26:9 I 1 look for 2 you during the night,
my spirit within me seeks you at dawn,
for when your judgments come upon the earth,
those who live in the world learn about justice. 3
30:1 “The rebellious 4 children are as good as dead,” 5 says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me, 6
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, 7
and thereby compound their sin. 8
42:1 9 “Here is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.
I have placed my spirit on him;
he will make just decrees 10 for the nations. 11
44:3 For I will pour water on the parched ground 12
and cause streams to flow 13 on the dry land.
I will pour my spirit on your offspring
and my blessing on your children.
1 tn Heb “with my soul I.” This is a figure for the speaker himself (“I”).
2 tn Or “long for, desire.” The speaker acknowledges that he is eager to see God come in judgment (see vv. 8, 9b).
3 tn The translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “those who live in the world learn to live in a righteous manner” (cf. NCV).
4 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
5 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
6 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
7 tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
8 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
7 sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.
8 tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).
9 sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.
10 tn Heb “the thirsty.” Parallelism suggests that dry ground is in view (see “dry land” in the next line.)
11 tn Heb “and streams”; KJV “floods.” The verb “cause…to flow” is supplied in the second line for clarity and for stylistic reasons.