Isaiah 11:5

11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,

integrity will be like a belt around his hips. ¹ 

Isaiah 1:21

Purifying Judgment

1:21 How tragic that the once-faithful city

has become a prostitute! ² 

She was once a center of ³  justice,

fairness resided in her,

but now only murderers. ⁴ 

Isaiah 26:10

26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,

they do not learn about justice. ⁵ 

Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; ⁶ 

they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.

Isaiah 16:5

16:5 Then a trustworthy king will be established;

he will rule in a reliable manner,

this one from David’s family. ⁷ 

He will be sure to make just decisions

and will be experienced in executing justice. ⁸ 

Isaiah 26:9

26:9 I ⁹  look for ¹⁰  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. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 41:2

41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? ¹² 

Who ¹³  officially commissions him for service? ¹⁴ 

He hands nations over to him, ¹⁵ 

and enables him to subdue ¹⁶  kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

like windblown straw with his bow. ¹⁷ 

Isaiah 45:8

45:8 O sky, rain down from above!

Let the clouds send down showers ¹⁸  of deliverance!

Let the earth absorb it ¹⁹  so salvation may grow, ²⁰ 

and deliverance may sprout up ²¹  along with it.

I, the Lord, create it. ²² 

Isaiah 45:19

45:19 I have not spoken in secret,

in some hidden place. ²³ 

I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,

‘Seek me in vain!’ ²⁴ 

I am the Lord,

the one who speaks honestly,

who makes reliable announcements. ²⁵ 

Isaiah 51:1

There is Hope for the Future

51:1 “Listen to me, you who pursue godliness, ²⁶ 

who seek the Lord!

Look at the rock from which you were chiseled,

at the quarry ²⁷  from which you were dug! ²⁸ 

Isaiah 51:7

51:7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,

you people who are aware of my law! ²⁹ 

Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;

don’t be discouraged because of their abuse!

Isaiah 64:5

64:5 You assist ³⁰  those who delight in doing what is right, ³¹ 

who observe your commandments. ³² 

Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.

How then can we be saved? ³³ 

Isaiah 58:2

58:2 They seek me day after day;

they want to know my requirements, ³⁴ 

like a nation that does what is right

and does not reject the law of their God.

They ask me for just decrees;

they want to be near God.

[11:5]  ¹ tn Heb “Justice will be the belt [or “undergarment”] on his waist, integrity the belt [or “undergarment”] on his hips.” The point of the metaphor is uncertain. If a belt worn outside the robe is in view, then the point might be that justice/integrity will be readily visible or that these qualities will give support to his rule. If an undergarment is in view, then the idea might be that these characteristics support his rule or that they are basic to everything else.

[1:21]  ² tn Heb “How she has become a prostitute, the faithful city!” The exclamatory אֵיכָה (’ekhah, “how!”) is used several times as the beginning of a lament (see Lam 1:1; 2;1; 4:1-2). Unlike a number of other OT passages that link references to Israel’s harlotry to idolatry, Isaiah here makes the connection with social and moral violations.

[1:21]  ³ tn Heb “filled with.”

[1:21]  ⁴ tn Or “assassins.” This refers to the oppressive rich and/or their henchmen. R. Ortlund (Whoredom, 78) posits that it serves as a synecdoche for all varieties of criminals, the worst being mentioned to imply all lesser ones. Since Isaiah often addressed his strongest rebuke to the rulers and leaders of Israel, he may have in mind the officials who bore the responsibility to uphold justice and righteousness.

[26:10]  ³ tn As in verse 9b, 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, “they do not learn to live in a righteous manner.”

[26:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”

[16:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and a throne will be established in faithfulness, and he will sit on it in reliability, in the tent of David.”

[16:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “one who judges and seeks justice, and one experienced in fairness.” Many understand מְהִר (mÿhir) to mean “quick, prompt” (see BDB 555 s.v. מָהִיר), but HALOT 552 s.v. מָהִיר offers the meaning “skillful, experienced,” and translates the phrase in v. 5 “zealous for what is right.”

[26:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “with my soul I.” This is a figure for the speaker himself (“I”).

[26:9]  ⁶ tn Or “long for, desire.” The speaker acknowledges that he is eager to see God come in judgment (see vv. 8, 9b).

[26:9]  ⁷ 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).

[41:2]  ⁶ sn The expression this one from the east refers to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, as later texts indicate (see 44:28-45:6; 46:11; 48:14-16).

[41:2]  ⁷ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.

[41:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”

[41:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”

[41:2]  ¹⁰ tn The verb יַרְדְּ (yardÿ) is an otherwise unattested Hiphil form from רָדָה (radah, “rule”). But the Hiphil makes no sense with “kings” as object; one must understand an ellipsis and supply “him” (Cyrus) as the object. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has יוֹרִד (yorid), which appears to be a Hiphil form from יָרַד (yarad, “go down”). Others suggest reading יָרֹד (yarod), a Qal form from רָדַד (radad, “beat down”).

[41:2]  ¹¹ sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.

[45:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”

[45:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”

[45:8]  ⁹ tc The plural verb should be emended to a singular form. The vav (ו) ending is probably virtually dittographic (note the yod at the beginning of the following word).

[45:8]  ¹⁰ tc The Hiphil verb form (תַצְמִיחַ, tatsmiakh) should probably be emended to a Qal (תִצְמַח, titsmakh). The יח sequence at the end of the form is probably due to dittography (note the following יַחַד, yakhad).

[45:8]  ¹¹ tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yasha’, “salvation”).

[45:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”

[45:19]  ⁹ tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”

[45:19]  ¹⁰ tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”

[51:1]  ⁹ tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “justice”; NLT “hope for deliverance.”

[51:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the excavation of the hole.”

[51:1]  ¹¹ sn The “rock” and “quarry” refer here to Abraham and Sarah, the progenitors of the nation.

[51:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “people (who have) my law in their heart.”

[64:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “meet [with kindness].”

[64:5]  ¹² tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.”

[64:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.”

[64:5]  ¹⁴ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context – God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirsha’, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above).

[58:2]  ¹² tn Heb “ways” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV); NLT “my laws.”