Isaiah 41:17

41:17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;

their tongues are parched from thirst.

I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers; ¹ 

I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

Isaiah 54:4

54:4 Don’t be afraid, for you will not be put to shame!

Don’t be intimidated, ²  for you will not be humiliated!

You will forget about the shame you experienced in your youth;

you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment. ³ 

Isaiah 55:7

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ⁴ 

and sinful people their plans. ⁵ 

They should return ⁶  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ⁷ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ⁸ 

[41:17]  ¹ tn Heb “will answer them” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[54:4]  ² tn Or “embarrassed”; NASB “humiliated…disgraced.”

[54:4]  ³ tn Another option is to translate, “the disgrace of our widowhood” (so NRSV). However, the following context (vv. 6-7) refers to Zion’s husband, the Lord, abandoning her, not dying. This suggests that an אַלְמָנָה (’almanah) was a woman who had lost her husband, whether by death or abandonment.

[55:7]  ³ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ⁶ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ⁷ sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.