Draw near to me, hear this: Yahweh once more summons the people to gather around him and listen to what he has to say. Both imperative verbs in this line are plural in Hebrew. Draw near to me is parallel to “Assemble” in verse 14, inviting the people to approach the LORD. As in verse 14, hear this expresses the reason for them to gather around him. This call seems repetitious, but it is possible to view its mention in verse 14 and here as an inclusio, bracketing God’s speech. If so, the demonstrative pronoun this would refer not so much to what follows as to what has been said already about Cyrus. But most translations mark what follows the call to listen as the content of what the people are to hear.

From the beginning I have not spoken in secret is similar to what God says in 45.19 (see the comments there). Again God claims that what he has said about the future has not been kept hidden but was made public. He has done this from the beginning. This could mean that throughout the time of his relationship with Israel, God has always made known his intentions by announcing what he would do. Alternatively, it could be a specific reference to the mission of Cyrus: from the beginning of that mission God has made known what he intended to achieve through the Persian ruler. We recommend a literal translation of from the beginning (see the comments on this phrase at 40.21). Where the word beginning requires a complement, translators can say “from the beginning of things,” preserving the ambiguity in the text.

From the time it came to be I have been there is parallel to the previous line. Some versions presume the pronoun it refers to the prophet’s or God’s words spoken earlier, words that have come true; for example, Good News Translation makes this explicit by rendering this line as “and have always made my words come true.” But this pronoun could also refer to the mission of Cyrus. Bible en français courant render it as “these events,” but it is not clear what events are in view. In this section in particular several of the expressions are ambiguous. It could be a deliberate feature of the writing, so translators should try to keep the ambiguity. I have been there (literally “I [was/am] there”) could mean that God was intimately involved in the events that were announced in verses 14c-15; for example, for this line and the previous one Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “From the beginning I have openly announced those things, and since the time they began I had a hand in them.” Good News Translation does not overtly mention God’s presence. However, the Hebrew text expresses it and most translations consulted retain it literally. I have been there almost certainly does not refer to the eternal existence of Yahweh, a view suggested by Contemporary English Version, which renders this whole line as “and I was here before time began.”

With these words Yahweh’s speech, begun at verse 3, ends.

And now the Lord GOD has sent me and his Spirit: This concluding sentence has troubled exegetes and translators for some time. Who is speaking, what does it refer to, and how does it relate to the context? Suggestions as to who is speaking here include Cyrus, Israel, Isaiah, and the Messiah. It seems likely that it is the prophet. In any case, there is a change of speaker; it is no longer Yahweh.

New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Bible en français courant (1997) place a blank line before this statement to separate it from the rest of the subsection, while Good News Translation places it within parentheses (presumably to mark it as an addition, not related to the present context). Revised English Bible even omits the words altogether, simply supplying this footnote: “Heb. adds and now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his spirit.” These approaches show that for most translations and commentators the statement has little relationship with the context. For New Jerusalem Bible and Contemporary English Version it belongs to the next section. For them the prophet uses these words to introduce the LORD’s speech in verse 17. For New Jerusalem Bible the prophet’s words (and the new section) begin from verse 16. For Contemporary English Version the new section begins as follows: “By the power of his Spirit the LORD God has sent me 17 with this message: People of Israel, I am….” For some commentators the close of verse 16 begins a new statement, the end of which has now been lost. We recommend treating this last line as an independent statement, so there should be blank lines around it to indicate that the prophet is making a side comment.

And now marks this line as something new. For the Lord GOD, see the comments at 3.15. While it is clear that God is the subject of the verb sent, it is not clear whether his Spirit is meant to be an additional subject (God and his spirit sent me) or a second object of the verb (God sent me and his spirit). Since God’s spirit is always referred to as being sent by God, we assume that his Spirit is an object. However, God’s spirit is not sent in addition to the prophet, on a separate mission as it were, but the prophet is sent with the power of God’s spirit in him. This is made clear in New International Version, which renders this line as “And now the Sovereign Lord has sent me with his Spirit.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh is similar with “And now the Lord God has sent me, endowed with His spirit.” It is also Good News Translation‘s understanding, but it interprets his Spirit as God’s power, which we prefer here (see the comments on 11.2 and 40.13): “Now the Sovereign LORD has given me his power and sent me.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• Gather round me and listen!
From the first I have never said things secretly,
from the time of its coming to be I was there.”

Now my Lord Yahweh has sent me with his power.

• Come closer and listen to me!
I have spoken publicly from the very beginning,
and from the moment it began to happen I was there.”

And now, my Master Yahweh has sent me and given me his spirit.

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 .