Isaiah 14:1

14:1 The Lord will certainly have compassion on Jacob; ¹  he will again choose Israel as his special people ²  and restore ³  them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family ⁴  of Jacob.

Isaiah 30:18

The Lord Will Not Abandon His People

30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;

he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. ⁵ 

Indeed, the Lord is a just God;

all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. ⁶ 

Isaiah 49:10

49:10 They will not be hungry or thirsty;

the sun’s oppressive heat will not beat down on them, ⁷ 

for one who has compassion on them will guide them;

he will lead them to springs of water.

Isaiah 49:13

49:13 Shout for joy, O sky! ⁸ 

Rejoice, O earth!

Let the mountains give a joyful shout!

For the Lord consoles his people

and shows compassion to the ⁹  oppressed.

Isaiah 54:10

54:10 Even if the mountains are removed

and the hills displaced,

my devotion will not be removed from you,

nor will my covenant of friendship ¹⁰  be displaced,”

says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 55:7

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ¹¹ 

and sinful people their plans. ¹² 

They should return ¹³  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ¹⁴ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ¹⁵ 

[14:1]  ¹ tn The sentence begins with כִּי (ki), which is understood as asseverative (“certainly”) in the translation. Another option is to translate, “For the Lord will have compassion.” In this case one of the reasons for Babylon’s coming demise (13:22b) is the Lord’s desire to restore his people.

[14:1]  ² tn The words “as his special people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:1]  ³ tn Or “settle” (NASB, NIV, NCV, NLT).

[14:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “house.”

[30:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.

[30:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”

[49:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the heat and the sun will not strike them.” In Isa 35:7, its only other occurrence in the OT, שָׁרָב (sharav) stands parallel to “parched ground” and in contrast to “pool.” In later Hebrew and Aramaic it refers to “dry heat, heat of the sun” (Jastrow 1627 s.v.). Here it likely has this nuance and forms a hendiadys with “sun.”

[49:13]  ¹³ tn Or “O heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[49:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “his” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[54:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”

[55:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ²² tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ²³ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ²⁴ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ²⁵ 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.