Yesaya 44:22

44:22 I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud,

the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. ¹ 

Come back to me, for I protect ²  you.”

Yesaya 54:8

54:8 In a burst ³  of anger I rejected you ⁴  momentarily,

but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”

says your protector, ⁵  the Lord.

Yesaya 60:16

60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;

you will nurse at the breasts of kings. ⁶ 

Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,

your protector, ⁷  the powerful ruler of Jacob. ⁸ 

Yesaya 62:12

62:12 They will be called, “The Holy People,

the Ones Protected ⁹  by the Lord.”

You will be called, “Sought After,

City Not Abandoned.”

[44:22]  ¹ tn Heb “I blot out like a cloud your rebellious deeds, and like a cloud your sins.” “Rebellious deeds” and “sins” stand by metonymy for the guilt they produce. Both עָב (’av) and עָנָן (’anan) refer to the clouds in the sky. It is tempting for stylistic purposes to translate the second with “fog” or “mist” (cf. NAB, NRSV “cloud…mist”; NIV “cloud…morning mist”; NLT “morning mists…clouds”), but this distinction between the synonyms is unwarranted here. The point of the simile seems to be this: The Lord forgives their sins, causing them to vanish just as clouds disappear from the sky (see Job 7:9; 30:15).

[44:22]  ² tn Heb “redeem.” See the note at 41:14.

[54:8]  ³ tn According to BDB 1009 s.v. שֶׁטֶף the noun שֶׁצֶף here is an alternate form of שֶׁטֶף (shetef, “flood”). Some relate the word to an alleged Akkadian cognate meaning “strength.”

[54:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “I hid my face from you.”

[54:8]  ⁵ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[60:16]  ⁶ sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.

[60:16]  ⁷ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[60:16]  ⁸ sn See 1:24 and 49:26.

[62:12]  ⁹ tn Or “the redeemed of the Lord” (KJV, NAB).