Discovery BoxIsaiah 14:1--43:12
Context14:1 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. 14:2 Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Jacob will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the Lord’s land. 5 They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them. 14:3 When the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, 6 and from the hard labor which you were made to perform, 14:4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: 7
“Look how the oppressor has met his end!
Hostility 8 has ceased!
14:5 The Lord has broken the club of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers.
14:6 It 9 furiously struck down nations
with unceasing blows. 10
It angrily ruled over nations,
oppressing them without restraint. 11
14:7 The whole earth rests and is quiet;
they break into song.
14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, 12
as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, 13
‘Since you fell asleep, 14
no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’ 15
14:9 Sheol 16 below is stirred up about you,
ready to meet you when you arrive.
It rouses 17 the spirits of the dead for you,
all the former leaders of the earth; 18
it makes all the former kings of the nations
rise from their thrones. 19
14:10 All of them respond to you, saying:
‘You too have become weak like us!
You have become just like us!
14:11 Your splendor 20 has been brought down to Sheol,
as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. 21
You lie on a bed of maggots,
with a blanket of worms over you. 22
14:12 Look how you have fallen from the sky,
O shining one, son of the dawn! 23
You have been cut down to the ground,
O conqueror 24 of the nations! 25
14:13 You said to yourself, 26
“I will climb up to the sky.
Above the stars of El 27
I will set up my throne.
I will rule on the mountain of assembly
on the remote slopes of Zaphon. 28
14:14 I will climb up to the tops 29 of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High!” 30
14:15 But you were brought down 31 to Sheol,
to the remote slopes of the pit. 32
14:16 Those who see you stare at you,
they look at you carefully, thinking: 33
“Is this the man who shook the earth,
the one who made kingdoms tremble?
14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert,
who ruined its 34 cities,
and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’ 35
14:18 36 As for all the kings of the nations,
all of them 37 lie down in splendor, 38
each in his own tomb. 39
14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave
like a shoot that is thrown away. 40
You lie among 41 the slain,
among those who have been slashed by the sword,
among those headed for 42 the stones of the pit, 43
as if you were a mangled corpse. 44
14:20 You will not be buried with them, 45
because you destroyed your land
and killed your people.
The offspring of the wicked
will never be mentioned again.
14:21 Prepare to execute 46 his sons
for the sins their ancestors have committed. 47
They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,
or fill the surface of the world with cities.” 48
14:22 “I will rise up against them,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
“I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, 49
including the offspring she produces,” 50
says the Lord.
14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals 51
and covered with pools of stagnant water.
I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” 52
says the Lord who commands armies.
14:24 53 The Lord who commands armies makes this solemn vow:
“Be sure of this:
Just as I have intended, so it will be;
just as I have planned, it will happen.
14:25 I will break Assyria 54 in my land,
I will trample them 55 underfoot on my hills.
Their yoke will be removed from my people,
the burden will be lifted from their shoulders. 56
14:26 This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth;
my hand is ready to strike all the nations.” 57
14:27 Indeed, 58 the Lord who commands armies has a plan,
and who can possibly frustrate it?
His hand is ready to strike,
and who can possibly stop it? 59
14:28 In the year King Ahaz died, 60 this message was revealed: 61
14:29 Don’t be so happy, all you Philistines,
just because the club that beat you has been broken! 62
For a viper will grow out of the serpent’s root,
and its fruit will be a darting adder. 63
14:30 The poor will graze in my pastures; 64
the needy will rest securely.
But I will kill your root by famine;
it will put to death all your survivors. 65
14:31 Wail, O city gate!
Cry out, O city!
Melt with fear, 66 all you Philistines!
For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke,
and there are no stragglers in its ranks. 67
14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? 68
Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure;
the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.
15:1 Here is a message about Moab:
Indeed, in a night it is devastated,
Ar of Moab is destroyed!
Indeed, in a night it is devastated,
Kir of Moab is destroyed!
15:2 They went up to the temple, 69
the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. 70
Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, 71 Moab wails.
Every head is shaved bare,
every beard is trimmed off. 72
15:3 In their streets they wear sackcloth;
on their roofs and in their town squares
all of them wail,
they fall down weeping.
15:4 The people of 73 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out,
their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz.
For this reason Moab’s soldiers shout in distress;
their courage wavers. 74
15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, 75
and for the fugitives 76 stretched out 77 as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah.
For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith;
they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim. 78
15:6 For the waters of Nimrim are gone; 79
the grass is dried up,
the vegetation has disappeared,
and there are no plants.
15:7 For this reason what they have made and stored up,
they carry over the Stream of the Poplars.
15:8 Indeed, the cries of distress echo throughout Moabite territory;
their wailing can be heard in Eglaim and Beer Elim. 80
15:9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon 81 are full of blood!
Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. 82
A lion will attack 83 the Moabite fugitives
and the people left in the land.
16:1 Send rams as tribute to the ruler of the land, 84
from Sela in the desert 85
to the hill of Daughter Zion.
16:2 At the fords of the Arnon 86
the Moabite women are like a bird
that flies about when forced from its nest. 87
16:3 “Bring a plan, make a decision! 88
Provide some shade in the middle of the day! 89
Hide the fugitives! Do not betray 90 the one who tries to escape!
16:4 Please let the Moabite fugitives live 91 among you.
Hide them 92 from the destroyer!”
Certainly 93 the one who applies pressure will cease, 94
the destroyer will come to an end,
those who trample will disappear 95 from the earth.
16:5 Then a trustworthy king will be established;
he will rule in a reliable manner,
this one from David’s family. 96
He will be sure to make just decisions
and will be experienced in executing justice. 97
16:6 We have heard about Moab’s pride,
their great arrogance,
their boasting, pride, and excess. 98
But their boastful claims are empty! 99
16:7 So Moab wails over its demise 100 –
they all wail!
Completely devastated, they moan
about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth. 101
16:8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up,
as well as the vines of Sibmah.
The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines,
which reach Jazer and spread to the desert;
their shoots spread out and cross the sea.
16:9 So I weep along with Jazer 102
over the vines of Sibmah.
I will saturate you 103 with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh,
for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly
over your fruit and crops. 104
16:10 Joy and happiness disappear from the orchards,
and in the vineyards no one rejoices or shouts;
no one treads out juice in the wine vats 105 –
I have brought the joyful shouts to an end. 106
16:11 So my heart constantly sighs for Moab, like the strumming of a harp, 107
my inner being sighs 108 for Kir Hareseth. 109
16:12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, 110
and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective! 111
16:13 This is the message the Lord previously announced about Moab. 16:14 Now the Lord makes this announcement: “Within exactly three years 112 Moab’s splendor will disappear, along with all her many people; there will be just a few, insignificant survivors left.” 113
17:1 Here is a message about Damascus:
“Look, Damascus is no longer a city,
it is a heap of ruins!
17:2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned. 114
They will be used for herds,
which will lie down there in peace. 115
17:3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,
and Damascus will lose its kingdom. 116
The survivors in Syria
will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
Jacob’s splendor will be greatly diminished, 118
and he will become skin and bones. 119
17:5 It will be as when one gathers the grain harvest,
and his hand gleans the ear of grain.
It will be like one gathering the ears of grain
in the Valley of Rephaim.
17:6 There will be some left behind,
like when an olive tree is beaten –
two or three ripe olives remain toward the very top,
four or five on its fruitful branches,”
says the Lord God of Israel.
17:7 At that time 120 men will trust in their creator; 121
they will depend on 122 the Holy One of Israel. 123
17:8 They will no longer trust in 124 the altars their hands made,
or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made. 125
17:9 At that time 126 their fortified cities will be
like the abandoned summits of the Amorites, 127
which they abandoned because of the Israelites;
there will be desolation.
17:10 For you ignore 128 the God who rescues you;
you pay no attention to your strong protector. 129
So this is what happens:
You cultivate beautiful plants
and plant exotic vines. 130
17:11 The day you begin cultivating, you do what you can to make it grow; 131
the morning you begin planting, you do what you can to make it sprout.
Yet the harvest will disappear 132 in the day of disease
and incurable pain.
17:12 The many nations massing together are as good as dead, 133
those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea’s waves. 134
The people making such an uproar are as good as dead, 135
those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves. 136
17:13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, 137
when he shouts at 138 them, they will flee to a distant land,
driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills,
or like dead thistles 139 before a strong gale.
17:14 In the evening there is sudden terror; 140
by morning they vanish. 141
This is the fate of those who try to plunder us,
the destiny of those who try to loot us! 142
18:1 The land of buzzing wings is as good as dead, 143
the one beyond the rivers of Cush,
18:2 that sends messengers by sea,
who glide over the water’s surface in boats made of papyrus.
Go, you swift messengers,
to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people, 144
to a people that are feared far and wide, 145
to a nation strong and victorious, 146
whose land rivers divide. 147
18:3 All you who live in the world,
who reside on the earth,
you will see a signal flag raised on the mountains;
you will hear a trumpet being blown.
18:4 For this is what the Lord has told me:
“I will wait 148 and watch from my place,
like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, 149
like a cloud of mist 150 in the heat 151 of harvest.” 152
18:5 For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted,
and the ripening fruit appears, 153
he will cut off the unproductive shoots 154 with pruning knives;
he will prune the tendrils. 155
18:6 They will all be left 156 for the birds of the hills
and the wild animals; 157
the birds will eat them during the summer,
and all the wild animals will eat them during the winter.
18:7 At that time
tribute will be brought to the Lord who commands armies,
by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned,
a people that are feared far and wide,
a nation strong and victorious,
whose land rivers divide. 158
The tribute 159 will be brought to the place where the Lord who commands armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion. 160
19:1 Here is a message about Egypt:
Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud
and approaches Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him;
the Egyptians lose their courage. 161
19:2 “I will provoke civil strife in Egypt, 162
brothers will fight with each other,
as will neighbors,
cities, and kingdoms. 163
19:3 The Egyptians will panic, 164
and I will confuse their strategy. 165
They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead,
from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians. 166
19:4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master;
a powerful king will rule over them,”
says the sovereign master, 167 the Lord who commands armies.
19:5 The water of the sea will be dried up,
and the river will dry up and be empty. 168
19:6 The canals 169 will stink; 170
the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up;
the bulrushes and reeds will decay,
19:7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river. 171
All the cultivated land near the river
will turn to dust and be blown away. 172
19:8 The fishermen will mourn and lament,
all those who cast a fishhook into the river,
and those who spread out a net on the water’s surface will grieve. 173
19:9 Those who make clothes from combed flax will be embarrassed;
those who weave will turn pale. 174
19:10 Those who make cloth 175 will be demoralized; 176
all the hired workers will be depressed. 177
19:11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; 178
Pharaoh’s wise advisers give stupid advice.
How dare you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one of the sages,
one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?” 179
19:12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? 180
Let them tell you, let them find out
what the Lord who commands armies has planned for Egypt.
19:13 The officials of Zoan are fools,
the officials of Memphis 181 are misled;
the rulers 182 of her tribes lead Egypt astray.
19:14 The Lord has made them undiscerning; 183
they lead Egypt astray in all she does,
so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit. 184
19:15 Egypt will not be able to do a thing,
head or tail, shoots and stalk. 185
19:16 At that time 186 the Egyptians 187 will be like women. 188 They will tremble and fear because the Lord who commands armies brandishes his fist against them. 189 19:17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord who commands armies is planning to do to them. 190
19:18 At that time five cities 191 in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord who commands armies. One will be called the City of the Sun. 192 19:19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, as well as a sacred pillar 193 dedicated to the Lord at its border. 19:20 It 194 will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of 195 the Lord who commands armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender 196 who will rescue them. 19:21 The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they 197 will acknowledge the Lord’s authority 198 at that time. 199 They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. 19:22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their prayers 200 and heal them.
19:23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 201 19:24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing 202 in the earth. 203 19:25 The Lord who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, 204 “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, 205 Israel!”
20:1 The Lord revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and captured it. 206 20:2 At that time the Lord announced through 207 Isaiah son of Amoz: “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and take your sandals off your feet.” He did as instructed and walked around in undergarments 208 and barefoot. 20:3 Later the Lord explained, “In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush, 20:4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old. They will be in undergarments and barefoot, with the buttocks exposed; the Egyptians will be publicly humiliated. 209 20:5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and embarrassed. 210 20:6 At that time 211 those who live on this coast 212 will say, ‘Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’”
21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: 213
Like strong winds blowing in the south, 214
one invades from the desert,
from a land that is feared.
21:2 I have received a distressing message: 215
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning!” 216
21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; 217
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed 218 by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
I shake in fear; 220
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
21:5 Arrange the table,
lay out 221 the carpet,
eat and drink! 222
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields! 223
21:6 For this is what the sovereign master 224 has told me:
“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
21:7 When he sees chariots,
teams of horses, 225
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
21:8 Then the guard 226 cries out:
“On the watchtower, O sovereign master, 227
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
21:9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.” 228
When questioned, he replies, 229
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
21:10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, 230
what I have heard
from the Lord who commands armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.
21:11 Here is a message about Dumah: 231
Someone calls to me from Seir, 232
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?” 233
21:12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night. 234
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.” 235
21:13 Here is a message about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
21:14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
21:15 For they flee from the swords –
from the drawn sword
and from the battle-ready bow
and from the severity of the battle.
21:16 For this is what the sovereign master 236 has told me: “Within exactly one year 237 all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 21:17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.” 238 Indeed, 239 the Lord God of Israel has spoken.
22:1 Here is a message about the Valley of Vision: 240
What is the reason 241
that all of you go up to the rooftops?
22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;
the town is filled with revelry. 242
Your slain were not cut down by the sword;
they did not die in battle. 243
22:3 244 All your leaders ran away together –
they fled to a distant place;
all your refugees 245 were captured together –
they were captured without a single arrow being shot. 246
22:4 So I say:
“Don’t look at me! 247
I am weeping bitterly.
Don’t try 248 to console me
concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.” 249
22:5 For the sovereign master, 250 the Lord who commands armies,
has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. 251
In the Valley of Vision 252 people shout 253
and cry out to the hill. 254
22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,
and came with chariots and horsemen; 255
the men of Kir 256 prepared 257 the shield. 258
22:7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots; 259
horsemen confidently took their positions 260 at the gate.
22:8 They 261 removed the defenses 262 of Judah.
At that time 263 you looked
for the weapons in the House of the Forest. 264
22:9 You saw the many breaks
in the walls of the city of David; 265
you stored up water in the lower pool.
22:10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem, 266
and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall. 267
22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool –
but you did not trust in 268 the one who made it; 269
you did not depend on 270 the one who formed it long ago!
22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning,
for shaved heads and sackcloth. 271
22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! 272
You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,
eat meat and drink wine.
Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 273
22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: 274 “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” 275 says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.
22:15 This is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says:
“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, 276 and tell him: 277
22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? 278
Why 279 do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here?
He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place,
he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
22:17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away, 280 you mere man! 281
He will wrap you up tightly. 282
22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball
and throw you into a wide, open land. 283
There you will die,
and there with you will be your impressive chariots, 284
which bring disgrace to the house of your master. 285
22:19 I will remove you from 286 your office;
you will be thrown down 287 from your position.
22:20 “At that time 288 I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. 289 He will become a protector of 290 the residents of Jerusalem and of the people 291 of Judah. 22:22 I will place the key 292 to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 22:23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; 293 he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family. 294 22:24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, 295 including the offspring and the offshoots. 296 All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.’ 297
22:25 “At that time,” 298 says the Lord who commands armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” 299 Indeed, 300 the Lord has spoken.
23:1 Here is a message about Tyre:
Wail, you large ships, 301
for the port is too devastated to enter! 302
From the land of Cyprus 303 this news is announced to them.
23:2 Lament, 304 you residents of the coast,
you merchants of Sidon 305 who travel over the sea,
whose agents sail over 23:3 the deep waters! 306
Grain from the Shihor region, 307
crops grown near the Nile 308 she receives; 309
she is the trade center 310 of the nations.
23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon,
for the sea 311 says this, O fortress of the sea:
“I have not gone into labor
or given birth;
I have not raised young men
or brought up young women.” 312
23:5 When the news reaches Egypt,
they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre. 313
23:6 Travel to Tarshish!
Wail, you residents of the coast!
23:7 Is this really your boisterous city 314
whose origins are in the distant past, 315
and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?
23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, 316
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are the dignitaries 317 of the earth?
23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it –
to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, 318
to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.
23:10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile;
there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre. 319
23:11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, 320
he shook kingdoms;
he 321 gave the order
to destroy Canaan’s fortresses. 322
23:12 He said,
“You will no longer celebrate,
oppressed 323 virgin daughter Sidon!
Get up, travel to Cyprus,
but you will find no relief there.” 324
23:13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans,
these people who have lost their identity! 325
The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals.
They erected their siege towers, 326
demolished 327 its fortresses,
and turned it into a heap of ruins. 328
23:14 Wail, you large ships, 329
for your fortress is destroyed!
23:15 At that time 330 Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, 331 the typical life span of a king. 332 At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song: 333
23:16 “Take the harp,
go through the city,
forgotten prostitute!
Play it well,
play lots of songs,
so you’ll be noticed!” 334
23:17 At the end of seventy years 335 the Lord will revive 336 Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms. 337 23:18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes. 338
24:1 Look, the Lord is ready to devastate the earth
and leave it in ruins;
he will mar its surface
and scatter its inhabitants.
24:2 Everyone will suffer – the priest as well as the people, 339
the master as well as the servant, 340
the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, 341
the seller as well as the buyer, 342
the borrower as well as the lender, 343
the creditor as well as the debtor. 344
24:3 The earth will be completely devastated
and thoroughly ransacked.
For the Lord has decreed this judgment. 345
24:4 The earth 346 dries up 347 and withers,
the world shrivels up and withers;
the prominent people of the earth 348 fade away.
24:5 The earth is defiled by 349 its inhabitants, 350
for they have violated laws,
disregarded the regulation, 351
and broken the permanent treaty. 352
24:6 So a treaty curse 353 devours the earth;
its inhabitants pay for their guilt. 354
This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, 355
and are reduced to just a handful of people. 356
24:7 The new wine dries up,
the vines shrivel up,
all those who like to celebrate 357 groan.
24:8 The happy sound 358 of the tambourines stops,
the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,
the happy sound of the harp ceases.
24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; 359
the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.
24:10 The ruined town 360 is shattered;
all of the houses are shut up tight. 361
24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; 362
all joy turns to sorrow; 363
celebrations disappear from the earth. 364
24:12 The city is left in ruins; 365
the gate is reduced to rubble. 366
24:13 This is what will happen throughout 367 the earth,
among the nations.
It will be like when they beat an olive tree,
and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest. 368
24:14 They 369 lift their voices and shout joyfully;
they praise 370 the majesty of the Lord in the west.
24:15 So in the east 371 extol the Lord,
along the seacoasts extol 372 the fame 373 of the Lord God of Israel.
24:16 From the ends of the earth we 374 hear songs –
the Just One is majestic. 375
But I 376 say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!
Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” 377
24:17 Terror, pit, and snare
are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth! 378
24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror
will fall into the pit; 379
the one who climbs out of the pit,
will be trapped by the snare.
For the floodgates of the heavens 380 are opened up 381
and the foundations of the earth shake.
24:19 The earth is broken in pieces,
the earth is ripped to shreds,
the earth shakes violently. 382
24:20 The earth will stagger around 383 like a drunk;
it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. 384
Its sin will weigh it down,
and it will fall and never get up again.
24:21 At that time 385 the Lord will punish 386
the heavenly forces in the heavens 387
and the earthly kings on the earth.
24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit, 388
locked up in a prison,
and after staying there for a long time, 389 they will be punished. 390
24:23 The full moon will be covered up, 391
the bright sun 392 will be darkened; 393
for the Lord who commands armies will rule 394
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem 395
in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor. 396
25:1 O Lord, you are my God! 397
I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. 398
For you have done extraordinary things,
and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. 399
25:2 Indeed, 400 you have made the city 401 into a heap of rubble,
the fortified town into a heap of ruins;
the fortress of foreigners 402 is no longer a city,
it will never be rebuilt.
25:3 So a strong nation will extol you;
the towns of 403 powerful nations will fear you.
25:4 For you are a protector for the poor,
a protector for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm,
a shade from the heat.
Though the breath of tyrants 404 is like a winter rainstorm, 405
25:5 like heat 406 in a dry land,
you humble the boasting foreigners. 407
Just as the shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, 408
so he causes the song of tyrants to cease. 409
25:6 The Lord who commands armies will hold a banquet for all the nations on this mountain. 410
At this banquet there will be plenty of meat and aged wine –
tender meat and choicest wine. 411
25:7 On this mountain he will swallow up
the shroud that is over all the peoples, 412
the woven covering that is over all the nations; 413
25:8 he will swallow up death permanently. 414
The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face,
and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.
Indeed, the Lord has announced it! 415
25:9 At that time they will say, 416
“Look, here 417 is our God!
We waited for him and he delivered us.
Here 418 is the Lord! We waited for him.
Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”
25:10 For the Lord’s power will make this mountain secure. 419
Moab will be trampled down where it stands, 420
as a heap of straw is trampled down in 421 a manure pile.
25:11 Moab 422 will spread out its hands in the middle of it, 423
just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim;
the Lord 424 will bring down Moab’s 425 pride as it spreads its hands. 426
25:12 The fortified city (along with the very tops of your 427 walls) 428 he will knock down,
he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground. 429
26:1 At that time 430 this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city!
The Lord’s 431 deliverance, like walls and a rampart, makes it secure. 432
26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter –
one that remains trustworthy.
26:3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith,
for they trust in you. 433
26:4 Trust in the Lord from this time forward, 434
even in Yah, the Lord, an enduring protector! 435
26:5 Indeed, 436 the Lord knocks down those who live in a high place,
he brings down an elevated town;
he brings it down to the ground, 437
he throws it down to the dust.
26:6 It is trampled underfoot
by the feet of the oppressed,
by the soles of the poor.”
26:7 438 The way of the righteous is level,
the path of the righteous that you make is straight. 439
26:8 Yes, as your judgments unfold, 440
O Lord, we wait for you.
We desire your fame and reputation to grow. 441
26:9 I 442 look for 443 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. 444
26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,
they do not learn about justice. 445
Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; 446
they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.
26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act, 447
but they don’t even notice.
They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, 448
yes, fire will consume your enemies. 449
26:12 O Lord, you make us secure, 450
for even all we have accomplished, you have done for us. 451
26:13 O Lord, our God,
masters other than you have ruled us,
but we praise your name alone.
26:14 The dead do not come back to life,
the spirits of the dead do not rise. 452
That is because 453 you came in judgment 454 and destroyed them,
you wiped out all memory of them.
26:15 You have made the nation larger, 455 O Lord,
you have made the nation larger and revealed your splendor, 456
you have extended all the borders of the land.
26:16 O Lord, in distress they looked for you;
they uttered incantations because of your discipline. 457
26:17 As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver
and strains and cries out because of her labor pains,
so were we because of you, O Lord.
26:18 We were pregnant, we strained,
we gave birth, as it were, to wind. 458
We cannot produce deliverance on the earth;
people to populate the world are not born. 459
26:19 460 Your dead will come back to life;
your corpses will rise up.
Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! 461
For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew, 462
and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits. 463
26:20 Go, my people! Enter your inner rooms!
Close your doors behind you!
Hide for a little while,
until his angry judgment is over! 464
26:21 For look, the Lord is coming out of the place where he lives, 465
to punish the sin of those who live on the earth.
The earth will display the blood shed on it;
it will no longer cover up its slain. 466
27:1 At that time 467 the Lord will punish
with his destructive, 468 great, and powerful sword
Leviathan the fast-moving 469 serpent,
Leviathan the squirming serpent;
he will kill the sea monster. 470
27:2 When that time comes, 471
sing about a delightful vineyard! 472
27:3 I, the Lord, protect it; 473
I water it regularly. 474
I guard it night and day,
so no one can harm it. 475
27:4 I am not angry.
I wish I could confront some thorns and briers!
Then I would march against them 476 for battle;
I would set them 477 all on fire,
27:5 unless they became my subjects 478
and made peace with me;
let them make peace with me. 479
27:6 The time is coming when Jacob will take root; 480
Israel will blossom and grow branches.
The produce 481 will fill the surface of the world. 482
27:7 Has the Lord struck down Israel like he did their oppressors? 483
Has Israel been killed like their enemies? 484
27:8 When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; 485
he drives her away 486 with his strong wind in the day of the east wind. 487
27:9 So in this way Jacob’s sin will be forgiven, 488
and this is how they will show they are finished sinning: 489
They will make all the stones of the altars 490
like crushed limestone,
and the Asherah poles and the incense altars will no longer stand. 491
27:10 For the fortified city 492 is left alone;
it is a deserted settlement
and abandoned like the desert.
Calves 493 graze there;
they lie down there
and eat its branches bare. 494
27:11 When its branches get brittle, 495 they break;
women come and use them for kindling. 496
For these people lack understanding, 497
therefore the one who made them has no compassion on them;
the one who formed them has no mercy on them.
27:12 At that time 498 the Lord will shake the tree, 499 from the Euphrates River 500 to the Stream of Egypt. Then you will be gathered up one by one, O Israelites. 501 27:13 At that time 502 a large 503 trumpet will be blown, and the ones lost 504 in the land of Assyria will come, as well as the refugees in 505 the land of Egypt. They will worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. 506
28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed, 507
the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, 508
situated 509 at the head of a rich valley,
the crown of those overcome with wine. 510
28:2 Look, the sovereign master 511 sends a strong, powerful one. 512
With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, 513
with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, 514
he will knock that crown 515 to the ground with his hand. 516
28:3 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards
will be trampled underfoot.
28:4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,
situated at the head of a rich valley,
will be like an early fig before harvest –
as soon as someone notices it,
he grabs it and swallows it. 517
28:5 At that time 518 the Lord who commands armies will become a beautiful crown
and a splendid diadem for the remnant of his people.
28:6 He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions,
and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. 519
28:7 Even these men 520 stagger because of wine,
they stumble around because of beer –
priests and prophets stagger because of beer,
they are confused 521 because of wine,
they stumble around because of beer;
they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, 522
they totter while making legal decisions. 523
28:8 Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit;
no place is untouched. 524
28:9 Who is the Lord 525 trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining a message? 526
Those just weaned from milk!
Those just taken from their mother’s breast! 527
28:10 Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling,
a syllable here, a syllable there. 528
28:11 For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue
he will speak to these people. 529
28:12 In the past he said to them, 530
“This is where security can be found.
Provide security for the one who is exhausted!
This is where rest can be found.” 531
But they refused to listen.
28:13 So the Lord’s word to them will sound like
meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling,
a syllable here, a syllable there. 532
As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, 533
and be injured, ensnared, and captured. 534
28:14 Therefore, listen to the Lord’s word,
you who mock,
you rulers of these people
who reside in Jerusalem! 535
28:15 For you say,
“We have made a treaty with death,
with Sheol 536 we have made an agreement. 537
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by 538
it will not reach us.
For we have made a lie our refuge,
we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.” 539
28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:
“Look, I am laying 540 a stone in Zion,
an approved 541 stone,
set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. 542
The one who maintains his faith will not panic. 543
28:17 I will make justice the measuring line,
fairness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, 544
the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.
28:18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; 545
your agreement 546 with Sheol will not last. 547
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, 548
you will be overrun by it. 549
28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;
indeed, 550 every morning it will sweep by,
it will come through during the day and the night.” 551
When this announcement is understood,
it will cause nothing but terror.
28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. 552
28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, 553
he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, 554
to accomplish his work,
his peculiar work,
to perform his task,
his strange task. 555
28:22 So now, do not mock,
or your chains will become heavier!
For I have heard a message about decreed destruction,
from the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, against the entire land. 556
28:23 Pay attention and listen to my message! 557
Be attentive and listen to what I have to say! 558
28:24 Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time? 559
Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground?
28:25 Once he has leveled its surface,
does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant,
sow the seed of the cumin plant,
and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places? 560
28:26 His God instructs him;
he teaches him the principles of agriculture. 561
28:27 Certainly 562 caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin seed. 563
Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick,
and cumin seed with a flail.
28:28 Grain is crushed,
though one certainly does not thresh it forever.
The wheel of one’s wagon rolls over it,
but his horses do not crush it.
28:29 This also comes from the Lord who commands armies,
who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom. 564
29:1 Ariel is as good as dead 565 –
Ariel, the town David besieged! 566
Keep observing your annual rituals,
celebrate your festivals on schedule. 567
29:2 I will threaten Ariel,
and she will mourn intensely
and become like an altar hearth 568 before me.
29:3 I will lay siege to you on all sides; 569
I will besiege you with troops; 570
I will raise siege works against you.
29:4 You will fall;
while lying on the ground 571 you will speak;
from the dust where you lie, your words will be heard. 572
Your voice will sound like a spirit speaking from the underworld; 573
from the dust you will chirp as if muttering an incantation. 574
29:5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust,
the horde of tyrants 575 like chaff that is blown away.
It will happen suddenly, in a flash.
29:6 Judgment will come from the Lord who commands armies, 576
accompanied by thunder, earthquake, and a loud noise,
by a strong gale, a windstorm, and a consuming flame of fire.
29:7 It will be like a dream, a night vision.
There will be a horde from all the nations that fight against Ariel,
those who attack her and her stronghold and besiege her.
29:8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating,
only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty. 577
It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking,
only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched. 578
So it will be for the horde from all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.
29:9 You will be shocked and amazed! 579
You are totally blind! 580
They are drunk, 581 but not because of wine;
they stagger, 582 but not because of beer.
29:10 For the Lord has poured out on you
a strong urge to sleep deeply. 583
He has shut your eyes (the prophets),
and covered your heads (the seers).
29:11 To you this entire prophetic revelation 584 is like words in a sealed scroll. When they hand it to one who can read 585 and say, “Read this,” he responds, “I can’t, because it is sealed.” 29:12 Or when they hand the scroll to one who can’t read 586 and say, “Read this,” he says, “I can’t read.” 587
29:13 The sovereign master 588 says,
“These people say they are loyal to me; 589
they say wonderful things about me, 590
but they are not really loyal to me. 591
Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual. 592
29:14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people –
an absolutely extraordinary deed. 593
Wise men will have nothing to say,
the sages will have no explanations.” 594
29:15 Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead, 595
who do their work in secret and boast, 596
“Who sees us? Who knows what we’re doing?” 597
29:16 Your thinking is perverse! 598
Should the potter be regarded as clay? 599
Should the thing made say 600 about its maker, “He didn’t make me”?
Or should the pottery say about the potter, “He doesn’t understand”?
29:17 In just a very short time 601
Lebanon will turn into an orchard,
and the orchard will be considered a forest. 602
29:18 At that time 603 the deaf will be able to hear words read from a scroll,
and the eyes of the blind will be able to see through deep darkness. 604
29:19 The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord;
the poor among humankind will take delight 605 in the Holy One of Israel. 606
29:20 For tyrants will disappear,
those who taunt will vanish,
and all those who love to do wrong will be eliminated 607 –
29:21 those who bear false testimony against a person, 608
who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate 609
and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges. 610
29:22 So this is what the Lord, the one who delivered Abraham, says to the family of Jacob: 611
“Jacob will no longer be ashamed;
their faces will no longer show their embarrassment. 612
29:23 For when they see their children,
whom I will produce among them, 613
they will honor 614 my name.
They will honor the Holy One of Jacob; 615
they will respect 616 the God of Israel.
29:24 Those who stray morally will gain understanding; 617
those who complain will acquire insight. 618
30:1 “The rebellious 619 children are as good as dead,” 620 says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me, 621
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, 622
and thereby compound their sin. 623
30:2 They travel down to Egypt
without seeking my will, 624
seeking Pharaoh’s protection,
and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. 625
30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,
and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.
30:4 Though his 626 officials are in Zoan
and his messengers arrive at Hanes, 627
30:5 all will be put to shame 628
because of a nation that cannot help them,
who cannot give them aid or help,
but only shame and disgrace.”
30:6 This is a message 629 about the animals in the Negev:
Through a land of distress and danger,
inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, 630
by snakes and darting adders, 631
they transport 632 their wealth on the backs of donkeys,
their riches on the humps of camels,
to a nation that cannot help them. 633
30:7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping. 634
For this reason I call her
‘Proud one 635 who is silenced.’” 636
30:8 Now go, write it 637 down on a tablet in their presence, 638
inscribe it on a scroll,
so that it might be preserved for a future time
as an enduring witness. 639
30:9 For these are rebellious people –
they are lying children,
children unwilling to obey the Lord’s law. 640
30:10 They 641 say to the visionaries, “See no more visions!”
and to the seers, “Don’t relate messages to us about what is right! 642
Tell us nice things,
relate deceptive messages. 643
30:11 Turn aside from the way,
stray off the path. 644
Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.” 645
30:12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“You have rejected this message; 646
you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick, 647
and rely on that kind of behavior. 648
30:13 So this sin will become your downfall.
You will be like a high wall
that bulges and cracks and is ready to collapse;
it crumbles suddenly, in a flash. 649
30:14 It shatters in pieces like a clay jar,
so shattered to bits that none of it can be salvaged. 650
Among its fragments one cannot find a shard large enough 651
to scoop a hot coal from a fire 652
or to skim off water from a cistern.” 653
30:15 For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:
“If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; 654
if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, 655
but you are unwilling.
30:16 You say, ‘No, we will flee on horses,’
so you will indeed flee.
You say, ‘We will ride on fast horses,’
so your pursuers will be fast.
30:17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; 656
at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, 657
until the remaining few are as isolated 658
as a flagpole on a mountaintop
or a signal flag on a hill.”
30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;
he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. 659
Indeed, the Lord is a just God;
all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. 660
30:19 For people will live in Zion;
in Jerusalem 661 you will weep no more. 662
When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy;
when he hears it, he will respond to you. 663
30:20 The sovereign master 664 will give you distress to eat
and suffering to drink; 665
but your teachers will no longer be hidden;
your eyes will see them. 666
30:21 You 667 will hear a word spoken behind you, saying,
“This is the correct 668 way, walk in it,”
whether you are heading to the right or the left.
30:22 You will desecrate your silver-plated idols 669
and your gold-plated images. 670
You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag,
saying to them, “Get out!”
30:23 He will water the seed you plant in the ground,
and the ground will produce crops in abundance. 671
At that time 672 your cattle will graze in wide pastures.
30:24 The oxen and donkeys used in plowing 673
will eat seasoned feed winnowed with a shovel and pitchfork. 674
30:25 On every high mountain
and every high hill
there will be streams flowing with water,
at the time of 675 great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse.
30:26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glare
and the sun’s glare will be seven times brighter,
like the light of seven days, 676
when the Lord binds up his people’s fractured bones 677
and heals their severe wound. 678
30:27 Look, the name 679 of the Lord comes from a distant place
in raging anger and awesome splendor. 680
He speaks angrily
and his word is like destructive fire. 681
30:28 His battle cry overwhelms like a flooding river 682
that reaches one’s neck.
He shakes the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff; 683
he puts a bit into the mouth of the nations and leads them to destruction. 684
30:29 You will sing
as you do in the evening when you are celebrating a festival.
You will be happy like one who plays a flute
as he goes to the mountain of the Lord, the Rock who shelters Israel. 685
30:30 The Lord will give a mighty shout 686
and intervene in power, 687
with furious anger and flaming, destructive fire, 688
with a driving rainstorm and hailstones.
30:31 Indeed, the Lord’s shout will shatter Assyria; 689
he will beat them with a club.
30:32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel, 690
with which the Lord will beat them, 691
will be accompanied by music from the 692 tambourine and harp,
and he will attack them with his weapons. 693
30:33 For 694 the burial place is already prepared; 695
it has been made deep and wide for the king. 696
The firewood is piled high on it. 697
The Lord’s breath, like a stream flowing with brimstone,
will ignite it.
31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, 698
those who rely on war horses,
and trust in Egypt’s many chariots 699
and in their many, many horsemen. 700
But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel 701
and do not seek help from the Lord.
31:2 Yet he too is wise 702 and he will bring disaster;
he does not retract his decree. 703
He will attack the wicked nation, 704
and the nation that helps 705 those who commit sin. 706
31:3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God;
their horses are made of flesh, not spirit.
The Lord will strike with 707 his hand;
the one who helps will stumble
and the one being helped will fall.
Together they will perish. 708
31:4 Indeed, this is what the Lord says to me:
“The Lord will be like a growling lion,
like a young lion growling over its prey. 709
Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it,
it is not afraid of their shouts
or intimidated by their yelling. 710
In this same way the Lord who commands armies will descend
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill. 711
31:5 Just as birds hover over a nest, 712
so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem. 713
He will protect and deliver it;
as he passes over 714 he will rescue it.
31:6 You Israelites! Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled! 715 31:7 For at that time 716 everyone will get rid of 717 the silver and gold idols your hands sinfully made. 718
31:8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made; 719
a sword not made by humankind will destroy them. 720
They will run away from this sword 721
and their young men will be forced to do hard labor.
31:9 They will surrender their stronghold 722 because of fear; 723
their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” 724
This is what the Lord says –
the one whose fire is in Zion,
whose firepot is in Jerusalem. 725
32:1 Look, a king will promote fairness; 726
officials will promote justice. 727
32:2 Each of them 728 will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from a rainstorm;
like streams of water in a dry region
and like the shade of a large cliff in a parched land.
32:3 Eyes 729 will no longer be blind 730
and ears 731 will be attentive.
32:4 The mind that acts rashly will possess discernment 732
and the tongue that stutters will speak with ease and clarity.
32:5 A fool will no longer be called honorable;
a deceiver will no longer be called principled.
32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; 733
his mind plans out sinful deeds. 734
He commits godless deeds 735
and says misleading things about the Lord;
he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite 736
and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. 737
32:7 A deceiver’s methods are evil; 738
he dreams up evil plans 739
to ruin the poor with lies,
even when the needy are in the right. 740
32:8 An honorable man makes honorable plans;
his honorable character gives him security. 741
32:9 You complacent 742 women,
get up and listen to me!
You carefree 743 daughters,
pay attention to what I say!
you carefree ones will shake with fear,
for the grape 745 harvest will fail,
and the fruit harvest will not arrive.
32:11 Tremble, you complacent ones!
Shake with fear, you carefree ones!
Strip off your clothes and expose yourselves –
put sackcloth on your waist! 746
32:12 Mourn over the field, 747
over the delightful fields
and the fruitful vine!
32:13 Mourn 748 over the land of my people,
which is overgrown with thorns and briers,
and over all the once-happy houses 749
in the city filled with revelry. 750
32:14 For the fortress is neglected;
the once-crowded 751 city is abandoned.
Hill 752 and watchtower
are permanently uninhabited. 753
Wild donkeys love to go there,
and flocks graze there. 754
32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. 755
Then the desert will become an orchard
and the orchard will be considered a forest. 756
32:16 Justice will settle down in the desert
and fairness will live in the orchard. 757
32:17 Fairness will produce peace 758
and result in lasting security. 759
32:18 My people will live in peaceful settlements,
in secure homes,
and in safe, quiet places. 760
32:19 Even if the forest is destroyed 761
and the city is annihilated, 762
32:20 you will be blessed,
you who plant seed by all the banks of the streams, 763
you who let your ox and donkey graze. 764
33:1 The destroyer is as good as dead, 765
you who have not been destroyed!
The deceitful one is as good as dead, 766
the one whom others have not deceived!
When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed;
when you finish 767 deceiving, others will deceive you!
33:2 Lord, be merciful to us! We wait for you.
Give us strength each morning! 768
Deliver us when distress comes. 769
33:3 The nations run away when they hear a loud noise; 770
the nations scatter when you spring into action! 771
33:4 Your plunder 772 disappears as if locusts were eating it; 773
they swarm over it like locusts! 774
indeed, 776 he lives in heaven; 777
he fills Zion with justice and fairness.
33:6 He is your constant source of stability; 778
he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; 779
he gives all this to those who fear him. 780
33:7 Look, ambassadors 781 cry out in the streets;
messengers sent to make peace 782 weep bitterly.
there are no travelers. 784
Treaties are broken, 785
witnesses are despised, 786
human life is treated with disrespect. 787
33:9 The land 788 dries up 789 and withers away;
the forest of Lebanon shrivels up 790 and decays.
Sharon 791 is like the desert; 792
Bashan and Carmel 793 are parched. 794
33:10 “Now I will rise up,” says the Lord.
“Now I will exalt myself;
now I will magnify myself. 795
you give birth to chaff;
your breath is a fire that destroys you. 797
33:12 The nations will be burned to ashes; 798
like thorn bushes that have been cut down, they will be set on fire.
33:13 You who are far away, listen to what I have done!
You who are close by, recognize my strength!”
33:14 Sinners are afraid in Zion;
panic 799 grips the godless. 800
They say, 801 ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire?
Who among us can coexist with unquenchable 802 fire?’
33:15 The one who lives 803 uprightly 804
and speaks honestly;
the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures
and rejects a bribe; 805
the one who does not plot violent crimes 806
and does not seek to harm others 807 –
33:16 This is the person who will live in a secure place; 808
he will find safety in the rocky, mountain strongholds; 809
he will have food
and a constant supply of water.
33:17 You will see a king in his splendor; 810
you will see a wide land. 811
33:18 Your mind will recall the terror you experienced, 812
and you will ask yourselves, 813 “Where is the scribe?
Where is the one who weighs the money?
Where is the one who counts the towers?” 814
33:19 You will no longer see a defiant 815 people
whose language you do not comprehend, 816
whose derisive speech you do not understand. 817
33:20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals!
You 818 will see Jerusalem, 819
a peaceful settlement,
a tent that stays put; 820
its stakes will never be pulled up;
none of its ropes will snap in two.
33:21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. 821
Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; 822
no war galley will enter; 823
no large ships will sail through. 824
33:22 For the Lord, our ruler,
the Lord, our commander,
the Lord, our king –
he will deliver us.
33:23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, 825
the mast is not secured, 826
and the sail 827 is not unfurled,
at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot; 828
even the lame will drag off plunder. 829
33:24 No resident of Zion 830 will say, “I am ill”;
the people who live there will have their sin forgiven.
34:1 Come near, you nations, and listen!
Pay attention, you people!
The earth and everything it contains must listen,
the world and everything that lives in it. 831
34:2 For the Lord is angry at all the nations
and furious with all their armies.
He will annihilate them and slaughter them.
34:3 Their slain will be left unburied, 832
their corpses will stink; 833
the hills will soak up their blood. 834
34:4 All the stars in the sky will fade away, 835
the sky will roll up like a scroll;
all its stars will wither,
like a leaf withers and falls from a vine
or a fig withers and falls from a tree. 836
34:5 He says, 837 “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. 838
Look, it now descends on Edom, 839
on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”
34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,
it is covered 840 with fat;
it drips 841 with the blood of young rams and goats
and is covered 842 with the fat of rams’ kidneys.
For the Lord is holding a sacrifice 843 in Bozrah, 844
a bloody 845 slaughter in the land of Edom.
34:7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered 846 along with them,
as well as strong bulls. 847
Their land is drenched with blood,
their soil is covered with fat.
34:8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, 848
a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. 849
34:9 Edom’s 850 streams will be turned into pitch
and her soil into brimstone;
her land will become burning pitch.
34:10 Night and day it will burn; 851
its smoke will ascend continually.
Generation after generation it will be a wasteland
and no one will ever pass through it again.
34:11 Owls and wild animals 852 will live there, 853
all kinds of wild birds 854 will settle in it.
The Lord 855 will stretch out over her
the measuring line of ruin
and the plumb line 856 of destruction. 857
34:12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom
and all her officials will disappear. 858
34:13 Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns;
thickets and weeds will grow 859 in her fortified cities.
Jackals will settle there;
ostriches will live there. 860
34:14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; 861
wild goats will bleat to one another. 862
Yes, nocturnal animals 863 will rest there
and make for themselves a nest. 864
34:15 Owls 865 will make nests and lay eggs 866 there;
they will hatch them and protect them. 867
Yes, hawks 868 will gather there,
each with its mate.
34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! 869
Not one of these creatures will be missing, 870
none will lack a mate. 871
For the Lord has issued the decree, 872
and his own spirit gathers them. 873
34:17 He assigns them their allotment; 874
he measures out their assigned place. 875
They will live there 876 permanently;
they will settle in it through successive generations.
35:1 Let the desert and dry region be happy; 877
let the wilderness 878 rejoice and bloom like a lily!
let it rejoice and shout with delight! 880
It is given the grandeur 881 of Lebanon,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the grandeur of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
35:3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp,
steady the knees that shake! 882
35:4 Tell those who panic, 883
“Be strong! Do not fear!
Look, your God comes to avenge!
With divine retribution he comes to deliver you.” 884
35:5 Then blind eyes will open,
deaf ears will hear.
35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,
the mute tongue will shout for joy;
for water will flow 885 in the desert,
streams in the wilderness. 886
35:7 The dry soil will become a pool of water,
the parched ground springs of water.
Where jackals once lived and sprawled out,
grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow.
35:8 A thoroughfare will be there –
it will be called the Way of Holiness. 887
The unclean will not travel on it;
it is reserved for those authorized to use it 888 –
fools 889 will not stray into it.
35:9 No lions will be there,
no ferocious wild animals will be on it 890 –
they will not be found there.
Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,
35:10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. 891
They will enter Zion with a happy shout.
Unending joy will crown them, 892
happiness and joy will overwhelm 893 them;
grief and suffering will disappear. 894
36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, 895 King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser 896 from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, 897 along with a large army. The chief adviser 898 stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 899 36:3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him.
36:4 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? 900 36:5 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. 901 In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me? 36:6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! 36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’ 36:8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 36:9 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 902 36:10 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this land to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March up against this land and destroy it!’”’” 903
36:11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, 904 for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect 905 in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 36:12 But the chief adviser said, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. 906 His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you!” 907
36:13 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, 908 “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 36:14 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you! 36:15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 36:16 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. 909 Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 36:17 until I come and take you to a land just like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 36:18 Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 910 36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? 911 Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria 912 from my power? 913 36:20 Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” 914 36:21 They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”
36:22 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief 915 and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. 37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, 916 he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple. 37:2 Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, 917 clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: 918 ‘This is a day of distress, insults, 919 and humiliation, 920 as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 921 37:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. 922 When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. 923 So pray for this remnant that remains.’” 924
37:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 37:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. 925 37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; 926 he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down 927 with a sword in his own land.”’”
37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 928 37:9 The king 929 heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia 930 was marching out to fight him. 931 He again sent 932 messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 37:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 37:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. 933 Do you really think you will be rescued? 934 37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors 935 destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? 936 37:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, 937 Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
37:14 Hezekiah took the letter 938 from the messengers and read it. 939 Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 37:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: 37:16 “O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! 940 You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky 941 and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 942 37:18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations 943 and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, 944 for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 945 37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” 946
37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, 947 37:22 this is what the Lord says about him: 948
“The virgin daughter Zion 949
despises you – she makes fun of you;
daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you. 950
37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?
At whom have you shouted
and looked so arrogantly? 951
At the Holy One of Israel! 952
37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 953
‘With my many chariots I climbed up
the high mountains,
the slopes of Lebanon.
I cut down its tall cedars
and its best evergreens.
I invaded its most remote regions, 954
its thickest woods.
37:25 I dug wells
and drank water. 955
With the soles of my feet I dried up
all the rivers of Egypt.’
37:26 956 Certainly you must have heard! 957
Long ago I worked it out,
in ancient times I planned 958 it,
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins. 959
37:27 Their residents are powerless; 960
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field
or green vegetation. 961
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops 962
when it is scorched by the east wind. 963
37:28 I know where you live
and everything you do
and how you rage against me. 964
37:29 Because you rage against me
and the uproar you create has reached my ears, 965
I will put my hook in your nose, 966
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back
the way you came.”
37:30 967 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: 968 This year you will eat what grows wild, 969 and next year 970 what grows on its own. But the year after that 971 you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 972 37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 973
37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies 974 will accomplish this.
37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here. 975
He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, 976
nor will he build siege works against it.
37:34 He will go back the way he came –
he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.
37:35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’” 977
37:36 The Lord’s messenger 978 went out and killed 185,000 troops 979 in the Assyrian camp. When they 980 got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! 981 37:37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 982 37:38 One day, 983 as he was worshiping 984 in the temple of his god Nisroch, 985 his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. 986 They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
38:1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. 987 The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Give instructions to your household, for you are about to die; you will not get well.’” 38:2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 38:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you 988 faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, 989 and how I have carried out your will.” 990 Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. 991
38:4 The Lord told Isaiah, 992 38:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor 993 David says: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life, 38:6 and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city.”’” 38:7 Isaiah replied, 994 “This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said: 38:8 Look, I will make the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz.” 995 And then the shadow went back ten steps. 996
38:9 This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his illness:
‘In the middle of my life 998 I must walk through the gates of Sheol,
I am deprived 999 of the rest of my years.’
38:11 “I thought,
‘I will no longer see the Lord 1000 in the land of the living,
I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world. 1001
38:12 My dwelling place 1002 is removed and taken away 1003 from me
like a shepherd’s tent.
I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; 1004
from the loom he cuts me off. 1005
You turn day into night and end my life. 1006
38:13 I cry out 1007 until morning;
like a lion he shatters all my bones;
you turn day into night and end my life. 1008
38:14 Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp,
I coo 1009 like a dove;
my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky. 1010
O sovereign master, 1011 I am oppressed;
help me! 1012
38:15 What can I say?
He has decreed and acted. 1013
I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. 1014
38:16 O sovereign master, your decrees can give men life;
may years of life be restored to me. 1015
Restore my health 1016 and preserve my life.’
38:17 “Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit. 1017
You delivered me 1018 from the pit of oblivion. 1019
For you removed all my sins from your sight. 1020
38:18 Indeed 1021 Sheol does not give you thanks;
death does not 1022 praise you.
Those who descend into the pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.
38:19 The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks,
as I do today.
A father tells his sons about your faithfulness.
38:20 The Lord is about to deliver me, 1023
and we will celebrate with music 1024
for the rest of our lives in the Lord’s temple.” 1025
38:21 1026 Isaiah ordered, “Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the ulcerated sore and he will get well.” 38:22 Hezekiah said, “What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the Lord’s temple?”39:1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been ill and had recovered. 39:2 Hezekiah welcomed 1027 them and showed them his storehouse with its silver, gold, spices, and high-quality olive oil, as well as his whole armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom. 1028 39:3 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They come from the distant land of Babylon.” 39:4 Isaiah 1029 asked, “What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah replied, “They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything in my treasuries.” 39:5 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of the Lord who commands armies: 39:6 ‘Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors 1030 have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 39:7 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father 1031 will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 39:8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” 1032 Then he thought, 1033 “For 1034 there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.”
40:1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your 1035 God.
40:2 “Speak kindly to 1036 Jerusalem, 1037 and tell her
that her time of warfare is over, 1038
that her punishment is completed. 1039
For the Lord has made her pay double 1040 for all her sins.”
40:3 A voice cries out,
“In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord;
construct in the desert a road for our God.
40:4 Every valley must be elevated,
and every mountain and hill leveled.
The rough terrain will become a level plain,
the rugged landscape a wide valley.
40:5 The splendor 1041 of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people 1042 will see it at the same time.
For 1043 the Lord has decreed it.” 1044
40:6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
Another asks, 1045 “What should I cry out?”
The first voice responds: 1046 “All people are like grass, 1047
and all their promises 1048 are like the flowers in the field.
40:7 The grass dries up,
the flowers wither,
when the wind sent by the Lord 1049 blows on them.
Surely humanity 1050 is like grass.
40:8 The grass dries up,
the flowers wither,
but the decree of our God is forever reliable.” 1051
40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion!
Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! 1052
Shout, don’t be afraid!
Say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
40:10 Look, the sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior; 1053
his military power establishes his rule. 1054
Look, his reward is with him;
his prize goes before him. 1055
40:11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;
he gathers up the lambs with his arm;
he carries them close to his heart; 1056
he leads the ewes along.
40:12 Who has measured out the waters 1057 in the hollow of his hand,
or carefully 1058 measured the sky, 1059
or carefully weighed 1060 the soil of the earth,
or weighed the mountains in a balance,
or the hills on scales? 1061
40:13 Who comprehends 1062 the mind 1063 of the Lord,
or gives him instruction as his counselor? 1064
40:14 From whom does he receive directions? 1065
Who 1066 teaches him the correct way to do things, 1067
or imparts knowledge to him,
or instructs him in skillful design? 1068
40:15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales.
He lifts 1069 the coastlands 1070 as if they were dust.
40:16 Not even Lebanon could supply enough firewood for a sacrifice; 1071
its wild animals would not provide enough burnt offerings. 1072
40:17 All the nations are insignificant before him;
they are regarded as absolutely nothing. 1073
40:18 To whom can you compare God?
To what image can you liken him?
40:19 A craftsman casts 1074 an idol;
a metalsmith overlays it with gold
and forges silver chains for it.
40:20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; 1075
he then seeks a skilled craftsman
to make 1076 an idol that will not fall over.
40:21 Do you not know?
Do you not hear?
Has it not been told to you since the very beginning?
Have you not understood from the time the earth’s foundations were made?
40:22 He is the one who sits on the earth’s horizon; 1077
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him. 1078
He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin curtain, 1079
and spreads it out 1080 like a pitched tent. 1081
40:23 He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing;
he makes the earth’s leaders insignificant.
40:24 Indeed, they are barely planted;
yes, they are barely sown;
yes, they barely take root in the earth,
and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,
and the wind carries them away like straw.
40:25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?”
says the Holy One. 1082
40:26 Look up at the sky! 1083
Who created all these heavenly lights? 1084
He is the one who leads out their ranks; 1085
he calls them all by name.
Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,
not one of them is missing.
40:27 Why do you say, Jacob,
Why do you say, Israel,
“The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me, 1086
My God is not concerned with my vindication”? 1087
40:28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is an eternal God,
the creator of the whole earth. 1088
He does not get tired or weary;
there is no limit to his wisdom. 1089
40:29 He gives strength to those who are tired;
to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.
40:30 Even youths get tired and weary;
even strong young men clumsily stumble. 1090
40:31 But those who wait for the Lord’s help 1091 find renewed strength;
they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, 1092
they run without growing weary,
they walk without getting tired.
41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! 1093
Let the nations find renewed strength!
Let them approach and then speak;
let us come together for debate! 1094
41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? 1095
Who 1096 officially commissions him for service? 1097
He hands nations over to him, 1098
and enables him to subdue 1099 kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like windblown straw with his bow. 1100
41:3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed; 1101
he advances with great speed. 1102
41:4 Who acts and carries out decrees? 1103
Who 1104 summons the successive generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,
and at the very end – I am the one. 1105
41:5 The coastlands 1106 see and are afraid;
the whole earth 1107 trembles;
they approach and come.
41:6 They help one another; 1108
one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’
41:7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,
the one who wields the hammer encourages 1109 the one who pounds on the anvil.
He approves the quality of the welding, 1110
and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”
41:8 “You, my servant Israel,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
offspring of Abraham my friend, 1111
41:9 you whom I am bringing back 1112 from the earth’s extremities,
and have summoned from the remote regions –
I told you, “You are my servant.”
I have chosen you and not rejected you.
41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!
Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! 1113
I strengthen you –
yes, I help you –
yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! 1114
41:11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated;
your adversaries 1115 will be reduced to nothing 1116 and perish.
41:12 When you will look for your opponents, 1117 you will not find them;
your enemies 1118 will be reduced to absolutely nothing.
41:13 For I am the Lord your God,
the one who takes hold of your right hand,
who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’
41:14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, 1119
men of 1120 Israel.
I am helping you,” says the Lord,
your protector, 1121 the Holy One of Israel. 1122
41:15 “Look, I am making you like 1123 a sharp threshing sledge,
new and double-edged. 1124
You will thresh the mountains and crush them;
you will make the hills like straw. 1125
41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;
the wind will scatter them.
You will rejoice in the Lord;
you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
41:17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched from thirst.
I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers; 1126
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
41:18 I will make streams flow down the slopes
and produce springs in the middle of the valleys.
I will turn the desert into a pool of water
and the arid land into springs.
41:19 I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness;
I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the desert.
41:20 I will do this so 1127 people 1128 will observe and recognize,
so they will pay attention and understand
that the Lord’s power 1129 has accomplished this,
and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.” 1130
41:21 “Present your argument,” says the Lord.
“Produce your evidence,” 1131 says Jacob’s king. 1132
41:22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!
Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, 1133
so we may examine them 1134 and see how they were fulfilled. 1135
Or decree for us some future events!
41:23 Predict how future events will turn out, 1136
so we might know you are gods.
Yes, do something good or bad,
so we might be frightened and in awe. 1137
41:24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent;
the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting. 1138
41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north 1139 and he advances,
one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name. 1140
He steps on 1141 rulers as if they were clay,
like a potter treading the clay.
41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?
Who announced it 1142 ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?
Indeed, none of them decreed it!
Indeed, none of them announced it!
Indeed, no one heard you say anything!
41:27 I first decreed to Zion, ‘Look, here’s what will happen!’ 1143
I sent a herald to Jerusalem. 1144
41:28 I look, but there is no one,
among them there is no one who serves as an adviser,
that I might ask questions and receive answers.
41:29 Look, all of them are nothing, 1145
their accomplishments are nonexistent;
their metal images lack any real substance. 1146
42:1 1147 “Here is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.
I have placed my spirit on him;
he will make just decrees 1148 for the nations. 1149
42:2 He will not cry out or shout;
he will not publicize himself in the streets. 1150
42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,
a dim wick he will not extinguish; 1151
he will faithfully make just decrees. 1152
42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed 1153
before establishing justice on the earth;
the coastlands 1154 will wait in anticipation for his decrees.” 1155
42:5 This is what the true God, 1156 the Lord, says –
the one who created the sky and stretched it out,
the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, 1157
the one who gives breath to the people on it,
and life to those who live on it: 1158
42:6 “I, the Lord, officially commission you; 1159
I take hold of your hand.
I protect you 1160 and make you a covenant mediator for people, 1161
and a light 1162 to the nations, 1163
to release prisoners 1165 from dungeons,
those who live in darkness from prisons.
42:8 I am the Lord! That is my name!
I will not share my glory with anyone else,
or the praise due me with idols.
42:9 Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass; 1166
now I announce new events.
Before they begin to occur,
I reveal them to you.” 1167
42:10 Sing to the Lord a brand new song!
Praise him 1168 from the horizon of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and everything that lives in it, 1169
you coastlands 1170 and those who live there!
42:11 Let the desert and its cities shout out,
the towns where the nomads of Kedar live!
Let the residents of Sela shout joyfully;
let them shout loudly from the mountaintops.
42:12 Let them give the Lord the honor he deserves; 1171
let them praise his deeds in the coastlands. 1172
42:13 The Lord emerges like a hero,
like a warrior he inspires himself for battle; 1173
he shouts, yes, he yells,
he shows his enemies his power. 1174
42:14 “I have been inactive 1175 for a long time;
I kept quiet and held back.
Like a woman in labor I groan;
I pant and gasp. 1176
42:15 I will make the trees on the mountains and hills wither up; 1177
I will dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn streams into islands, 1178
and dry up pools of water. 1179
42:16 I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way; 1180
I will guide them down paths they have never traveled. 1181
I will turn the darkness in front of them into light,
and level out the rough ground. 1182
This is what I will do for them.
I will not abandon them.
42:17 Those who trust in idols
will turn back and be utterly humiliated, 1183
those who say to metal images, ‘You are our gods.’”
42:18 “Listen, you deaf ones!
Take notice, 1184 you blind ones!
42:19 My servant is truly blind,
my messenger is truly deaf.
My covenant partner, 1185 the servant of the Lord, is truly blind. 1186
42:20 You see 1187 many things, but don’t comprehend; 1188
their ears are open, but do not hear.”
42:21 The Lord wanted to exhibit his justice
by magnifying his law and displaying it. 1189
42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;
all of them are trapped in pits 1190
and held captive 1191 in prisons.
They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;
they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” 1192
42:23 Who among you will pay attention to this?
Who will listen attentively in the future? 1193
42:24 Who handed Jacob over to the robber?
Who handed Israel over to the looters? 1194
Was it not the Lord, against whom we sinned?
They refused to follow his commands;
they disobeyed his law. 1195
42:25 So he poured out his fierce anger on them,
along with the devastation 1196 of war.
Its flames encircled them, but they did not realize it; 1197
it burned against them, but they did notice. 1198
43:1 Now, this is what the Lord says,
the one who created you, O Jacob,
and formed you, O Israel:
“Don’t be afraid, for I will protect 1199 you.
I call you by name, you are mine.
43:2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you;
when you pass 1200 through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not harm 1201 you.
43:3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, 1202 your deliverer.
I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price,
Ethiopia and Seba 1203 in place of you.
43:4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, 1204
and I love you,
I will hand over people in place of you,
nations in place of your life.
43:5 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
From the east I will bring your descendants;
from the west I will gather you.
43:6 I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’
and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’
Bring my sons from distant lands,
and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,
43:7 everyone who belongs to me, 1205
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed – yes, whom I made!
43:8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
those who are deaf, even though they have ears!
43:9 All nations gather together,
the peoples assemble.
Who among them announced this?
Who predicted earlier events for us? 1206
Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;
let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’
43:10 You are my witnesses,” says the Lord,
“my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may consider 1207 and believe in me,
and understand that I am he.
No god was formed before me,
and none will outlive me. 1208
43:11 I, I am the Lord,
and there is no deliverer besides me.
43:12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,
and there was no other god among you.
You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.
[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).
[14:2] 5 tn Heb “and the house of Jacob will take possession of them [i.e., the nations], on the land of the Lord, as male servants and female servants.”
[14:3] 9 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[14:4] 13 tn Heb “you will lift up this taunt over the king of Babylon, saying.”
[14:4] 14 tc The word in the Hebrew text (מַדְהֵבָה, madhevah) is unattested elsewhere and of uncertain meaning. Many (following the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa) assume a dalet-resh (ד-ר) confusion and emend the form to מַרְהֵבָה (marhevah, “onslaught”). See HALOT 548 s.v. II *מִדָּה and HALOT 633 s.v. *מַרְהֵבָה.
[14:6] 17 tn Or perhaps, “he” (cf. KJV; NCV “the king of Babylon”). The present translation understands the referent of the pronoun (“it”) to be the “club/scepter” of the preceding line.
[14:6] 18 tn Heb “it was striking down nations in fury [with] a blow without ceasing.” The participle (“striking down”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:6] 19 tn Heb “it was ruling in anger nations [with] oppression without restraint.” The participle (“ruling”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:8] 21 tn Heb “concerning you.”
[14:8] 22 tn The word “singing” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Note that the personified trees speak in the second half of the verse.
[14:8] 23 tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”
[14:8] 24 tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”
[14:9] 25 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
[14:9] 26 tn Heb “arousing.” The form is probably a Polel infinitive absolute, rather than a third masculine singular perfect, for Sheol is grammatically feminine (note “stirred up”). See GKC 466 §145.t.
[14:9] 27 tn Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See HALOT 903 s.v. *עַתּוּד.
[14:9] 28 tn Heb “lifting from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” הֵקִים (heqim, a Hiphil perfect third masculine singular) should be emended to an infinitive absolute (הָקֵים, haqem). See the note on “rouses” earlier in the verse.
[14:11] 29 tn Or “pride” (NCV, CEV); KJV, NIV, NRSV “pomp.”
[14:11] 30 tn Or “harps” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:11] 31 tn Heb “under you maggots are spread out, and worms are your cover.”
[14:12] 33 tn The Hebrew text has הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר (helel ben-shakhar, “Helel son of Shachar”), which is probably a name for the morning star (Venus) or the crescent moon. See HALOT 245 s.v. הֵילֵל.
[14:12] 34 tn Some understand the verb to from חָלַשׁ (khalash, “to weaken”), but HALOT 324 s.v. II חלשׁ proposes a homonym here, meaning “to defeat.”
[14:12] 35 sn In this line the taunting kings hint at the literal identity of the king, after likening him to the god Helel and a tree. The verb גָדַע (gada’, “cut down”) is used of chopping down trees in 9:10 and 10:33.
[14:13] 37 tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”
[14:13] 38 sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.
[14:13] 39 sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.
[14:14] 41 tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.
[14:14] 42 sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.
[14:15] 45 tn The prefixed verb form is taken as a preterite. Note the use of perfects in v. 12 to describe the king’s downfall.
[14:15] 46 tn The Hebrew term בּוּר (bor, “cistern”) is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to the place of the dead or the entrance to the underworld.
[14:16] 49 tn The word “thinking” is supplied in the translation in order to make it clear that the next line records their thoughts as they gaze at him.
[14:17] 53 tc The pronominal suffix is masculine, even though its antecedent appears to be the grammatically feminine noun “world.” Some have suggested that the form עָרָיו (’arayv, plural noun with third masculine singular suffix) should be emended to עָרֶיהָ (’areha, plural noun with third feminine singular suffix). This emendation may be unnecessary in light of other examples of lack of agreement a suffix and its antecedent noun.
[14:17] 54 tn Heb “and his prisoners did not let loose to [their] homes.” This really means, “he did not let loose his prisoners and send them back to their homes.’ On the elliptical style, see GKC 366 §117.o.
[14:18] 57 sn It is unclear where the quotation of the kings, begun in v. 10b, ends. However, the reference to the “kings of the nations” in v. 18 (see also v. 9) seems to indicate that the quotation has ended at this point and that Israel’s direct taunt (cf. vv. 4b-10a) has resumed. In fact the references to the “kings of the nations” may form a stylistic inclusio or frame around the quotation.
[14:18] 58 tc The phrase “all of them” does not appear in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
[14:18] 59 sn This refers to the typically extravagant burial of kings.
[14:18] 60 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, ASV), but in this context a tomb is in view. Note the verb “lie down” in the preceding line and the reference to a “grave” in the next line.
[14:19] 61 tn Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”
[14:19] 62 tn Heb “are clothed with.”
[14:19] 63 tn Heb “those going down to.”
[14:19] 64 tn בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. 15.
[14:19] 65 tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.
[14:20] 65 tn Heb “you will not be united with them in burial” (so NASB).
[14:21] 69 tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”
[14:21] 70 tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”
[14:21] 71 sn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:320, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.
[14:22] 73 tn Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (ASV, NAB, and NRSV all similar).
[14:22] 74 tn Heb “descendant and child.”
[14:23] 77 tn Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”), others an owl (cf, NAB, NIV, TEV).
[14:23] 78 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”
[14:24] 81 sn Having announced the downfall of the Chaldean empire, the Lord appends to this prophecy a solemn reminder that the Assyrians, the major Mesopotamian power of Isaiah’s day, would be annihilated, foreshadowing what would subsequently happen to Babylon and the other hostile nations.
[14:25] 85 tn Heb “to break Assyria.”
[14:25] 86 tn Heb “him.” This is a collective singular referring to the nation, or a reference to the king of Assyria who by metonymy stands for the entire nation.
[14:25] 87 tn Heb “and his [i.e., Assyria’s] yoke will be removed from them [the people?], and his [Assyria’s] burden from his [the nation’s?] shoulder will be removed.” There are no antecedents in this oracle for the suffixes in the phrases “from them” and “from his shoulder.” Since the Lord’s land and hills are referred to in the preceding line and the statement seems to echo 10:27, it is likely that God’s people are the referents of the suffixes; the translation uses “my people” to indicate this.
[14:26] 89 tn Heb “and this is the hand that is outstretched over all the nations.”
[14:27] 93 tn Or “For” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:27] 94 tn Heb “His hand is outstretched and who will turn it back?”
[14:28] 97 sn Perhaps 715
[14:28] 98 tn Heb “this oracle came.”
[14:29] 101 sn The identity of this “club” (also referred to as a “serpent” in the next line) is uncertain. It may refer to an Assyrian king, or to Ahaz. For discussion see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:331-32. The viper/adder referred to in the second half of the verse is his successor.
[14:29] 102 tn Heb “flying burning one.” The designation “burning one” may allude to the serpent’s appearance or the effect of its poisonous bite. (See the note at 6:2.) The qualifier “flying” probably refers to the serpent’s quick, darting movements, though one might propose a homonym here, meaning “biting.” (See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:332, n. 18.) Some might think in terms of a mythological flying, fire breathing dragon (cf. NAB “a flying saraph”; CEV “a flying fiery dragon”), but this proposal does not make good sense in 30:6, where the phrase “flying burning one” appears again in a list of desert animals.
[14:30] 105 tc The Hebrew text has, “the firstborn of the poor will graze.” “Firstborn” may be used here in an idiomatic sense to indicate the very poorest of the poor. See BDB 114 s.v. בְּכוֹר. The translation above assumes an emendation of בְּכוֹרֵי (bÿkhorey, “firstborn of”) to בְּכָרַי (bekharay, “in my pastures”).
[14:30] 106 tn Heb “your remnant” (so NAB, NRSV).
[14:31] 109 tn Or “despair” (see HALOT 555 s.v. מוג). The form נָמוֹג (namog) should be taken here as an infinitive absolute functioning as an imperative. See GKC 199-200 §72.v.
[14:31] 110 tn Heb “and there is no one going alone in his appointed places.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. בּוֹדֵד (boded) appears to be a participle from בָּדַד (badad, “be separate”; see BDB 94 s.v. בָּדַד). מוֹעָד (mo’ad) may mean “assembly” or, by extension, “multitude” (see HALOT 558 s.v. *מוֹעָד), but the referent of the third masculine pronominal suffix attached to the noun is unclear. It probably refers to the “nation” mentioned in the next line.
[14:32] 113 sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.
[15:2] 118 tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.
[15:2] 119 tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”
[15:2] 120 sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.
[15:4] 121 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[15:4] 122 tc The Hebrew text has, “For this reason the soldiers of Moab shout, his inner being quivers for him.” To achieve tighter parallelism, some emend the first line, changing חֲלֻצֵי (khalutse, “soldiers”) to חַלְצֵי (khaltse, “loins”) and יָרִיעוּ (yari’u, “they shout,” from רוּעַ, rua’) to יָרְעוּ (yor’u, “they quiver”), a verb from יָרַע (yara’), which also appears in the next line. One can then translate v. 4b as “For this reason the insides of the Moabites quiver, their whole body shakes” (cf. NAB, NRSV).
[15:5] 125 tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?, see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.
[15:5] 126 tn The vocalization of the Hebrew text suggests “the bars of her gates,” but the form should be repointed to yield, “her fugitives.” See HALOT 156-57 s.v. בָּרִחַ, and BDB 138 s.v. בָּרִיהַ.
[15:5] 127 tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:5] 128 tn Heb “For the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up it; for [on] the road to Horonaim an outcry over shattering they raise up.”
[15:6] 129 tn Heb “are waste places”; cf. NRSV “are a desolation.”
[15:8] 133 tn Heb “to Eglaim [is] her wailing, and [to] Beer Elim [is] her wailing.”
[15:9] 137 tc The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads “Dibon” instead of “Dimon” in this verse.
[15:9] 138 tn Heb “Indeed I will place on Dimon added things.” Apparently the Lord is speaking.
[15:9] 139 tn The words “will attack” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[16:1] 141 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “Send [a plural imperatival form is used] a ram [to] the ruler of the land.” The term כַּר (kar, “ram”) should be emended to the plural כָּרִים (karim). The singular form in the text is probably the result of haplography; note that the next word begins with a mem (מ).
[16:1] 142 tn The Hebrew text has “toward [across?] the desert.”
[16:2] 145 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[16:2] 146 tn Heb “like a bird fleeing, thrust away [from] a nest, the daughters of Moab are [at] the fords of Arnon.”
[16:3] 149 sn It is unclear who is being addressed in this verse. Perhaps the prophet, playing the role of a panic stricken Moabite refugee, requests the leaders of Judah (the imperatives are plural) to take pity on the fugitives.
[16:3] 150 tn Heb “Make your shade like night in the midst of noonday.” “Shade” here symbolizes shelter, while the heat of noonday represents the intense suffering of the Moabites. By comparing the desired shade to night, the speaker visualizes a huge dark shadow cast by a large tree that would provide relief from the sun’s heat.
[16:3] 151 tn Heb “disclose, uncover.”
[16:4] 153 tn That is, “live as resident foreigners.”
[16:4] 154 tn Heb “Be a hiding place for them.”
[16:4] 155 tn The present translation understands כִּי (ki) as asseverative, but one could take it as explanatory (“for,” KJV, NASB) or temporal (“when,” NAB, NRSV). In the latter case, v. 4b would be logically connected to v. 5.
[16:4] 156 tn A perfect verbal form is used here and in the next two lines for rhetorical effect; the demise of the oppressor(s) is described as if it had already occurred.
[16:4] 157 tc The Hebrew text has, “they will be finished, the one who tramples, from the earth.” The plural verb form תַּמּוּ, (tammu, “disappear”) could be emended to agree with the singular subject רֹמֵס (romes, “the one who tramples”) or the participle can be emended to a plural (רֹמֵסִם, romesim) to agree with the verb. The translation assumes the latter. Haplography of mem (ם) seems likely; note that the word after רֹמֵס begins with a mem.
[16:5] 157 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] 158 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.”
[16:6] 161 tn עֶבְרָה (’evrah) often means “anger, fury,” but here it appears to refer to boastful outbursts or excessive claims. See HALOT 782 s.v. עֶבְרָה.
[16:6] 162 tn Heb “not so his boasting.”
[16:7] 165 tn Heb “So Moab wails for Moab.”
[16:7] 166 tn The Hebrew text has, “for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth you [masculine plural] moan, surely destroyed.” The “raisin cakes” could have cultic significance (see Hos 3:1), but the next verse focuses on agricultural disaster, so here the raisin cakes are mentioned as an example of the fine foods that are no longer available (see 2 Sam 6:19; Song 2:5) because the vines have been destroyed by the invader (see v. 8). Some prefer to take אֲשִׁישֵׁי (’ashishe, “raisin cakes of”) as “men of” (see HALOT 95 s.v. *אָשִׁישׁ; cf. NIV). The verb form תֶהְגּוּ (tehgu, “you moan”) is probably the result of dittography (note that the preceding word ends in tav [ת]) and should be emended to הגו (a perfect, third plural form), “they moan.”
[16:9] 169 tn Heb “So I weep with the weeping of Jazer.” Once more the speaker (the Lord? – see v. 10b) plays the role of a mourner (see 15:5).
[16:9] 170 tc The form אֲרַיָּוֶךְ (’arayyavekh) should be emended to אֲרַוָּיֶךְ (’aravvayekh; the vav [ו] and yod [י] have been accidentally transposed) from רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated”).
[16:9] 171 tn Heb “for over your fruit and over your harvest shouting has fallen.” The translation assumes that the shouting is that of the conqueror (Jer 51:14). Another possibility is that the shouting is that of the harvesters (see v. 10b, as well as Jer 25:30), in which case one might translate, “for the joyful shouting over the fruit and crops has fallen silent.”
[16:10] 173 tn Heb “wine in the vats the treader does not tread.”
[16:10] 174 sn The Lord appears to be the speaker here. See 15:9.
[16:11] 177 tn Heb “so my intestines sigh for Moab like a harp.” The word מֵעַי (me’ay, “intestines”) is used here of the seat of the emotions. English idiom requires the word “heart.” The point of the comparison to a harp is not entirely clear. Perhaps his sighs of mourning resemble a harp in sound, or his constant sighing is like the repetitive strumming of a harp.
[16:11] 178 tn The verb is supplied in the translation; “sighs” in the preceding line does double duty in the parallel structure.
[16:11] 179 tn Heb “Kir Heres” (so ASV, NRSV, TEV, CEV), a variant name for “Kir Hareseth” (see v. 7).
[16:12] 181 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[16:12] 182 tn Heb “when he appears, when he grows tired, Moab on the high places, and enters his temple to pray, he will not prevail.” It is possible that “when he grows tired” is an explanatory gloss for the preceding “when he appears.”
[16:14] 185 tn Heb “in three years, like the years of a hired worker.” The three years must be reckoned exactly, just as a hired worker would carefully keep track of the time he had agreed to work for an employer in exchange for a predetermined wage.
[16:14] 186 tn Heb “and the splendor of Moab will be disgraced with all the great multitude, and a small little remnant will not be strong.”
[17:2] 189 tn Three cities are known by this name in the OT: (1) an Aroer located near the Arnon, (2) an Aroer in Ammon, and (3) an Aroer of Judah. (See BDB 792-93 s.v. עֲרֹעֵר, and HALOT 883 s.v. II עֲרוֹעֵר.) There is no mention of an Aroer in Syrian territory. For this reason some want to emend the text here to עֲזֻבוֹת עָרַיהָ עֲדֵי עַד (’azuvot ’arayha ’adey ’ad, “her cities are permanently abandoned”). However, Aroer near the Arnon was taken by Israel and later conquered by the Syrians. (See Josh 12:2; 13:9, 16; Judg 11:26; 2 Kgs 10:33). This oracle pertains to Israel as well as Syria (note v. 3), so it is possible that this is a reference to Israelite and/or Syrian losses in Transjordan.
[17:2] 190 tn Heb “and they lie down and there is no one scaring [them].”
[17:3] 193 tn Heb “and kingship from Damascus”; cf. NASB “And sovereignty from Damascus.”
[17:4] 197 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[17:4] 198 tn Heb “will be tiny.”
[17:4] 199 tn Heb “and the fatness of his flesh will be made lean.”
[17:7] 201 tn Heb “in that day” (so ASV, NASB, NIV); KJV “At that day.”
[17:7] 202 tn Heb “man will gaze toward his maker.”
[17:7] 203 tn Heb “his eyes will look toward.”
[17:7] 204 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[17:8] 205 tn Heb “he will not gaze toward.”
[17:8] 206 tn Heb “and that which his fingers made he will not see, the Asherah poles and the incense altars.”
[17:9] 209 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
[17:9] 210 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “like the abandonment of the wooded height and the top one.” The following relative clause appears to allude back to the Israelite conquest of the land, so it seems preferable to emend הַחֹרֶשׁ וְהָאָמִיר (hakhoresh vÿha’amir, “the wooded height and the top one”) to חֹרֵשֵׁי הָאֱמֹרִי (khoreshe ha’emori, “[like the abandonment] of the wooded heights of the Amorites”).
[17:10] 213 tn Heb “you have forgotten” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[17:10] 214 tn Heb “and the rocky cliff of your strength you do not remember.”
[17:10] 215 tn Heb “a vine, a strange one.” The substantival adjective זָר (zar) functions here as an appositional genitive. It could refer to a cultic plant of some type, associated with a pagan rite. But it is more likely that it refers to an exotic, or imported, type of vine, one that is foreign (i.e., “strange”) to Israel.
[17:11] 217 tn Heb “in the day of your planting you [?].” The precise meaning of the verb תְּשַׂגְשֵׂגִי (tÿsagsegi) is unclear. It is sometimes derived from שׂוּג/סוּג (sug, “to fence in”; see BDB 691 s.v. II סוּג). In this case one could translate “you build a protective fence.” However, the parallelism is tighter if one derives the form from שָׂגָא/שָׂגָה (saga’/sagah, “to grow”); see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:351, n. 4. For this verb, see BDB 960 s.v. שָׂגָא.
[17:11] 218 tc The Hebrew text has, “a heap of harvest.” However, better sense is achieved if נֵד (ned, “heap”) is emended to a verb. Options include נַד (nad, Qal perfect third masculine singular from נָדַד [nadad, “flee, depart”]), נָדַד (Qal perfect third masculine singular from נָדַד), נֹדֵד (noded, Qal active participle from נָדַד), and נָד (nad, Qal perfect third masculine singular, or participle masculine singular, from נוּד [nud, “wander, flutter”]). See BDB 626 s.v. נוּד and HALOT 672 s.v. I נדד. One could translate literally: “[the harvest] departs,” or “[the harvest] flies away.”
[17:12] 221 tn Heb “Woe [to] the massing of the many nations.” The word הוֹי (hoy) could be translated as a simple interjection here (“ah!”), but since the following verses announce the demise of these nations, it is preferable to take הוֹי as a funeral cry. See the note on the first phrase of 1:4.
[17:12] 222 tn Heb “like the loud noise of the seas, they make a loud noise.”
[17:12] 223 tn Heb “the uproar of the peoples.” The term הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse; the words “are as good as dead” are supplied in the translation to reflect this.
[17:12] 224 tn Heb “like the uproar of mighty waters they are in an uproar.”
[17:13] 225 tn Heb “the peoples are in an uproar like the uproar of mighty waters.”
[17:13] 226 tn Or “rebukes.” The verb and related noun are used in theophanies of God’s battle cry which terrifies his enemies. See, for example, Pss 18:15; 76:7; 106:9; Isa 50:2; Nah 1:4, and A. Caquot, TDOT 3:49-53.
[17:13] 227 tn Or perhaps “tumbleweed” (NAB, NIV, CEV); KJV “like a rolling thing.”
[17:14] 229 tn Heb “at the time of evening, look, sudden terror.”
[17:14] 230 tn Heb “before morning he is not.”
[17:14] 231 tn Heb “this is the portion of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who loot us.”
[18:1] 233 tn Heb “Woe [to] the land of buzzing wings.” On הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) see the note on the first phrase of 1:4.
[18:2] 237 tn The precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. מְמֻשָּׁךְ (mÿmushakh) appears to be a Pual participle from the verb מָשַׁךְ (mashakh, “to draw, extend”). Lexicographers theorize that it here refers to people who “stretch out,” as it were, or are tall. See BDB 604 s.v. מָשַׁךְ, and HALOT 645-46 s.v. משׁךְ. מוֹרָט (morat) is taken as a Pual participle from מָרַט (marat), which can mean “to pull out [hair],” in the Qal, “become bald” in the Niphal, and “be wiped clean” in the Pual. Lexicographers theorize that the word here refers to people with bare, or smooth, skin. See BDB 598-99 s.v. מָרַט, and HALOT 634-35 s.v. מרט. These proposed meanings, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.
[18:2] 238 tn Heb “from it and onwards.” HALOT 245 s.v. הָלְאָה suggests the translation “far and wide.”
[18:2] 239 tn Once more the precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. The expression קַו־קָו (qav-qav) is sometimes related to a proposed Arabic cognate and taken to mean “strength” (see BDB 876 II קַו). Others, on the basis of Isa 28:10, 13, understand the form as gibberish (literally, “kav, kav”) and take it to be a reference to this nation’s strange, unknown language. The form מְבוּסָה (mÿvusah) appears to be derived from בּוּס (bus, “to trample”), so lexicographers suggest the meaning “trampling” or “subjugation,” i.e., a nation that subdues others. See BDB 101 s.v. בּוּס and HALOT 541 s.v. מְבוּסָה. These proposals, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.
[18:2] 240 tn The precise meaning of the verb בָּזָא (baza’), which occurs only in this oracle (see also v. 7) in the OT, is uncertain. BDB 102 s.v. suggests “divide” on the basis of alleged Aramaic and Arabic cognates; HALOT 117 s.v., citing an alleged Arabic cognate, suggests “wash away.”
[18:4] 241 tn Or “be quiet, inactive”; NIV “will remain quiet.”
[18:4] 242 tn Heb “like the glowing heat because of light.” The precise meaning of the line is uncertain.
[18:4] 243 tn Heb “a cloud of dew,” or “a cloud of light rain.”
[18:4] 244 tc Some medieval Hebrew
[18:4] 245 sn It is unclear how the comparisons in v. 4b relate to the preceding statement. How is waiting and watching similar to heat or a cloud? For a discussion of interpretive options, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:362.
[18:5] 245 tn Heb “and the unripe, ripening fruit is maturing.”
[18:5] 246 tn On the meaning of זַלְזַל (zalzal, “shoot [of the vine] without fruit buds”) see HALOT 272 s.v. *זַלְזַל.
[18:5] 247 tn Heb “the tendrils he will remove, he will cut off.”
[18:6] 249 tn Heb “they will be left together” (so NASB).
[18:6] 250 tn Heb “the beasts of the earth” (so KJV, NASB).
[18:7] 253 tn On the interpretive difficulties of this verse, see the notes at v. 2, where the same terminology is used.
[18:7] 254 tn The words “the tribute” are repeated here in the translation for clarity.
[18:7] 255 tn Heb “to the place of the name of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], Mount Zion.”
[19:1] 257 tn Heb “and the heart of Egypt melts within it.”
[19:2] 261 tn Heb I will provoke Egypt against Egypt” (NAB similar).
[19:2] 262 tn Heb “and they will fight, a man against his brother, and a man against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.” Civil strife will extend all the way from the domestic level to the provincial arena.
[19:3] 265 tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”
[19:3] 266 tn The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (bala’, “swallow”); see HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע.
[19:3] 267 tn Heb “they will inquire of the idols and of the spirits of the dead and of the ritual pits and of the magicians.” Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19.
[19:4] 269 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[19:5] 273 tn Heb “will dry up and be dry.” Two synonyms are joined for emphasis.
[19:6] 277 tn Heb “rivers” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, CEV “streams”; TEV “channels.”
[19:6] 278 tn The verb form appears as a Hiphil in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa; the form in MT may be a so-called “mixed form,” reflecting the Hebrew Hiphil stem and the functionally corresponding Aramaic Aphel stem. See HALOT 276 s.v. I זנח.
[19:7] 281 tn Heb “the plants by the river, by the mouth of the river.”
[19:7] 282 tn Heb “will dry up, [being] scattered, and it will vanish.”
[19:8] 285 tn Or perhaps, “will disappear”; cf. TEV “will be useless.”
[19:9] 289 tn BDB 301 s.v. חוֹרִי suggests the meaning “white stuff” for חוֹרִי (khori); the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חָוֵרוּ (khaveru), probably a Qal perfect, third plural form of חוּר, (khur, “be white, pale”). See HALOT 299 s.v. I חור. The latter reading is assumed in the translation above.
[19:10] 293 tn Some interpret שָׁתֹתֶיהָ (shatoteha) as “her foundations,” i.e., leaders, nobles. See BDB 1011 s.v. שָׁת. Others, on the basis of alleged cognates in Akkadian and Coptic, repoint the form שְׁתִיתֶיהָ (shÿtiteha) and translate “her weavers.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:370.
[19:10] 294 tn Heb “crushed.” Emotional distress is the focus of the context (see vv. 8-9, 10b).
[19:10] 295 tn Heb “sad of soul”; cf. NIV, NLT “sick at heart.”
[19:11] 297 tn Or “certainly the officials of Zoan are fools.” אַךְ (’akh) can carry the sense, “only, nothing but,” or “certainly, surely.”
[19:11] 298 tn Heb “A son of wise men am I, a son of ancient kings.” The term בֶּן (ben, “son of”) could refer to literal descent, but many understand the word, at least in the first line, in its idiomatic sense of “member [of a guild].” See HALOT 138 s.v. בֶּן and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:371. If this is the case, then one can take the word in a figurative sense in the second line as well, the “son of ancient kings” being one devoted to their memory as preserved in their literature.
[19:12] 301 tn Heb “Where are they? Where are your wise men?” The juxtaposition of the interrogative pronouns is emphatic. See HALOT 38 s.v. אֶי.
[19:13] 305 tn Heb “Noph” (so KJV); most recent English versions substitute the more familiar “Memphis.”
[19:13] 306 tn Heb “the cornerstone.” The singular form should be emended to a plural.
[19:14] 309 tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”
[19:14] 310 tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”
[19:15] 313 tn Heb “And there will not be for Egypt a deed, which head and tail, shoot and stalk can do.” In 9:14-15 the phrase “head or tail” refers to leaders and prophets, respectively. This interpretation makes good sense in this context, where both leaders and advisers (probably including prophets and diviners) are mentioned (vv. 11-14). Here, as in 9:14, “shoots and stalk” picture a reed, which symbolizes the leadership of the nation in its entirety.
[19:16] 317 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 18 and 19.
[19:16] 318 tn Heb “Egypt,” which stands by metonymy for the country’s inhabitants.
[19:16] 319 sn As the rest of the verse indicates, the point of the simile is that the Egyptians will be relatively weak physically and will wilt in fear before the Lord’s onslaught.
[19:16] 320 tn Heb “and he will tremble and be afraid because of the brandishing of the hand of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], which he brandishes against him.” Since according to the imagery here the Lord’s “hand” is raised as a weapon against the Egyptians, the term “fist” has been used in the translation.
[19:17] 321 tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt, everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] which he is planning against him.”
[19:18] 325 sn The significance of the number “five” in this context is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:376-77.
[19:18] 326 tc The Hebrew text has עִיר הַהֶרֶס (’ir haheres, “City of Destruction”; cf. NASB, NIV) but this does not fit the positive emphasis of vv. 18-22. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and some medieval Hebrew
[19:19] 329 tn This word is sometimes used of a sacred pillar associated with pagan worship, but here it is associated with the worship of the Lord.
[19:20] 333 tn The masculine noun מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbbeakh, “altar”) in v. 19 is probably the subject of the masculine singular verb הָיָה (hayah) rather than the feminine noun מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”), also in v. 19.
[19:20] 334 tn Heb “a sign and a witness to the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] in the land of Egypt.”
[19:20] 335 tn רָב (rav) is a substantival participle (from רִיב, riv) meaning “one who strives, contends.”
[19:21] 337 tn Heb “Egypt.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the present translation uses the pronoun (“they”) here.
[19:21] 338 tn Heb “will know the Lord.”
[19:21] 339 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 23 and 24.
[19:22] 341 tn Heb “he will be entreated.” The Niphal has a tolerative sense here, “he will allow himself to be entreated.”
[19:23] 345 tn The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23-25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (’et) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.
[19:24] 349 tn Heb “will be a blessing” (so NCV).
[19:24] 350 tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB).
[19:25] 353 tn Heb “which the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] will bless [it], saying.” The third masculine singular suffix on the form בֵּרֲכוֹ (berakho) should probably be emended to a third feminine singular suffix בֵּרֲכָהּ (berakhah), for its antecedent would appear to be the feminine noun אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) at the end of v. 24.
[19:25] 354 tn Or “my inheritance” (NAB, NASB, NIV).
[20:1] 357 tn Heb “In the year the commanding general came to Ashdod, when Sargon king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and captured it.”
[20:2] 361 tn Heb “spoke by the hand of.”
[20:2] 362 tn The word used here (עָרוֹם, ’arom) sometimes means “naked,” but here it appears to mean simply “lightly dressed,” i.e., stripped to one’s undergarments. See HALOT 883 s.v. עָרוֹם. The term also occurs in vv. 3, 4.
[20:4] 365 tn Heb “lightly dressed and barefoot, and bare with respect to the buttocks, the nakedness of Egypt.”
[20:5] 369 tn Heb “and they will be afraid and embarrassed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their beauty.”
[20:6] 373 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
[20:6] 374 sn This probably refers to the coastal region of Philistia (cf. TEV).
[21:1] 377 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.
[21:1] 378 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
[21:2] 381 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
[21:2] 382 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
[21:3] 385 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
[21:3] 386 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
[21:4] 389 tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”
[21:4] 390 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
[21:5] 393 tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).
[21:5] 394 tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
[21:5] 395 sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
[21:6] 397 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[21:7] 401 tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
[21:8] 405 tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”) is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה (haro’eh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6.
[21:8] 406 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
[21:9] 409 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
[21:9] 410 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
[21:10] 413 tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
[21:11] 417 tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.
[21:11] 418 sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.
[21:11] 419 sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.
[21:12] 421 sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.
[21:12] 422 sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”
[21:16] 425 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[21:16] 426 tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14.
[21:17] 429 tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.”
[21:17] 430 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[22:1] 433 sn The following message pertains to Jerusalem. The significance of referring to the city as the Valley of Vision is uncertain. Perhaps the Hinnom Valley is in view, but why it is associated with a prophetic revelatory “vision” is not entirely clear. Maybe the Hinnom Valley is called this because the destruction that will take place there is the focal point of this prophetic message (see v. 5).
[22:1] 434 tn Heb “What to you, then?”
[22:2] 437 tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.
[22:2] 438 sn Apparently they died from starvation during the siege that preceded the final conquest of the city. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:409.
[22:3] 441 tn Verse 3 reads literally, “All your leaders ran away, apart from a bow they were captured, all your found ones were captured together, to a distant place they fled.” J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:403, n. 3) suggests that the lines of the verse are arranged chiastically; lines 1 and 4 go together, while lines 2 and 3 are parallel. To translate the lines in the order they appear in the Hebrew text is misleading to the English reader, who is likely unfamiliar with, or at least insensitive to, chiastic parallelism. Consequently, the translation above arranges the lines as follows: line 1 (Hebrew) = line 1 (in translation); line 2 (Hebrew) = line 4 (in translation); line 3 (Hebrew) = line 3 (in translation); line 4 (Hebrew) = line 2 (in translation).
[22:3] 442 tn Heb “all your found ones.” To achieve tighter parallelism (see “your leaders”) some prefer to emend the form to אַמִּיצַיִךְ (’ammitsayikh, “your strong ones”) or to נֶאֱמָצַיִךְ (ne’ematsayikh, “your strengthened ones”).
[22:3] 443 tn Heb “apart from [i.e., without] a bow they were captured”; cf. NAB, NRSV “without the use of a bow.”
[22:4] 445 tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
[22:4] 446 tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).
[22:4] 447 tn Heb “the daughter of my people.” “Daughter” is here used metaphorically to express the speaker’s emotional attachment to his people, as well as their vulnerability and weakness.
[22:5] 449 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 12, 14, 15 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[22:5] 450 tn Heb “For [there is] a day of panic, and trampling, and confusion for the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
[22:5] 451 tn The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests that this phrase goes with what precedes.
[22:5] 452 tn The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Some take קִר (qir) as “wall” and interpret the verb to mean “tear down.” However, tighter parallelism (note the reference to crying for help in the next line) is achieved if one takes both the verb and noun from a root, attested in Ugaritic and Arabic, meaning “make a sound.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:404, n. 5.
[22:5] 453 sn Perhaps “the hill” refers to the temple mount.
[22:6] 453 tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”
[22:6] 454 sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.
[22:6] 455 tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).
[22:6] 456 sn The Elamites and men of Kir may here symbolize a fierce army from a distant land. If this oracle anticipates a Babylonian conquest of the city (see 39:5-7), then the Elamites and men of Kir are perhaps viewed here as mercenaries in the Babylonian army. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:410.
[22:7] 457 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[22:7] 458 tn Heb “taking a stand, take their stand.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. The translation attempts to bring out this emphasis with the adverb “confidently.”
[22:8] 461 tn Heb “he,” i.e., the enemy invader. NASB, by its capitalization of the pronoun, takes this to refer to the Lord.
[22:8] 463 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of v. 12.
[22:8] 464 sn Perhaps this refers to a royal armory, or to Solomon’s “House of the Forest of Lebanon,” where weapons may have been kept (see 1 Kgs 10:16-17).
[22:9] 465 tn Heb “the breaks of the city of David, you saw that they were many.”
[22:10] 469 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[22:10] 470 tn Heb “you demolished the houses to fortify the wall.”
[22:11] 473 tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”
[22:11] 474 tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.
[22:11] 475 tn Heb “did not see.”
[22:12] 477 tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.
[22:13] 481 tn Heb “happiness and joy.”
[22:13] 482 tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.
[22:14] 485 tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
[22:14] 486 tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.
[22:15] 489 tn Heb “who is over the house” (so ASV); NASB “who is in charge of the royal household.”
[22:15] 490 tn The words “and tell him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[22:16] 493 tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.
[22:16] 494 tn Heb “that you chisel out.”
[22:17] 497 tn Heb “will throw you with a throwing.”
[22:17] 498 tn Heb “O man” (so NASB); NAB “mortal man”; NRSV “my fellow.”
[22:17] 499 tn Heb “and the one who wraps you [will] wrap.”
[22:18] 501 tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”
[22:18] 502 tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”
[22:18] 503 sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.
[22:19] 505 tn Heb “I will push you away from.”
[22:19] 506 tn Heb “he will throw you down.” The shift from the first to third person is peculiar and abrupt, but certainly not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. See GKC 462 §144.p. The third person may be indefinite (“one will throw you down”), in which case the passive translation is justified.
[22:20] 509 tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[22:21] 513 tn Heb “and your dominion I will place in his hand.”
[22:21] 514 tn Heb “a father to.” The Hebrew term אָב (’av, “father”) is here used metaphorically of one who protects and supports those under his care and authority, like a father does his family. For another example of this metaphorical use of the word, see Job 29:16.
[22:22] 517 sn This may refer to a literal insignia worn by the chief administrator. Even so, it would still symbolize the administrator’s authority to grant or exclude access to the king. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:422.
[22:23] 521 sn The metaphor depicts how secure his position will be.
[22:23] 522 tn Heb “and he will become a glorious throne for the house of his father.”
[22:24] 525 tn Heb “and all the glory of the house of his father they will hang on him.” The Lord returns to the peg metaphor of v. 23a. Eliakim’s secure position of honor will bring benefits and jobs to many others in the family.
[22:24] 526 tn The precise meaning and derivation of this word are uncertain. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “the issue”; CEV “relatives.”
[22:24] 527 tn Heb “all the small vessels, from the vessels that are bowls to all the vessels that are jars.” The picture is that of a single peg holding the weight of all kinds of containers hung from it.
[22:25] 529 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
[22:25] 530 sn Eliakim’s authority, though seemingly secure, will eventually be removed, and with it his family’s prominence.
[22:25] 531 tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[23:1] 533 tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
[23:1] 534 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for it is destroyed, from a house, from entering.” The translation assumes that the mem (מ) on בַּיִת (bayit) was originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. This assumption allows one to take בַּיִת as the subject of the preceding verb. It is used in a metaphorical sense for the port city of Tyre. The preposition min (מִן) prefixed to בּוֹא (bo’) indicates negative consequence: “so that no one can enter.” See BDB 583 s.v. מִן 7.b.
[23:1] 535 tn Heb “the Kittim,” a designation for the people of Cyprus. See HALOT 504-05 s.v. כִּתִּיִּים.
[23:2] 537 tn Or “keep quiet”; NAB “Silence!”
[23:2] 538 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[23:3] 541 tc The Hebrew text (23:2b-3a) reads literally, “merchant of Sidon, the one who crosses the sea, they filled you, and on the deep waters.” Instead of מִלְאוּךְ (mil’ukh, “they filled you”) the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads מלאכיך (“your messengers”). The translation assumes an emendation of מִלְאוּךְ to מַלְאָכָו (mal’akhav, “his messengers”), taking the vav (ו) on וּבְמַיִם (uvÿmayim) as improperly placed; instead it should be the final letter of the preceding word.
[23:3] 542 tn Heb “seed of Shihor.” “Shihor” probably refers to the east branch of the Nile. See Jer 2:18 and BDB 1009 s.v. שִׁיחוֹר.
[23:3] 543 tn Heb “the harvest of the Nile.”
[23:3] 544 tn Heb “[is] her revenue.”
[23:3] 545 tn Heb “merchandise”; KJV, ASV “a mart of nations”; NLT “the merchandise mart of the world.”
[23:4] 545 tn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:430-31) sees here a reference to Yam, the Canaanite god of the sea. He interprets the phrase מָעוֹז הַיָּם (ma’oz hayyam, “fortress of the sea”) as a title of Yam, translating “Mighty One of the Sea.” A more traditional view is that the phrase refers to Sidon.
[23:4] 546 tn Or “virgins” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).
[23:5] 549 tn Heb “they will be in pain at the report of Tyre.”
[23:7] 553 tn Heb “Is this to you, boisterous one?” The pronoun “you” is masculine plural, like the imperatives in v. 6, so it is likely addressed to the Egyptians and residents of the coast. “Boisterous one” is a feminine singular form, probably referring to the personified city of Tyre.
[23:7] 554 tn Heb “in the days of antiquity [is] her beginning.”
[23:8] 557 tn The precise meaning of הַמַּעֲטִירָה (hamma’atirah) is uncertain. The form is a Hiphil participle from עָטַר (’atar), a denominative verb derived from עֲטָרָה (’atarah, “crown, wreath”). The participle may mean “one who wears a crown” or “one who distributes crowns.” In either case, Tyre’s prominence in the international political arena is in view.
[23:8] 558 tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”
[23:9] 561 tn Heb “the pride of all the beauty.”
[23:10] 565 tc This meaning of this verse is unclear. The Hebrew text reads literally, “Cross over your land, like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish, there is no more waistband.” The translation assumes an emendation of מֵזַח (mezakh, “waistband”) to מָחֹז (makhoz, “harbor, marketplace”; see Ps 107:30). The term עָבַר (’avar, “cross over”) is probably used here of traveling over the water (as in v. 6). The command is addressed to personified Tarshish, who here represents her merchants. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has עבדי (“work, cultivate”) instead of עִבְרִי (’ivri, “cross over”). In this case one might translate “Cultivate your land, like they do the Nile region” (cf. NIV, CEV). The point would be that the people of Tarshish should turn to agriculture because they will no longer be able to get what they need through the marketplace in Tyre.
[23:11] 569 tn Heb “his hand he stretched out over the sea.”
[23:11] 570 tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
[23:11] 571 tn Heb “concerning Canaan, to destroy her fortresses.” NIV, NLT translate “Canaan” as “Phoenicia” here.
[23:12] 573 tn Or “violated, raped,” the point being that Daughter Sidon has lost her virginity in the most brutal manner possible.
[23:12] 574 tn Heb “[to the] Kittim, get up, cross over; even there there will be no rest for you.” On “Kittim” see the note on “Cyprus” at v. 1.
[23:13] 577 tn Heb “this people [that] is not.”
[23:13] 578 tn For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 118 s.v. *בַּחוּן.
[23:13] 579 tn Or “laid bare.” For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 889 s.v. ערר.
[23:13] 580 sn This verse probably refers to the Assyrian destruction of Babylon.
[23:14] 581 tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” See the note at v. 1.
[23:15] 585 tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[23:15] 586 sn The number seventy is probably used in a stereotypical, nonliteral sense here to indicate a long period of time that satisfies completely the demands of God’s judgment.
[23:15] 587 tn Heb “like the days of a king.”
[23:15] 588 tn Heb “At the end of seventy years it will be for Tyre like the song of the prostitute.”
[23:16] 589 tn Heb “so you will be remembered.”
[23:17] 593 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[23:17] 594 tn Heb “visit [with favor]” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “will deal with.”
[23:17] 595 tn Heb “and she will return to her [prostitute’s] wages and engage in prostitution with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the earth.”
[23:18] 597 tn Heb “for eating to fullness and for beautiful covering[s].”
[24:2] 601 tn Heb “and it will be like the people, like the priest.”
[24:2] 602 tn Heb “like the servant, like his master.”
[24:2] 603 tn Heb “like the female servant, like her mistress.”
[24:2] 604 tn Heb “like the buyer, like the seller.”
[24:2] 605 tn Heb “like the lender, like the borrower.”
[24:2] 606 tn Heb “like the creditor, just as the one to whom he lends.”
[24:3] 605 tn Heb “for the Lord has spoken this word.”
[24:4] 609 tn Some prefer to read “land” here, but the word pair אֶרֶץ/תֵּבֵל (erets/tevel [see the corresponding term in the parallel line]) elsewhere clearly designates the earth/world (see 1 Sam 2:8; 1 Chr 16:30; Job 37;12; Pss 19:4; 24:1; 33:8; 89:11; 90:2; 96:13; 98:9; Prov 8:26, 31; Isa 14:16-17; 34:1; Jer 10:12; 51:15; Lam 4:12). According to L. Stadelmann, תבל designates “the habitable part of the world” (The Hebrew Conception of the World [AnBib], 130).
[24:4] 610 tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists the homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism.
[24:4] 611 tn Heb “the height of the people of the earth.” The translation assumes an emendation of the singular form מְרוֹם (mÿrom, “height of”) to the plural construct מְרֹמֵי (mÿrome, “high ones of”; note the plural verb at the beginning of the line), and understands the latter as referring to the prominent people of human society.
[24:5] 613 tn Heb “beneath”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “under”; NAB “because of.”
[24:5] 614 sn Isa 26:21 suggests that the earth’s inhabitants defiled the earth by shedding the blood of their fellow human beings. See also Num 35:33-34, which assumes that bloodshed defiles a land.
[24:5] 615 tn Heb “moved past [the?] regulation.”
[24:5] 616 tn Or “everlasting covenant” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the ancient covenant”; CEV “their agreement that was to last forever.”
[24:6] 617 sn Ancient Near Eastern treaties often had “curses,” or threatened judgments, attached to them. (See Deut 28 for a biblical example of such curses.) The party or parties taking an oath of allegiance acknowledged that disobedience would activate these curses, which typically threatened loss of agricultural fertility as depicted in the following verses.
[24:6] 618 tn The verb אָשַׁם (’asham, “be guilty”) is here used metonymically to mean “pay, suffer for one’s guilt” (see HALOT 95 s.v. אשׁם).
[24:6] 619 tn BDB 359 s.v. חָרַר derives the verb חָרוּ (kharu) from חָרַר (kharar, “burn”), but HALOT 351 s.v. II חרה understands a hapax legomenon חָרָה (kharah, “to diminish in number,” a homonym of חָרָה) here, relating it to an alleged Arabic cognate meaning “to decrease.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חורו, perhaps understanding the root as חָוַר (khavar, “grow pale”; see Isa 29:22 and HALOT 299 s.v. I חור).
[24:6] 620 tn Heb “and mankind is left small [in number].”
[24:7] 621 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “all the joyful in heart,” but the context specifies the context as parties and drinking bouts.
[24:8] 625 tn Heb “the joy” (again later in this verse).
[24:9] 629 tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”
[24:10] 633 tn Heb “the city of chaos” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Isaiah uses the term תֹּהוּ (tohu) rather frequently of things (like idols) that are empty and worthless (see BDB 1062 s.v.), so the word might characterize the city as rebellious or morally worthless. However, in this context, which focuses on the effects of divine judgment, it probably refers to the ruined or worthless condition in which the city is left (note the use of the word in Isa 34:11). For a discussion of the identity of this city, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24,” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In the context of universal judgment depicted in Isa 24, this city represents all the nations and cities of the world which, like Babylon of old and the powers/cities mentioned in chapters 13-23, rebel against God’s authority. Behind the stereotypical language one can detect various specific manifestations of this symbolic and paradigmatic city, including Babylon, Moab, and Jerusalem, all of which are alluded or referred to in chapters 24-27.
[24:10] 634 tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”
[24:11] 637 tn Heb “[there is] an outcry over the wine in the streets.”
[24:11] 638 tn Heb “all joy turns to evening,” the darkness of evening symbolizing distress and sorrow.
[24:11] 639 tn Heb “the joy of the earth disappears.”
[24:12] 641 tn Heb “and there is left in the city desolation.”
[24:12] 642 tn Heb “and [into] rubble the gate is crushed.”
[24:13] 645 tn Heb “in the midst of” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
[24:13] 646 sn The judgment will severely reduce the earth’s population. See v. 6.
[24:14] 649 sn The remnant of the nations (see v. 13) may be the unspecified subject. If so, then those who have survived the judgment begin to praise God.
[24:14] 650 tn Heb “they yell out concerning.”
[24:15] 653 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “in the lights,” interpreted by some to mean “in the region of light,” referring to the east. Some scholars have suggested the emendation of בָּאֻרִים (ba’urim) to בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם (bÿ’iyyey hayyam, “along the seacoasts”), a phrase that is repeated in the next line. In this case, the two lines form synonymous parallelism. If one retains the MT reading (as above), “in the east” and “along the seacoasts” depict the two ends of the earth to refer to all the earth (as a merism).
[24:15] 654 tn The word “extol” is supplied in the translation; the verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.
[24:15] 655 tn Heb “name,” which here stands for God’s reputation achieved by his mighty deeds.
[24:16] 657 sn The identity of the subject is unclear. Apparently in vv. 15-16a an unidentified group responds to the praise they hear in the west by exhorting others to participate.
[24:16] 658 tn Heb “Beauty belongs to the just one.” These words may summarize the main theme of the songs mentioned in the preceding line.
[24:16] 659 sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.
[24:16] 660 tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”
[24:17] 661 tn Heb “[are] upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.” The first line of v. 17 provides another classic example of Hebrew wordplay. The names of the three instruments of judgment (פָח,פַחַת,פַּחַד [pakhad, fakhat, fakh]) all begin with the letters פח (peh-khet) and the first two end in dental consonants (ת/ד, tet/dalet). Once again the repetition of sound draws attention to the statement and contributes to the theme of the inescapability of judgment. As their similar-sounding names suggest, terror, pit, and snare are allies in destroying the objects of divine wrath.
[24:18] 665 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[24:18] 666 tn Heb “from the height”; KJV “from on high.”
[24:18] 667 sn The language reflects the account of the Noahic Flood (see Gen 7:11).
[24:19] 669 tn Once more repetition is used to draw attention to a statement. In the Hebrew text each lines ends with אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”). Each line also uses a Hitpolel verb form from a geminate root preceded by an emphatic infinitive absolute.
[24:20] 673 tn Heb “staggering, staggers.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis and sound play.
[24:20] 674 tn The words “in a windstorm” are supplied in the translation to clarify the metaphor.
[24:21] 677 tn Or “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[24:21] 678 tn Heb “visit [in judgment].”
[24:21] 679 tn Heb “the host of the height in the height.” The “host of the height/heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13).
[24:22] 681 tn Heb “they will be gathered [in] a gathering [as] a prisoner in a cistern.” It is tempting to eliminate אֲסֵפָה (’asefah, “a gathering”) as dittographic or as a gloss, but sound repetition is one of the main characteristics of the style of this section of the chapter.
[24:22] 682 tn Heb “and after a multitude of days.”
[24:22] 683 tn Heb “visited” (so KJV, ASV). This verse can mean to visit for good or for evil. The translation assumes the latter, based on v. 21a. However, BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד B.Niph.2 suggests the meaning “visit graciously” here, in which case one might translate “they will be released.”
[24:23] 685 tn Heb “will be ashamed.”
[24:23] 686 tn Or “glow of the sun.”
[24:23] 687 tn Heb “will be ashamed” (so NCV).
[24:23] 688 tn Or “take his throne,” “become king.”
[24:23] 689 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[24:23] 690 tn Heb “and before his elders [in] splendor.”
[25:1] 689 sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.
[25:1] 690 tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.
[25:1] 691 tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.
[25:2] 693 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[25:2] 694 tn The Hebrew text has “you have made from the city.” The prefixed mem (מ) on עִיר (’ir, “city”) was probably originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:456, n. 3.
[25:2] 695 tc Some with support from the LXX emend זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”) to זֵדִים (zedim, “the insolent”).
[25:3] 697 tn The Hebrew text has a singular form, but it should be emended to a plural or eliminated altogether. The noun may have been accidentally copied from the preceding verse.
[25:4] 701 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; NIV, NRSV “the ruthless.”
[25:4] 702 tc The Hebrew text has, “like a rainstorm of a wall,” which might be interpreted to mean, “like a rainstorm battering against a wall.” The translation assumes an emendation of קִיר (qir, “wall”) to קֹר (qor, “cold, winter”; cf. Gen 8:22). See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:457, n. 6, for discussion.
[25:5] 705 tn Or “drought” (TEV).
[25:5] 706 tn Heb “the tumult of foreigners.”
[25:5] 707 tn Heb “[like] heat in the shadow of a cloud.”
[25:5] 708 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.
[25:6] 709 sn That is, Mount Zion (see 24:23); cf. TEV; NLT “In Jerusalem.”
[25:6] 710 tn Heb “And the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] will make for all the nations on this mountain a banquet of meats, a banquet of wine dregs, meats filled with marrow, dregs that are filtered.”
[25:7] 713 tn The Hebrew text reads, “the face of the shroud, the shroud over all the nations.” Some emend the second הַלּוֹט (hallot) to a passive participle הַלּוּט (hallut, “that is wrapped”).
[25:7] 714 sn The point of the imagery is unclear. Perhaps the shroud/covering referred to was associated with death in some way (see v. 8).
[25:8] 717 sn The image of the Lord “swallowing” death would be especially powerful, for death was viewed in Canaanite mythology and culture as a hungry enemy that swallows its victims. See the note at 5:14.
[25:8] 718 tn Heb “has spoken” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[25:9] 721 tn Heb “and one will say in that day.”
[25:9] 722 tn Heb “this [one].”
[25:9] 723 tn Heb “this [one].”
[25:10] 725 tn Heb “for the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain”; TEV “will protect Mount Zion”; NCV “will protect (rest on NLT) Jerusalem.”
[25:10] 726 tn Heb “under him,” i.e., “in his place.”
[25:10] 727 tc The marginal reading (Qere) is בְּמוֹ (bÿmo, “in”). The consonantal text (Kethib) has בְּמִי (bÿmi, “in the water of”).
[25:11] 729 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 730 tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is probably the masculine noun מַתְבֵּן (matben, “heap of straw”) in v. 10 rather than the feminine noun מַדְמֵנָה (madmenah, “manure pile”), also in v. 10.
[25:11] 731 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 732 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 733 tn The Hebrew text has, “he will bring down his pride along with the [?] of his hands.” The meaning of אָרְבּוֹת (’arbot), which occurs only here in the OT, is unknown. Some (see BDB 70 s.v. אָרְבָּה) translate “artifice, cleverness,” relating the form to the verbal root אָרָב (’arav, “to lie in wait, ambush”), but this requires some convoluted semantic reasoning. HALOT 83 s.v. *אָרְבָּה suggests the meaning “[nimble] movements.” The translation above, which attempts to relate the form to the preceding context, is purely speculative.
[25:12] 733 sn Moab is addressed.
[25:12] 734 tn Heb “a fortification, the high point of your walls.”
[25:12] 735 tn Heb “he will bring [it] down, he will make [it] touch the ground, even to the dust.”
[26:1] 737 tn Heb “In that day” (so KJV).
[26:1] 738 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:1] 739 tn Heb “deliverance he makes walls and a rampart.”
[26:3] 741 tn Heb “[one of] firm purpose you will keep [in] peace, peace, for in you he possesses trust.” The Hebrew term יֵצֶר (yetser) refers to what one devises in the mind; סָמוּךְ (samukh) probably functions here like an attributive adjective and carries the nuance “firm.” So the phrase literally means, “a firm purpose,” but as the object of the verb “keep, guard,” it must stand by metonymy for the one(s) who possess a firm purpose. In this context the “righteous nation” (v. 2) is probably in view and the “firm purpose” refers to their unwavering faith in God’s vindication (see 25:9). In this context שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”), which is repeated for emphasis, likely refers to national security, not emotional or psychological composure (see vv. 1-2). The passive participle בָּטוּחַ (batuakh) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action.
[26:4] 745 tn Or “forevermore.” For other uses of the phrase עֲדֵי־עַד (’ade-’ad) see Isa 65:18 and Pss 83:17; 92:7.
[26:4] 746 tc The Hebrew text has “for in Yah, the Lord, an everlasting rock.” Some have suggested that the phrase בְּיָהּ (beyah, “in Yah”) is the result of dittography. A scribe seeing כִּי יְהוָה (ki yÿhvah) in his original text would somehow have confused the letters and accidentally inserted בְּיָהּ between the words (bet and kaf [ב and כ] can be confused in later script phases). A number of English versions retain both divine names for emphasis (ESV, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT). One of the Qumran texts (1QIsaa) confirms the MT reading as well.
[26:5] 749 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[26:5] 750 tn The translation assumes that יַשְׁפִּילֶנָּה (yashpilennah) goes with the preceding words “an elevated town,” and that יַשְׁפִּילָהּ (yashpilah) belongs with the following words, “to the ground.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:469, n. 7.
[26:7] 753 sn The literary structure of chap. 26 is not entirely clear. The chapter begins with an eschatological song of praise and ends with a lament and prophetic response (vv. 16-21). It is not certain where the song of praise ends or how vv. 7-15 fit into the structure. Verses 10-11a seem to lament the presence of evil and v. 11b anticipates the arrival of judgment, so it is possible that vv. 7-15 are a prelude to the lament and announcement that conclude the chapter.
[26:7] 754 tc The Hebrew text has, “upright, the path of the righteous you make level.” There are three possible ways to translate this line. Some take יָשָׁר (yashar) as a divine title: “O Upright One” (cf. NASB, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT). Others regard יָשָׁר as the result of dittography (מֵישָׁרִים יָשָׁר ַמעְגַּל, mesharim yashar ma’gal) and do not include it in the translation. Another possibility is to keep יָשָׁר and render the line as “the path of the righteous that you prepare is straight.”
[26:8] 757 tn The Hebrew text has, “yes, the way of your judgments.” The translation assumes that “way” is related to the verb “we wait” as an adverbial accusative (“in the way of your judgments we wait”). מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ (mishpatekha, “your judgments”) could refer to the Lord’s commandments, in which case one might translate, “as we obey your commands.” However, in verse 9 the same form refers to divine acts of judgment on evildoers.
[26:8] 758 tn Heb “your name and your remembrance [is] the desire of [our?] being.”
[26:9] 761 tn Heb “with my soul I.” This is a figure for the speaker himself (“I”).
[26:9] 762 tn Or “long for, desire.” The speaker acknowledges that he is eager to see God come in judgment (see vv. 8, 9b).
[26:9] 763 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).
[26:10] 765 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] 766 tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”
[26:11] 769 tn Heb “O Lord, your hand is lifted up.”
[26:11] 770 tn Heb “They will see and be ashamed of zeal of people.” Some take the prefixed verbs as jussives and translate the statement as a prayer, “Let them see and be put to shame.” The meaning of the phrase קִנְאַת־עָם (qin’at-’am, “zeal of people”) is unclear. The translation assumes that this refers to God’s angry judgment upon people. Another option is to understand the phrase as referring to God’s zealous, protective love of his covenant people. In this case one might translate, “by your zealous devotion to your people.”
[26:11] 771 tn Heb “yes, fire, your enemies, will consume them.” Many understand the prefixed verb form to be jussive and translate, “let [fire] consume” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The mem suffixed to the verb may be enclitic; if a pronominal suffix, it refers back to “your enemies.”
[26:12] 773 tn Heb “O Lord, you establish peace for us.”
[26:12] 774 tc Some suggest emending גַּם כָּל (gam kol, “even all”) to כִּגְמֻל (kigmul, “according to the deed[s] of”) One might then translate “for according to what our deeds deserve, you have acted on our behalf.” Nevertheless, accepting the MT as it stands, the prophet affirms that Yahweh deserved all the credit for anything Israel had accomplished.
[26:14] 777 sn In light of what is said in verse 14b, the “dead” here may be the “masters” mentioned in verse 13.
[26:14] 778 tn The Hebrew term לָכֵן (lakhen) normally indicates a cause-effect relationship between what precedes and follows and is translated, “therefore.” Here, however, it infers the cause from the effect and brings out what is implicit in the previous statement. See BDB 487 s.v.
[26:14] 779 tn Heb “visited [for harm]” (cf. KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “you have punished.”
[26:15] 781 tn Heb “you have added to the nation.” The last line of the verse suggests that geographical expansion is in view. “The nation” is Judah.
[26:15] 782 tn Or “brought honor to yourself.”
[26:16] 785 tn The meaning of this verse is unclear. It appears to read literally, “O Lord, in distress they visit you, they pour out [?] an incantation, your discipline to them.” פָּקַד (paqad) may here carry the sense of “seek with interest” (cf. Ezek 23:21 and BDB 823 s.v.) or “seek in vain” (cf. Isa 34:16), but it is peculiar for the Lord to be the object of this verb. צָקוּן (tsaqun) may be a Qal perfect third plural form from צוּק (tsuq, “pour out, melt”), though the verb is not used of pouring out words in its two other occurrences. Because of the appearance of צַר (tsar, “distress”) in the preceding line, it is tempting to emend the form to a noun and derive it from צוּק (“be in distress”) The term לַחַשׁ (lakhash) elsewhere refers to an incantation (Isa 3:3; Jer 8:17; Eccl 10:11) or amulet (Isa 3:20). Perhaps here it refers to ritualistic prayers or to magical incantations used to ward off evil.
[26:18] 789 tn On the use of כְּמוֹ (kÿmo, “like, as”) here, see BDB 455 s.v. Israel’s distress and suffering, likened here to the pains of childbirth, seemed to be for no purpose. A woman in labor endures pain with the hope that a child will be born; in Israel’s case no such positive outcome was apparent. The nation was like a woman who strains to bring forth a child, but can’t push the baby through to daylight. All her effort produces nothing.
[26:18] 790 tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the world do not fall.” The term נָפַל (nafal) apparently means here, “be born,” though the Qal form of the verb is not used with this nuance anywhere else in the OT. (The Hiphil appears to be used in the sense of “give birth” in v. 19, however.) The implication of verse 18b seems to be that Israel hoped its suffering would somehow end in deliverance and an increase in population. The phrase “inhabitants of the world” seems to refer to the human race in general, but the next verse, which focuses on Israel’s dead, suggests the referent may be more limited.
[26:19] 793 sn At this point the Lord (or prophet) gives the people an encouraging oracle.
[26:19] 794 tn Heb “dust” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[26:19] 795 tn Heb “for the dew of lights [is] your dew.” The pronominal suffix on “dew” is masculine singular, like the suffixes on “your dead” and “your corpses” in the first half of the verse. The statement, then, is addressed to collective Israel, the speaker in verse 18. The plural form אוֹרֹת (’orot) is probably a plural of respect or magnitude, meaning “bright light” (i.e., morning’s light). Dew is a symbol of fertility and life. Here Israel’s “dew,” as it were, will soak the dust of the ground and cause the corpses of the dead to spring up to new life, like plants sprouting up from well-watered soil.
[26:19] 796 sn It is not certain whether the resurrection envisioned here is intended to be literal or figurative. A comparison with 25:8 and Dan 12:2 suggests a literal interpretation, but Ezek 37:1-14 uses resurrection as a metaphor for deliverance from exile and the restoration of the nation (see Isa 27:12-13).
[26:20] 797 tn Heb “until anger passes by.”
[26:21] 801 tn Heb “out of his place” (so KJV, ASV).
[26:21] 802 sn This implies that rampant bloodshed is one of the reasons for divine judgment. See the note at 24:5.
[27:1] 805 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
[27:1] 806 tn Heb “hard, severe”; cf. NAB, NRSV “cruel”; KJV “sore”; NLT “terrible.”
[27:1] 807 tn Heb “fleeing” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Some translate “slippery” or “slithering.”
[27:1] 808 tn The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon (Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַנִּין [tannin, translated “sea monster” here]) vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling (Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן [’aqallaton, translated “squirming” here]) serpent, the tyrant with seven heads (cf. Ps 74:14).” (See CTA 3 iii 38-39.) (2) “for all that you smote Leviathan the slippery (Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ [bariakh, translated “fast-moving” here]) serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5 i 1-3.)
[27:2] 809 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
[27:2] 810 tn Heb “vineyard of delight,” or “vineyard of beauty.” Many medieval
[27:3] 813 tn Heb “her.” Apparently “vineyard” is the antecedent, though normally this noun is understood as masculine (see Lev 25:3, however).
[27:3] 814 tn Or perhaps, “constantly.” Heb “by moments.”
[27:3] 815 tn Heb “lest [someone] visit [harm] upon it, night and day I guard it.”
[27:4] 817 tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense. For other examples of a cohortative expressing resolve after a hypothetical statement introduced by נָתַן with מִי (miwith natan), see Judg 9:29; Jer 9:1-2; Ps 55:6.
[27:4] 818 tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense.
[27:5] 821 tn Heb “or let him take hold of my refuge.” The subject of the third masculine singular verb form is uncertain. Apparently the symbolic “thorns and briers” are in view, though in v. 4b a feminine singular pronoun was used to refer to them.
[27:5] 822 tc The Hebrew text has, “he makes peace with me, peace he makes with me.” Some contend that two alternative readings are preserved here and one should be deleted. The first has the object שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) preceding the verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “make”); the second reverses the order. Another option is to retain both statements, although repetitive, to emphasize the need to make peace with Yahweh.
[27:6] 825 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “the coming ones, let Jacob take root.” הַבָּאִים (habba’im, “the coming ones”) should probably be emended to יָמִים בָאִים (yamim va’im, “days [are] coming”) or בְּיָמִים הַבָּאִים (biyamim habba’im, “in the coming days”).
[27:6] 826 tn Heb “fruit” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[27:6] 827 sn This apparently refers to a future population explosion. See 26:18.
[27:7] 829 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Like the striking down of the one striking him down does he strike him down?” The meaning of the text is unclear, but this may be a rhetorical question, suggesting that Israel has not experienced divine judgment to the same degree as her oppressors. In this case “the one striking down” refers to Israel’s oppressors, while the pronoun “him” refers to Israel. The subject of the final verb (“does he strike down”) would then be God, while the pronoun “him” would again refer to Israel.
[27:7] 830 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Or like the killing of his killed ones is he killed?” If one accepts the interpretation of the parallel line outlined in the previous note, then this line too would contain a rhetorical question suggesting that Israel has not experienced destruction to the same degree as its enemies. In this case “his killed ones” refers to the one who struck Israel down, and Israel would be the subject of the final verb (“is he killed”).
[27:8] 833 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “in [?], in sending her away, you oppose her.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The form בְּסַאסְּאָה (bÿsa’ssÿ’ah) is taken as an infinitive from סַאסְּאָה (sa’ssÿ’ah) with a prepositional prefix and a third feminine singular suffix. (The MT does not have a mappiq in the final he [ה], however). According to HALOT 738 s.v. סַאסְּאָה the verb is a Palpel form from an otherwise unattested root cognate with an Arabic verb meaning “to gather beasts with a call.” Perhaps it means “to call, summon” here, but this is a very tentative proposal. בְּשַׁלְחָהּ (bÿshalkhah, “in sending her away”) appears to be a Piel infinitive with a prepositional prefix and a third feminine singular suffix. Since the Piel of שָׁלָח (shalakh) can sometimes mean “divorce” (HALOT 1514-15 s.v.) and the following verb רִיב (riv, “oppose”) can be used in legal contexts, it is possible that divorce proceedings are alluded to here. This may explain why Israel is referred to as feminine in this verse, in contrast to the masculine forms used in vv. 6-7 and 9.
[27:8] 834 tn The Hebrew text has no object expressed, but one can understand a third feminine singular pronominal object and place a mappiq in the final he (ה) of the form to indicate the suffix.
[27:8] 835 sn The “east wind” here symbolizes violent divine judgment.
[27:9] 837 tn Or “be atoned for” (NIV); cf. NRSV “be expiated.”
[27:9] 838 tn Heb “and this [is] all the fruit of removing his sin.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear, though “removing his sin” certainly parallels “Jacob’s sin will be removed” in the preceding line. If original, “all the fruit” may refer to the result of the decision to remove sin, but the phrase may be a corruption of לְכַפֵּר (lekhaper, “to atone for”), which in turn might be a gloss on הָסִר (hasir, “removing”).
[27:9] 839 tn Heb “when he makes the stones of an altar.” The singular “altar” is collective here; pagan altars are in view, as the last line of the verse indicates. See also 17:8.
[27:9] 840 sn As interpreted and translated above, this verse says that Israel must totally repudiate its pagan religious practices in order to experience God’s forgiveness and restoration. Another option is to understand “in this way” and “this” in v. 9a as referring back to the judgment described in v. 8. In this case כָּפַר (kafar, “atone for”) is used in a sarcastic sense; Jacob’s sin is “atoned for” and removed through severe judgment. Following this line of interpretation, one might paraphrase the verse as follows: “So in this way (through judgment) Jacob’s sin will be “atoned for,” and this is the way his sin will be removed, when he (i.e., God) makes all the altar stones like crushed limestone….” This interpretation is more consistent with the tone of judgment in vv. 8 and 10-11.
[27:10] 841 sn The identity of this city is uncertain. The context suggests that an Israelite city, perhaps Samaria or Jerusalem, is in view. For discussions of interpretive options see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:496-97, and Paul L. Redditt, “Once Again, the City in Isaiah 24-27,” HAR 10 (1986), 332.
[27:10] 842 tn The singular form in the text is probably collective.
[27:10] 843 tn Heb “and destroy her branches.” The city is the antecedent of the third feminine singular pronominal suffix. Apparently the city is here compared to a tree. See also v. 11.
[27:11] 845 tn Heb “are dry” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[27:11] 846 tn Heb “women come [and] light it.” The city is likened to a dead tree with dried up branches that is only good for firewood.
[27:11] 847 tn Heb “for not a people of understanding [is] he.”
[27:12] 849 tn Heb “and it will be in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[27:12] 850 tn Heb “the Lord will beat out.” The verb is used of beating seeds or grain to separate the husk from the kernel (see Judg 6:11; Ruth 2:17; Isa 28:27), and of beating the olives off the olive tree (Deut 24:20). The latter metaphor may be in view here, where a tree metaphor has been employed in the preceding verses. See also 17:6.
[27:12] 851 tn Heb “the river,” a frequent designation in the OT for the Euphrates. For clarity most modern English versions substitute the name “Euphrates” for “the river” here.
[27:12] 852 sn The Israelites will be freed from exile (likened to beating the olives off the tree) and then gathered (likened to collecting the olives).
[27:13] 853 tn Heb “and it will be in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[27:13] 854 tn Traditionally, “great” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT); CEV “loud.”
[27:13] 855 tn Or “the ones perishing.”
[27:13] 856 tn Or “the ones driven into.”
[27:13] 857 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[28:1] 857 tn Heb “Woe [to] the crown [or “wreath”] of the splendor [or “pride”] of the drunkards of Ephraim.” The “crown” is Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom (Ephraim). Priests and prophets are included among these drunkards in v. 7.
[28:1] 858 tn Heb “the beauty of his splendor.” In the translation the masculine pronoun (“his”) has been replaced by “its” because the referent (the “crown”) is the city of Samaria.
[28:1] 859 tn Heb “which [is].”
[28:1] 860 tn Heb “ones overcome with wine.” The words “the crown of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The syntactical relationship of the final phrase to what precedes is uncertain. הֲלוּמֵי יָיִן (halume yayin, “ones overcome with wine”) seems to correspond to שִׁכֹּרֵי אֶפְרַיִם (shikkore ’efrayim, “drunkards of Ephraim”) in line 1. The translation assumes that the phrase “the splendid crown” is to be understood in the final line as well.
[28:2] 861 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 22 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[28:2] 862 tn Heb “Look, a strong and powerful [one] belongs to the Lord.”
[28:2] 863 tn Heb “like a rainstorm of hail, a wind of destruction.”
[28:2] 864 tn Heb “like a rainstorm of mighty, overflowing waters.”
[28:2] 865 tn The words “that crown” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The object of the verb is unexpressed in the Hebrew text.
[28:2] 866 tn Or “by [his] power.”
[28:4] 865 tn Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”
[28:5] 869 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
[28:6] 873 tn Heb “and [he will become] a spirit of justice for the one who sits [i.e., presides] over judgment, // and strength [for] the ones who turn back battle at the city gate.” The Lord will provide internal stability and national security.
[28:7] 877 tn Heb “these.” The demonstrative pronoun anticipates “priests and prophets” two lines later.
[28:7] 878 tn According to HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע, the verb form is derived from בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”), not the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”). See earlier notes at 3:12 and 9:16.
[28:7] 879 tn Heb “in the seeing.”
[28:7] 880 tn Heb “[in] giving a decision.”
[28:8] 881 tn Heb “vomit, without a place.” For the meaning of the phrase בְּלִי מָקוֹם (bÿli maqom, “without a place”), see HALOT 133 s.v. בְּלִי.
[28:9] 885 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:9] 886 tn Heb “Who is he teaching knowledge? For whom is he explaining a message?” The translation assumes that the Lord is the subject of the verbs “teaching” and “explaining,” and that the prophet is asking the questions. See v. 12. According to some vv. 9-10 record the people’s sarcastic response to the Lord’s message through Isaiah.
[28:9] 887 tn Heb “from the breasts.” The words “their mother’s” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The translation assumes that this is the prophet’s answer to the questions asked in the first half of the verse. The Lord is trying to instruct people who are “infants” morally and ethically.
[28:10] 889 tn The meaning of this verse has been debated. The text has literally “indeed [or “for”] a little there, a little there” ( כִּי צַו לָצָו צַו לָצָו קַו לָקָו קַו, ki tsav latsav, tsav latsav, qav laqav, qav laqav). The present translation assumes that the repetitive syllables are gibberish that resembles baby talk (cf v. 9b) and mimics what the people will hear when foreign invaders conquer the land (v. 11). In this case זְעֵיר (zÿ’er, “a little”) refers to the short syllabic structure of the babbling (cf. CEV). Some take צַו (tsav) as a derivative of צָוָה (tsavah, “command”) and translate the first part of the statement as “command after command, command after command.” Proponents of this position (followed by many English versions) also take קַו (qav) as a noun meaning “measuring line” (see v. 17), understood here in the abstract sense of “standard” or “rule.”
[28:11] 893 sn This verse alludes to the coming Assyrian invasion, when the people will hear a foreign language that sounds like gibberish to them. The Lord is the subject of the verb “will speak,” as v. 12 makes clear. He once spoke in meaningful terms, but in the coming judgment he will speak to them, as it were, through the mouth of foreign oppressors. The apparent gibberish they hear will be an outward reminder that God has decreed their defeat.
[28:12] 897 tn Heb “who said to them.”
[28:12] 898 sn This message encapsulates the Lord’s invitation to his people to find security in his protection and blessing.
[28:13] 901 tn Heb “And the word of the Lord will be to them, ‘tsahv latsahv,’ etc.” See the note at v. 10. In this case the “Lord’s word” is not the foreigner’s strange sounding words (as in v. 10), but the Lord’s repeated appeals to them (like the one quoted in v. 12). As time goes on, the Lord’s appeals through the prophets will have no impact on the people; they will regard prophetic preaching as gibberish.
[28:13] 902 tn Heb “as a result they will go and stumble backward.” Perhaps an infant falling as it attempts to learn to walk is the background image here (cf. v. 9b). The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) could be taken as indicating purpose (“in order that”), rather than simple result. In this case the people’s insensitivity to the message is caused by the Lord as a means of expediting their downfall.
[28:13] 903 sn When divine warnings and appeals become gibberish to the spiritually insensitive, they have no guidance and are doomed to destruction.
[28:14] 905 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[28:15] 909 sn Sheol is the underworld, land of the dead, according to the OT world view.
[28:15] 910 tn Elsewhere the noun חֹזֶה (khozeh) refers to a prophet who sees visions. In v. 18 the related term חָזוּת (khazut, “vision”) is used. The parallelism in both verses (note “treaty”) seems to demand a meaning “agreement” for both nouns. Perhaps חֹזֶה and חזוּת are used in a metonymic sense in vv. 15 and 18. Another option is to propose a homonymic root. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:514, and HALOT 301 s.v. II חֹזֶה.
[28:15] 911 tn Heb “the overwhelming scourge, when it passes by” (NRSV similar).
[28:15] 912 sn “Lie” and “deceitful word” would not be the terms used by the people. They would likely use the words “promise” and “reliable word,” but the prophet substitutes “lie” and “deceitful word” to emphasize that this treaty with death will really prove to be disappointing.
[28:16] 913 tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense.
[28:16] 914 tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.
[28:16] 915 sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).
[28:16] 916 tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.
[28:17] 917 tn Heb “[the] refuge, [the] lie.” See v. 15.
[28:18] 921 tn On the meaning of כָּפַר (kafar) in this context, see HALOT 494 s.v. I כפר and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:515, n. 9.
[28:18] 922 tn Normally the noun חָזוּת (khazut) means “vision.” See the note at v. 15.
[28:18] 923 tn Or “will not stand” (NIV, NRSV).
[28:18] 924 tn See the note at v. 15.
[28:18] 925 tn Heb “you will become a trampling place for it.”
[28:19] 925 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[28:19] 926 tn The words “it will come through” are supplied in the translation. The verb “will sweep by” does double duty in the parallel structure.
[28:20] 929 sn The bed and blanket probably symbolize their false sense of security. A bed that is too short and a blanket that is too narrow may promise rest and protection from the cold, but in the end they are useless and disappointing. In the same way, their supposed treaty with death will prove useless and disappointing.
[28:21] 933 sn This probably alludes to David’s victory over the Philistines at Baal Perazim. See 2 Sam 5:20.
[28:21] 934 sn This probably alludes to the Lord’s victory over the Canaanites at Gibeon, during the days of Joshua. See Josh 10:10-11.
[28:21] 935 sn God’s judgment of his own people is called “his peculiar work” and “his strange task,” because he must deal with them the way he treated their enemies in the past.
[28:22] 937 tn Or “the whole earth” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NCV).
[28:23] 941 tn Heb “to my voice.”
[28:23] 942 tn Heb “to my word”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “hear my speech.”
[28:24] 945 tn Heb “All the day does the plowman plow in order to plant?” The phrase “all the day” here has the sense of “continually, always.” See BDB 400 s.v. יוֹם.
[28:25] 949 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “place wheat [?], and barley [?], and grain in its territory.” The term שׂוֹרָה (shorah) is sometimes translated “[in] its place,” but the word is unattested elsewhere. It is probably due to dittography of the immediately following שְׂעֹרָה (sÿo’rah, “barley”). The meaning of נִסְמָן (nisman) is also uncertain. It may be due to dittography of the immediately following כֻסֶּמֶת (kussemet, “grain”).
[28:26] 953 tn Heb “he teaches him the proper way, his God instructs him.”
[28:27] 957 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB).
[28:27] 958 sn Both of these seeds are too small to use the ordinary threshing techniques.
[28:29] 961 sn Verses 23-29 emphasize that God possesses great wisdom and has established a natural order. Evidence of this can be seen in the way farmers utilize divinely imparted wisdom to grow and harvest crops. God’s dealings with his people will exhibit this same kind of wisdom and order. Judgment will be accomplished according to a divinely ordered timetable and, while severe enough, will not be excessive. Judgment must come, just as planting inevitably follows plowing. God will, as it were, thresh his people, but he will not crush them to the point where they will be of no use to him.
[29:1] 965 tn Heb “Woe [to] Ariel.” The meaning of the name “Ariel” is uncertain. The name may mean “altar hearth” (see v. 2) or, if compound, “lion of God.” The name is used here as a title for Mount Zion/Jerusalem (see v. 8).
[29:1] 966 tn Heb “the town where David camped.” The verb חָנָה (khanah, “camp”) probably has the nuance “lay siege to” here. See v. 3. Another option is to take the verb in the sense of “lived, settled.”
[29:1] 967 tn Heb “Add year to year, let your festivals occur in cycles.” This is probably a sarcastic exhortation to the people to keep up their religious rituals, which will not prevent the coming judgment. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:527.
[29:2] 969 tn The term אֲרִיאֵל (’ari’el, “Ariel”) is the word translated “altar hearth” here. The point of the simile is not entirely clear. Perhaps the image likens Jerusalem’s coming crisis to a sacrificial fire.
[29:3] 973 tc The Hebrew text has כַדּוּר (khadur, “like a circle”), i.e., “like an encircling wall.” Some emend this phrase to כְּדָוִד (kÿdavid, “like David”), which is supported by the LXX (see v. 1). However, the rendering in the LXX could have arisen from a confusion of the dalet (ד) and resh (ר).
[29:3] 974 tn The meaning of מֻצָּב (mutsav) is not certain. Because of the parallelism (note “siege works”), some translate “towers.” The noun is derived from נָצַב (natsav, “take one’s stand”) and may refer to the troops stationed outside the city to prevent entrance or departure.
[29:4] 977 tn Heb “from the ground” (so NIV, NCV).
[29:4] 978 tn Heb “and from the dust your word will be low.”
[29:4] 979 tn Heb “and your voice will be like a ritual pit from the earth.” The Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19. Here the word is used metonymically for the voice that emerges from such a pit.
[29:4] 980 tn Heb “and from the dust your word will chirp.” The words “as if muttering an incantation” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the parallelism and 8:19.
[29:5] 981 tn Or “violent men”; cf. NASB “the ruthless ones.”
[29:6] 985 tn Heb “from the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] there will be visitation.” The third feminine singular passive verb form תִּפָּקֵד (tippaqed, “she/it will be visited”) is used here in an impersonal sense. See GKC 459 §144.b.
[29:8] 989 tn Or “that he [or “his appetite”] is unsatisfied.”
[29:8] 990 tn Or “that he is faint and that he [or “his appetite”] longs [for water].”
[29:9] 993 tn The form הִתְמַהְמְהוּ (hitmahmÿhu) is a Hitpalpel imperative from מָהַהּ (mahah, “hesitate”). If it is retained, one might translate “halt and be amazed.” The translation assumes an emendation to הִתַּמְּהוּ (hittammÿhu), a Hitpael imperative from תָּמַה (tamah, “be amazed”). In this case, the text, like Hab 1:5, combines the Hitpael and Qal imperatival forms of תָּמַה (tamah). A literal translation might be “Shock yourselves and be shocked!” The repetition of sound draws attention to the statement. The imperatives here have the force of an emphatic assertion. On this use of the imperative in Hebrew, see GKC 324 §110.c and IBHS 572 §34.4c.
[29:9] 994 tn Heb “Blind yourselves and be blind!” The Hitpalpel and Qal imperatival forms of שָׁעַע (sha’a’, “be blind”) are combined to draw attention to the statement. The imperatives have the force of an emphatic assertion.
[29:9] 995 tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts.
[29:9] 996 tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts.
[29:10] 997 tn Heb “a disposition [or “spirit”] of deep sleep.” Through this mixed metaphor (sleep is likened to a liquid which one pours and in turn symbolizes spiritual dullness) the prophet emphasizes that God himself has given the people over to their spiritual insensitivity as a form of judgment.
[29:11] 1001 tn Heb “vision” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[29:11] 1002 tn Heb “one who knows a/the scroll.”
[29:12] 1005 tn Heb “and if the scroll is handed to one who does not know a scroll.”
[29:12] 1006 tn Heb “I do not know a scroll.”
[29:13] 1009 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
[29:13] 1010 tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”
[29:13] 1011 tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”
[29:13] 1012 tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.
[29:13] 1013 tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”
[29:14] 1013 tn Heb “Therefore I will again do something amazing with these people, an amazing deed, an amazing thing.” This probably refers to the amazing transformation predicted in vv. 17-24, which will follow the purifying judgment implied in vv. 15-16.
[29:14] 1014 tn Heb “the wisdom of their wise ones will perish, the discernment of their discerning ones will keep hidden.”
[29:15] 1017 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who deeply hide counsel from the Lord.” This probably alludes to political alliances made without seeking the Lord’s guidance. See 30:1-2 and 31:1.
[29:15] 1018 tn Heb “and their works are in darkness and they say.”
[29:15] 1019 tn The rhetorical questions suggest the answer, “no one.” They are confident that their deeds are hidden from others, including God.
[29:16] 1021 tn Heb “your overturning.” The predicate is suppressed in this exclamation. The idea is, “O your perversity! How great it is!” See GKC 470 §147.c. The people “overturn” all logic by thinking their authority supersedes God’s.
[29:16] 1022 tn The expected answer to this rhetorical question is “of course not.” On the interrogative use of אִם (’im), see BDB 50 s.v.
[29:16] 1023 tn Heb “that the thing made should say.”
[29:17] 1025 tn The Hebrew text phrases this as a rhetorical question, “Is it not yet a little, a short [time]?”
[29:17] 1026 sn The meaning of this verse is debated, but it seems to depict a reversal in fortunes. The mighty forest of Lebanon (symbolic of the proud and powerful, see 2:13; 10:34) will be changed into a common orchard, while the common orchard (symbolic of the oppressed and lowly) will grow into a great forest. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:538.
[29:18] 1029 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
[29:18] 1030 tn Heb “and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.”
[29:19] 1033 tn Or “will rejoice” (NIV, NCV, NLT).
[29:19] 1034 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[29:20] 1037 tn Heb “and all the watchers of wrong will be cut off.”
[29:21] 1041 tn Heb “the ones who make a man a sinner with a word.” The Hiphil of חָטָא (khata’) here has a delocutive sense: “declare a man sinful/guilty.”
[29:21] 1042 sn Legal disputes were resolved at the city gate, where the town elders met. See Amos 5:10.
[29:21] 1043 tn Heb “and deprive by emptiness the innocent.”
[29:22] 1045 tn Heb “So this is what the Lord says to the house of Jacob, the one who ransomed Abraham.” The relative pronoun must refer back to “the Lord,” not to the immediately preceding “Jacob.” It is uncertain to what event in Abraham’s experience this refers. Perhaps the name “Abraham” stands here by metonymy for his descendants through Jacob. If so, the Exodus is in view.
[29:22] 1046 tn Heb “and his face will no longer be pale.”
[29:23] 1049 tn Heb “for when he sees his children, the work of my hands in his midst.”
[29:23] 1050 tn Or “treat as holy” (also in the following line); NASB, NRSV “will sanctify.”
[29:23] 1051 sn Holy One of Jacob is similar to the phrase “Holy One of Israel” common throughout Isaiah; see the sn at Isa 1:4.
[29:23] 1052 tn Or “fear,” in the sense of “stand in awe of.”
[29:24] 1053 tn Heb “and the ones who stray in spirit will know understanding.”
[29:24] 1054 tn Heb “will learn instruction”; cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “will accept instruction.”
[30:1] 1057 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
[30:1] 1058 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
[30:1] 1059 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
[30:1] 1060 tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
[30:1] 1061 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
[30:2] 1061 tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”
[30:2] 1062 tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”
[30:4] 1065 sn This probably refers to Judah’s officials and messengers.
[30:4] 1066 sn Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta in the north; Hanes was located somewhere in southern region of lower Egypt, south of Memphis; the exact location is debated.
[30:5] 1069 tn The present translation follows the marginal (Qere) reading of the Hebrew text; the consonantal text (Kethib) has “made to stink, decay.”
[30:6] 1073 tn Traditionally, “burden” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “oracle.”
[30:6] 1074 tc Heb “[a land of] a lioness and a lion, from them.” Some emend מֵהֶם (mehem, “from them”) to מֵהֵם (mehem), an otherwise unattested Hiphil participle from הָמַם (hamam, “move noisily”). Perhaps it would be better to take the initial mem (מ) as enclitic and emend the form to הֹמֶה (homeh), a Qal active participle from הָמָה (hamah, “to make a noise”); cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:542, n. 9.
[30:6] 1075 tn Heb “flying fiery one.” See the note at 14:29.
[30:6] 1076 tn Or “carry” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[30:6] 1077 sn This verse describes messengers from Judah transporting wealth to Egypt in order to buy Pharaoh’s protection through a treaty.
[30:7] 1077 tn Heb “As for Egypt, with vanity and emptiness they help.”
[30:7] 1078 tn Heb “Rahab” (רַהַב, rahav), which also appears as a name for Egypt in Ps 87:4. The epithet is also used in the OT for a mythical sea monster symbolic of chaos. See the note at 51:9. A number of English versions use the name “Rahab” (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) while others attempt some sort of translation (cf. CEV “a helpless monster”; TEV, NLT “the Harmless Dragon”).
[30:7] 1079 tn The MT reads “Rahab, they, sitting.” The translation above assumes an emendation of הֵם שָׁבֶת (hem shavet) to הַמָּשְׁבָּת (hammashbat), a Hophal participle with prefixed definite article, meaning “the one who is made to cease,” i.e., “destroyed,” or “silenced.” See HALOT 444-45 s.v. ישׁב.
[30:8] 1081 tn The referent of the third feminine singular pronominal suffix is uncertain. Perhaps it refers to the preceding message, which accuses the people of rejecting the Lord’s help in favor of an alliance with Egypt.
[30:8] 1082 tn Heb “with them.” On the use of the preposition here, see BDB 86 s.v. II אֵת.
[30:8] 1083 sn Recording the message will enable the prophet to use it in the future as evidence that God warned his people of impending judgment and clearly spelled out the nation’s guilt. An official record of the message will also serve as proof of the prophet’s authority as God’s spokesman.
[30:9] 1085 tn Or perhaps, “instruction” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NCV, TEV “teachings.”
[30:10] 1089 tn Heb “who” (so NASB, NRSV). A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:10] 1090 tn Heb “Do not see for us right things.”
[30:10] 1091 tn Heb “Tell us smooth things, see deceptive things.”
[30:11] 1093 sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.
[30:11] 1094 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[30:12] 1097 tn The sentence actually begins with the word “because.” In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.
[30:12] 1098 tn Heb “and you trust in oppression and cunning.”
[30:12] 1099 tn Heb “and you lean on it”; NAB “and depend on it.”
[30:13] 1101 tn The verse reads literally, “So this sin will become for you like a breach ready to fall, bulging on a high wall, the breaking of which comes suddenly, in a flash.” Their sin produces guilt and will result in judgment. Like a wall that collapses their fall will be swift and sudden.
[30:14] 1105 tn Heb “Its shattering is like the shattering of a jug of [i.e., “made by”] potters, [so] shattered one cannot save [any of it].”
[30:14] 1106 tn The words “large enough” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[30:14] 1107 tn Heb “to remove fire from the place of kindling.”
[30:14] 1108 tn On the meaning of גֶבֶא (geveh, “cistern”) see HALOT 170 s.v.
[30:15] 1109 tn Heb “in returning and in quietness you will be delivered.” Many English versions render the last phrase “shall be saved” or something similar (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[30:15] 1110 tn Heb “in quietness and in trust is your strength” (NASB and NRSV both similar).
[30:17] 1113 tn Heb “One thousand from before [or “because of”] one battle cry.” גְּעָרָה (gÿ’arah) is often defined as “threat,” but in war contexts it likely refers to a shout or battle cry. See Ps 76:6.
[30:17] 1114 tn Heb “from before [or “because of”] the battle cry of five you will flee.
[30:17] 1115 tn Heb “until you are left” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[30:18] 1117 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] 1118 tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”
[30:19] 1121 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[30:19] 1122 tn Heb “For people in Zion will live, in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.” The phrase “in Jerusalem” could be taken with what precedes. Some prefer to emend יֵשֵׁב (yeshev, “will live,” a Qal imperfect) to יֹשֵׁב (yoshev, a Qal active participle) and translate “For [you] people in Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.”
[30:19] 1123 tn Heb “he will indeed show you mercy at the sound of your crying out; when he hears, he will answer you.”
[30:20] 1125 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
[30:20] 1126 tn Heb “and the Master will give to you bread – distress, and water – oppression.”
[30:20] 1127 tn Heb “but your teachers will no longer be hidden, your eyes will be seeing your teachers.” The translation assumes that the form מוֹרֶיךָ (morekha) is a plural participle, referring to spiritual leaders such as prophets and priests. Another possibility is that the form is actually singular (see GKC 273-74 §93.ss) or a plural of respect, referring to God as the master teacher. See HALOT 560-61 s.v. III מוֹרֶה. For discussion of the views, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:560.
[30:21] 1129 tn Heb “your ears” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[30:21] 1130 tn The word “correct’ is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[30:22] 1133 tn Heb “the platings of your silver idols.”
[30:22] 1134 tn Heb “the covering of your gold image.”
[30:23] 1137 tn Heb “and he will give rain for your seed which you plant in the ground, and food [will be] the produce of the ground, and it will be rich and abundant.”
[30:23] 1138 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
[30:24] 1141 tn Heb “the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground.”
[30:24] 1142 sn Crops will be so abundant that even the work animals will eat well.
[30:25] 1145 tn Or “in the day of” (KJV).
[30:26] 1149 sn Light here symbolizes restoration of divine blessing and prosperity. The number “seven” is used symbolically to indicate intensity. The exact meaning of the phrase “the light of seven days” is uncertain; it probably means “seven times brighter” (see the parallel line).
[30:26] 1150 tn Heb “the fracture of his people” (so NASB).
[30:26] 1151 tn Heb “the injury of his wound.” The joining of synonyms emphasizes the severity of the wound. Another option is to translate, “the wound of his blow.” In this case the pronominal suffix might refer to the Lord, not the people, yielding the translation, “the wound which he inflicted.”
[30:27] 1153 sn The “name” of the Lord sometimes stands by metonymy for the Lord himself, see Exod 23:21; Lev 24:11; Pss 54:1 (54:3 HT); 124:8. In Isa 30:27 the point is that he reveals that aspect of his character which his name suggests – he comes as Yahweh (“he is present”), the ever present helper of his people who annihilates their enemies and delivers them. The name “Yahweh” originated in a context where God assured a fearful Moses that he would be with him as he confronted Pharaoh and delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. See Exod 3.
[30:27] 1154 tn Heb “his anger burns, and heaviness of elevation.” The meaning of the phrase “heaviness of elevation” is unclear, for מַשָּׂאָה (masa’ah, “elevation”) occurs only here. Some understand the term as referring to a cloud (elevated above the earth’s surface), in which case one might translate, “and in heavy clouds” (cf. NAB “with lowering clouds”). Others relate the noun to מָשָׂא (masa’, “burden”) and interpret it as a reference to judgment. In this case one might translate, “and with severe judgment.” The present translation assumes that the noun refers to his glory and that “heaviness” emphasizes its degree.
[30:27] 1155 tn Heb “his lips are full of anger, and his tongue is like consuming fire.” The Lord’s lips and tongue are used metonymically for his word (or perhaps his battle cry; see v. 31).
[30:28] 1157 tn Heb “his breath is like a flooding river.” This might picture the Lord breathing heavily as he runs down his enemy, but in light of the preceding verse, which mentions his lips and tongue, “breath” probably stands metonymically for the word or battle cry that he expels from his mouth as he shouts. In Isa 34:16 and Ps 33:6 the Lord’s “breath” is associated with his command.
[30:28] 1158 tn Heb “shaking nations in a sieve of worthlessness.” It is not certain exactly how שָׁוְא (shavÿ’, “emptiness, worthlessness”) modifies “sieve.” A sieve is used to separate grain from chaff and isolate what is worthless so that it might be discarded. Perhaps the nations are likened to such chaff; God’s judgment will sift them out for destruction.
[30:28] 1159 tn Heb “and a bit that leads astray [is] in the jaws of the peoples.” Here the nations are likened to horse that can be controlled by a bit placed in its mouth. In this case the Lord uses his sovereign control over the “horse” to lead it to its demise.
[30:29] 1161 tn Heb “[you will have] joy of heart, like the one going with a flute to enter the mountain of the Lord to the Rock of Israel.” The image here is not a foundational rock, but a rocky cliff where people could hide for protection (for example, the fortress of Masada).
[30:30] 1165 tn Heb “the Lord will cause the splendor of his voice to be heard.”
[30:30] 1166 tn Heb “and reveal the lowering of his arm.”
[30:30] 1167 tn Heb “and a flame of consuming fire.”
[30:31] 1169 tn Heb “Indeed by the voice of the Lord Assyria will be shattered.”
[30:32] 1173 tc The Hebrew text has “every blow from a founded [i.e., “appointed”?] cudgel.” The translation above, with support from a few medieval Hebrew
[30:32] 1174 tn Heb “which the Lord lays on him.”
[30:32] 1175 tn Heb “will be with” (KJV similar).
[30:32] 1176 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and with battles of brandishing [weapons?] he will fight against him.” Some prefer to emend וּבְמִלְחֲמוֹת (uvÿmilkhamot, “and with battles of”) to וּבִמְחֹלוֹת (uvimkholot, “and with dancing”). Note the immediately preceding references to musical instruments.
[30:33] 1178 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for arranged from before [or “yesterday”] is [?].” The meaning of תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh), which occurs only here, is unknown. The translation above (as with most English versions) assumes an emendation to תֹּפֶת (tofet, “Topheth”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) and places the final hey (ה) on the beginning of the next word as an interrogative particle. Topheth was a place near Jerusalem used as a burial ground (see Jer 7:32; 19:11).
[30:33] 1179 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Also it is made ready for the king, one makes it deep and wide.” If one takes the final hey (ה) on תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh) and prefixes it to גָּם (gam) as an interrogative particle (see the preceding note), one can translate, “Is it also made ready for the king?” In this case the question is rhetorical and expects an emphatic affirmative answer, “Of course it is!”
[30:33] 1180 tn Heb “its pile of wood, fire and wood one makes abundant.”
[31:1] 1181 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”
[31:1] 1182 tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”
[31:1] 1183 tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”
[31:1] 1184 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[31:2] 1185 sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts.
[31:2] 1186 tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”
[31:2] 1187 tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”
[31:2] 1188 sn That is, Egypt.
[31:2] 1189 tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”
[31:3] 1189 tn Heb “will extend”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV “stretch out.”
[31:3] 1190 tn Heb “together all of them will come to an end.”
[31:4] 1193 tn Heb “As a lion growls, a young lion over its prey.” In the Hebrew text the opening comparison is completed later in the verse (“so the Lord will come down…”), after a parenthesis describing how fearless the lion is. The present translation divides the verse into three sentences for English stylistic reasons.
[31:4] 1194 tn Heb “Though there is summoned against it fullness of shepherds, by their voice it is not terrified, and to their noise it does not respond.”
[31:4] 1195 tn Some prefer to translate the phrase לִצְבֹּא עַל (litsbo’ ’al) as “fight against,” but the following context pictures the Lord defending, not attacking, Zion.
[31:5] 1197 tn Heb “just as birds fly.” The words “over a nest” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[31:5] 1198 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[31:5] 1199 tn The only other occurrence of this verb is in Exod 12:13, 23, 27, where the Lord “passes over” (i.e., “spares”) the Israelite households as he comes to judge their Egyptian oppressors. The noun פֶּסַח (pesakh, “Passover”) is derived from the verb. The use of the verb in Isa 31:5 is probably an intentional echo of the Exodus event. As in the days of Moses the Lord will spare his people as he comes to judge their enemies.
[31:6] 1201 tn Heb “Return to the one [against] whom the sons of Israel made deep rebellion.” The syntax is awkward here. A preposition is omitted by ellipsis after the verb (see GKC 446 §138.f, n. 2), and there is a shift from direct address (note the second plural imperative “return”) to the third person (note “they made deep”). For other examples of abrupt shifts in person in poetic style, see GKC 462 §144.p.
[31:7] 1205 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
[31:7] 1206 tn Heb “reject” (so NIV); NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT “throw away.”
[31:7] 1207 tn Heb “the idols of their idols of silver and their idols of gold which your hands made for yourselves [in] sin.” חָטָא (khata’, “sin”) is understood as an adverbial accusative of manner. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:573, n. 4.
[31:8] 1209 tn Heb “Assyria will fall by a sword, not of a man.”
[31:8] 1210 tn Heb “and a sword not of humankind will devour him.”
[31:8] 1211 tn Heb “he will flee for himself from before a sword.”
[31:9] 1213 tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.
[31:9] 1214 tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”
[31:9] 1215 tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”
[31:9] 1216 sn The “fire” and “firepot” here symbolize divine judgment, which is heating up like a fire in Jerusalem, waiting to be used against the Assyrians when they attack the city.
[32:1] 1217 tn Heb “will reign according to fairness.”
[32:1] 1218 tn Heb “will rule according to justice.”
[32:2] 1221 tn Heb “a man,” but אִישׁ (’ish) probably refers here to “each” of the officials mentioned in the previous verse.
[32:3] 1225 tn Heb “Eyes that see.”
[32:3] 1226 tn The Hebrew text as vocalized reads literally “will not gaze,” but this is contradictory to the context. The verb form should be revocalized as תְּשֹׁעֶינָה (tÿsho’enah) from שָׁעַע (sha’a’, “be blinded”); see Isa 6:10; 29:9.
[32:3] 1227 tn Heb “ears that hear.”
[32:4] 1229 tn Heb “the heart of rashness will understand knowledge”; cf. NAB “The flighty will become wise and capable.”
[32:6] 1233 tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.
[32:6] 1234 tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”
[32:6] 1235 tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”
[32:6] 1236 tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”
[32:6] 1237 tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”
[32:7] 1237 tn Heb “as for a deceiver, his implements [or “weapons”] are evil.”
[32:7] 1238 tn Or “he plans evil things”; NIV “he makes up evil schemes.”
[32:7] 1239 tn Heb “to ruin the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speak what is just.”
[32:8] 1241 tn Heb “and he upon honorable things stands.”
[32:9] 1245 tn Or “self-assured”; NASB, NRSV “who are at ease.”
[32:9] 1246 tn Or “self-confident”; NAB “overconfident.”
[32:10] 1249 tn Heb “days upon a year.”
[32:10] 1250 tn Or perhaps, “olive.” See 24:13.
[32:11] 1253 tn The imperatival forms in v. 11 are problematic. The first (חִרְדוּ, khirdu, “tremble”) is masculine plural in form, though spoken to a feminine plural addressee (שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת, sha’anannot, “complacent ones”). The four imperatival forms that follow (רְגָזָה, rÿgazah, “shake with fear”; פְּשֹׁטָה, pÿshotah, “strip off your clothes”; עֹרָה, ’orah, “expose yourselves”; and חֲגוֹרָה, khagorah, “put on”) all appear to be lengthened (so-called “emphatic”) masculine singular forms, even though they too appear to be spoken to a feminine plural addressee. GKC 131-32 §48.i suggests emending חִרְדוּ (khirdu) to חֲרָדָה (kharadah) and understanding all five imperatives as feminine plural “aramaized” forms.
[32:12] 1257 tc The Hebrew text has “over mourning breasts.” The reference to “breasts” would make sense in light of v. 11, which refers to the practice of women baring their breasts as a sign of sorrow (see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:585). However, one expects the preposition עַל (’al) to introduce the source or reason for mourning (see vv. 12b-13a) and the participle סֹפְדִים (sofedim, “mourning”) seems odd modifying “breasts.” The translation above assumes a twofold emendation: (1) שָׁדַיִם (shadayim, “breasts”) is emended to [ם]שָׂדַי (saday[m], “field,” a term that also appears in Isa 56:9). The final mem (ם) would be enclitic in this case, not a plural indicator. (The Hebrew noun שָׂדֶה (sadeh, “field”) forms its plural with an וֹת- [-ot] ending). (2) The plural participle סֹפְדִים is emended to סְפֹדָה (sÿfodah), a lengthened imperatival form, meaning “mourn.” For an overview of various suggestions that have been made for this difficult line, see Oswalt, 586, n. 12).
[32:13] 1261 tn “Mourn” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.
[32:13] 1262 tn Heb “indeed, over all the houses of joy.” It is not certain if this refers to individual homes or to places where parties and celebrations were held.
[32:13] 1263 sn This same phrase is used in 22:2.
[32:14] 1265 tn Or “noisy” (NAB, NIV, NCV).
[32:14] 1266 tn Hebrew עֹפֶל (’ofel), probably refers here to a specific area within the city of Jerusalem. See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.
[32:14] 1267 tn The Hebrew text has בְעַד מְעָרוֹת (vÿ’ad mÿ’arot). The force of בְעַד, which usually means “behind, through, round about,” or “for the benefit of,” is uncertain here. HALOT 616 s.v. *מְעָרָה takes מְעָרוֹת (mÿ’arot) as a homonym of “cave” and define it here as “cleared field.” Despite these lexical problems, the general point of the statement seems clear – the city will be uninhabited.
[32:14] 1268 tn Heb “the joy of wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks.”
[32:15] 1269 tn Heb “until a spirit is emptied out on us from on high.” The words “this desolation will continue” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic purposes. The verb עָרָה (’arah), used here in the Niphal, normally means “lay bare, expose.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is often understood here as a reference to the divine spirit (cf. 44:3 and NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT), but it appears here without an article (cf. NRSV “a spirit”), pronominal suffix, or a genitive (such as “of the Lord”). The translation assumes that it carries an impersonal nuance “vivacity, vigor” in this context.
[32:15] 1270 sn The same statement appears in 29:17b, where, in conjunction with the preceding line, it appears to picture a reversal. Here it seems to depict supernatural growth. The desert will blossom into an orchard, and the trees of the orchard will multiply and grow tall, becoming a forest.
[32:16] 1273 sn This new era of divine blessing will also include a moral/ethical transformation, as justice and fairness fill the land and replace the social injustice so prevalent in Isaiah’s time.
[32:17] 1277 tn Heb “and the product of fairness will be peace.”
[32:17] 1278 tn Heb “and the work of fairness [will be] calmness and security forever.”
[32:18] 1281 tn Or “in safe resting places”; NAB, NRSV “quiet resting places.”
[32:19] 1285 tn Heb “and [?] when the forest descends.” The form וּבָרַד (uvarad) is often understood as an otherwise unattested denominative verb meaning “to hail” (HALOT 154 s.v. I ברד). In this case one might translate, “and it hails when the forest is destroyed” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV). Perhaps the text alludes to a powerful wind and hail storm that knocks down limbs and trees. Some prefer to emend the form to וְיָרַד (vÿyarad), “and it descends,” which provides better, though not perfect, symmetry with the parallel line (cf. NAB). Perhaps וּבָרַד should be dismissed as dittographic. In this case the statement (“when the forest descends”) lacks a finite verb and seems incomplete, but perhaps it is subordinate to v. 20.
[32:19] 1286 tn Heb “and in humiliation the city is laid low.”
[32:20] 1289 tn Heb “by all the waters.”
[32:20] 1290 tn Heb “who set free the foot of the ox and donkey”; NIV “letting your cattle and donkeys range free.”
[33:1] 1293 tn Heb “Woe [to] the destroyer.”
[33:1] 1294 tn Heb “and the deceitful one”; NAB, NIV “O traitor”; NRSV “you treacherous one.” In the parallel structure הוֹי (hoy, “woe [to]”) does double duty.
[33:1] 1295 tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to derive from an otherwise unattested verb נָלָה (nalah). The translation follows the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa in reading ככלתך, a Piel infinitival form from the verbal root כָּלָה (kalah), meaning “finish.”
[33:2] 1297 tn Heb “Be their arm each morning.” “Arm” is a symbol for strength. The mem suffixed to the noun has been traditionally understood as a third person suffix, but this is contrary to the context, where the people speak of themselves in the first person. The mem (מ) is probably enclitic with ellipsis of the pronoun, which can be supplied from the context. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:589, n. 1.
[33:2] 1298 tn Heb “[Be] also our deliverance in the time of distress.”
[33:3] 1301 tn Heb “at the sound of tumult the nations run away.”
[33:3] 1302 tn Heb “because of your exaltation the nations scatter.”
[33:4] 1305 tn The pronoun is plural; the statement is addressed to the nations who have stockpiled plunder from their conquests of others.
[33:4] 1306 tn Heb “and your plunder is gathered, the gathering of the locust.”
[33:4] 1307 tn Heb “like a swarm of locusts swarming on it.”
[33:5] 1309 tn Or “elevated”; NCV, NLT “is very great.”
[33:5] 1310 tn Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NIV).
[33:5] 1311 tn Heb “on high” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “in the heavens.”
[33:6] 1313 tn Heb “and he is the stability of your times.”
[33:6] 1314 tn Heb “a rich store of deliverance, wisdom, and knowledge.”
[33:6] 1315 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord, it is his treasure.”
[33:7] 1317 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown. Proposals include “heroes” (cf. KJV, ASV “valiant ones”; NASB, NIV “brave men”); “priests,” “residents [of Jerusalem].” The present translation assumes that the term is synonymous with “messengers of peace,” with which it corresponds in the parallel structure of the verse.
[33:7] 1318 tn Heb “messengers of peace,” apparently those responsible for negotiating the agreements that have been broken (see v. 8).
[33:8] 1321 tn Or “desolate” (NAB, NASB); NIV, NRSV, NLT “deserted.”
[33:8] 1322 tn Heb “the one passing by on the road ceases.”
[33:8] 1323 tn Heb “one breaks a treaty”; NAB “Covenants are broken.”
[33:8] 1324 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “he despises cities.” The term עָרִים (’arim, “cities”) is probably a corruption of an original עֵדִים (’edim, “[legal] witnesses”), a reading that is preserved in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa. Confusion of dalet (ד) and resh (ר) is a well-attested scribal error.
[33:8] 1325 tn Heb “he does not regard human beings.”
[33:9] 1325 tn Or “earth” (KJV); NAB “the country.”
[33:9] 1326 tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. I אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism. See 24:4.
[33:9] 1327 tn Heb “Lebanon is ashamed.” The Hiphil is exhibitive, expressing the idea, “exhibits shame.” In this context the statement alludes to the withering of vegetation.
[33:9] 1328 sn Sharon was a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast. See 35:2.
[33:9] 1329 tn Or “the Arabah” (NIV). See 35:1.
[33:9] 1330 sn Both of these areas were known for their trees and vegetation. See 2:13; 35:2.
[33:9] 1331 tn Heb “shake off [their leaves]” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB “are stripped bare.”
[33:10] 1329 tn Or “lift myself up” (KJV); NLT “show my power and might.”
[33:11] 1333 tn The second person verb and pronominal forms in this verse are plural. The hostile nations are the addressed, as the next verse makes clear.
[33:11] 1334 sn The hostile nations’ plans to destroy God’s people will come to nothing; their hostility will end up being self-destructive.
[33:12] 1337 tn Heb “will be a burning to lime.” See Amos 2:1.
[33:14] 1341 tn Or “trembling” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “shake with fear.”
[33:14] 1342 tn Or “the defiled”; TEV “The sinful people of Zion”; NLT “The sinners in Jerusalem.”
[33:14] 1343 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[33:14] 1344 tn Or “perpetual”; or “everlasting” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[33:15] 1345 tn Heb “walks” (so NASB, NIV).
[33:15] 1346 tn Or, possibly, “justly”; NAB “who practices virtue.”
[33:15] 1347 tn Heb “[who] shakes off his hands from grabbing hold of a bribe.”
[33:15] 1348 tn Heb “[who] shuts his ear from listening to bloodshed.”
[33:15] 1349 tn Heb “[who] closes his eyes from seeing evil.”
[33:16] 1349 tn Heb “he [in the] exalted places will live.”
[33:16] 1350 tn Heb “mountain strongholds, cliffs [will be] his elevated place.”
[33:17] 1353 tn Heb “your eyes will see a king in his beauty”; NIV, NRSV “the king.”
[33:17] 1354 tn Heb “a land of distances,” i.e., an extensive land.
[33:18] 1357 tn Heb “your heart will meditate on terror.”
[33:18] 1358 tn The words “and you will ask yourselves” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
[33:18] 1359 sn The people refer to various Assyrian officials who were responsible for determining the amount of taxation or tribute Judah must pay to the Assyrian king.
[33:19] 1361 tn The Hebrew form נוֹעָז (no’az) is a Niphal participle derived from יָעַז (ya’az, an otherwise unattested verb) or from עָזָז (’azaz, “be strong,” unattested elsewhere in the Niphal). Some prefer to emend the form to לוֹעֵז (lo’ez) which occurs in Ps 114:1 with the meaning “speak a foreign language.” See HALOT 809 s.v. עזז, 533 s.v. לעז. In this case, one might translate “people who speak a foreign language.”
[33:19] 1362 tn Heb “a people too deep of lip to hear.” The phrase “deep of lip” must be an idiom meaning “lips that speak words that are unfathomable [i.e., incomprehensible].”
[33:19] 1363 tn Heb “derision of tongue there is no understanding.” The Niphal of לָעַג (la’ag) occurs only here. In the Qal and Hiphil the verb means “to deride, mock.” A related noun is used in 28:11.
[33:20] 1365 tn Heb “your eyes” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[33:20] 1366 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[33:20] 1367 tn Or “that does not travel”; NASB “which shall not be folded.”
[33:21] 1369 tn Heb “But there [as] a mighty one [will be] the Lord for us.”
[33:21] 1370 tn Heb “a place of rivers, streams wide of hands [i.e., on both sides].”
[33:21] 1371 tn Heb “a ship of rowing will not go into it.”
[33:21] 1372 tn Heb “and a mighty ship will not pass through it.”
[33:23] 1373 tn The words “though at this time” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first half of the verse is addressed to Judah and contrasts the nation’s present weakness with its future prosperity. Judah is compared to a ship that is incapable of sailing.
[33:23] 1374 tn Heb “they do not fasten the base of their mast.” On כֵּן (ken, “base”) see BDB 487 s.v. III כֵּן and HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן.
[33:23] 1375 tn Or perhaps, “flag.”
[33:23] 1376 tn Heb “then there will be divided up loot of plunder [in] abundance.”
[33:23] 1377 sn Judah’s victory over its enemies will be so thorough there will be more than enough plunder for everyone, even slow-moving lame men who would normally get left out in the rush to gather the loot.
[33:24] 1377 tn The words “of Zion” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[34:1] 1381 tn Heb “the world and its offspring”; NASB “the world and all that springs from it.”
[34:3] 1385 tn Heb “will be cast aside”; NASB, NIV “thrown out.”
[34:3] 1386 tn Heb “[as for] their corpses, their stench will arise.”
[34:3] 1387 tn Heb “hills will dissolve from their blood.”
[34:4] 1389 tc Heb “and all the host of heaven will rot.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa inserts “and the valleys will be split open,” but this reading may be influenced by Mic 1:4. On the other hand, the statement, if original, could have been omitted by homoioarcton, a scribe’s eye jumping from the conjunction prefixed to “the valleys” to the conjunction prefixed to the verb “rot.”
[34:4] 1390 tn Heb “like the withering of a leaf from a vine, and like the withering from a fig tree.”
[34:5] 1393 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.
[34:5] 1394 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”
[34:5] 1395 sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.
[34:6] 1397 tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.
[34:6] 1398 tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 1399 tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 1400 tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”
[34:6] 1401 sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.
[34:6] 1402 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[34:7] 1401 tn Heb “will go down”; NAB “shall be struck down.”
[34:7] 1402 tn Heb “and bulls along with strong ones.” Perhaps this refers to the leaders.
[34:8] 1405 tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”
[34:8] 1406 tn Heb “a year of repayment for the strife of Zion.” The translation assumes that רִיב (riv) refers to Edom’s hostility toward Zion. Another option is to understand רִיב (riv) as referring to the Lord’s taking up Zion’s cause. In this case one might translate, “a time when he will repay Edom and vindicate Zion.”
[34:9] 1409 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Edom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:10] 1413 tn Heb “it will not be extinguished.”
[34:11] 1417 tn קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).
[34:11] 1418 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).
[34:11] 1419 tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof vÿ’orev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.
[34:11] 1420 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:11] 1421 tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.
[34:11] 1422 sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.
[34:12] 1421 tn Heb “will be nothing”; NCV, TEV, NLT “will all be gone.”
[34:13] 1425 tn The words “will grow” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:13] 1426 tc Heb “and she will be a settlement for wild dogs, a dwelling place for ostriches.” The translation assumes an emendation of חָצִיר (khatsir, “grass”) to חָצֵר (khatser, “settlement”). One of the Qumran scrolls of Isaiah (1QIsaa) supports this emendation (cf. HALOT 344 s.v. II חָצִיר)
[34:14] 1429 tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”
[34:14] 1430 tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”
[34:14] 1431 tn The precise meaning of לִּילִית (lilit) is unclear, though in this context the word certainly refers to some type of wild animal or bird. The word appears to be related to לַיְלָה (laylah, “night”). Some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. Cf. NRSV “Lilith.”
[34:14] 1432 tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”
[34:15] 1433 tn Hebrew קִפּוֹז (qippoz) occurs only here; the precise meaning of the word is uncertain.
[34:15] 1434 tn For this proposed meaning for Hebrew מָלַט (malat), see HALOT 589 s.v. I מלט.
[34:15] 1435 tn Heb “and brood [over them] in her shadow.”
[34:15] 1436 tn The precise meaning of דַּיָּה (dayyah) is uncertain, though the term appears to refer to some type of bird of prey, perhaps a vulture.
[34:16] 1437 tn Heb “Seek from upon the scroll of the Lord and read.”
[34:16] 1438 tn Heb “one from these will not be missing.” הֵנָּה (hennah, “these”) is feminine plural in the Hebrew text. It may refer only to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or may include all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
[34:16] 1439 tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”
[34:16] 1440 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for a mouth, it has commanded.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and a few medieval
[34:16] 1441 tn Heb “and his spirit, he gathers them.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
[34:17] 1441 tn Heb “and he causes the lot to fall for them.” Once again the pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
[34:17] 1442 tn Heb “and his hand divides for them with a measuring line.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) now switches to masculine plural, referring to all the animals and birds mentioned in vv. 11-15, some of which were identified with masculine nouns. This signals closure for this portion of the speech, which began in v. 11. The following couplet (v. 17b) forms an inclusio with v. 11a through verbal repetition.
[34:17] 1443 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV); NCV “they will own that land forever.”
[35:1] 1445 tn The final mem (ם) on the verb יְשֻׂשׂוּם (yÿsusum) is dittographic (note the initial mem on the following noun מִדְבָּר [midbar]). The ambiguous verbal form is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel). The jussive is used rhetorically here, not as a literal command or prayer.
[35:1] 1446 tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); NAB, NIV, TEV “desert.”
[35:2] 1449 tn The ambiguous verb form תִּפְרַח (tifrakh) is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel).
[35:2] 1450 tn Heb “and let it rejoice, yes [with] rejoicing and shouting.” גִּילַת (gilat) may be an archaic feminine nominal form (see GKC 421 §130.b).
[35:2] 1451 tn Or “glory” (KJV, NIV, NRSV); also a second time later in this verse.
[35:3] 1453 tn Heb “staggering knees”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “feeble knees”; NIV “knees that give way.”
[35:4] 1457 tn Heb “Say to the hasty of heart,” i.e., those whose hearts beat quickly from fear.
[35:4] 1458 tn The jussive form וְיֹשַׁעֲכֶם (vÿyosha’akhem), which is subordinated to the preceding imperfect with vav conjunctive, indicates purpose.
[35:6] 1461 tn Heb “burst forth” (so NAB); KJV “break out.”
[35:6] 1462 tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT “desert.”
[35:8] 1465 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and there will be there a road and a way, and the Way of Holiness it will be called.” וְדֶרֶךְ (vÿderekh, “and a/the way”) is accidentally duplicated; the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not reflect the repetition of the phrase.
[35:8] 1466 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The text reads literally “and it is for them, the one who walks [on the] way.” In this context those authorized to use the Way of Holiness would be morally upright people who are the recipients of God’s deliverance, in contrast to the morally impure and foolish who are excluded from the new covenant community.
[35:8] 1467 tn In this context “fools” are those who are morally corrupt, not those with limited intellectual capacity.
[35:9] 1469 tn Heb “will go up on it”; TEV “will pass that way.”
[35:10] 1473 tn Heb “and the redeemed will walk, the ransomed of the Lord will return.”
[35:10] 1474 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.
[35:10] 1475 tn Heb “will overtake” (NIV); NLT “they will be overcome with.”
[35:10] 1476 tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee”; KJV “sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
[36:1] 1477 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[36:2] 1481 sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.
[36:2] 1482 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:2] 1483 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[36:2] 1484 tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[36:4] 1485 tn Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”
[36:5] 1489 tn Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23.
[36:9] 1493 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 8-9 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 6. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
[36:10] 1497 sn In v. 10 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 7. He claims that Hezekiah has offended the Lord and that the Lord has commissioned Assyria as his instrument of discipline and judgment.
[36:11] 1501 sn Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the Assyrian empire.
[36:11] 1502 tn Or “in Hebrew” (NIV, NCV, NLT); NAB, NASB “in Judean.”
[36:12] 1505 tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
[36:12] 1506 tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”
[36:13] 1509 tn The Hebrew text includes “and he said.”
[36:16] 1513 tn Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
[36:18] 1517 tn Heb “Have the gods of the nations rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”
[36:19] 1521 tn The rhetorical questions in v. 34a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
[36:19] 1522 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[36:19] 1523 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 18, 20).
[36:20] 1525 tn Heb “that the Lord might rescue Jerusalem from my hand?” The logic runs as follows: Since no god has ever been able to withstand the Assyrian onslaught, how can the people of Jerusalem possibly think the Lord will rescue them?
[36:22] 1529 tn Heb “with their clothes torn”; the words “in grief” have been supplied in the translation to indicate that this was done as a sign of grief and mourning.
[37:1] 1533 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[37:2] 1537 tn Heb “elders of the priests” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NCV “the older priests”; NRSV, TEV, CEV “the senior priests.”
[37:3] 1541 tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him” (cf. NRSV).
[37:3] 1542 tn Or “rebuke” (KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “correction.”
[37:3] 1543 tn Or “contempt”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “disgrace.”
[37:3] 1544 tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
[37:4] 1545 tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”
[37:4] 1546 tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”
[37:4] 1547 tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”
[37:6] 1549 tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
[37:7] 1553 tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.
[37:7] 1554 tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”
[37:8] 1557 tn Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”
[37:9] 1561 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:9] 1562 tn Heb “Cush” (so NASB); NIV, NCV “the Cushite king of Egypt.”
[37:9] 1563 tn Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘He has come out to fight with you.’”
[37:9] 1564 tn The Hebrew text has, “and he heard and he sent,” but the parallel in 2 Kgs 19:9 has וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּשְׁלַח (vayyashav vayyishlakh, “and he returned and he sent”), i.e., “he again sent.”
[37:11] 1565 tn Heb “Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, annihilating them.”
[37:11] 1566 tn Heb “and will you be rescued?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No, of course not!”
[37:12] 1569 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “forefathers”; NCV “ancestors.”
[37:12] 1570 tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”
[37:13] 1573 sn Lair was a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 235.
[37:14] 1577 tc The Hebrew text has the plural, “letters.” The final mem (ם) may be dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular. If so, one still has to deal with the yod that is part of the plural ending. J. N. Oswalt refers to various commentators who have suggested ways to understand the plural form (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:652).
[37:14] 1578 tn In the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:14 the verb has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”).
[37:16] 1581 sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.
[37:16] 1582 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[37:17] 1585 tn Heb “Hear all the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”
[37:18] 1589 tn The Hebrew text here has “all the lands,” but the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:17 has “the nations.”
[37:19] 1593 tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”
[37:19] 1594 tn Heb “so they destroyed them” (NASB similar).
[37:20] 1597 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:19 reads, “that you, Lord, are the only God.”
[37:21] 1601 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:20 reads, “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense: “because.”
[37:22] 1605 tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”
[37:22] 1606 sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.
[37:22] 1607 sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.
[37:23] 1609 tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?” Cf. NIV “lifted your eyes in pride”; NRSV “haughtily lifted your eyes.”
[37:23] 1610 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[37:24] 1613 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[37:24] 1614 tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”
[37:25] 1617 tc The Hebrew text has simply, “I dug and drank water.” But the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:24 has “foreign waters.” זָרִים (zarim, “foreign”) may have accidentally dropped out of the Isaianic text by homoioteleuton (cf. NCV, NIV, NLT). Note that the preceding word, מַיִם (mayim, “water) also ends in mem (ם). The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has “foreign waters” for this line. However, in several other passages the 1QIsaa scroll harmonizes with 2 Kgs 19 against the MT (Isa 36:5; 37:9, 20). Since the addition of “foreign” to this text in Isaiah by a later scribe would be more likely than its deletion, the MT reading should be accepted.
[37:26] 1621 tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.
[37:26] 1622 tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.
[37:26] 1623 tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).
[37:26] 1624 tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.
[37:27] 1625 tn Heb “short of hand”; KJV, ASV “of small power”; NASB “short of strength.”
[37:27] 1626 tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.
[37:27] 1627 tn Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
[37:27] 1628 tc The Hebrew text has “scorched before the standing grain” (perhaps meaning “before it reaches maturity”), but it is preferable to emend קָמָה (qamah, “standing grain”) to קָדִים (qadim, “east wind”) with the support of 1Q Isaa; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:657, n. 8.
[37:28] 1629 tc Heb “your going out and your coming in and how you have raged against me.” Several scholars have suggested that this line is probably dittographic (note the beginning of the next line). However, most English translations include the statement in question at the end of v. 28 and the beginning of v. 29. Interestingly, the LXX does not have this clause at the end of v. 28 and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not have it at the beginning of v. 29. In light of this ambiguous manuscript evidence, it appears best to retain the clause in both verses.
[37:29] 1633 tc Heb “and your complacency comes up into my ears.” The parallelism is improved if שַׁאֲנַנְךָ (sha’anankha, “your complacency”) is emended to שְׁאוֹנְךָ (shÿ’onÿkha, “your uproar”). See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 237-38. However, the LXX seems to support the MT and Sennacherib’s cavalier dismissal of Yahweh depicts an arrogant complacency (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:658, n. 10).
[37:29] 1634 sn The word-picture has a parallel in Assyrian sculpture. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 238.
[37:30] 1637 tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).
[37:30] 1638 tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.
[37:30] 1639 sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
[37:30] 1640 tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).
[37:30] 1641 tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).
[37:30] 1642 tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.
[37:31] 1641 tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
[37:32] 1645 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to protect and restore them.
[37:33] 1649 tn Heb “there” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). In terms of English style “here” is expected in collocation with “this” in the previous line.
[37:33] 1650 tn Heb “[with] a shield” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[37:35] 1653 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
[37:36] 1657 tn Traditionally, “the angel of the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[37:36] 1658 tn The word “troops” is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
[37:36] 1659 tn This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.
[37:36] 1660 tn Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies”; NLT “they found corpses everywhere.”
[37:37] 1661 tn Heb “and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and lived in Nineveh.”
[37:38] 1665 sn The assassination of King Sennacherib probably took place in 681
[37:38] 1666 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[37:38] 1667 sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name Nisroch is a corruption of Nusku.
[37:38] 1668 sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.
[38:1] 1669 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying”; NRSV “became sick and was at the point of death.”
[38:3] 1673 tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.
[38:3] 1674 tn Heb “and with a complete heart”; KJV, ASV “with a perfect heart.”
[38:3] 1675 tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”
[38:3] 1676 tn Heb “wept with great weeping”; NCV “cried loudly”; TEV “began to cry bitterly.”
[38:4] 1677 tn Heb “and the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying.”
[38:5] 1681 tn Heb “father” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).
[38:7] 1685 tn The words “Isaiah replied” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the present form of the Hebrew text v. 7 is joined directly to v. 6, but vv. 21-22, if original to Isaiah 38, must be inserted here. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8.
[38:8] 1689 tn Heb “the shadow on the steps which [the sun] had gone down, on the steps of Ahaz, with the sun, back ten steps.”
[38:8] 1690 tn Heb “and the sun returned ten steps on the steps which it had gone down.”
[38:10] 1693 tn Or “I said” (KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[38:10] 1694 tn The precise meaning of the phrase בִּדְמִי יָמַי (bidmi yamay, “in the [?] of my days”) is uncertain. According to HALOT 226 s.v. דְּמִי this word is a hapax legomenon meaning “half.” Others derive the form from דַּמִי (dami, “quiet, rest, peacefulness”).
[38:10] 1695 tn The precise meaning of the verb is uncertain. The Pual of of פָּקַד (paqad) occurs only here and in Exod 38:21, where it appears to mean “passed in review” or “mustered.” Perhaps the idea is, “I have been called away for the remainder of my years.” To bring out the sense more clearly, one can translate, “I am deprived of the rest of my years.”
[38:11] 1697 tn The Hebrew text has יָהּ יָהּ (yah yah, the abbreviated form of יְהוָה [yÿhvah] repeated), but this is probably a corruption of יְהוָה.
[38:11] 1698 tc The Hebrew text has חָדֶל (khadel), which appears to be derived from a verbal root meaning “to cease, refrain.” But the form has probably suffered an error of transmission; the original form (attested in a few medieval Hebrew
[38:12] 1701 tn According to HALOT 217 s.v. דּוֹר this noun is a hapax legomenon meaning “dwelling place,” derived from a verbal root meaning “live” (see Ps 84:10). For an interpretation that understands the form as the well-attested noun meaning “generation,” see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:679, n. 4.
[38:12] 1702 tn The verb form appears to be a Niphal from גָּלָה (galah), which normally means “uncovered, revealed” in the Niphal. Because of the following reference to a shepherd’s tent, some prefer to emend the form to וְנָגַל, a Niphal from גָלָל (galal, “roll”) and translate “is rolled [or “folded”] up.”
[38:12] 1703 tn Heb “I rolled up, like a weaver, my life” (so ASV).
[38:12] 1704 sn For a discussion of the imagery employed here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:684.
[38:12] 1705 tn Heb “from day to night you bring me to an end.”
[38:13] 1705 tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Piel from שָׁוַה (shavah). There are two homonyms שָׁוַה, one meaning in the Piel “level, smooth out,” the other “set, place.” Neither fits in v. 13. It is likely that the original reading was שִׁוַּעְתִּי (shivva’ti, “I cry out”) from the verbal root שָׁוַע (shava’), which occurs exclusively in the Piel.
[38:13] 1706 tn Heb “from day to night you bring me to an end.”
[38:14] 1709 tn Or “moan” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); KJV, CEV “mourn.”
[38:14] 1710 tn Heb “my eyes become weak, toward the height.”
[38:14] 1711 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[38:14] 1712 tn Heb “stand surety for me.” Hezekiah seems to be picturing himself as a debtor who is being exploited; he asks that the Lord might relieve his debt and deliver him from the oppressive creditor.
[38:15] 1713 tn Heb “and he has spoken and he has acted.”
[38:15] 1714 tn Heb “because of the bitterness of my soul.”
[38:16] 1717 tn The translation offered here is purely speculative. The text as it stands is meaningless and probably corrupt. It reads literally, “O lord, on account of them [the suffix is masculine plural], they live, and to all in them [the suffix is feminine plural], life of my spirit.”
[38:16] 1718 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as indicative, “you restore my health,” but the following imperatival form suggests it be understood as an imperfect of request.
[38:17] 1721 tn Heb “Look, for peace bitterness was to me bitter”; NAB “thus is my bitterness transformed into peace.”
[38:17] 1722 tc The Hebrew text reads, “you loved my soul,” but this does not fit syntactically with the following prepositional phrase. חָשַׁקְתָּ (khashaqta, “you loved”), may reflect an aural error; most emend the form to חָשַׂכְת, (khasakht, “you held back”).
[38:17] 1723 tn בְּלִי (bÿli) most often appears as a negation, meaning “without,” suggesting the meaning “nothingness, oblivion,” here. Some translate “decay” or “destruction.”
[38:17] 1724 tn Heb “for you threw behind your back all my sins.”
[38:18] 1725 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[38:18] 1726 tn The negative particle is understood by ellipsis in this line. See GKC 483 §152.z.
[38:20] 1729 tn The infinitive construct is used here to indicate that an action is imminent. See GKC 348-49 §114.i, and IBHS 610 §36.2.3g.
[38:20] 1730 tn Heb “and music [or perhaps, “stringed instruments”] we will play.”
[38:20] 1731 tn Heb “all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord.”
[38:21] 1733 tc If original to Isaiah 38, vv. 21-22 have obviously been misplaced in the course of the text’s transmission, and would most naturally be placed here, between Isa 38:6 and 38:7. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8, where these verses are placed at this point in the narrative, not at the end. Another possibility is that these verses were not in the original account, and a scribe, familiar with the 2 Kgs version of the story, appended vv. 21-22 to the end of the account in Isaiah 38.
[39:2] 1737 tn Heb “was happy with”; NAB, NASB “was pleased”; NIV “received the envoys gladly.”
[39:2] 1738 tn Heb “there was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his kingdom.”
[39:4] 1741 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[39:6] 1745 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).
[39:7] 1749 tn Heb “Some of your sons, who go out from you, whom you father.”
[39:8] 1753 tn Heb “good” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “favorable.”
[39:8] 1754 tn Heb “and he said.” The verb אָמַר (’amar, “say”) is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself).
[39:8] 1755 tn Or “surely”; cf. CEV “At least.”
[40:1] 1757 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural. The identity of the addressee is uncertain: (1) God’s people may be addressed, or (2) the unidentified heralds commanded to comfort Jerusalem.
[40:2] 1761 tn Heb “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is personified as a woman.
[40:2] 1762 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[40:2] 1763 tn Heb “that she is filled [with] her warfare.” Some understand צָבָא (tsavah, “warfare”) as meaning “hard service” or “compulsory labor” in this context.
[40:2] 1764 tn Heb “that her punishment is accepted [as satisfactory].”
[40:2] 1765 tn Heb “for she has received from the hand of the Lord double.” The principle of the double portion in punishment is also seen in Jer 16:18; 17:18 and Rev 18:6. For examples of the double portion in Israelite law, see Exod 22:4, 7, 9 (double restitution by a thief) and Deut 21:17 (double inheritance portion for the firstborn).
[40:5] 1765 tn Or “glory.” The Lord’s “glory” is his theophanic radiance and royal splendor (see Isa 6:3; 24:23; 35:2; 60:1; 66:18-19).
[40:5] 1766 tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NAB, NIV “mankind”; TEV “the whole human race.”
[40:5] 1768 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[40:6] 1769 tn Heb “and he says.” Apparently a second “voice” responds to the command of the first “voice.”
[40:6] 1770 tn The words “the first voice responds” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first voice tells the second one what to declare.
[40:6] 1771 tn Heb “all flesh is grass.” The point of the metaphor is explained in v. 7.
[40:6] 1772 tn Heb “and all his loyalty.” The antecedent of the third masculine suffix is בָּשָׂר (basar, “flesh”), which refers collectively to mankind. The LXX, apparently understanding the antecedent as “grass,” reads “glory,” but חֶסֶד (khesed) rarely, if ever, has this nuance. The normal meaning of חֶסֶד (“faithfulness, loyalty, devotion”) fits very well in the argument. Human beings and their faithfulness (verbal expressions of faithfulness are specifically in view; cf. NRSV “constancy”) are short-lived and unreliable, in stark contrast to the decrees and promises of the eternal God.
[40:7] 1773 tn The Hebrew text has רוּחַ יְהוָה (ruakh yehvah), which in this context probably does not refer to the Lord’s personal Spirit. The phrase is better translated “the breath of the Lord,” or “the wind of [i.e., sent by] the Lord.” The Lord’s sovereign control over nature, including the hot desert winds that dry up vegetation, is in view here (cf. Ps 147:18; Isa 59:19).
[40:7] 1774 tn Heb “the people” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[40:8] 1777 tn Heb “but the word of our God stands forever.” In this context the divine “word” specifically refers to his decreed promise assuring Jerusalem that her suffering is over and his glorious return imminent (vv. 1-5).
[40:9] 1781 tn The second feminine singular imperatives are addressed to personified Zion/Jerusalem, who is here told to ascend a high hill and proclaim the good news of the Lord’s return to the other towns of Judah. Isa 41:27 and 52:7 speak of a herald sent to Zion, but the masculine singular form מְבַשֵּׂר (mÿvaser) is used in these verses, in contrast to the feminine singular form מְבַשֶּׂרֶת (mÿvaseret) employed in 40:9, where Zion is addressed as a herald.
[40:10] 1785 tn Heb “comes as a strong one”; ASV “will come as a mighty one.” The preposition בְּ (bet) here carries the nuance “in the capacity of.” It indicates that the Lord possesses the quality expressed by the noun. See GKC 379 §119.i and HALOT 104 s.v. בְּ.
[40:10] 1786 tn Heb “his arm rules for him” (so NIV, NRSV). The Lord’s “arm” symbolizes his military power (see Isa 51:9-10; 63:5).
[40:10] 1787 tn As the Lord returns to Jerusalem as a victorious warrior, he brings with him the spoils of victory, called here his “reward” and “prize.” These terms might also be translated “wages” and “recompense.” Verse 11 indicates that his rescued people, likened to a flock of sheep, are his reward.
[40:11] 1789 tn Heb “in his bosom” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV), an expression which reflects closeness and protective care.
[40:12] 1793 tn The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has מי ים (“waters of the sea”), a reading followed by NAB.
[40:12] 1794 tn Heb “with a span.” A “span” was the distance between the ends of the thumb and the little finger of the spread hand” (BDB 285 s.v. זֶרֶת).
[40:12] 1795 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[40:12] 1796 tn Heb “or weighed by a third part [of a measure].”
[40:12] 1797 sn The implied answer to the rhetorical questions of v. 12 is “no one but the Lord. The Lord, and no other, created the world. Like a merchant weighing out silver or commodities on a scale, the Lord established the various components of the physical universe in precise proportions.
[40:13] 1797 tn Perhaps the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “advises” (note the following line).
[40:13] 1798 tn In this context רוּחַ (ruakh) likely refers to the Lord’s “mind,” or mental faculties, rather than his personal Spirit (see BDB 925 s.v.).
[40:13] 1799 tn Heb “or [as] the man of his counsel causes him to know?”
[40:14] 1801 tn Heb “With whom did he consult, so that he gave discernment to him?”
[40:14] 1802 tn Heb “and taught him.” The vav (ו) consecutive with prefixed verbal form continues the previous line. The translation employs an interrogative pronoun for stylistic reasons.
[40:14] 1803 tn The phrase אֹרַח מִשְׁפָּט (’orakh mishpat) could be translated “path of justice” (so NASB, NRSV), but in this context, where creative ability and skill is in view, the phrase is better understood in the sense of “the way that is proper or fitting” (see BDB 1049 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 6); cf. NIV, NCV “the right way.”
[40:14] 1804 tn Heb “or the way of understanding causes him to know?”
[40:15] 1805 tn Or “weighs” (NIV); NLT “picks up.”
[40:15] 1806 tn Or “islands” (NASB, NIV, NLT).
[40:16] 1809 tn The words “for a sacrifice” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[40:16] 1810 sn The point is that not even the Lebanon forest could supply enough wood and animals for an adequate sacrifice to the Lord.
[40:17] 1813 tn Heb “[as derived] from nothing and unformed.”
[40:19] 1817 tn Heb “pours out”; KJV “melteth.”
[40:20] 1821 tn The first two words of the verse (הַמְסֻכָּן תְּרוּמָה, hamsukan tÿrumah) are problematic. Some take מְסֻכָּן as an otherwise unattested Pual participle from סָכַן (sakhan, “be poor”) and translate “the one who is impoverished.” תְּרוּמָה (tÿrumah, “contribution”) can then be taken as an adverbial accusative, “with respect to a contribution,” and the entire line translated, “the one who is too impoverished for such a contribution [i.e., the metal idol of v. 19?] selects wood that will not rot.” However, מְסֻכָּן is probably the name of a tree used in idol manufacturing (cognate with Akkadian musukkanu, cf. H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 133). מְסֻכָּן may be a scribal interpretive addition attempting to specify עֵץ (’ets) or עֵץ may be a scribal attempt to categorize מְסֻכָּן. How an idol constitutes a תְּרוּמָה (“contribution”) is not entirely clear.
[40:20] 1822 tn Or “set up” (ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NASB “to prepare.”
[40:22] 1825 tn Heb “the circle of the earth” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[40:22] 1826 tn The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[40:22] 1827 tn The otherwise unattested noun דֹּק (doq), translated here “thin curtain,” is apparently derived from the verbal root דקק (“crush”) from which is derived the adjective דַּק (daq, “thin”; see HALOT 229 s.v. דקק). The nuance “curtain” is implied from the parallelism (see “tent” in the next line).
[40:22] 1828 tn The meaning of the otherwise unattested verb מָתַח (matakh, “spread out”) is determined from the parallelism (note the corresponding verb “stretch out” in the previous line) and supported by later Hebrew and Aramaic cognates. See HALOT 654 s.v. *מתה.
[40:22] 1829 tn Heb “like a tent [in which] to live”; NAB, NASB “like a tent to dwell (live NIV, NRSV) in.”
[40:25] 1829 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[40:26] 1833 tn Heb “Lift on high your eyes and see.”
[40:26] 1834 tn The words “heavenly lights” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the following lines.
[40:26] 1835 tn Heb “the one who brings out by number their host.” The stars are here likened to a huge army that the Lord leads out. Perhaps the next line pictures God calling roll. If so, the final line may be indicating that none of them dares “go AWOL.” (“AWOL” is a military acronym for “absent without leave.”)
[40:27] 1837 tn Heb “my way is hidden from the Lord” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[40:27] 1838 tn Heb “and from my God my justice passes away”; NRSV “my right is disregarded by my God.”
[40:28] 1841 tn Heb “the ends of the earth,” but this is a merism, where the earth’s extremities stand for its entirety, i.e., the extremities and everything in between them.
[40:28] 1842 sn Exiled Israel’s complaint (v. 27) implies that God might be limited in some way. Perhaps he, like so many of the pagan gods, has died. Or perhaps his jurisdiction is limited to Judah and does not include Babylon. Maybe he is unable to devise an adequate plan to rescue his people, or is unable to execute it. But v. 28 affirms that he is not limited temporally or spatially nor is his power and wisdom restricted in any way. He can and will deliver his people, if they respond in hopeful faith (v. 31a).
[40:30] 1845 tn Heb “stumbling they stumble.” The verbal idea is emphasized by the infinitive absolute.
[40:31] 1849 tn The words “for the Lord’s help” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[40:31] 1850 tn Heb “they rise up [on] wings like eagles” (TEV similar).
[41:1] 1853 tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”
[41:1] 1854 tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) could be translated “judgment,” but here it seems to refer to the dispute or debate between the Lord and the nations.
[41:2] 1857 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] 1858 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.
[41:2] 1859 tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”
[41:2] 1860 tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”
[41:2] 1861 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 1QIsaa 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] 1862 sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.
[41:3] 1861 tn Heb “[in] peace”; KJV, ASV “safely”; NASB “in safety”; NIV “unscathed.”
[41:3] 1862 tn Heb “a way with his feet he does not come [or “enter”].” One could translate, “by a way he was not [previously] entering with his feet.” This would mean that he is advancing into new territory and expanding his conquests. The present translation assumes this is a hyperbolic description to his speedy advance. He moves so quickly he does not enter the way with his feet, i.e., his feet don’t even touch the ground. See C. R. North, Second Isaiah, 94.
[41:4] 1865 tn Heb “Who acts and accomplishes?”; NASB “Who has performed and accomplished it.”
[41:4] 1866 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[41:4] 1867 tn Heb “I, the Lord, [am with] the first, and with the last ones I [am] he.”
[41:5] 1869 tn Or “islands” (NIV, CEV); NCV “faraway places”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”
[41:5] 1870 tn Heb “the ends of the earth,” but this is a merism, where the earth’s extremities stand for its entirety, i.e., the extremities and everything in between them.
[41:6] 1873 tn Heb “each his neighbor helps”; NCV “The workers help each other.”
[41:7] 1877 tn The verb “encourages” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[41:7] 1878 tn Heb “saying of the welding, ‘It is good.’”
[41:8] 1881 tn Or perhaps, “covenantal partner” (see 1 Kgs 5:15 HT [5:1 ET]; 2 Chr 20:7).
[41:9] 1885 tn Heb “whom I have taken hold of [i.e., to lead back].”
[41:10] 1889 tn According to BDB (1043 s.v. שָׁעָה), the verb תִּשְׁתָּע (tishta’) in the second line of the poetic couplet is a Hitpael form from the root שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “gaze,” with metathesis of the stem prefix and the first root letter). Taking the Hitpael as iterative, one may then translate “do not anxiously look about.” However, the alleged Hitpael form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah) only occurs here and in verse 23. HALOT 1671 s.v. שׁתע proposes that the verb is instead a Qal form from the root שׁתע (“fear”) which is attested in cognate Semitic languages, including Ugaritic (discovered after the publishing of BDB), suggests the existence of this root. The poetic structure of v. 10 also supports the proposal, for the form in question is in synonymous parallelism to יָרֵא (yare’, “fear”).
[41:10] 1890 tn The “right hand” is a symbol of the Lord’s power to deliver (Exod 15:6, 12) and protect (Ps 63:9 HT [63:8 ET]). Here צֶדֶק (tsedeq) has its well-attested nuance of “vindicated righteousness,” i.e., “victory, deliverance” (see 45:8; 51:5, and BDB 841-42 s.v.).
[41:11] 1893 tn Heb “the men of your strife”; NASB “those who contend with you.”
[41:11] 1894 tn Heb “like nothing”; NAB “come to nought.”
[41:12] 1897 tn Heb “the men of your struggle”; NASB “those who quarrel with you.”
[41:12] 1898 tn Heb “the men of your battle”; NAB “who do battle with you.”
[41:14] 1901 tn Heb “O worm Jacob” (NAB, NIV). The worm metaphor suggests that Jacob is insignificant and despised.
[41:14] 1902 tn On the basis of the parallelism (note “worm”) and an alleged Akkadian cognate, some read “louse” or “weevil.” Cf. NAB “O maggot Israel”; NRSV “you insect Israel.”
[41:14] 1903 tn Heb “your kinsman redeemer.” A גָּאַל (ga’al, “kinsman redeemer”) was a protector of the extended family’s interests.
[41:14] 1904 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[41:15] 1905 tn Heb “into” (so NIV); ASV “have made thee to be.”
[41:15] 1906 tn Heb “owner of two-mouths,” i.e., double-edged.
[41:15] 1907 sn The mountains and hills symbolize hostile nations that are obstacles to Israel’s restoration.
[41:17] 1909 tn Heb “will answer them” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[41:20] 1913 tn The words “I will do this” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text has here simply, “in order that.”
[41:20] 1914 tn Heb “they”; NAB, NRSV “that all may see”; CEV, NLT “Everyone will see.”
[41:20] 1915 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[41:20] 1916 tn Or “created it” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “has made it happen.”
[41:21] 1917 tn Heb “strong [words],” see HALOT 870 s.v. *עֲצֻמוֹת.
[41:21] 1918 sn Apparently this challenge is addressed to the pagan idol gods, see vv. 23-24.
[41:22] 1921 tn Heb “As for the former things, tell us what they are!”
[41:22] 1922 tn Heb “so we might set [them to] our heart.”
[41:22] 1923 tn Heb “and might know their outcome.”
[41:23] 1925 tn Heb “Declare the coming things, with respect to the end.”
[41:23] 1926 tc The translation assumes the Qere (וְנִרְאֶה [vÿnir’eh], from יָרֵא [yare’], “be afraid”).
[41:24] 1929 tn Heb “an object of disgust [is he who] chooses you.”
[41:25] 1933 sn That is, Cyrus the Persian. See the note at v. 2.
[41:25] 1934 tn Heb “[one] from the rising of the sun [who] calls in my name.”
[41:25] 1935 tn The Hebrew text has וְיָבֹא (vÿyavo’, “and he comes”), but this is likely a corruption of an original וַיָּבָס (vayyavas), from בּוּס (bus, “step on”).
[41:26] 1937 tn The words “who announced it” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The interrogative particle and verb are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[41:27] 1941 tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “First to Zion, ‘Look here they are!’” The words “I decreed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[41:27] 1942 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[41:29] 1945 tc The Hebrew text has אָוֶן (’aven, “deception,” i.e., “false”), but the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has אין (“nothing”), which forms a better parallel with אֶפֶס (’efes, “nothing”) in the next line. See also 40:17 and 41:12.
[41:29] 1946 tn Heb “their statues are wind and nothing”; NASB “wind and emptiness”; NIV “wind and confusion.”
[42:1] 1949 sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.
[42:1] 1950 tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[42:1] 1951 sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.
[42:2] 1953 tn Heb “he will not cause his voice to be heard in the street.”
[42:3] 1957 sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.
[42:3] 1958 tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[42:4] 1961 tn For rhetorical effect the terms used to describe the “crushed (רָצַץ, ratsats) reed” and “dim (כָּהָה, kahah) wick” in v. 3 are repeated here.
[42:4] 1962 tn Or “islands” (NIV); NLT “distant lands beyond the sea.”
[42:4] 1963 tn Or “his law” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV) or “his instruction” (NLT).
[42:5] 1965 tn Heb “the God.” The definite article here indicates distinctiveness or uniqueness.
[42:5] 1966 tn Heb “and its offspring” (so NASB); NIV “all that comes out of it.”
[42:5] 1967 tn Heb “and spirit [i.e., “breath”] to the ones walking in it” (NAB, NASB, and NRSV all similar).
[42:6] 1969 tn Heb “call you in righteousness.” The pronoun “you” is masculine singular, referring to the servant. See the note at 41:2.
[42:6] 1970 tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצַר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצַר (yatsar, “form”).
[42:6] 1971 tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. The precise identity of עָם (’am, “people”) is uncertain. In v. 5 עָם refers to mankind, and the following reference to “nations” also favors this. But in 49:8, where the phrase בְּרִית עָם occurs again, Israel seems to be in view.
[42:6] 1972 sn Light here symbolizes deliverance from bondage and oppression; note the parallelism in 49:6b and in 51:4-6.
[42:6] 1973 tn Or “the Gentiles” (so KJV, ASV, NIV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context.
[42:7] 1973 sn This does not refer to literal physical healing of the blind. As the next two lines suggest, this refers metonymically to freeing captives from their dark prisons where their eyes have grown unaccustomed to light.
[42:7] 1974 sn This does not refer to hardened, dangerous criminals, who would have been executed for their crimes in ancient Near Eastern society. This verse refers to political prisoners or victims of social injustice.
[42:9] 1977 tn Heb “the former things, look, they have come.”
[42:9] 1978 tn Heb “before they sprout up, I cause you to hear.” The pronoun “you” is plural, referring to the people of Israel. In this verse “the former things” are the Lord’s earlier predictive oracles which have come to pass, while “the new things” are predicted events that have not yet begun to take place. “The former things” are earlier events in Israel’s history which God announced beforehand, such as the Exodus (see 43:16-18). “The new things” are the predictions about the servant (42:1-7). and may also include Cyrus’ conquests (41:25-27).
[42:10] 1981 tn Heb “his praise.” The phrase stands parallel to “new song” in the previous line.
[42:10] 1982 tn Heb “and its fullness”; NASB, NIV “and all that is in it.”
[42:10] 1983 tn Or “islands” (NASB, NIV); NLT “distant coastlands.”
[42:12] 1985 tn Heb “Let them ascribe to the Lord glory.”
[42:12] 1986 tn Heb “and his praise in the coastlands [or “islands”] let them declare.”
[42:13] 1989 tn Heb “like a man of war he stirs up zeal” (NIV similar).
[42:13] 1990 tn Or perhaps, “he triumphs over his enemies” (cf. NIV); NLT “will crush all his enemies.”
[42:14] 1993 tn Heb “silent” (so NASB, NIV, TEV, NLT); CEV “have held my temper.”
[42:14] 1994 sn The imagery depicts the Lord as a warrior who is eager to fight and can no longer hold himself back from the attack.
[42:15] 1997 tn Heb “I will dry up the mountains and hills.” The “mountains and hills” stand by synecdoche for the trees that grow on them. Some prefer to derive the verb from a homonymic root and translate, “I will lay waste.”
[42:15] 1998 tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will turn streams into coastlands [or “islands”].” Scholars who believe that this reading makes little sense have proposed an emendation of אִיִּים (’iyyim, “islands”) to צִיּוֹת (tsiyyot, “dry places”; cf. NCV, NLT, TEV). However, since all the versions support the MT reading, there is insufficient grounds for an emendation here. Although the imagery of changing rivers into islands is somewhat strange, J. N. Oswalt describes this imagery against the backdrop of rivers of the Near East. The receding of these rivers at times occasioned the appearance of previously submerged islands (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:126).
[42:15] 1999 sn The imagery of this verse, which depicts the Lord bringing a curse of infertility to the earth, metaphorically describes how the Lord will destroy his enemies.
[42:16] 2001 tn Heb “a way they do not know” (so NASB); NRSV “a road they do not know.”
[42:16] 2002 tn Heb “in paths they do not know I will make them walk.”
[42:16] 2003 tn Heb “and the rough ground into a level place.”
[42:17] 2005 tn Heb “be ashamed with shame”; ASV, NASB “be utterly put to shame.”
[42:18] 2009 tn Heb “look to see”; NAB, NCV “look and see”; NRSV “look up and see.”
[42:19] 2013 tc The precise meaning of מְשֻׁלָּם (mÿshullam) in this context is uncertain. In later biblical Hebrew the form (which appears to be a Pual participle from the root שָׁלַם, shalam) occurs as a proper name, Meshullam. The Pual of שָׁלַם (“be complete”) is attested with the meaning “repaid, requited,” but that makes little sense here. BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלַם relates the form to the denominative verb שָׁלַם (“be at peace”) and paraphrases “one in a covenant of peace” (J. N. Oswalt suggests “the covenanted one”; Isaiah [NICOT], 2:128, n. 59) Some emend the form to מֹשְׁלָם (moshÿlam, “their ruler”) or to מְשֻׁלָּחִי (mÿshullakhi, “my sent [or “commissioned”] one”), which fits nicely in the parallelism (note “my messenger” in the previous line). The translation above assumes an emendation to כְּמוֹ שֹׁלְמִי (kÿmo sholÿmi, “like my ally”). Isaiah uses כְּמוֹ in 30:22 and perhaps 51:5; for שֹׁלְמי (“my ally”) see Ps 7:5 HT (7:4 ET).
[42:19] 2014 tn Heb “Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like my messenger I send? Who is blind like my commissioned one, blind like the servant of the Lord?” The point of the rhetorical questions is that no one is as blind/deaf as this servant. In this context the Lord’s “servant” is exiled Israel (cf. 41:8-9), which is spiritually blind and deaf and has failed to fulfill God’s purpose for it. This servant stands in contrast to the ideal “Israel” of the servant songs.
[42:20] 2017 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has a perfect, 2nd person masculine singular; the marginal reading (Qere) has an infinitive absolute, which functions here as a finite verb.
[42:20] 2018 tn Heb “but you do not guard [i.e., retain in your memory]”; NIV “but have paid no attention.”
[42:21] 2021 tn Heb “The Lord was pleased for the sake of his righteousness [or “justice”], he was magnifying [the] law and was making [it] glorious.” The Lord contrasts his good intentions for the people with their present crisis (v. 22). To demonstrate his just character and attract the nations, the Lord wanted to showcase his law among and through Israel (Deut 4:5-8). But Israel disobeyed (v. 24) and failed to carry out their commission.
[42:22] 2025 tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).
[42:22] 2026 tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”
[42:22] 2027 tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”
[42:23] 2029 tn The interrogative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[42:24] 2033 tn Heb “Who gave to the robber Jacob, and Israel to the looters?” In the first line the consonantal text (Kethib) has מְשׁוֹסֶה (mÿshoseh), a Polel participle from שָׁסָה (shasah, “plunder”). The marginal reading (Qere) is מְשִׁיסָּה (mÿshissah), a noun meaning “plunder.” In this case one could translate “Who handed Jacob over as plunder?”
[42:24] 2034 tn Heb “they were not willing in his ways to walk, and they did not listen to his law.”
[42:25] 2037 tn Heb “strength” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “fury”; NASB “fierceness”; NIV “violence.”
[42:25] 2038 tn Heb “and it blazed against him all around, but he did not know.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb “blazed” is the divine חֵמָה (khemah, “anger”) mentioned in the previous line.
[42:25] 2039 tn Heb “and it burned against him, but he did not set [it] upon [the] heart.”
[43:1] 2041 tn Or “redeem.” See the note at 41:14. Cf. NCV “saved you”; CEV “rescued you”; NLT “ransomed you.”
[43:2] 2045 tn The verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[43:2] 2046 tn Heb “burn” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV, NLT “consume”; NIV “set you ablaze.”
[43:3] 2049 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[43:3] 2050 sn Seba is not the same as Sheba in southern Arabia; cf. Gen 1:10; 1 Chr 1:9.
[43:4] 2053 tn Heb “Since you are precious in my eyes and you are honored.”
[43:7] 2057 tn Heb “everyone who is called by my name” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[43:9] 2061 tn Heb “and the former things was causing us to hear?”
[43:10] 2065 tn Or “know” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[43:10] 2066 tn Heb “and after me, there will not be”; NASB “there will be none after Me.”
