Isaiah 17:8

17:8 They will no longer trust in ¹  the altars their hands made,

or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made. ² 

Isaiah 22:4

22:4 So I say:

“Don’t look at me! ³ 

I am weeping bitterly.

Don’t try ⁴  to console me

concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.” ⁵ 

Isaiah 41:10

41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!

Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! ⁶ 

I strengthen you –

yes, I help you –

yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! ⁷ 

Isaiah 41:23

41:23 Predict how future events will turn out, ⁸ 

so we might know you are gods.

Yes, do something good or bad,

so we might be frightened and in awe. ⁹ 

Isaiah 31:1

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ¹⁰ 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ¹¹ 

and in their many, many horsemen. ¹² 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ¹³ 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

[17:8]  ¹ tn Heb “he will not gaze toward.”

[17:8]  ² tn Heb “and that which his fingers made he will not see, the Asherah poles and the incense altars.”

[22:4]  ³ tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[22:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).

[22:4]  ⁵ 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.

[41:10]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.).

[41:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “Declare the coming things, with respect to the end.”

[41:23]  ⁸ tc The translation assumes the Qere (וְנִרְאֶה [vÿnir’eh], from יָרֵא [yare’], “be afraid”).

[31:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ¹² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.