Isaiah 3:10

3:10 Tell the innocent ¹  it will go well with them, ² 

for they will be rewarded for what they have done. ³ 

Isaiah 5:18

5:18 Those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as dead, ⁴ 

who pull sin as with cart ropes. ⁵ 

Isaiah 5:21-22

5:21 Those who think they are wise are as good as dead, ⁶ 

those who think they possess understanding. ⁷ 

5:22 Those who are champions ⁸  at drinking wine are as good as dead, ⁹ 

who display great courage when mixing strong drinks.

Isaiah 10:1

10:1 Those who enact unjust policies are as good as dead, ¹⁰ 

those who are always instituting unfair regulations, ¹¹ 

Isaiah 14:6

14:6 It ¹²  furiously struck down nations

with unceasing blows. ¹³ 

It angrily ruled over nations,

oppressing them without restraint. ¹⁴ 

Isaiah 16:1

16:1 Send rams as tribute to the ruler of the land, ¹⁵ 

from Sela in the desert ¹⁶ 

to the hill of Daughter Zion.

Isaiah 26:4

26:4 Trust in the Lord from this time forward, ¹⁷ 

even in Yah, the Lord, an enduring protector! ¹⁸ 

Isaiah 29:2

29:2 I will threaten Ariel,

and she will mourn intensely

and become like an altar hearth ¹⁹  before me.

Isaiah 30:11

30:11 Turn aside from the way,

stray off the path. ²⁰ 

Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.” ²¹ 

Isaiah 41:21

The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods

41:21 “Present your argument,” says the Lord.

“Produce your evidence,” ²²  says Jacob’s king. ²³ 

Isaiah 51:14

51:14 The one who suffers ²⁴  will soon be released;

he will not die in prison, ²⁵ 

he will not go hungry. ²⁶ 

Isaiah 54:12

54:12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems, ²⁷ 

your gates out of beryl, ²⁸ 

and your outer wall ²⁹  out of beautiful ³⁰  stones.

Isaiah 55:6

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ³¹ 

call to him while he is nearby!

Isaiah 55:8

55:8 “Indeed, ³²  my plans ³³  are not like ³⁴  your plans,

and my deeds ³⁵  are not like ³⁶  your deeds,

Isaiah 64:9

64:9 Lord, do not be too angry!

Do not hold our sins against us continually! ³⁷ 

Take a good look at your people, at all of us! ³⁸ 

[3:10]  ¹ tn Or “the righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, TEV); NLT “those who are godly.”

[3:10]  ² tn Heb “that it is good.”

[3:10]  ³ tn Heb “for the fruit of their deeds they will eat.”

[5:18]  ⁴ sn See the note at v. 8.

[5:18]  ⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “Woe to those who pull evil with the ropes of emptiness, and, as [with] ropes of a cart, sin.” Though several textual details are unclear, the basic idea is apparent. The sinners are so attached to their sinful ways (compared here to a heavy load) that they strain to drag them along behind them. If שָׁוְא (shavÿ’, “emptiness”) is retained, it makes a further comment on their lifestyle, denouncing it as one that is devoid of what is right and destined to lead to nothing but destruction. Because “emptiness” does not form a very tight parallel with “cart” in the next line, some emend שָׁוְא to שֶׂה (she, “sheep”) and עֲגָלָה (’agalah, “cart”) to עֵגֶל (’egel, “calf”): “Those who pull evil along with a sheep halter are as good as dead who pull sin with a calf rope” (following the lead of the LXX and improving the internal parallelism of the verse). In this case, the verse pictures the sinners pulling sin along behind them as one pulls an animal with a halter. For a discussion of this view, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:163, n. 1. Nevertheless, this emendation is unnecessary. The above translation emphasizes the folly of the Israelites who hold on to their sin (and its punishment) even while they hope for divine intervention.

[5:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “Woe [to] the wise in their own eyes.” See the note at v. 8.

[5:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “[who] before their faces are understanding.”

[5:22]  ¹⁰ tn The language used here is quite sarcastic and paves the way for the shocking description of the enemy army in vv. 25-30. The rich leaders of Judah are nothing but “party animals” who are totally incapable of withstanding real warriors.

[5:22]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Woe [to]….” See the note at v. 8.

[10:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who decree evil decrees.” On הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) see the note on the first phrase of 1:4.

[10:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[to] the writers who write out harm.” The participle and verb are in the Piel, suggesting repetitive action.

[14:6]  ¹⁶ tn Or perhaps, “he” (cf. KJV; NCV “the king of Babylon”). The present translation understands the referent of the pronoun (“it”) to be the “club/scepter” of the preceding line.

[14:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “it was striking down nations in fury [with] a blow without ceasing.” The participle (“striking down”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.

[14:6]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “it was ruling in anger nations [with] oppression without restraint.” The participle (“ruling”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.

[16:1]  ¹⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “Send [a plural imperatival form is used] a ram [to] the ruler of the land.” The term כַּר (kar, “ram”) should be emended to the plural כָּרִים (karim). The singular form in the text is probably the result of haplography; note that the next word begins with a mem (מ).

[16:1]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew text has “toward [across?] the desert.”

[26:4]  ²² tn Or “forevermore.” For other uses of the phrase עֲדֵי־עַד (’ade-’ad) see Isa 65:18 and Pss 83:17; 92:7.

[26:4]  ²³ tc The Hebrew text has “for in Yah, the Lord, an everlasting rock.” Some have suggested that the phrase בְּיָהּ (beyah, “in Yah”) is the result of dittography. A scribe seeing כִּי יְהוָה (ki yÿhvah) in his original text would somehow have confused the letters and accidentally inserted בְּיָהּ between the words (bet and kaf [ב and כ] can be confused in later script phases). A number of English versions retain both divine names for emphasis (ESV, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT). One of the Qumran texts (1QIsa^a) confirms the MT reading as well.

[29:2]  ²⁵ tn The term אֲרִיאֵל (’ari’el, “Ariel”) is the word translated “altar hearth” here. The point of the simile is not entirely clear. Perhaps the image likens Jerusalem’s coming crisis to a sacrificial fire.

[30:11]  ²⁸ sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.

[30:11]  ²⁹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[41:21]  ³¹ tn Heb “strong [words],” see HALOT 870 s.v. *עֲצֻמוֹת.

[41:21]  ³² sn Apparently this challenge is addressed to the pagan idol gods, see vv. 23-24.

[51:14]  ³⁴ tn Heb “who is stooped over” (under a burden).

[51:14]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the pit” (so KJV); ASV, NAB “die and go down into the pit”; NASB, NIV “dungeon”; NCV “prison.”

[51:14]  ³⁶ tn Heb “he will not lack his bread.”

[54:12]  ³⁷ tn Perhaps, “rubies” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[54:12]  ³⁸ tn On the meaning of אֶקְדָּח (’eqdakh), which occurs only here, see HALOT 82 s.v.

[54:12]  ³⁹ tn Heb “border” (so ASV); NASB “your entire wall.”

[54:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “delightful”; KJV “pleasant.”

[55:6]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.

[55:8]  ⁴³ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).

[55:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “thoughts” (so many English versions).

[55:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “are not.” “Like” is interpretive, but v. 9 indicates that a comparison is in view.

[55:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).

[55:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “are not.” “Like” is interpretive, but v. 9 indicates that a comparison is in view.

[64:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “do not remember sin continually.”

[64:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Look, gaze at your people, all of us.” Another option is to translate, “Take a good look! We are all your people.”