26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,
they do not learn about justice. 1
Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; 2
they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.
43:17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, 3
together with a mighty army.
They fell down, 4 never to rise again;
they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:
46:1 Bel 5 kneels down,
Nebo 6 bends low.
Their images weigh down animals and beasts. 7
Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. 8
1 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.”
2 tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”
3 tn Heb “led out chariots and horses.” The words “to destruction” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The verse refers to the destruction of the Egyptians at the Red Sea.
4 tn Heb “lay down”; NAB “lie prostrate together”; CEV “lie dead”; NRSV “they lie down.”
5 sn Bel was the name of a Babylonian god. The name was originally associated with Enlil, but later was applied to Marduk. See HALOT 132 s.v. בֵּל.
6 sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.
7 tn Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”
8 tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”