Isaiah 36:21

36:21 They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”

Isaiah 41:1

The Lord Challenges the Nations

41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! ¹ 

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate! ² 

Isaiah 42:14

42:14 “I have been inactive ³  for a long time;

I kept quiet and held back.

Like a woman in labor I groan;

I pant and gasp. ⁴ 

¹ tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”

² tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) could be translated “judgment,” but here it seems to refer to the dispute or debate between the Lord and the nations.

¹ tn Heb “silent” (so NASB, NIV, TEV, NLT); CEV “have held my temper.”

² sn The imagery depicts the Lord as a warrior who is eager to fight and can no longer hold himself back from the attack.