Isaiah 1:16-19

1:16 ¹ Wash! Cleanse yourselves!

Remove your sinful deeds ² 

from my sight.

Stop sinning!

1:17 Learn to do what is right!

Promote justice!

Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! ³ 

Take up the cause of the orphan!

Defend the rights of the widow! ⁴ 

1:18 ⁵ Come, let’s consider your options,” ⁶  says the Lord.

“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,

you can become ⁷  white like snow;

though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,

you can become ⁸  white like wool. ⁹ 

1:19 If you have a willing attitude and obey, ¹⁰ 

then you will again eat the good crops of the land.

Isaiah 55:6-7

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ¹¹ 

call to him while he is nearby!

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ¹² 

and sinful people their plans. ¹³ 

They should return ¹⁴  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ¹⁵ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 58:6

58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. ¹⁷ 

I want you ¹⁸  to remove the sinful chains,

to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,

to set free the oppressed, ¹⁹ 

and to break every burdensome yoke.

Ezekiel 18:21-24

18:21 “But if the wicked person turns from all the sin he has committed and observes all my statutes and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. 18:22 None of the sins he has committed will be held ²⁰  against him; because of the righteousness he has done, he will live. 18:23 Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked, declares the sovereign Lord? Do I not prefer that he turn from his wicked conduct and live?

18:24 “But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing according to all the abominable practices the wicked carry out, will he live? All his righteous acts will not be remembered; because of the unfaithful acts he has done and the sin he has committed, he will die. ²¹ 

Ezekiel 18:27-28

18:27 When a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life. 18:28 Because he considered ²²  and turned from all the sins he had done, he will surely live; he will not die.

Ezekiel 18:30-32

18:30 “Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, ²³  O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent ²⁴  and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. ²⁵  18:31 Throw away all your sins you have committed and fashion yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! ²⁶  Why should you die, O house of Israel? 18:32 For I take no delight in the death of anyone, ²⁷  declares the sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

Ezekiel 33:11

33:11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior ²⁸  and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! ²⁹  Why should you die, O house of Israel?’

Daniel 4:27

4:27 Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps your prosperity will be prolonged.” ³⁰ 

Matthew 3:8

3:8 Therefore produce fruit ³¹  that proves your ³²  repentance,

Acts 3:19

3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

Acts 26:20

26:20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, ³³  and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, ³⁴  performing deeds consistent with ³⁵  repentance.

[1:16]  ¹ sn Having demonstrated the people’s guilt, the Lord calls them to repentance, which will involve concrete action in the socio-economic realm, not mere emotion.

[1:16]  ² sn This phrase refers to Israel’s covenant treachery (cf. Deut 28:10; Jer 4:4; 21:12; 23:2, 22; 25:5; 26:3; 44:22; Hos 9:15; Ps 28:4). In general, the noun ַמעַלְלֵיכֶם (ma’alleykhem) can simply be a reference to deeds, whether good or bad. However, Isaiah always uses it with a negative connotation (cf. 3:8, 10).

[1:17]  ³ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The translation assumes an emendation of חָמוֹץ (khamots, “oppressor [?]”) to חָמוּץ (khamuts, “oppressed”), a passive participle from II חָמַץ (khamats, “oppress”; HALOT 329 s.v. II חמץ) and takes the verb II אָשַׁר (’ashar) in the sense of “make happy” (the delocutive Piel, meaning “call/pronounce happy,” is metonymic here, referring to actually effecting happiness). The parallelism favors this interpretation, for the next two lines speak of positive actions on behalf of the destitute. The other option is to retain the MT pointing and translate, “set right the oppressor,” but the nuance “set right” is not clearly attested elsewhere for the verb I אשׁר. This verb does appear as a participle in Isa 3:12 and 9:16 with the meaning “to lead or guide.” If it can mean to “lead” or “rebuke/redirect” in this verse, the prophet could be contrasting this appeal for societal reformation (v. 17c) with a command to reorder their personal lives (v. 17a-b). J. A. Motyer (The Prophecy of Isaiah, 47) suggests that these three statements (v. 17a-c) provide “the contrast between the two ends of imperfect society, the oppressor and the needy, the one inflicting and the other suffering the hurt. Isaiah looks for a transformed society wherever it needs transforming.”

[1:17]  ⁴ tn This word refers to a woman who has lost her husband, by death or divorce. The orphan and widow are often mentioned in the OT as epitomizing the helpless and impoverished who have been left without the necessities of life due to the loss of a family provider.

[1:18]  ⁵ sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).

[1:18]  ⁶ tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.

[1:18]  ⁷ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ⁸ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.

[1:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “listen”; KJV “obedient”; NASB “If you consent and obey.”

[55:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.

[55:7]  ¹² tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ¹⁵ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ¹⁶ sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.

[58:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[58:6]  ¹⁸ tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:6]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “crushed.”

[18:22]  ²⁰ tn Heb “remembered.”

[18:24]  ²¹ tn Heb “because of them he will die.”

[18:28]  ²² tn Heb “he saw.”

[18:30]  ²³ tn Heb “ways.”

[18:30]  ²⁴ tn The verbs and persons in this verse are plural whereas the individual has been the subject of the chapter.

[18:30]  ²⁵ tn Or “leading to punishment.”

[18:31]  ²⁶ sn In Ezek 11:19, 36:26 the new heart and new spirit are promised as future blessings.

[18:32]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the death of the one dying.”

[33:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “turn from his way.”

[33:11]  ²⁹ tn Heb “ways.” This same word is translated “behavior” earlier in the verse.

[4:27]  ³⁰ tn Aram “if there may be a lengthening to your prosperity.”

[3:8]  ³¹ sn Fruit worthy of repentance refers to the deeds that indicate a change of attitude (heart) on the part of John’s hearers.

[3:8]  ³² tn Grk “fruit worthy of.”

[26:20]  ³³ tn BDAG 1093-94 s.v. χώρα 2.b states, “of the provincial name (1 Macc 8:3) ἡ χώρα τῆς ᾿Ιουδαίας Ac 26:20.”

[26:20]  ³⁴ sn That they should repent and turn to God. This is the shortest summary of Paul’s message that he preached.

[26:20]  ³⁵ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b, “καρποὶ ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας fruits in keeping with your repentance…Lk 3:8; Mt 3:8. For this ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα Ac 26:20.” Note how Paul preached the gospel offer and the issue of response together, side by side.