5:7 Indeed 1 Israel 2 is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies,
the people 3 of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight.
He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! 4
He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help! 5
5:8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, 6
those who also accumulate landed property 7
until there is no land left, 8
and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. 9
5:9 The Lord who commands armies told me this: 10
“Many houses will certainly become desolate,
large, impressive houses will have no one living in them. 11
5:10 Indeed, a large vineyard 12 will produce just a few gallons, 13
and enough seed to yield several bushels 14 will produce less than a bushel.” 15
5:11 Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as dead, 16
those who keep drinking long after dark
until they are intoxicated with wine. 17
5:12 They have stringed instruments, 18 tambourines, flutes,
and wine at their parties.
So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing,
they do not perceive what he is bringing about. 19
5:13 Therefore my 20 people will be deported 21
because of their lack of understanding.
Their 22 leaders will have nothing to eat, 23
their 24 masses will have nothing to drink. 25
5:14 So Death 26 will open up its throat,
and open wide its mouth; 27
Zion’s dignitaries and masses will descend into it,
including those who revel and celebrate within her. 28
5:15 Men will be humiliated,
they will be brought low;
the proud will be brought low. 29
5:16 The Lord who commands armies will be exalted 30 when he punishes, 31
the sovereign God’s authority will be recognized when he judges. 32
5:17 Lambs 33 will graze as if in their pastures,
amid the ruins the rich sojourners will graze. 34
5:18 Those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as dead, 35
who pull sin as with cart ropes. 36
5:19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly, 37
so we can see;
let the plan of the Holy One of Israel 38 take shape 39 and come to pass,
then we will know it!”
5:20 Those who call evil good and good evil are as good as dead, 40
who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,
who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter. 41
5:21 Those who think they are wise are as good as dead, 42
those who think they possess understanding. 43
5:22 Those who are champions 44 at drinking wine are as good as dead, 45
who display great courage when mixing strong drinks.
5:23 They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,
they ignore the just cause of the innocent. 46
5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire 47 devours straw,
and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,
so their root will rot,
and their flower will blow away like dust. 48
For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,
they have spurned the commands 49 of the Holy One of Israel. 50
5:25 So the Lord is furious 51 with his people;
he lifts 52 his hand and strikes them.
The mountains shake,
and corpses lie like manure 53 in the middle of the streets.
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 54
5:26 He lifts a signal flag for a distant nation, 55
he whistles for it to come from the far regions of the earth.
Look, they 56 come quickly and swiftly.
5:27 None tire or stumble,
they don’t stop to nap or sleep.
They don’t loosen their belts,
or unstrap their sandals to rest. 57
5:28 Their arrows are sharpened,
and all their bows are prepared. 58
The hooves of their horses are hard as flint, 59
and their chariot wheels are like a windstorm. 60
5:29 Their roar is like a lion’s;
they roar like young lions.
They growl and seize their prey;
they drag it away and no one can come to the rescue.
5:30 At that time 61 they will growl over their prey, 62
it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks. 63
One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster,
clouds will turn the light into darkness. 64
38:4 For my sins overwhelm me; 65
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
נ (Nun)
1:14 My sins are bound around my neck like a yoke; 66
they are fastened together by his hand.
He has placed his yoke 67 on my neck; 68
he has sapped my strength. 69
The Lord 70 has handed me over 71
to those whom I cannot resist.
4:1 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites! 72
For the Lord has a covenant lawsuit 73 against the people of Israel. 74
For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land,
nor do they acknowledge God. 75
4:2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery.
They resort to violence and bloodshed. 76
4:3 Therefore the land will mourn,
and all its inhabitants will perish. 77
The wild animals, 78 the birds of the sky,
and even the fish in the sea will perish.
4:4 Do not let anyone accuse or contend against anyone else: 79
for my case is against you priests! 80
4:5 You stumble day and night,
and the false prophets stumble with you;
You have destroyed your own people! 81
1 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
2 tn Heb “the house of Israel” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
3 tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.
4 tn Heb “but, look, disobedience.” The precise meaning of מִשְׂפָּח (mishpakh), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Some have suggested a meaning “bloodshed.” The term is obviously chosen for its wordplay value; it sounds very much like מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “justice”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.
5 tn Heb “but, look, a cry for help.” The verb (“he waited”) does double duty in the parallelism. צְעָקָה (tsa’qah) refers to the cries for help made by the oppressed. It sounds very much like צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.
6 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who make a house touch a house.” The exclamation הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death.
7 tn Heb “[who] bring a field near a field.”
8 tn Heb “until the end of the place”; NASB “until there is no more room.”
9 tn Heb “and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”
10 tn Heb “in my ears, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
11 tn Heb “great and good [houses], without a resident.”
12 tn Heb “a ten-yoke vineyard.” The Hebrew term צֶמֶד (tsemed, “yoke”) is here a unit of square measure. Apparently a ten-yoke vineyard covered the same amount of land it would take ten teams of oxen to plow in a certain period of time. The exact size is unknown.
13 tn Heb “one bath.” A bath was a liquid measure. Estimates of its modern equivalent range from approximately six to twelve gallons.
14 tn Heb “a homer.” A homer was a dry measure, the exact size of which is debated. Cf. NCV “ten bushels”; CEV “five bushels.”
15 tn Heb “an ephah.” An ephah was a dry measure; there were ten ephahs in a homer. So this verse envisions major crop failure, where only one-tenth of the anticipated harvest is realized.
16 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who arise early in the morning, [who] chase beer.”
17 tn Heb “[who] delay until dark, [until] wine enflames them.”
18 tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).
19 tn Heb “the work of the Lord they do not look at, and the work of his hands they do not see.” God’s “work” can sometimes be his creative deeds, but in this context it is the judgment that he is planning to bring upon his people (cf. vv. 19, 26; 10:12; 28:21).
20 sn It is not certain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking at this point.
21 tn The suffixed (perfect) form of the verb is used; in this way the coming event is described for rhetorical effect as occurring or as already completed.
22 tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”
23 tn Heb “Their glory will be men of hunger.” כָּבוֹד (kavod, “glory”) is in opposition to הָמוֹן (hamon, “masses”) and refers here to the rich and prominent members of the nation. Some prefer to repoint מְתֵי (mÿtey, “men of”) as מִתֵי (mitey, “dead ones of”).
24 tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”
25 tn Heb “and their masses will be parched [by] thirst.”
26 tn Heb “Sheol” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV); the underworld, the land of the dead, according to the OT world view. Cf. NAB “the nether world”; TEV, CEV “the world of the dead”; NLT “the grave.”
27 tn Heb “so Sheol will make wide its throat, and open its mouth without limit.”
28 tn Heb “and her splendor and her masses will go down, and her tumult and the one who exults in her.” The antecedent of the four feminine singular pronominal suffixes used in v. 14b is unclear. The likely referent is personified Zion/Jerusalem (see 3:25-26; 4:4-5).
29 tn Heb “men are brought down, men are brought low, the eyes of pride are brought low.”
30 tn Or “elevated”; TEV “the Lord Almighty shows his greatness.”
31 tn Heb “by judgment/justice.” When God justly punishes the evildoers denounced in the preceding verses, he will be recognized as a mighty warrior.
32 tn Heb “The holy God will be set apart by fairness.” In this context God’s holiness is his sovereign royal authority, which implies a commitment to justice (see the note on the phrase “the sovereign king of Israel” in 1:4). When God judges evildoers as they deserve, his sovereignty will be acknowledged.
33 tn Or “young rams”; NIV, NCV “sheep”; NLT “flocks.”
34 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and ruins, fatlings, resident aliens, will eat.” This part of the verse has occasioned various suggestions of emendation. The parallelism is tighter if the second line refers to animals grazing. The translation, “amid the ruins the fatlings and young sheep graze,” assumes an emendation of “resident aliens” (גָּרִים, garim) to “young goats/sheep” (גְּדַיִם, gÿdayim) – confusion of dalet and resh is quite common – and understands “fatlings” and “young sheep” taken as a compound subject or as in apposition as the subject of the verb. However, no emendations are necessary if the above translation is correct. The meaning of מֵחִים (mekhim) has a significant impact on one’s textual decision and translation. The noun can refer to a sacrificial (“fat”) animal as it does in its only other occurrence (Ps 66:15). However, it could signify the rich of the earth (“the fat ones of the earth”; Ps 22:29 [MT 30]) using a different word for “fatness” (דָּשֶׁן, dashen). If so, it serves a figurative reference to the rich. Consequently, the above translation coheres with the first half of the verse. Just as the sheep are out of place grazing in these places (“as in their pasture”), the sojourners would not have expected to have the chance to eat in these locations. Both animals and itinerant foreigners would eat in places not normal for them.
35 sn See the note at v. 8.
36 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “Woe to those who pull evil with the ropes of emptiness, and, as [with] ropes of a cart, sin.” Though several textual details are unclear, the basic idea is apparent. The sinners are so attached to their sinful ways (compared here to a heavy load) that they strain to drag them along behind them. If שָׁוְא (shavÿ’, “emptiness”) is retained, it makes a further comment on their lifestyle, denouncing it as one that is devoid of what is right and destined to lead to nothing but destruction. Because “emptiness” does not form a very tight parallel with “cart” in the next line, some emend שָׁוְא to שֶׂה (she, “sheep”) and עֲגָלָה (’agalah, “cart”) to עֵגֶל (’egel, “calf”): “Those who pull evil along with a sheep halter are as good as dead who pull sin with a calf rope” (following the lead of the LXX and improving the internal parallelism of the verse). In this case, the verse pictures the sinners pulling sin along behind them as one pulls an animal with a halter. For a discussion of this view, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:163, n. 1. Nevertheless, this emendation is unnecessary. The above translation emphasizes the folly of the Israelites who hold on to their sin (and its punishment) even while they hope for divine intervention.
37 tn Heb “let his work hurry, let it hasten.” The pronoun “his” refers to God, as the parallel line makes clear. The reference to his “work” alludes back to v. 12, which refers to his ‘work” of judgment. With these words the people challenged the prophet’s warning of approaching judgment. They were in essence saying that they saw no evidence that God was about to work in such a way.
38 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
39 tn Heb “draw near” (so NASB); NRSV “hasten to fulfillment.”
40 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who call.” See the note at v. 8.
41 sn In this verse the prophet denounces the perversion of moral standards. Darkness and bitterness are metaphors for evil; light and sweetness symbolize uprightness.
42 tn Heb “Woe [to] the wise in their own eyes.” See the note at v. 8.
43 tn Heb “[who] before their faces are understanding.”
44 tn The language used here is quite sarcastic and paves the way for the shocking description of the enemy army in vv. 25-30. The rich leaders of Judah are nothing but “party animals” who are totally incapable of withstanding real warriors.
45 tn Heb “Woe [to]….” See the note at v. 8.
46 tn Heb “and the just cause of the innocent ones they turn aside from him.”
47 tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.
48 sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.
49 tn Heb “the word.”
50 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
51 tn Heb “the anger of the Lord rages.”
52 tn Or “extends”; KJV, ASV “he hath stretched forth.”
53 tn Or “garbage” (NCV, CEV, NLT); NAB, NASB, NIV “refuse.”
54 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched.”
55 tc The Hebrew text has literally, “for nations from a distance.” The following verses use singular forms to describe this nation, so the final mem (ם) on לְגּוֹיִם (lÿgoyim) may be enclitic or dittographic. In the latter case one could read לְגוֹי מֵרָחוֹק (lÿgoy merakhoq, “for a nation from a distance”; see Deut 28:49; Joel 3:8). Another possibility is to emend the text from לַגּוֹיִם מֵרָחוֹק (laggoyim merakhoq) to לְגוֹי מִמֶּרְחָק (lÿgoy mimmerkhaq, “for a nation from a distant place”) a phrase which occurs in Jer 5:15. In this case an error of misdivision has occurred in MT, the mem of the prefixed preposition being accidentally taken as a plural ending on the preceding word.
56 tn Heb “he.” Singular forms are used throughout vv. 26-30 to describe this nation, but for stylistic reasons the translation uses the plural for these collective singulars.
57 tn Heb “and the belt on his waist is not opened, and the thong of his sandals is not torn in two.”
58 tn Heb “bent” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “are strung.”
59 tn Heb “regarded like flint.”
60 sn They are like a windstorm in their swift movement and in the way they kick up dust.
61 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
62 tn Heb “over it”; the referent (the prey) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
63 tn Heb “like the growling of the sea.”
64 tn Heb “and one will gaze toward the land, and look, darkness of distress, and light will grow dark by its [the land’s?] clouds.”
65 tn Heb “pass over my head.”
66 tc The consonantal text נשקד על פּשעי (nsqd ’l ps’y) is vocalized by the MT as נִשְׂקַד עֹל פְּשָׁעַי (nisqad ’ol pÿsha’ay, “my transgression is bound by a yoke”); but the ancient versions (LXX, Aramaic Targum, Latin Vulgate, Syriac Peshitta) and many medieval Hebrew
67 tc The MT reads עָלוּ (’alu, “they went up”), Qal perfect 3rd person common plural from עָלָה (’alah, “to go up”). However, several important recensions of the LXX reflect an alternate vocalization tradition: Lucian and Symmachus both reflect a Vorlage of עֻלּוֹ (’ullo, “his yoke”), the noun עֹל (’ol, “yoke”) + 3rd person masculine singular suffix. The Lucianic recension was aimed at bringing the LXX into closer conformity to the Hebrew; therefore, this is an important textual witness. Internal evidence favors the readings of Lucian and Symmachus as well: the entire stanza focuses on the repeated theme of the “yoke” of the
68 tn Heb “his yoke is upon my neck.”
69 tn Heb “he has caused my strength to stumble.” The phrase הִכְשִׁיל כֹּחִי (hikhshil kokhi, “He has made my strength stumble”) is an idiom that means “to weaken, make feeble.”
70 tc Here the MT reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”), the perpetual Qere reading for יהוה (YHWH, “Yahweh”), but a multitude of Hebrew
71 tn Heb “The
72 tn Heb “sons of Israel” (so NASB); KJV “children of Israel”; NAB, NRSV “people of Israel.”
73 tn The noun רִיב (riv, “dispute, lawsuit”) is used in two contexts: (1) nonlegal contexts: (a) “dispute” between individuals (e.g., Gen 13:7; Isa 58:1; Jer 15:10) or (b) “brawl; quarrel” between people (e.g., Exod 17:7; Deut 25:1); and (2) legal contexts: (a) “lawsuit; legal process” (e.g., Exod 23:3-6; Deut 19:17; 21:5; Ezek 44:24; Ps 35:23), (b) “lawsuit; legal case” (e.g., Deut 1:12; 17:8; Prov 18:17; 25:9), and (c) God’s “lawsuit” on behalf of a person or against his own people (Hos 4:1; 12:3; Mic 6:2; HALOT 1225-26 s.v. רִיב). The term in Hosea refers to a covenant lawsuit in which Yahweh the suzerain lodges a legal case against his disobedient vassal, accusing Israel and Judah of breach of covenant which will elicit the covenant curses.
74 tn Heb “with the inhabitants of the land” (so KJV); NAB, NASB, NRSV “against the inhabitants of the land.”
75 tn Heb “there is no truthfulness nor loyalty nor knowledge of God in the land.” Here “knowledge of God” refers to recognition of his authority and obedience to his will.
76 tn Heb “they break out and bloodshed touches bloodshed.” The Hebrew term פָּרַץ (parats, “to break out”) refers to violent and wicked actions (BDB 829 s.v. פָּרַץ 7; HALOT 972 s.v. פרץ 6.c). It is used elsewhere in a concrete sense to describe breaking through physical barriers. Here it is used figuratively to describe breaking moral barriers and restraints (cf. TEV “Crimes increase, and there is one murder after another”).
77 tn Or “languish” (so KJV, NRSV); NIV “waste away.”
78 tn Heb “the beasts of the field” (so NAB, NIV).
79 tn Or “Let no one contend or accuse.”
80 tc The MT reads וְעַמְּךָ כִּמְרִיבֵי כֹהֵן (vÿ’ammÿkha kimrive khohen): “And your people [are] like those who contend against the priest.” This is reflected in the LXX and the versions; however, it is syntactically awkward and makes little sense in context. Several textual critics suggest emending the text to read וְעִמְּךָ רִיבִי כֹהֵן (vÿ’immÿkha rivi khohen): “My contention is with/against you, O priest!” This involves (1) the revocalization of עַמְּךָ (“your people”) to עִמְּךָ (“with/against you”) and (2) positing dittography (a letter written twice instead of once) of כְּ (kaf) between original וְעַמְּךָ רִיבִי to create וְעַמְּךָ כִּרִיבִי (MT). The BHS editors suggest that the MT is corrupt and should be emended. However, the editors of the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project retain the MT reading with a “B” rating. Likewise, the English translations are split: (1) KJV “for thy people are as they that strive with the priest”; NASB “for your people are like those who contend with the priest”; NIV “for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest”; (2) RSV “for with you is my contention, O priest”; NJPS “for this your people has a grievance against [you], O priest!”; TEV “my complaint is against you priests”; CEV “My case is against you, the priests!”
81 tc The MT reads וְדָמִיתִי אִמֶּךָ (vÿdamiti ’immekha, “and I will destroy your mother”), and is followed by most English versions; however, the text should probably be emended to וְדָמִית עַמֶּךָ (vÿdamit ’ammekha, “and you have destroyed your own people”). The 2nd person masculine singular form וְדָמִית (vÿdamit, “and you have destroyed”) is preserved in several medieval Hebrew
82 sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).
83 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
84 tn Grk “all these things will come on this generation.”