וְעַתָּה כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה בֹּרַאֲךָ יַעֲקֹב וְיֹצֶרְךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַל־תִּירָא כִּי גְאַלְתִּיךָ קָרָאתִי בְשִׁמְךָ לִי־אָתָּה׃   43:1

Isai. 43:1   And now, thus says the Lord,

                             your Creator, O Jacob, and your Molder, O Israel:

                    “Do not be afraid, for I deliver you.

                              I call on your name; you are Mine.”

כִּי־תַעֲבֹר בַּמַּיִם אִתְּךָ־אָנִי וּבַנְּהָרֹות לֹא יִשְׁטְפוּךָ כִּי־תֵלֵךְ בְּמֹו־אֵשׁ לֹא תִכָּוֶה וְלֶהָבָה לֹא   43:2

 תִבְעַר־בָּךְ׃

Isai. 43:2   “When you pass over water,

                              I will be with you, and over rivers,

                     they will not wash you away.

                             When you walk through fire you will not be burned,

                     and the flame will not burn on you.”

כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ קְדֹושׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל מֹושִׁיעֶךָ נָתַתִּי כָפְרְךָ מִצְרַיִם כּוּשׁ וּסְבָא תַּחְתֶּיךָ׃   43:3

Isai. 43:3   “For I am the Lord, your God,

                              the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

                     I have made Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba

                              your ransom for your sake.”

Apparently, Cyrus of Persia conquered these three African nations, bypassing Israel.  Seba is believed to be in the northern part of Ethiopia.                                                                               [Return to Isai. 42:11]

מֵאֲשֶׁר יָקַרְתָּ בְעֵינַי נִכְבַּדְתָּ וַאֲנִי אֲהַבְתִּיךָ וְאֶתֵּן אָדָם תַּחְתֶּיךָ וּלְאֻמִּים תַּחַת נַפְשֶׁךָ׃   43:4

Isai. 43:4   “Because you are precious in My ‘eyes’

                               you have been glorified and I love you.

                    So I will give men for your sake,

                               and nations for the sake of your life.”

אַל־תִּירָא כִּי אִתְּךָ־אָנִי מִמִּזְרָח אָבִיא זַרְעֶךָ וּמִמַּעֲרָב אֲקַבְּצֶךָּ׃   43:5

Isai. 43:5   “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.

                               From the east I will bring your offspring,

                    and from the west I will gather you together,

אֹמַר לַצָּפֹון תֵּנִי וּלְתֵימָן אַל־תִּכְלָאִי הָבִיאִי בָנַי מֵרָחֹוק וּבְנֹותַי מִקְצֵה הָאָרֶץ׃   43:6

Isai. 43:6   saying to the north, ‘Come!’

                              and to the south ‘Do not hold back,

                    bring My sons from afar

                              and My daughters from the end of the earth,

כֹּל הַנִּקְרָא בִשְׁמִי וְלִכְבֹודִי בְּרָאתִיו יְצַרְתִּיו אַף־עֲשִׂיתִיו׃   43:7

Isai. 43:7   every one who is called by My name,

                             and for My glory, I created him.

                     I fashioned him;

                             yes, I made him.”

What is the Lord saying here through Isaiah?  That each of us Jews is called by His name (Israel?)?  We are each His special creation?  How humble and honored we should feel!

הֹוצִיא עַם־עִוֵּר וְעֵינַיִם יֵשׁ וְחֵרְשִׁים וְאָזְנַיִם לָמֹו׃   43:8

Isai. 43:8   He brings forth the blind people,

                             they who have eyes,

                    and the deaf who have ears.

Isaiah is speaking for himself here again, relating future events as if they are happening in his time.  In other words, he is again projecting himself into the future.

כָּל־הַגֹּויִם נִקְבְּצוּ יַחְדָּו וְיֵאָסְפוּ לְאֻמִּים מִי בָהֶם יַגִּיד זֹאת וְרִאשֹׁנֹות יַשְׁמִיעֻנוּ יִתְּנוּ עֵדֵיהֶם וְיִצְדָּקוּ   43:9 וְיִשְׁמְעוּ וְיֹאמְרוּ אֱמֶת׃

Isai. 43:9   All the nations are gathered together,

                             and the peoples are assembled.

                   Who among them could have declared this,

                             and told us former things?

                    Let them offer their witnesses that they may be justified;

                              so let them hear and say, “It is truth.”

In the last two English lines of this verse, three of the corresponding Hebrew third-person imperfect verbs (translated as that they may be justified, so let them hear, and and [let them] say) all have non-inverting vav prefixes.  These actions are consequences of the preceding action translated as Let them offer.  Thus the Hebrew conforms to my theory of non-inverting vavs.

אַתֶּם עֵדַי נְאֻם־יְהוָה וְעַבְדִּי אֲשֶׁר בָּחָרְתִּי לְמַעַן תֵּדְעוּ וְתַאֲמִינוּ לִי וְתָבִינוּ כִּי־אֲנִי הוּא לְפָנַי   43:10 לֹא־נֹוצַר אֵל וְאַחֲרַי לֹא יִהְיֶה׃

Isai. 43:10   “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,

                                “and My servant whom I have chosen,

                      so that you may know and be faithful to Me,

                                and understand that I am He.

                      Before Me no god was formed,

                                and none shall be after Me.”

How could Isaiah have uttered these words of the Lord more deliberately and meaningfully!  Please take notice of the following: The Hebrew for the first You in the verse is plural; we are each His witnesses.  The word for My servant is singular; We, Israel, is His servant.   The word for and be faithful is a second-person imperfect verb with a  non-inverting vav, and is a consequence of the earlier action I have chosen.  Finally, is there any other way to say that God is eternal without using the terms before and after (in the last two English lines)?  Perhaps only I am eternal, everlasting.  Not quite as poetic as Isaiah put it.

אָנֹכִי אָנֹכִי יְהוָה וְאֵין מִבַּלְעָדַי מֹושִׁיעַ׃   43:11

Isai. 43:11   “I, only I, am the Lord,

                                 and there is no savior without Me.”

אָנֹכִי הִגַּדְתִּי וְהֹושַׁעְתִּי וְהִשְׁמַעְתִּי וְאֵין בָּכֶם זָר וְאַתֶּם עֵדַי נְאֻם־יְהוָה וַאֲנִי־אֵל׃  43:12

Isai. 43:12   “I declare and I save and I announce,

                                 so there is no strange thing among you.

                      So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,

                                 “that I am God.”

In Isai. 42:19 we learned that even we who are blind and deaf to the truth are servants of the Lord.  Here we learn again that, wittingly or unwittingly, willingly or unwillingly, understanding or foolish, we are each witnesses to the One God.

גַּם־מִיֹּום אֲנִי הוּא וְאֵין מִיָּדִי מַצִּיל אֶפְעַל וּמִי יְשִׁיבֶנָּה׃   43:13

Isai. 43:13   “Since there was a day I am He.

                                And there is no rescuer from My ‘hand.’

                       I can do, and who can reverse it?”

כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה גֹּאַלְכֶם קְדֹושׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַעַנְכֶם שִׁלַּחְתִּי בָבֶלָה וְהֹורַדְתִּי בָרִיחִים כֻּלָּם וְכַשְׂדִּים   43:14 בָּאֳנִיֹּות רִנָּתָם׃

Isai. 43:14   Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,

                                the Holy One of Israel:

                      “For your sakes have I sent to Babylon

                                and I will bring down the fugitives, all of them,

                      and Chaldea, in the ships of their triumph.”

אֲנִי יְהוָה קְדֹושְׁכֶם בֹּורֵא יִשְׂרָאֵל מַלְכְּכֶם׃   43:15

Isai. 43:15   “I am the Lord, your Holy One,

                                 the Creator of Israel, your King.”

כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה הַנֹּותֵן בַּיָּם דָּרֶךְ וּבְמַיִם עַזִּים נְתִיבָה׃   43:16

Isai. 43:16   Thus says the Lord,

                                Who makes a way in the sea

                       and a pathway in the mighty waters,

הַמֹּוצִיא רֶכֶב־וָסוּס חַיִל וְעִזּוּז יַחְדָּו יִשְׁכְּבוּ בַּל־יָקוּמוּ דָּעֲכוּ כַּפִּשְׁתָּה כָבוּ׃   43:17

Isai. 43:17   Who brings forth chariot and horse, strength and power:

                                “Together they will lie down;

                       they will not rise up.

                                They are extinct;

                       like a wick they are extinguished.”

אַל־תִּזְכְּרוּ רִאשֹׁנֹות וְקַדְמֹנִיֹּות אַל־תִּתְבֹּנָנוּ׃   43:18

Isai. 43:18   “You are not to remember the former things,

                                 and the things of old.”

הִנְנִי עֹשֶׂה חֲדָשָׁה עַתָּה תִצְמָח הֲלֹוא תֵדָעוּהָ אַף אָשִׂים בַּמִּדְבָּר דֶּרֶךְ בִּישִׁמֹון נְהָרֹות׃   43:19

Isai. 43:19   “Behold, I am doing a new thing.

                                 Now it shall spring forth.

                      Will you not comprehend it?

                                 Yes, I will make a way in the wilderness,

                       rivers in the desert.”

תְּכַבְּדֵנִי חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה תַּנִּים וּבְנֹות יַעֲנָה כִּי־נָתַתִּי בַמִּדְבָּר מַיִם נְהָרֹות בִּישִׁימֹן לְהַשְׁקֹות עַמִּי   43:20

 בְחִירִי׃

Isai. 43:20   “The beasts of the field shall honor Me,

                                 the jackals and the ostriches,

                      because I give water in the wilderness,

                                 rivers in the desert,

                       letting My people, My elect, drink,

עַם־זוּ יָצַרְתִּי לִי תְּהִלָּתִי יְסַפֵּרוּ׃   43:21

Isai. 43:21   a people whom I fashioned for Myself,

                                 they should declare My praise.”

וְלֹא־אֹתִי קָרָאתָ יַעֲקֹב כִּי־יָגַעְתָּ בִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃   43:22

Isai. 43:22   “But you do not proclaim Me, O Jacob.

                                When have you labored with Me, O Israel?”

לֹא־הֵבֵיאתָ לִּי שֵׂה עֹלֹתֶיךָ וּזְבָחֶיךָ לֹא כִבַּדְתָּנִי לֹא הֶעֱבַדְתִּיךָ בְּמִנְחָה וְלֹא הֹוגַעְתִּיךָ בִּלְבֹונָה׃   43:23

Isai. 43:23   “You have not brought the cattle of your burnt offerings to Me,

                                you have not honored Me with your sacrifices.

                       I have not burdened you with a meal offering,

                                and I have not wearied you with frankincense.”

לֹא־קָנִיתָ לִּי בַכֶּסֶף קָנֶה וְחֵלֶב זְבָחֶיךָ לֹא הִרְוִיתָנִי אַךְ הֶעֱבַדְתַּנִי בְּחַטֹּאותֶיךָ הֹוגַעְתַּנִי בַּעֲוֹנֹתֶיךָ׃   43:24

Isai. 43:24   “You have not bought with money any sweet cane for Me,

                                you have not satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices.

                       Instead you have burdened Me with your sins,

                                wearied Me with your iniquities.”

אָנֹכִי אָנֹכִי הוּא מֹחֶה פְשָׁעֶיךָ לְמַעֲנִי וְחַטֹּאתֶיךָ לֹא אֶזְכֹּר׃   43:25

Isai. 43:25   “I, I it is Who blots out your transgressions for My own sake.

                                 And I will not remember your sins.”

Read this and note it carefully!  The Lord is infinitely forgiving.  He does not remember our sins.  Do Jews understand this?  I don’t believe many do.

הַזְכִּירֵנִי נִשָּׁפְטָה יָחַד סַפֵּר אַתָּה לְמַעַן תִּצְדָּק׃   43:26

Isai. 43:26   “Remind Me, let us plead together.

                                 Declare yourself so that you may be justified!”

אָבִיךָ הָרִאשֹׁון חָטָא וּמְלִיצֶיךָ פָּשְׁעוּ בִי׃   43:27

Isai. 43:27   “Your ancestral father sinned,

                                 and your intercessors have transgressed against Me.”

וַאֲחַלֵּל שָׂרֵי קֹדֶשׁ וְאֶתְּנָה לַחֵרֶם יַעֲקֹב וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְגִדּוּפִים׃   43:28

Isai. 43:28   “So I have defiled the princes of the sanctuary,

                                 and given Jacob for condemnation,

                      and Israel to be reproached.”

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