Isaiah 29:13

29:13 The sovereign master ¹  says,

“These people say they are loyal to me; ² 

they say wonderful things about me, ³ 

but they are not really loyal to me. ⁴ 

Their worship consists of

nothing but man-made ritual. ⁵ 

Isaiah 61:1

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ⁶  me. ⁷ 

He has commissioned ⁸  me to encourage ⁹  the poor,

to help ¹⁰  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

Isaiah 65:12

65:12 I predestine you to die by the sword, ¹¹ 

all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, ¹² 

because I called to you, and you did not respond,

I spoke and you did not listen.

You did evil before me; ¹³ 

you chose to do what displeases me.”

Isaiah 66:4

66:4 So I will choose severe punishment ¹⁴  for them;

I will bring on them what they dread,

because I called, and no one responded,

I spoke and they did not listen.

They did evil before me; ¹⁵ 

they chose to do what displeases me.”

[29:13]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[29:13]  ² tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”

[29:13]  ³ tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”

[29:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.

[29:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”

[61:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ⁷ sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ⁸ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ⁹ tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”

[65:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I assign you to the sword.” Some emend the Qal verb form מָנִיתִי (maniti, “I assign”) to the Piel מִנִּיתִי (minniti, “ I ordain”). The verb sounds like the name of the god Meni (מְנִי, mÿni, “Destiny, Fate”). The sound play draws attention to the irony of the statement. The sinners among God’s people worship the god Meni, apparently in an effort to ensure a bright destiny for themselves. But the Lord is the one who really determines their destiny and he has decreed their demise.

[65:12]  ¹² tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”

[65:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”

[66:4]  ¹⁶ tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (’alal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”

[66:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”