Like a swallow or a crane I clamor: This line presents translators with a challenge. Besides a small textual problem, there are differences of interpretation. The Hebrew text is literally “Like a horse, crane thus I twitter/chirp.” Many versions emend the Hebrew word sus meaning “horse” to read sis, which may refer to a “swift” (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or a swallow. They make this change since the verse refers to two other birds, the crane and the dove. For Hebrew Old Testament Text Project the Hebrew word for crane is better rendered “migrating swallow,” while New International Version has “thrush.” According to Hope, the Hebrew words for swallow and crane refer to only one bird here, the “swift”. Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible are similar by referring only to the “swallow.” A “swift” is similar to a swallow. They are both small birds with long slender wings and short legs. They fly at great speed for long periods on end, twisting and turning, usually in fairly large groups. They catch insects as they fly. The Hebrew verb rendered clamor is ʾatsaphtseph, which is an ideophone since it represents the sound that birds make (see 8.19 and 10.14, where the same verb is rendered “chirp”). This verb is better rendered “chirp” or as an ideophone. Hezekiah is saying here that his calls for help sounded just like a birdcall; they were little more than chirping sounds since they did not seem to be effective.

Isaiah’s frequent reference to birds and animals often causes problems for translators, not only because we are not always sure which birds or animals he refers to, but also because he uses them figuratively in a way that is specific to the Hebrew culture. Probably for these reasons Good News Translation removes the reference to birds altogether in the first line. It tries to give the sense without using similes by saying “My voice was thin and weak,” which is an acceptable rendering.

I moan like a dove: The dove is a small blue-gray bird with a pinkish chest. Its rhythmic call is yoo-ROO-coo, yoo-ROO-coo, yoo-ROO-coo. It is repeated for two or three minutes at a time on sunny days, and can be heard over a wide area. In some cultures this call sounds like a person moaning. For moan it may be better to use a neutral expression or a term more commonly associated with doves, such as “coo” in English. An alternative model for this whole line is “my voice was as weak as that of a dove cooing.”

My eyes are weary with looking upward is literally “My eyes are tired/weak to the height.” Although there is no Hebrew verb meaning “look” here, it is probably correct to provide it, as Revised Standard Version does. My eyes are weary is a figurative expression that means Hezekiah longed for help for so long that he grew weary of waiting. Looking upward means he looked expectantly for help from God in heaven. This whole line may be rendered “I grew tired of waiting for help from above.”

O Lord, I am oppressed is Hezekiah’s cry to God. The vocative O Lord addresses God as “my master” rather than using the divine name Yahweh (see 1.2). The king felt oppressed (New International Version “troubled”) but doesn’t say who or what had oppressed him, which is typical of Lament Psalms. This may be a problem for those languages that require an active voice for the verb oppressed. In the preceding and following verses the king accuses Yahweh of causing his illness, but translators should not be too explicit here. If an active construction is needed, it is better to render I am oppressed as “I was in distress” or something similar.

New English Bible and Revised English Bible emend the Hebrew verb rendered oppressed to read “pay heed,” but translators should not follow this reading, as recommended by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project.

Be thou my security: Here Hezekiah calls on God to offer a pledge to help him. A call for God’s help is an important element in any Lament Psalm. New International Version has “come to my aid,” and Good News Translation says “rescue me.” Bible en français courant translates the whole last line as follows: “—In my despondency, Lord, do something for me.—” By adding dashes before and after the line, Bible en français courant shows that this sudden exclamation in the prayer interrupts Hezekiah’s ongoing description of his suffering.

Several translation examples for this verse are:

• My calls for help were weak like birds chirping,
they sounded like the cooing of a dove.
My eyes grew tired of waiting for help from above.
O Master, I was in distress. [I prayed:] Come to my aid!

• My chirping call is feeble like that of a swift,
like a dove I coo.
I am tired of looking upward for help.
[I prayed:] Lord, in my distress come to my rescue!

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .