Isaiah 3:9

3:9 The look on their faces ¹  testifies to their guilt; ² 

like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin. ³ 

Too bad for them! ⁴ 

For they bring disaster on themselves.

Isaiah 3:12

3:12 Oppressors treat my ⁵  people cruelly;

creditors rule over them. ⁶ 

My people’s leaders mislead them;

they give you confusing directions. ⁷ 

Isaiah 5:8

Disaster is Coming

5:8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, ⁸ 

those who also accumulate landed property ⁹ 

until there is no land left, ¹⁰ 

and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 5:30

5:30 At that time ¹²  they will growl over their prey, ¹³ 

it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks. ¹⁴ 

One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster,

clouds will turn the light into darkness. ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 17:3

17:3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,

and Damascus will lose its kingdom. ¹⁶ 

The survivors in Syria

will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,”

says the Lord who commands armies.

Isaiah 22:5

22:5 For the sovereign master, ¹⁷  the Lord who commands armies,

has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. ¹⁸ 

In the Valley of Vision ¹⁹  people shout ²⁰ 

and cry out to the hill. ²¹ 

Isaiah 27:1

27:1 At that time ²²  the Lord will punish

with his destructive, ²³  great, and powerful sword

Leviathan the fast-moving ²⁴  serpent,

Leviathan the squirming serpent;

he will kill the sea monster. ²⁵ 

Isaiah 30:1

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious ²⁶  children are as good as dead,” ²⁷  says the Lord,

“those who make plans without consulting me, ²⁸ 

who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, ²⁹ 

and thereby compound their sin. ³⁰ 

Isaiah 30:27

30:27 Look, the name ³¹  of the Lord comes from a distant place

in raging anger and awesome splendor. ³² 

He speaks angrily

and his word is like destructive fire. ³³ 

Isaiah 31:8

31:8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made; ³⁴ 

a sword not made by humankind will destroy them. ³⁵ 

They will run away from this sword ³⁶ 

and their young men will be forced to do hard labor.

Isaiah 51:12

51:12 “I, I am the one who consoles you. ³⁷ 

Why are you afraid of mortal men,

of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass? ³⁸ 

Isaiah 64:6

64:6 We are all like one who is unclean,

all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. ³⁹ 

We all wither like a leaf;

our sins carry us away like the wind.

Isaiah 65:25

65:25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; ⁴⁰ 

a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, ⁴¹ 

and a snake’s food will be dirt. ⁴² 

They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain,” ⁴³  says the Lord.

[3:9]  ¹ sn This refers to their proud, arrogant demeanor.

[3:9]  ² tn Heb “answers against them”; NRSV “bears witness against them.”

[3:9]  ³ tn Heb “their sin, like Sodom, they declare, they do not conceal [it].”

[3:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “woe to their soul.”

[3:12]  ⁵ sn This may refer to the prophet or to the Lord.

[3:12]  ⁶ tc The Hebrew text appears to read literally, “My people, his oppressors, he deals severely, and women rule over them.” The correct text and precise meaning of the verse are debated. The translation above assumes (1) an emendation of נֹגְשָׂיו (nogÿsayv, “his oppressors”) to נֹגְשִׂים (nogÿshim, “oppressors”) by moving the mem (ם) on the following form to the end of the word and dropping the vav (ו) as virtually dittographic; (2) an emendation of מְעוֹלֵל (mÿ’olel, a singular participle that does not agree with the preceding plural subject) to עֹלְלוּ (’olÿlu), a third plural Poel perfect from עָלַל (’alal, “deal severely”; note that the following form begins with a vav [ו]; the text may be haplographic or misdivided); and (3) an emendation (with support from the LXX) of נָשִׁים (nashim, “women”) to נֹשִׁים (noshim, “creditors”; a participle from נָשַׁא, nasa’). Another option is to emend מְעוֹלֵל to עוֹלְלִים (’olÿlim, “children”) and read, “My people’s oppressors are children; women rule over them.” In this case the point is the same as in v. 4; the leadership void left by the judgment will be filled by those incompetent to lead the community – children and women. (The text reflects the ancient Israelite patriarchal mindset.)

[3:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the way of your paths they confuse.” The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”; HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”; see HALOT 134 s.v. בלע).

[5:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who make a house touch a house.” The exclamation הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death.

[5:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[who] bring a field near a field.”

[5:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “until the end of the place”; NASB “until there is no more room.”

[5:8]  ¹² tn Heb “and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”

[5:30]  ¹³ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[5:30]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “over it”; the referent (the prey) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:30]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “like the growling of the sea.”

[5:30]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and one will gaze toward the land, and look, darkness of distress, and light will grow dark by its [the land’s?] clouds.”

[17:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and kingship from Damascus”; cf. NASB “And sovereignty from Damascus.”

[22:5]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 12, 14, 15 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[22:5]  ²² tn Heb “For [there is] a day of panic, and trampling, and confusion for the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”

[22:5]  ²³ tn The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests that this phrase goes with what precedes.

[22:5]  ²⁴ tn The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Some take קִר (qir) as “wall” and interpret the verb to mean “tear down.” However, tighter parallelism (note the reference to crying for help in the next line) is achieved if one takes both the verb and noun from a root, attested in Ugaritic and Arabic, meaning “make a sound.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:404, n. 5.

[22:5]  ²⁵ sn Perhaps “the hill” refers to the temple mount.

[27:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).

[27:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “hard, severe”; cf. NAB, NRSV “cruel”; KJV “sore”; NLT “terrible.”

[27:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “fleeing” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Some translate “slippery” or “slithering.”

[27:1]  ²⁸ tn The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon (Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַנִּין [tannin, translated “sea monster” here]) vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling (Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן [’aqallaton, translated “squirming” here]) serpent, the tyrant with seven heads (cf. Ps 74:14).” (See CTA 3 iii 38-39.) (2) “for all that you smote Leviathan the slippery (Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ [bariakh, translated “fast-moving” here]) serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5 i 1-3.)

[30:1]  ²⁹ tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”

[30:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”

[30:1]  ³¹ tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”

[30:1]  ³² tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.

[30:1]  ³³ tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”

[30:27]  ³³ sn The “name” of the Lord sometimes stands by metonymy for the Lord himself, see Exod 23:21; Lev 24:11; Pss 54:1 (54:3 HT); 124:8. In Isa 30:27 the point is that he reveals that aspect of his character which his name suggests – he comes as Yahweh (“he is present”), the ever present helper of his people who annihilates their enemies and delivers them. The name “Yahweh” originated in a context where God assured a fearful Moses that he would be with him as he confronted Pharaoh and delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. See Exod 3.

[30:27]  ³⁴ tn Heb “his anger burns, and heaviness of elevation.” The meaning of the phrase “heaviness of elevation” is unclear, for מַשָּׂאָה (masa’ah, “elevation”) occurs only here. Some understand the term as referring to a cloud (elevated above the earth’s surface), in which case one might translate, “and in heavy clouds” (cf. NAB “with lowering clouds”). Others relate the noun to מָשָׂא (masa’, “burden”) and interpret it as a reference to judgment. In this case one might translate, “and with severe judgment.” The present translation assumes that the noun refers to his glory and that “heaviness” emphasizes its degree.

[30:27]  ³⁵ tn Heb “his lips are full of anger, and his tongue is like consuming fire.” The Lord’s lips and tongue are used metonymically for his word (or perhaps his battle cry; see v. 31).

[31:8]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Assyria will fall by a sword, not of a man.”

[31:8]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and a sword not of humankind will devour him.”

[31:8]  ³⁹ tn Heb “he will flee for himself from before a sword.”

[51:12]  ⁴¹ tc The plural suffix should probably be emended to the second masculine singular (which is used in v. 13). The final mem (ם) is probably dittographic; note the mem at the beginning of the next word.

[51:12]  ⁴² tn Heb “Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, and of the son of man who [as] grass is given up?” The feminine singular forms should probably be emended to the masculine singular (see v. 13). They have probably been influenced by the construction אַתְּ־הִיא (’at-hi’) in vv. 9-10.

[64:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”

[65:25]  ⁴⁹ sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.

[65:25]  ⁵⁰ sn These words also appear in 11:7.

[65:25]  ⁵¹ sn Some see an allusion to Gen 3:14 (note “you will eat dirt”). The point would be that even in this new era the snake (often taken as a symbol of Satan) remains under God’s curse. However, it is unlikely that such an allusion exists. Even if there is an echo of Gen 3:14, the primary allusion is to 11:8, where snakes are pictured as no longer dangerous. They will no longer attack other living creatures, but will be content to crawl along the ground. (The statement “you will eat dirt” in Gen 3:14 means “you will crawl on the ground.” In the same way the statement “dirt will be its food” in Isa 65:25 means “it will crawl on the ground.”)

[65:25]  ⁵² tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.