ISA 40:15 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for Bible-translators and others doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still early looks into the drafted texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) ⇔ Listen, the nations are like a drop in a bucket,
⇔ and are as insignificant as dust on the scales.
⇔ He lifts the islands as if they just specks.

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Εἰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς σταγὼν ἀπὸ κάδου, καὶ ὡς ῥοπὴ ζυγοῦ ἐλογίσθησαν, ὡς σίελος λογισθήσονται;
(Ei panta ta ethnaʸ hōs stagōn apo kadou, kai hōs ɽopaʸ zugou elogisthaʸsan, hōs sielos logisthaʸsontai;)

BrTr since all the nations are counted as a drop from a bucket, and as the turning of a balance, and shall be counted as spittle?

ULT ⇔ Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
⇔ and they are regarded like dust on the scales.
⇔ Behold, he lifts the coastlands like fine dust.

UST ⇔ Listen! From Yahweh’s perspective, the nations are as insignificant
⇔ as one drop of water is to a whole bucketful of water.
⇔ They are as insignificant as dust on a set of scales,
⇔ which makes basically no difference in weighing.
⇔ Listen! Yahweh could pick up all the lands by the sea
⇔ as easily as he could pick up a tiny grain of sand on the beach.

BSB Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
⇔ they are considered a speck of dust on the scales;
⇔ He lifts up the islands[fn] like fine dust.

40:15 Or coastlands

MSB (Same as BSB above including footnotes)

OEB No OEB ISA book available

WEBBE Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket,
⇔ and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance.
⇔ Behold, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
⇔ they are regarded as dust on the scales.
⇔ He lifts the coastlands as if they were dust.

LSV Behold, nations [are] as a drop from a bucket,
And have been reckoned as small dust of the balance,
Behold, He takes up islands as a small thing.

FBV It's obvious that the nations are just a drop in a bucket. They're like dust on a set of scales. He can pick up islands as if they weigh next to nothing.

T4T ⇔ Yahweh considers that the nations are as insignificant as [MET] one drop from a bucket full of water.
⇔ They are as insignificant as dust on scales.
⇔ He is able to weigh islands
⇔ as though they weighed no more than grains of sand.

LEB • Look! The nations are like a drop from a bucket,
• and they are counted like dust of the balances!
• Look! He weighs the islands like a thin covering.

BBE See, the nations are to him like a drop hanging from a bucket, and like the small dust in the scales: he takes up the islands like small dust.

Moff No Moff ISA book available

JPS Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance; behold the isles are as a mote in weight.

ASV Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

DRA Behold the Gentiles are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the smallest grain of a balance: behold the islands are as a little dust.

YLT Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up.

Drby Behold, the nations are esteemed as a drop of the bucket, and as the fine dust on the scales; behold, he taketh up the isles as an atom.

RV Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
(Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh/takes up the isles as a very little thing.)

SLT Behold, the nations as a drop from a bucket; they were reckoned as the fine dust of the scales: behold, he will cast down the isles as small dust.

Wbstr Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

KJB-1769 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
(Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh/takes up the isles as a very little thing.)

KJB-1611 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, hee taketh vp the yles as a very litle thing.
(Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh/takes up the isles/islands as a very little thing.)

Bshps Beholde, all people are in comparison of hym as a droppe of a bucket full, and are counted as the least thyng that the ballaunce wayeth: yea and the Isles he taketh vp as a very litle thyng.
(Behold, all people are in comparison of him as a drop of a bucket full, and are counted as the least thing that the balance wayeth: yea and the Isles he taketh/takes up as a very little thing.)

Gnva Beholde, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the dust of the balance: beholde, he taketh away the yles as a litle dust.
(Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the dust of the balance: behold, he taketh/takes away the isles/islands as a little dust.)

Cvdl Beholde, all people are in coparison of him, as a droppe to a bucketfull, and are counted as the leest thinge yt the balaunce weyeth. Beholde, ye Iles are in comparison of him, as the shadowe of the Sonne beame.
(Behold, all people are in coparison of him, as a drop to a bucketfull, and are counted as the least thing it the balance weyeth. Behold, ye/you_all Isles/Islands are in comparison of him, as the shadow of the Son beam.)

Wycl Lo! folkis ben as a drope of a boket, and ben arettid as the tunge of a balaunce; lo!
(Lo! folks/people been as a drope of a bucket, and been reckoned/counted as the tongue of a balance; lo!)

Luth Siehe, die Heiden sind geachtet wie ein Tropfen, so im Eimer bleibt, und wie ein Scherflein, so in der Wage bleibet. Siehe, die Inseln sind wie ein Stäublein.
(See/Look, the heathens are respected as/like a drops, so in_the bucket remains/stays, and as/like a Scherflein, so in the/of_the Wage stay/remain. See/Look, the islands are as/like a Stäublein.)

ClVg Ecce gentes quasi stilla situlæ, et quasi momentum stateræ reputatæ sunt; ecce insulæ quasi pulvis exiguus.[fn]
(Behold people/nations as_if stilla situlæ, and as_if momentum stateræ reputed are; behold islands as_if dust exiguus.)

40.15 Quasi pulvis exiguus. ID. Hebræi hoc verbo tenuissimum pulverem significari putant, etc., usque ad et tam Græcæ quam Latinæ linguæ paupertatem.

40.15 As_if dust exiguus. ID. Hebrews this word thinssimum dust to_be_signified they_think, etc., until to and tam Græcæ how Latinæ tongues/languages poverty.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

הֵ֤ן

Isaiah is using the term Behold to focus his listeners’ attention on what he is about to say. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: [Look!]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

גּוֹיִם֙ כְּ⁠מַ֣ר מִ⁠דְּלִ֔י

nations [are]_like,a_drop from,a_bucket

The point of this comparison is that just as a drop from a bucket is tiny and insignificant compared to all the water, so are the nations small and insignificant before Yahweh. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [the nations are tiny and insignificant]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

גּוֹיִם֙

nations

Here, the nations represents the people who make up those nations. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: [the people of those nations]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

וּ⁠כְ⁠שַׁ֥חַק מֹאזְנַ֖יִם נֶחְשָׁ֑בוּ

and,like_[the],dust_of scales regarded

The point of this comparison is that just as dust on the scales is too light to make any difference in weighing, so do they, the nations, count for nothing before Yahweh. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [and they count for nothing before him]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

וּ⁠כְ⁠שַׁ֥חַק מֹאזְנַ֖יִם נֶחְשָׁ֑בוּ

and,like_[the],dust_of scales regarded

The expression are regarded is a passive verbal form. If it would be unnatural to use that form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [and he regards them like dust on the scales]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

אִיִּ֖ים כַּ⁠דַּ֥ק יִטּֽוֹל

islands like_(the),[dust] weighs

The point of this comparison is that just as fine dust is light and easy to pick up, so easily can Yahweh lift up the coastlands. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [he easily lifts the coastlands, for they are as light to him as fine dust]

Parallel ISA 40:15