6:11 I replied, “How long, sovereign master?” He said,
“Until cities are in ruins and unpopulated,
and houses are uninhabited,
and the land is ruined and devastated,
41:24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent;
the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting. 1
5:9 The Lord who commands armies told me this: 2
“Many houses will certainly become desolate,
large, impressive houses will have no one living in them. 3
50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?
Why does no one respond when I call? 4
Is my hand too weak 5 to deliver 6 you?
Do I lack the power to rescue you?
Look, with a mere shout 7 I can dry up the sea;
I can turn streams into a desert,
so the fish rot away and die
from lack of water. 8
1 tn Heb “an object of disgust [is he who] chooses you.”
1 tn Heb “in my ears, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
2 tn Heb “great and good [houses], without a resident.”
1 sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.
2 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).
3 tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).
4 tn Heb “with my rebuke.”
5 tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”