel.” The Hebrew term עֵצָה (’etsah) probably refers here to the divine plan as announced by the prophets. See HALOT 867 s.v. I עֵצָה.
9 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
8 tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
9 tn Heb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.
9 tn Heb “[who] listens to the voice of his servant?” The interrogative is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
10 tn The plural indicates degree. Darkness may refer to exile and/or moral evil.
10 tn “and you will see and your heart will be happy.”
11 tn Heb “and your bones like grass will sprout.”
12 tn Heb “and the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, and anger to his enemies.”