Isaiah 24:16

24:16 From the ends of the earth we ¹  hear songs –

the Just One is majestic. ² 

But I ³  say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!

Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” ⁴ 

Isaiah 33:1

The Lord Will Restore Zion

33:1 The destroyer is as good as dead, ⁵ 

you who have not been destroyed!

The deceitful one is as good as dead, ⁶ 

the one whom others have not deceived!

When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed;

when you finish ⁷  deceiving, others will deceive you!

Isaiah 21:2

21:2 I have received a distressing message: ⁸ 

“The deceiver deceives,

the destroyer destroys.

Attack, you Elamites!

Lay siege, you Medes!

I will put an end to all the groaning!” ⁹ 

Isaiah 48:8

48:8 You did not hear,

you do not know,

you were not told beforehand. ¹⁰ 

For I know that you are very deceitful; ¹¹ 

you were labeled ¹²  a rebel from birth.

[24:16]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.

[24:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”

[33:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “Woe [to] the destroyer.”

[33:1]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to derive from an otherwise unattested verb נָלָה (nalah). The translation follows the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a in reading ככלתך, a Piel infinitival form from the verbal root כָּלָה (kalah), meaning “finish.”

[21:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”

[21:2]  ¹⁰ sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.

[48:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “beforehand your ear did not open.”

[48:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “deceiving, you deceive.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[48:8]  ¹⁵ tn Or “called” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).