Isaiah 48:15

48:15 I, I have spoken –

yes, I have summoned him;

I lead him and he will succeed. ¹ 

Isaiah 45:19

45:19 I have not spoken in secret,

in some hidden place. ² 

I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,

‘Seek me in vain!’ ³ 

I am the Lord,

the one who speaks honestly,

who makes reliable announcements. ⁴ 

Isaiah 46:11

46:11 who summons an eagle ⁵  from the east,

from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.

Yes, I have decreed, ⁶ 

yes, I will bring it to pass;

I have formulated a plan,

yes, I will carry it out.

Isaiah 48:16

48:16 Approach me! Listen to this!

From the very first I have not spoken in secret;

when it happens, ⁷  I am there.”

So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit. ⁸ 

Isaiah 65:12

65:12 I predestine you to die by the sword, ⁹ 

all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, ¹⁰ 

because I called to you, and you did not respond,

I spoke and you did not listen.

You did evil before me; ¹¹ 

you chose to do what displeases me.”

Isaiah 66:4

66:4 So I will choose severe punishment ¹²  for them;

I will bring on them what they dread,

because I called, and no one responded,

I spoke and they did not listen.

They did evil before me; ¹³ 

they chose to do what displeases me.”

[48:15]  ¹ tn Heb “and his way will be prosperous.”

[45:19]  ² tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”

[45:19]  ³ tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”

[45:19]  ⁴ 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.”

[46:11]  ³ tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).

[46:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”

[48:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.”

[48:16]  ⁵ sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.

[65:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “I assign you to the sword.” Some emend the Qal verb form מָנִיתִי (maniti, “I assign”) to the Piel מִנִּיתִי (minniti, “ I ordain”). The verb sounds like the name of the god Meni (מְנִי, mÿni, “Destiny, Fate”). The sound play draws attention to the irony of the statement. The sinners among God’s people worship the god Meni, apparently in an effort to ensure a bright destiny for themselves. But the Lord is the one who really determines their destiny and he has decreed their demise.

[65:12]  ⁶ tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”

[65:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”

[66:4]  ⁶ tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (’alal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”

[66:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”