Isa 46:1-2 | NETfull | STEP | Bel kneels down, Nebo bends low. Their images weigh down animals and beasts. Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals.

Isaiah 46:1-2

1 Bel ^{▼▼ Bel was the name of a Babylonian god. The name was originally associated with Enlil, but later was applied to Marduk. See HALOT 132 s.v. בֵּל.} kneels down,
Nebo ^{▼▼ Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.} bends low.
Their images weigh down animals and beasts. ^{▼▼ Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”}
Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. ^{▼▼ Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”}
2 Together they bend low and kneel down;
they are unable to rescue the images; ^{▼▼ Heb “[the] burden,” i.e., their images, the heavy burden carried by the animals.}
they themselves ^{▼▼ נַפְשָׁם (nafsham, “their souls/lives”) is equivalent here to a third masculine plural suffix, but the third feminine singular verb הָלָכָה (halakhah, “they go”) agrees with the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, life”).} head off into captivity. ^{▼▼ The downfall of Babylon is depicted here. The idols are carried off by the victorious enemy; the gods are likened to defeated captives who cower before the enemy and are taken into exile.}