44:15 A man uses it to make a fire; 1
he takes some of it and warms himself.
Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Then he makes a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it. 2
44:19 No one thinks to himself,
nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:
‘I burned half of it in the fire –
yes, I baked bread over the coals;
I roasted meat and ate it.
With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?
Should I bow down to dry wood?’ 3
49:23 Kings will be your children’s 4 guardians;
their princesses will nurse your children. 5
With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you
and they will lick the dirt on 6 your feet.
Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;
those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.
51:23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors 7
who said to you, ‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’
You made your back like the ground,
and like the street for those who walked over you.”
1 tn Heb “and it becomes burning [i.e., firewood] for a man”; NAB “to serve man for fuel.”
2 tn Or perhaps, “them.”
3 tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.
5 tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).
6 tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.
7 tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”
7 tn That is, to make them drink it.