Isaiah 46:13

46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;

I am bringing my salvation near, ¹  it does not wait.

I will save Zion; ² 

I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” ³ 

Habakkuk 2:3

2:3 For the message is a witness to what is decreed; ⁴ 

it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. ⁵ 

Even if the message ⁶  is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; ⁷ 

for it will certainly come to pass – it will not arrive late.

Luke 18:7-8

18:7 Won’t ⁸  God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out ⁹  to him day and night? ¹⁰  Will he delay ¹¹  long to help them? 18:8 I tell you, he will give them justice speedily. ¹²  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith ¹³  on earth?”

Hebrews 10:37

10:37 For just a little longer ¹⁴  and he who is coming will arrive and not delay. ¹⁵ 

[46:13]  ¹ tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).

[46:13]  ² tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”

[46:13]  ³ tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”

[2:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “For the vision is still for the appointed time.” The Hebrew word עוֹד (’od, “still”) is better emended to עֵד (’ed, “witness”) in light of the parallelism (see the note on the word “turn out” in the following line). The “appointed time” refers to the time when the divine judgment anticipated in vv. 6-20 will be realized.

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “and a witness to the end and it does not lie.” The Hebrew term יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) has been traditionally understood as a verb form from the root פּוּחַ (puakh, “puff, blow”; cf. NEB “it will come in breathless haste”; NASB “it hastens toward the goal”) but recent scholarship has demonstrated that it is actually a noun meaning “witness” (cf. NIV “it speaks of the end / and will not prove false”; NRSV “it speaks of the end, and does not lie”). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 106. “The end” corresponds to “the appointed time” of the preceding line and refers to the time when the prophecy to follow will be fulfilled.

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the message) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “If it should delay, wait for it.” The Hebrew word חָזוֹן (khazon, “vision, message”) is the subject of the third person verbs in v. 3 and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix in the phrase “for it.”

[18:7]  ⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[18:7]  ⁹ sn The prayers have to do with the righteous who cry out to him to receive justice. The context assumes the righteous are persecuted.

[18:7]  ¹⁰ tn The emphatic particles in this sentence indicate that God will indeed give justice to the righteous.

[18:7]  ¹¹ sn The issue of delay has produced a whole host of views for this verse. (1) Does this assume provision to endure in the meantime? Or (2) does it mean God restricts the level of persecution until he comes? Either view is possible.

[18:8]  ¹² tn Some argue this should be translated “suddenly.” When vindication comes it will be quick. But the more natural meaning is “soon.” God will not forget his elect and will respond to them. It may be that this verse has a prophetic perspective. In light of the eternity that comes, vindication is soon.

[18:8]  ¹³ sn Will he find faith on earth? The Son of Man is looking for those who continue to believe in him, despite the wait.

[10:37]  ¹⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 26:20.

[10:37]  ¹⁵ sn A quotation from Hab 2:3.