King James Version

Isaiah 49:4

Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.

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Hebrew

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וַאֲנִ֤יvaaniand mineאֲנִיconjunction, pronoun, personal, 1st person, common, singular — “and mine”H589II, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, [idiom] which, [idiom] who.אָמַ֨רְתִּי֙amartisayאָמַרverb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “say”, a completed actionH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…לְרִ֣יקleriqto vainרִיקpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “to vain”, the ordinary formH7385emptiness; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vainempty, to no purpose, (in) vain (thing), vanity.יָגַ֔עְתִּיyagatifaintיָגַעverb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “faint”, a completed actionH3021properly, to gasp; hence, to be exhausted, to tire, to toilfaint, (make to) labour, (be) weary.לְתֹ֥הוּletohvto vainתֹּהוּpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “to vain”, the ordinary formH8414a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vainconfusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.וְהֶ֖בֶלveheveland vanityהֶבֶלconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “and vanity”, the ordinary formH1892emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb[idiom] altogether, vain, vanity.כֹּחִ֣יkochiforceכֹּחַnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “force”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3581vigor, literally (force, in a good or a bad sense) or figuratively (capacity, means, produce); also (from its hardiness) a large lizardability, able, chameleon, force, fruits, might, power(-ful), strength, substance, wealth.כִלֵּ֑יתִיkhileyticeaseכָּלָהverb, piel, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “cease”, a completed actionH3615to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitived (to complete, prepare, consume)accomplish, cease, consume (away), determine, destroy (utterly), be (when... were) done, (be an) end (of), expire, (cause to) fail, faint, finish, fulfil, [idiom] fully, [idiom] have, leave (off), long, bring to pass, wholly reap, make cle…אָכֵן֙akhenbutאָכֵןadverb — “but”H403firmly; figuratively, surely; also (advers.) butbut, certainly, nevertheless, surely, truly, verily.מִשְׁפָּטִ֣יmishpatilawמִשְׁפָּטnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “law”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4941properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style[phrase] adversary, ceremony, charge, [idiom] crime, custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due, fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just(-ice, -ly), (manner of) law(-ful), manner, measure, (due) order, ordinance, right,…אֶתetamongאֵתpreposition — “among”H854properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), near; hence, generally, with, by, at, among, etc.against, among, before, by, for, from, in(-to), (out) of, with. Often with another prepositional prefix.יְהוָ֔הyehvahJehovahיְהֹוָהnoun, proper name — “Jehovah”H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodJehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050 (יָהּ), H3069 (יְהֹוִה).וּפְעֻלָּתִ֖יufeulatiand workפְּעֻלָּהconjunction, noun, common, feminine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “and work”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6468(abstractly) worklabour, reward, wages, work.אֶתetamongאֵתpreposition — “among”H854properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), near; hence, generally, with, by, at, among, etc.against, among, before, by, for, from, in(-to), (out) of, with. Often with another prepositional prefix.אֱלֹהָֽיelohayGodאֱלֹהִיםnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “God”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH430gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlativeangels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

But I said: 'I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

But I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity; yet surely the justice due to me is with Jehovah, and my recompense with my God.

Young’s Literal Translation

And I said, 'For a vain thing I laboured, For emptiness and vanity my power I consumed, But my judgment [is] with Jehovah, And my wage with my God.

World English Bible

But I said, “I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength in vain for nothing; yet surely the justice due to me is with Yahweh, and my reward with my God.”

Darby Translation

— And I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and in vain; nevertheless my judgment is with Jehovah, and my work with my God.

Douay-Rheims

And I said: I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength without cause and in vain: therefore my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

But I said: 'I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God.'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have given my strength for vanity and for nothing: therefore is my judgment with the Lord, and my labour before my God.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπα, κενῶς ἐκοπίασα, εἰς μάταιον καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν ἔδωκα τὴν ἰσχύν μου· διατοῦτο ἡ κρίσις μου παρὰ· Κυρίῳ, καὶ ὁ πόνος μου ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ μου.