24:23 The full moon will be covered up, 4
the bright sun 5 will be darkened; 6
for the Lord who commands armies will rule 7
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem 8
in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor. 9
44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool 10
and forges metal over the coals.
He forms it 11 with hammers;
he makes it with his strong arm.
He gets hungry and loses his energy; 12
he drinks no water and gets tired.
44:20 He feeds on ashes; 13
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?’ 14
1 tn Heb “guard yourself and be quiet,” but the two verbs should be coordinated.
2 tn Heb “and let not your heart be weak”; ASV “neither let thy heart be faint.”
3 sn The derogatory metaphor indicates that the power of Rezin and Pekah is ready to die out.
4 tn Heb “will be ashamed.”
5 tn Or “glow of the sun.”
6 tn Heb “will be ashamed” (so NCV).
7 tn Or “take his throne,” “become king.”
8 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
9 tn Heb “and before his elders [in] splendor.”
7 tn The noun מַעֲצָד (ma’atsad), which refers to some type of tool used for cutting, occurs only here and in Jer 10:3. See HALOT 615 s.v. מַעֲצָד.
8 tn Some English versions take the pronoun “it” to refer to an idol being fashioned by the blacksmith (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV). NLT understands the referent to be “a sharp tool,” which is then used by the carpenter in the following verse to carve an idol from wood.
9 tn Heb “and there is no strength”; NASB “his strength fails.”
10 tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”
11 tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”