Isaiah 45:19

45:19 I have not spoken in secret,

in some hidden place. ¹ 

I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,

‘Seek me in vain!’ ² 

I am the Lord,

the one who speaks honestly,

who makes reliable announcements. ³ 

Isaiah 55:6

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ⁴ 

call to him while he is nearby!

Psalms 24:6

24:6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,

Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. ⁵  (Selah)

Psalms 105:3-4

105:3 Boast about his holy name!

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

105:4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!

Seek his presence continually!

Amos 5:6

5:6 Seek the Lord so you can live!

Otherwise he will break out ⁶  like fire against Joseph’s ⁷  family; ⁸ 

the fire ⁹  will consume

and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel. ¹⁰ 

Zephaniah 2:3

2:3 Seek the Lord’s favor, ¹¹  all you humble people ¹²  of the land who have obeyed his commands! ¹³ 

Strive to do what is right! ¹⁴  Strive to be humble! ¹⁵ 

Maybe you will be protected ¹⁶  on the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.

[45:19]  ¹ tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”

[45:19]  ² tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”

[45:19]  ³ tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”

[55:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.

[24:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “this [is the] generation of the ones seeking him, the ones seeking your face, Jacob.” To “seek the Lord’s face” means to seek his favor through prayer (see 2 Sam 21:1; Pss 27:8; 105:4).

[5:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “rush.” The verb depicts swift movement.

[5:6]  ⁷ sn Here Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.

[5:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “house.”

[5:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to/for Bethel.” The translation assumes that the preposition indicates advantage, “on behalf of.” Another option is to take the preposition as vocative, “O Bethel.”

[2:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “seek the Lord,” but “favor” seems to be implied from the final line of the verse.

[2:3]  ¹² tn Or “poor.” The precise referent of this Hebrew term is unclear. The word may refer to the economically poor or to the spiritually humble.

[2:3]  ¹³ tn The present translation assumes the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) here refers to God’s covenantal requirements and is a synonym for the Law. The word can mean “justice” and could refer more specifically to the principles of justice contained in the Law. In this case the phrase could be translated, “who have promoted the justice God demands.”

[2:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Seek what is right.”

[2:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Seek humility.”

[2:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “hidden.” Cf. NEB “it may be that you will find shelter”; NRSV “perhaps you may be hidden.”