Isaiah 1:31

1:31 The powerful will be like ¹  a thread of yarn,

their deeds like a spark;

both will burn together,

and no one will put out the fire.

Isaiah 42:3

42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,

a dim wick he will not extinguish; ² 

he will faithfully make just decrees. ³ 

Isaiah 43:17

43:17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, ⁴ 

together with a mighty army.

They fell down, ⁵  never to rise again;

they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:

[1:31]  ¹ tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).

[42:3]  ² sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.

[42:3]  ³ tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[43:17]  ³ tn Heb “led out chariots and horses.” The words “to destruction” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The verse refers to the destruction of the Egyptians at the Red Sea.

[43:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “lay down”; NAB “lie prostrate together”; CEV “lie dead”; NRSV “they lie down.”