Isaiah 44:18

44:18 They do not comprehend or understand,

for their eyes are blind and cannot see;

their minds do not discern.¹

Isaiah 44:20

44:20 He feeds on ashes;²

his deceived mind misleads him.

He cannot rescue himself,

nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’³

Isaiah 42:18

The Lord Reasons with His People

42:18 “Listen, you deaf ones!

Take notice,⁴ you blind ones!

Isaiah 43:8

The Lord Declares His Sovereignty

43:8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,

those who are deaf, even though they have ears!

Isaiah 45:20

45:20 Gather together and come!

Approach together, you refugees from the nations!

Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,

those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.

Psalms 115:8

115:8 Those who make them will end up⁵ like them,

as will everyone who trusts in them.

Psalms 135:18

135:18 Those who make them will end up⁶ like them,

as will everyone who trusts in them.

Romans 1:22

1:22 Although they claimed⁷ to be wise, they became fools

Romans 1:2

1:2 This gospel⁸ he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures,

Colossians 4:4

4:4 Pray that I may make it known as I should.⁹

Ephesians 4:18

4:18 They are darkened in their understanding,¹⁰ being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

Ephesians 5:8

5:8 for you were at one time darkness, but now you are¹¹ light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light –

¹tn Heb “for their eyes are smeared over so they cannot see, so their heart cannot be wise.”

²tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”

³tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”

⁴tn Heb “look to see”; NAB, NCV “look and see”; NRSV “look up and see.”

⁵tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”

⁶tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”

⁷tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.

⁸tn Grk “the gospel of God, which he promised.” Because of the length and complexity of this sentence in Greek, it was divided into shorter English sentences in keeping with contemporary English style. To indicate the referent of the relative pronoun (“which”), the word “gospel” was repeated at the beginning of v. 2.

⁹tn The phrase begins with the ἵνα (Jina) clause and is subordinate to the imperative προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite) in v. 2. The reference to the idea that Paul must make it known indicates that this clause is probably best viewed as purpose and not content, like the ἵνα of v. 3. It is the second purpose stated in the context; the first is expressed through the infinitive λαλῆσαι (lalhsai) in v. 3. The term “pray” at the beginning of the sentence is intended to pick up the imperative of v. 3.

¹⁰tn In the Greek text this clause is actually subordinate to περιπατεῖ (peripatei) in v. 17. It was broken up in the English translation so as to avoid an unnecessarily long and cumbersome statement.

¹¹tn The verb “you are” is implied in the Greek text, but is supplied in the English translation to make it clear.