Ἠσαΐας 46
1 ἔπεσε Βηλ συνετρίβη Δαγων ἐγένετο τὰ γλυπτὰ αὐτῶν εἰς θηρία καὶ κτήνη αἴρετε αὐτὰ καταδεδεμένα ὡς φορτίον κοπιῶντι
[It is as though] Bel and Nebo, the statues of the gods [of Babylonia], are bowing down as those statues are put on animals and carried away! The statues are heavy burdens and will cause the animals to become tired [SAR]!
2 καὶ πεινῶντι καὶ ἐκλελυμένῳ οὐκ ἰσχύοντι ἅμα οἳ οὐ δυνήσονται σωθῆναι ἀπὸ πολέμου αὐτοὶ δὲ αἰχμάλωτοι ἤχθησαν
[It seems like] both gods are bowing down; not only can they not save themselves, but they themselves are being (exiled/taken to another country)!
3 ἀκούσατέ μου οἶκος τοῦ Ιακωβ καὶ πᾶν τὸ κατάλοιπον τοῦ Ισραηλ οἱ αἰρόμενοι ἐκ κοιλίας καὶ παιδευόμενοι ἐκ παιδίου
[Yahweh says], “You descendants of Jacob who were exiled, [I am not like the gods of Babylonia that must be carried]; [instead, it is as though] I have carried you since you first became a nation [MET]. I carried you [even] before you became a nation.
4 ἕως γήρους ἐγώ εἰμι καὶ ἕως ἂν καταγηράσητε ἐγώ εἰμι ἐγὼ ἀνέχομαι ὑμῶν ἐγὼ ἐποίησα καὶ ἐγὼ ἀνήσω ἐγὼ ἀναλήμψομαι καὶ σώσω ὑμᾶς
I will be your God, and I will carry you for many years, until [it is as though] [MET] your nation is an old man with gray hair. I caused [you to become a nation], and I will sustain you and rescue you.
5 τίνι με ὡμοιώσατε ἴδετε τεχνάσασθε οἱ πλανώμενοι
There is certainly [RHQ] no one to whom I can be compared. There is [RHQ] no one who is equal to me [DOU].
6 οἱ συμβαλλόμενοι χρυσίον ἐκ μαρσιππίου καὶ ἀργύριον ἐν ζυγῷ στήσουσιν ἐν σταθμῷ καὶ μισθωσάμενοι χρυσοχόον ἐποίησαν χειροποίητα καὶ κύψαντες προσκυνοῦσιν αὐτοῖς
[So it is stupid/ridiculous that] some people pour out gold and silver from their bags and weigh it on a scale. [Then] they hire a man who makes things from gold to make an idol from it. [After he makes an idol], they bow down and worship it!
7 αἴρουσιν αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων καὶ πορεύονται ἐὰν δὲ θῶσιν αὐτό ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ μένει οὐ μὴ κινηθῇ καὶ ὃς ἂν βοήσῃ πρὸς αὐτόν οὐ μὴ εἰσακούσῃ ἀπὸ κακῶν οὐ μὴ σώσῃ αὐτόν
They lift it up and carry it on their shoulders. They put it in a [special] place, and it stays there. It cannot move! And when someone prays to it, it does not answer. So [obviously] it cannot rescue anyone from his troubles!
8 μνήσθητε ταῦτα καὶ στενάξατε μετανοήσατε οἱ πεπλανημένοι ἐπιστρέψατε τῇ καρδίᾳ
[You people of Judah], do not forget this; keep thinking about it, you sinful people!
9 καὶ μνήσθητε τὰ πρότερα ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεός καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι πλὴν ἐμοῦ
Think about the things [that I did] long ago. Only I am God; I am God, and there is no one like me.
10 ἀναγγέλλων πρότερον τὰ ἔσχατα πρὶν αὐτὰ γενέσθαι καὶ ἅμα συνετελέσθη καὶ εἶπα πᾶσά μου ἡ βουλὴ στήσεται καὶ πάντα ὅσα βεβούλευμαι ποιήσω
Only I can tell what will happen in the future before it occurs; I tell it long before it happens. I will accomplish everything that I plan to accomplish, and I will do everything that I want to do.
11 καλῶν ἀπ’ ἀνατολῶν πετεινὸν καὶ ἀπὸ γῆς πόρρωθεν περὶ ὧν βεβούλευμαι ἐλάλησα καὶ ἤγαγον ἔκτισα καὶ ἐποίησα ἤγαγον αὐτὸν καὶ εὐόδωσα τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ
So I will summon [someone to come] from the east [like a swift and powerful] eagle; he will come from a distant country. He will accomplish what I want him to. [He is the one who] will do what I have said that I want him to do, what I have planned.
12 ἀκούσατέ μου οἱ ἀπολωλεκότες τὴν καρδίαν οἱ μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης
You stubborn people [of Israel], [you think that] it will be a long time before you are allowed to return to your own country.
13 ἤγγισα τὴν δικαιοσύνην μου καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν παρ’ ἐμοῦ οὐ βραδυνῶ δέδωκα ἐν Σιων σωτηρίαν τῷ Ισραηλ εἰς δόξασμα
But I will rescue you, and it will not be a long time [before that happens]. I will do it soon. I will rescue Jerusalem and show to you Israeli [people] that I am glorious.”
