Isaiah 43:16-21
New English Translation
16 This is what the Lord says,
the one who made a road through the sea,
a pathway through the surging waters,
17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction,[a]
together with a mighty army.
They fell down,[b] never to rise again;
they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:
18 “Don’t remember these earlier events;[c]
don’t recall these former events.
19 Look, I am about to do something new.
Now it begins to happen![d] Do you not recognize[e] it?
Yes, I will make a road in the wilderness
and paths[f] in the wastelands.
20 The wild animals[g] honor me,
the jackals and ostriches,
because I put water in the wilderness
and streams in the wastelands,
to quench the thirst of my chosen people,
21 the people whom I formed for myself,
so they might praise me.[h]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 43:17 tn Heb “led out chariots and horses.” The words “to destruction” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The verse refers to the destruction of the Egyptians at the Red Sea.
- Isaiah 43:17 tn Heb “lay down”; NAB “lie prostrate together”; CEV “lie dead”; NRSV “they lie down.”
- Isaiah 43:18 tn Heb “the former things” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “forget all that.”
- Isaiah 43:19 tn Heb “sprouts up”; NASB “will spring forth.”
- Isaiah 43:19 tn Or “know” (KJV, ASV); NASB “be aware of”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “perceive.”
- Isaiah 43:19 tn The Hebrew text has “streams,” probably under the influence of v. 20. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has נתיבות (“paths”).
- Isaiah 43:20 tn Heb “animals of the field.”
- Isaiah 43:21 tn Heb “[so] they might declare my praise.”
Isaiah 43:16-21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
16 Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,(A)
17 who brings out chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down; they cannot rise;
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:(B)
18 Do not remember the former things
or consider the things of old.(C)
19 I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.(D)
20 The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,(E)
21 the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise.(F)
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