Isaiah 3:5-8

3:5 The people will treat each other harshly;

men will oppose each other;

neighbors will fight. ¹ 

Youths will proudly defy the elderly

and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected. ² 

3:6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother

right in his father’s house ³  and say, ⁴ 

‘You own a coat –

you be our leader!

This heap of ruins will be under your control.’ ⁵ 

3:7 At that time ⁶  the brother will shout, ⁷ 

‘I am no doctor, ⁸ 

I have no food or coat in my house;

don’t make me a leader of the people!’”

3:8 Jerusalem certainly stumbles,

Judah falls,

for their words and their actions offend the Lord; ⁹ 

they rebel against his royal authority. ¹⁰ 

[3:5]  ¹ tn Heb “man against man, and a man against his neighbor.”

[3:5]  ² tn Heb “and those lightly esteemed those who are respected.” The verb רָהַב (rahav) does double duty in the parallelism.

[3:6]  ³ tn Heb “[in] the house of his father” (so ASV); NIV “at his father’s home.”

[3:6]  ⁴ tn The words “and say” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[3:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “your hand”; NASB “under your charge.”

[3:7]  ⁵ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[3:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “he will lift up [his voice].”

[3:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “wrapper [of wounds]”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “healer.”

[3:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “for their tongue and their deeds [are] to the Lord.”

[3:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “to rebel [against] the eyes of his majesty.” The word כָּבוֹד (kavod) frequently refers to the Lord’s royal splendor that is an outward manifestation of his authority as king.