Isaiah 25:2

25:2 Indeed, ¹  you have made the city ²  into a heap of rubble,

the fortified town into a heap of ruins;

the fortress of foreigners ³  is no longer a city,

it will never be rebuilt.

Isaiah 47:6-7

47:6 I was angry at my people;

I defiled my special possession

and handed them over to you.

You showed them no mercy; ⁴ 

you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. ⁵ 

47:7 You said,

‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’ ⁶ 

You did not think about these things; ⁷ 

you did not consider how it would turn out. ⁸ 

Isaiah 57:8

57:8 Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols. ⁹ 

Indeed, ¹⁰  you depart from me ¹¹  and go up

and invite them into bed with you. ¹² 

You purchase favors from them, ¹³ 

you love their bed,

and gaze longingly ¹⁴  on their genitals. ¹⁵ 

[25:2]  ¹ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[25:2]  ² 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]  ³ tc Some with support from the LXX emend זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”) to זֵדִים (zedim, “the insolent”).

[47:6]  ⁴ tn Or “compassion.”

[47:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “on the old you made very heavy your yoke.”

[47:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “Forever I [will be] permanent queen”; NIV “the eternal queen”; CEV “queen forever.”

[47:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “you did not set these things upon your heart [or “mind”].”

[47:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “you did not remember its outcome”; NAB “you disregarded their outcome.”

[57:8]  ¹⁰ tn The precise referent of זִכָּרוֹן (zikkaron) in this context is uncertain. Elsewhere the word refers to a memorial or commemorative sign. Here it likely refers to some type of idolatrous symbol.

[57:8]  ¹¹ tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).

[57:8]  ¹² tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “from me you uncover.” The translation assumes an emendation of the Piel form גִּלִּית (gillit, “you uncover”), which has no object expressed here, to the Qal גָּלִית (galit, “you depart”).

[57:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “you make wide your bed” (NASB similar).

[57:8]  ¹⁴ tc Heb “and you [second masculine singular, unless the form be taken as third feminine singular] cut for yourself [feminine singular] from them.” Most English translations retain the MT reading in spite of at least three problems. This section makes significant use of feminine verbs and noun suffixes because of the sexual imagery. The verb in question is likely a 2nd person masculine singular verb. Nevertheless, this kind of fluctuation in gender appears elsewhere (GKC 127-28 §47.k and 462 §144.p; cf. Jer 3:5; Ezek 22:4; 23:32; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:473, n. 13). Secondly, when this verbal root signifies establishing a covenant, it is normally accompanied by the noun for “covenant” (בְּרִית, bÿrit). Finally, this juxtaposition of the verb “to cut” and “covenant” normally is followed by the preposition “with,” while here it is “from.” The translation above assumes an emendation of וַתִּכְרָת (vatikhrah, “and you cut”) to וְכָרִית (vÿkharit, “and you purchase”) from the root כָּרָה (kharah); see HALOT 497 s.v. II כרה.

[57:8]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew text has simply חָזָה (khazah, “gaze”). The adverb “longingly” is interpretive (see the context, where sexual lust is depicted).

[57:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[at] a hand you gaze.” The term יָד (yad, “hand”) probably has the sense of “power, manhood” here, where it is used, as in Ugaritic, as a euphemism for the genitals. See HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד.