Isaiah 28:16

28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:

“Look, I am laying ¹  a stone in Zion,

an approved ²  stone,

set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. ³ 

The one who maintains his faith will not panic. ⁴ 

Isaiah 30:19

30:19 For people will live in Zion;

in Jerusalem ⁵  you will weep no more. ⁶ 

When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy;

when he hears it, he will respond to you. ⁷ 

Isaiah 31:9

31:9 They will surrender their stronghold ⁸  because of fear; ⁹ 

their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” ¹⁰ 

This is what the Lord says –

the one whose fire is in Zion,

whose firepot is in Jerusalem. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 32:2

32:2 Each of them ¹²  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.

Isaiah 33:14

33:14 Sinners are afraid in Zion;

panic ¹³  grips the godless. ¹⁴ 

They say, ¹⁵  ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire?

Who among us can coexist with unquenchable ¹⁶  fire?’

[28:16]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.

[28:16]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.

[30:19]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[30:19]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Heb “he will indeed show you mercy at the sound of your crying out; when he hears, he will answer you.”

[31:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.

[31:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”

[31:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”

[31:9]  ¹² 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.

[32:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “a man,” but אִישׁ (’ish) probably refers here to “each” of the officials mentioned in the previous verse.

[33:14]  ¹⁷ tn Or “trembling” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “shake with fear.”

[33:14]  ¹⁸ tn Or “the defiled”; TEV “The sinful people of Zion”; NLT “The sinners in Jerusalem.”

[33:14]  ¹⁹ tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[33:14]  ²⁰ tn Or “perpetual”; or “everlasting” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).