Friday, January 18, 2013

Sunday Knox: Isaiah 62:1-5

Here is a comparison between the Knox and NAB(RE) translations of the first reading for this coming Sunday.  (Major differences between the original NAB and the NABRE are noted within the NAB text.)


Knox:
"For love of Sion I will no more be silent, for love of Jerusalem I will never rest, until he, the Just One, is revealed to her like the dawn, until he, her deliverer, shines out like a flame. All the nations, all the kings of the nations, shall see him, the just, the glorious,[a] and a new name shall be given thee by the Lord’s own lips. The Lord upholds thee, his crown, his pride; thy God upholds thee, his royal diadem. No longer shall men call thee Forsaken, or thy land Desolate; thou shall be called My Beloved, and thy land a Home, now the Lord takes delight in thee, now thy land is populous once again.[b] Gladly as a man takes home the maiden of his choice, thy sons shall come home to thee; gladly the Lord shall greet thee, as bridegroom his bride."

Knox Footnotes:

  1. Isaias 62:2 Instead of ‘Just One’, ‘the just’ and ‘the glorious’, the Hebrew text has ‘justice’ (i.e. redress, restoration), ‘deliverance’ and ‘glory’.
  2. Isaias 62:4 In the Hebrew text, the land is to be called not ‘a Home’, but ‘a Wife’, and it is to be ‘espoused’, not ‘populous’, once again.


NAB(RE):
"For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch. Nations shall behold your vindication, and all the kings your glory; you shall be called by a new name pronounced (bestowed) by the mouth of the LORD. You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD, a royal diadem held by your God. No more shall people call you “Forsaken," or your land “Desolate," but you shall be called “My Delight," ("My Delight is in her") and your land “Espoused.” For the LORD delights in you and makes your land his spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you."

NABRE Footnotes:

[62:112] As in chap. 60, the prophet addresses Zion, announcing the reversal of her fortune. Several motifs reappear: light and glory (60:13, 1920), tribute of nations (60:11), and especially the marriage (61:10; cf. also 54:58).