42:20 You see 1 many things, but don’t comprehend; 2
their ears are open, but do not hear.”
42:21 The Lord wanted to exhibit his justice
by magnifying his law and displaying it. 3
42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;
all of them are trapped in pits 4
and held captive 5 in prisons.
They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;
they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” 6
42:23 Who among you will pay attention to this?
Who will listen attentively in the future? 7
42:24 Who handed Jacob over to the robber?
Who handed Israel over to the looters? 8
Was it not the Lord, against whom we sinned?
They refused to follow his commands;
they disobeyed his law. 9
42:25 So he poured out his fierce anger on them,
along with the devastation 10 of war.
Its flames encircled them, but they did not realize it; 11
it burned against them, but they did notice. 12
1 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has a perfect, 2nd person masculine singular; the marginal reading (Qere) has an infinitive absolute, which functions here as a finite verb.
2 tn Heb “but you do not guard [i.e., retain in your memory]”; NIV “but have paid no attention.”
3 tn Heb “The Lord was pleased for the sake of his righteousness [or “justice”], he was magnifying [the] law and was making [it] glorious.” The Lord contrasts his good intentions for the people with their present crisis (v. 22). To demonstrate his just character and attract the nations, the Lord wanted to showcase his law among and through Israel (Deut 4:5-8). But Israel disobeyed (v. 24) and failed to carry out their commission.
4 tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).
5 tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”
6 tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”
7 tn The interrogative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
8 tn Heb “Who gave to the robber Jacob, and Israel to the looters?” In the first line the consonantal text (Kethib) has מְשׁוֹסֶה (mÿshoseh), a Polel participle from שָׁסָה (shasah, “plunder”). The marginal reading (Qere) is מְשִׁיסָּה (mÿshissah), a noun meaning “plunder.” In this case one could translate “Who handed Jacob over as plunder?”
9 tn Heb “they were not willing in his ways to walk, and they did not listen to his law.”
10 tn Heb “strength” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “fury”; NASB “fierceness”; NIV “violence.”
11 tn Heb “and it blazed against him all around, but he did not know.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb “blazed” is the divine חֵמָה (khemah, “anger”) mentioned in the previous line.
12 tn Heb “and it burned against him, but he did not set [it] upon [the] heart.”