The command in verse 1 was “Hear this.” Verse 6 says the people of Israel heard, and now they are given a new command to see. Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation place a stanza break at the beginning of this verse, but New International Version, Revised English Bible, and Bible en français courant place it in the middle of the verse. Translators may use either break, but they should begin the new stanza with quote marks to indicate that God continues to speak.

You have heard refers to the people hearing about the former things that God announced and did long ago (see verse 3). In languages where the verb “hear” needs an object, this clause may be rendered “You have heard what I said/announced [and did] long ago.” Contemporary English Version has “You heard what I said,” and Bible en français courant says “You have heard what I predicted.”

Now see all this: This command challenges the people to consider that God’s earlier predictions were realized. The adverb now is not present in the Hebrew text. Revised Standard Version uses it emphasize the command, so it is not an indicator of time. The verb see here means to consider or to give thought to something (so Revised English Bible). All this probably refers back to the accomplishment of the “former things” mentioned in verse 3. Contemporary English Version expresses this command as a statement, saying “and you have seen it happen.” Bible en français courant is similar with “and you can see that all has been carried.” Both these versions lose the challenge of the command here. Revised English Bible is better with “consider it well,” and so is New International Version with “look at them all.”

And will you not declare it?: This rhetorical question is another challenge. Declare has a slightly different sense than when God “declared” what would happen (verse 5), although the Hebrew verb is the same. Here God calls on the people to admit to the truth of what they had heard previously. They are challenged to admit that they did have knowledge of what God was doing and that God’s announced actions were indeed fulfilled. Translators may render the question as a statement; for example, Good News Translation has “you have to admit my predictions were right,” Contemporary English Version says “Now admit that it’s true!” and Revised English Bible uses “and admit the truth of it.” Other possible models are “you have to admit that I was right” and “admit I did what I said I would do.” New Jerusalem Bible maintains the rhetorical question, saying “why won’t you admit it?” Bible en français courant is similar with “Won’t you recognize it?” Both these versions imply that the people have not admitted yet the truth of Yahweh’s words.

From this time forth I make you hear new things, hidden things which you have not known is literally “I will make you hear new [things] from now on and secret [things] and you have not known them.” In this chiastic arrangement the focus is on the phrase “from now on,” highlighting the changes about to happen. God is about to do something new, announcing it just as in the past he announced the “former things.” The new things described in verses 6-8 contrast with the “former things” in verse 3-5, so in translation it is appropriate to place emphasis on them here.

The Hebrew verb phrase rendered I make you hear is the same one translated “I announced them to you” (Revised Standard Version) in verse 5. New things is an expression that occurred earlier in 42.9 and 43.19. It refers to the rise and success of Cyrus and what that means for the exiles: the possibility of a return to Jerusalem.

Hidden things which you have not known describes the new things God will do. Only Yahweh could announce these new events since he is the one who initiated them. So far these events have been hidden from the people. The Hebrew participle rendered hidden things refers to things that have not been revealed yet. Because these things are new and previously undisclosed, the exiles have not known about them. The verb “know” is a keyword in this subsection (also occurring in verses 4 and 7-8). For this line Contemporary English Version has “secrets you have never known” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible), and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “Well-guarded secrets you did not know.” However, these renderings could be slightly misleading since the new things are only to be kept from the people until the appropriate time of disclosure. Good News Translation is better with “events that I did not reveal before,” and so is Bible en français courant with “things that I held in reserve and that you did not have an idea about.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• “You have heard [of these things]; consider them all;
admit that I have done as I said!
I am advising you of new things from here on,
things only now revealed, [things] that you knew nothing about.

• You heard of these events;
think about them all and acknowledge them.

“I tell you of new things [that will happen] from here on,
events kept hidden to date and about which you knew nothing.

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 .