Isaiah 28:7

28:7 Even these men ¹  stagger because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer –

priests and prophets stagger because of beer,

they are confused ²  because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer;

they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, ³ 

they totter while making legal decisions. ⁴ 

Isaiah 40:26

40:26 Look up at the sky! ⁵ 

Who created all these heavenly lights? ⁶ 

He is the one who leads out their ranks; ⁷ 

he calls them all by name.

Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,

not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 42:16

42:16 I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way; ⁸ 

I will guide them down paths they have never traveled. ⁹ 

I will turn the darkness in front of them into light,

and level out the rough ground. ¹⁰ 

This is what I will do for them.

I will not abandon them.

[28:7]  ¹ tn Heb “these.” The demonstrative pronoun anticipates “priests and prophets” two lines later.

[28:7]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “in the seeing.”

[28:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “[in] giving a decision.”

[40:26]  ⁵ tn Heb “Lift on high your eyes and see.”

[40:26]  ⁶ tn The words “heavenly lights” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the following lines.

[40:26]  ⁷ 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.”)

[42:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “a way they do not know” (so NASB); NRSV “a road they do not know.”

[42:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in paths they do not know I will make them walk.”

[42:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the rough ground into a level place.”