Isaiah 1:20

1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,

you will be devoured ¹  by the sword.”

Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. ² 

Isaiah 25:5

25:5 like heat ³  in a dry land,

you humble the boasting foreigners. ⁴ 

Just as the shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, ⁵ 

so he causes the song of tyrants to cease. ⁶ 

Isaiah 60:12

60:12 Indeed, ⁷  nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;

such nations will be totally destroyed. ⁸ 

Isaiah 61:4

61:4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins

and restore the places that were desolate; ⁹ 

they will reestablish the ruined cities,

the places that have been desolate since ancient times.

[1:20]  ¹ sn The wordplay in the Hebrew draws attention to the options. The people can obey, in which case they will “eat” v. 19 (תֹּאכֵלוּ [to’khelu], Qal active participle of אָכַל) God’s blessing, or they can disobey, in which case they will be devoured (Heb “eaten,” תְּאֻכְּלוּ, [tÿ’ukkÿlu], Qal passive/Pual of אָכַל) by God’s judgment.

[1:20]  ² tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the option chosen by the people will become reality (it is guaranteed by the divine word).

[25:5]  ³ tn Or “drought” (TEV).

[25:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “the tumult of foreigners.”

[25:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “[like] heat in the shadow of a cloud.”

[25:5]  ⁶ tn The translation assumes that the verb יַעֲנֶה (ya’aneh) is a Hiphil imperfect from עָנָה (’anah, “be afflicted, humiliated”). In this context with “song” as object it means to “quiet” (see HALOT 853-54 s.v. II ענה). Some prefer to emend the form to the second person singular, so that it will agree with the second person verb earlier in the verse. BDB 776 s.v. III עָנָה Qal.1 understands the form as Qal, with “song” as subject, in which case one might translate “the song of tyrants will be silent.” An emendation of the form to a Niphal (יֵעָנֶה, ye’aneh) would yield the same translation.

[60:12]  ⁵ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”

[60:12]  ⁶ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[61:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”