40:15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales.
He lifts 1 the coastlands 2 as if they were dust.
45:8 O sky, rain down from above!
Let the clouds send down showers 3 of deliverance!
Let the earth absorb it 4 so salvation may grow, 5
and deliverance may sprout up 6 along with it.
I, the Lord, create it. 7
1 tn Or “weighs” (NIV); NLT “picks up.”
2 tn Or “islands” (NASB, NIV, NLT).
3 tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”
4 tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”
5 tc The plural verb should be emended to a singular form. The vav (ו) ending is probably virtually dittographic (note the yod at the beginning of the following word).
6 tc The Hiphil verb form (תַצְמִיחַ, tatsmiakh) should probably be emended to a Qal (תִצְמַח, titsmakh). The יח sequence at the end of the form is probably due to dittography (note the following יַחַד, yakhad).
7 tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yasha’, “salvation”).