31:12 They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion.
They will be radiant with joy 1 over the good things the Lord provides,
the grain, the fresh wine, the olive oil,
the young sheep and calves he has given to them.
They will be like a well-watered garden
and will not grow faint or weary any more.
31:13 The Lord says, 2 “At that time young women will dance and be glad.
Young men and old men will rejoice. 3
I will turn their grief into gladness.
I will give them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow.
31:14 I will provide the priests with abundant provisions. 4
My people will be filled to the full with the good things I provide.”
“For he is good;
his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”
All the people gave a loud 6 shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders 7 – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established 8 – were weeping loudly, 9 and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 3:13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly 10 that the sound was heard a long way off.
12:1 At that time 17 you will say:
“I praise you, O Lord,
for even though you were angry with me,
your anger subsided, and you consoled me.
12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! 18
I will trust in him 19 and not fear.
For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; 20
he has become my deliverer.” 21
12:3 Joyfully you will draw water
from the springs of deliverance. 22
12:4 At that time 23 you will say:
“Praise the Lord!
Ask him for help! 24
Publicize his mighty acts among the nations!
Make it known that he is unique! 25
12:5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things,
let this be known 26 throughout the earth!
12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel 27 acts mightily 28 among you!”
51:11 Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return;
they will enter Zion with a happy shout.
Unending joy will crown them, 29
happiness and joy will overwhelm 30 them;
grief and suffering will disappear. 31
52:9 In unison give a joyful shout,
O ruins of Jerusalem!
For the Lord consoles his people;
he protects 32 Jerusalem.
3:14 Shout for joy, Daughter Zion! 33
Shout out, Israel!
Be happy and boast with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
1 tn Reading a Qal perfect from the root II נָהַר (nahar; so KBL 509 s.v. and HALOT 639 s.v.) rather than I נָהַר (so BDB 625 s.v.).
2 tn Heb “Oracle of the
3 tc The translation follows the reading of the LXX (Greek version). The Hebrew reads “will dance and be glad, young men and old men together.” The Greek version presupposes a Qal imperfect of a rare verb (יַחְדּוּ [yakhdu] from the verb חָדָה [khadah]; see BDB 292 s.v. II חָדָה Qal) as opposed to the Hebrew text which reads a common adverb יַחְדָּו (yakhdav). The consonantal text is the same but the vocalization is different. There are no other examples of the syntax of the adverb used this way (i.e., of a compound subject added to a third subject) and the vocalization of the Hebrew text can be explained on the basis of a scribe misvocalizing the text based on his greater familiarity with the adverb.
4 tn Heb “I will satiate the priests with fat.” However, the word translated “fat” refers literally to the fat ashes of the sacrifices (see Lev 1:16; 4:2 and cf. BDB 206 s.v. דֶּשֶׁן 2. The word is used more abstractly for “abundance” or “rich food” (see Job 36:16 and BDB 206 s.v. דֶּשֶׁן 1). The people and the priests were prohibited from eating the fat (Lev 7:23-24).
5 tn Heb “they answered.”
6 tn Heb “great.”
7 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
8 sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586
9 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
10 tn Heb “a great shout.”
11 tn Heb “heart.”
12 sn The expression “king of Assyria” is anachronistic, since Assyria fell in 612
13 tn Heb “to strengthen their hands.”
14 tn Heb “to send portions.”
15 tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
16 tn Heb “to make great joy.”
17 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
18 tn Or “salvation” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).
19 tn The words “in him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
20 tc The Hebrew text has, “for my strength and protection [is] the Lord, the Lord (Heb “Yah, Yahweh).” The word יְהוָה (yehvah) is probably dittographic or explanatory here (note that the short form of the name [יָהּ, yah] precedes, and that the graphically similar וַיְהִי [vayÿhi] follows). Exod 15:2, the passage from which the words of v. 2b are taken, has only יָהּ. The word זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song,” in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing); note that in v. 5 the verb זָמַר (zamar, “sing”) appears. Many recent commentators, however, have argued that the noun is here instead a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v. III *זמר.
21 tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “my savior.”
22 tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); CEV “victory.”
23 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
24 tn Heb “call in his name,” i.e., “invoke his name.”
25 tn Heb “bring to remembrance that his name is exalted.” The Lord’s “name” stands here for his character and reputation.
26 tc The translation follows the marginal reading (Qere), which is a Hophal participle from יָדַע (yada’), understood here in a gerundive sense.
27 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
28 tn Or “is great” (TEV). However, the context emphasizes his mighty acts of deliverance (cf. NCV), not some general or vague character quality.
29 tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.
30 tn Heb “overtake” (so NIV); NASB “they will obtain.”
31 tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee.”
32 tn Or “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.
33 sn This phrase is used as an epithet for the city and the nation. “Daughter” may seem extraneous in English but consciously joins the various epithets and metaphors of Israel and Jerusalem as a woman, a device used to evoke sympathy from the reader.
34 sn The fasts of the fifth and seventh months, mentioned previously (7:5), are listed here along with the observances of the fourth and tenth months. The latter commemorated the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians on January 15, 588
35 sn This expostulation best fits the whole preceding description of God’s eschatological work on behalf of his people. His goodness is especially evident in his nurturing of the young men and women of his kingdom.