Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageThen the watchman cried out like a lion: 'My Lord, I stand at my post all day long; and through every night I hold my watch.'
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GThen the lookout cried out: 'At my watchtower I stand, O Adonai, continually all day; and at my post I am stationed through every night.'
KJV
King James VersionAnd he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:
BSB
Berean Standard BibleThen the lookout shouted: “Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; night after night I stay at my post.
Footnotes
The opening word is a famous textual crux: the Masoretic text reads *aryeh* ("a lion"), implying the watchman "cried like a lion," while the Dead Sea Scroll 1QIsa-a supports *ro'eh* ("the one who sees, the seer"). Most modern translations follow the emendation to *ro'eh*; FOG renders this as a straightforward prophetic cry. FOG Message retains the lion simile to honour the Masoretic text and its theological resonance — the lion's roar as irresistible prophetic proclamation (cf. Amos 3:8; Rev. 10:3). The watchman's declaration of tireless vigil (*tamid yomam... kol halaylot*, "continually by day... every night") is itself a portrait of faithful intercession.
