Good News Translation begins this verse with the quote frame “The LORD said” to indicate Yahweh is the speaker here. If translators wish to identify the speaker, it is better to begin with “The LORD says.”

I was ready to be sought … I was ready to be found …: The Hebrew text here is very brief, using two parallel passive verbs to refer to God’s readiness to respond. For New International Version these verbs indicate that God responded: “I revealed myself … I was found….” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh is similar with “I responded … I was at hand…,” and so is New Jerusalem Bible with “I have let myself be approached … I have let myself be found….” However, most commentators agree that the verbs here only express God’s availability, his willingness to be sought and found (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). For languages that prefer active verbs instead of passive ones, see Good News Translation (see also the second example below).

By those who did not ask for me … by those who did not seek me: These two parallel clauses describe God’s rebellious people. Although God was ready to respond, the people did not turn to him for help. The Hebrew verbs for ask and seek are often used to refer to devotion to Yahweh (see 51.1; 58.2). Since these verbs are negated, they express the failure of the people to follow God. Masoretic Text does not have the phrase for me, but it is implied since the pronoun me is explicit in following parallel clause.

I said, “Here am I, here am I,” to a nation that did not call on my name: These two lines express the same theme as the first half of the verse. I said, “Here am I, here am I” indicates that God constantly made himself available to help his people. The repetition emphasizes that readiness. For here am I, see the comments on 52.6 and 58.9. A nation that did not call on my name means the people refused to respond to God’s offer. In contrast to Cyrus the Persian emperor (41.25), the people in Judah rejected God’s offer, refusing to worship him and turn to him for help. It is clear in verses 8-10 that this criticism does not apply to every individual in Judah, but clearly there were many in this category. For call on my name, see the comments on 12.4 and 64.7.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• I was ready to respond to people who did not ask for me,
I was ready to be found by people who failed to look for me;
I said, “I am here! I am here!” to a nation that refused to call on me.

• Although I was willing to respond, they didn’t ask for my help;
although I was willing to reply, they didn’t turn to me.
I said, “Look I am here! I am here!”
but they were a nation that refused to worship me.

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 .