Isaiah 46:1-8

The Lord Carries His People

46:1 Bel ¹  kneels down,

Nebo ²  bends low.

Their images weigh down animals and beasts. ³ 

Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. ⁴ 

46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down;

they are unable to rescue the images; ⁵ 

they themselves ⁶  head off into captivity. ⁷ 

46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, ⁸ 

all you who are left from the family of Israel, ⁹ 

you who have been carried from birth, ¹⁰ 

you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. ¹¹ 

46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, ¹² 

even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.

I made you and I will support you;

I will carry you and rescue you. ¹³ 

46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?

Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!

46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse

and weigh out silver on the scale ¹⁴ 

hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.

They then bow down and worship it.

46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;

they put it in its place and it just stands there;

it does not ¹⁵  move from its place.

Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;

it does not deliver him from his distress.

46:8 Remember this, so you can be brave! ¹⁶ 

Think about it, you rebels! ¹⁷ 

[46:1]  ¹ sn Bel was the name of a Babylonian god. The name was originally associated with Enlil, but later was applied to Marduk. See HALOT 132 s.v. בֵּל.

[46:1]  ² sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.

[46:1]  ³ tn Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”

[46:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”

[46:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “[the] burden,” i.e., their images, the heavy burden carried by the animals.

[46:2]  ⁶ tn נַפְשָׁם (nafsham, “their souls/lives”) is equivalent here to a third masculine plural suffix, but the third feminine singular verb הָלָכָה (halakhah, “they go”) agrees with the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, life”).

[46:2]  ⁷ sn The downfall of Babylon is depicted here. The idols are carried off by the victorious enemy; the gods are likened to defeated captives who cower before the enemy and are taken into exile.

[46:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV “descendants of Jacob.”

[46:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “and all the remnant of the house of Israel.”

[46:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “from the womb” (so NRSV); KJV “from the belly”; NAB “from your infancy.”

[46:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “who have been lifted up from the womb.”

[46:4]  ¹² tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”

[46:4]  ¹³ sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.

[46:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the reed,” probably referring to the beam of a scales. See BDB 889 s.v. קָנֶה 4.c.

[46:7]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.

[46:8]  ¹⁶ tn The meaning of the verb אָשַׁשׁ (’ashash, which appears here in the Hitpolel stem) is uncertain. BDB 84 s.v. אשׁשׁ relates it to a root meaning “found, establish” in Arabic; HALOT 100 s.v. II אשׁשׁ gives the meaning “pluck up courage.” The imperative with vav (ו) may indicate purpose following the preceding imperative.

[46:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “return [it], rebels, to heart”; NRSV “recall it to mind, you transgressors.”