Isaiah 30:10-12

30:10 They ¹  say to the visionaries, “See no more visions!”

and to the seers, “Don’t relate messages to us about what is right! ² 

Tell us nice things,

relate deceptive messages. ³ 

30:11 Turn aside from the way,

stray off the path. ⁴ 

Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.” ⁵ 

30:12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says:

“You have rejected this message; ⁶ 

you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick, ⁷ 

and rely on that kind of behavior. ⁸ 

Psalms 50:17

50:17 For you hate instruction

and reject my words. ⁹ 

Proverbs 1:29

1:29 Because ¹⁰  they hated moral knowledge, ¹¹ 

and did not choose to fear the Lord, ¹² 

Jeremiah 5:31

5:31 The prophets prophesy lies.

The priests exercise power by their own authority. ¹³ 

And my people love to have it this way.

But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes! ¹⁴ 

Jeremiah 6:10

6:10 I answered, ¹⁵ 

“Who would listen

if I spoke to them and warned them? ¹⁶ 

Their ears are so closed ¹⁷ 

that they cannot hear!

Indeed, ¹⁸  what the Lord says is offensive to them.

They do not like it at all. ¹⁹ 

John 3:19

3:19 Now this is the basis for judging: ²⁰  that the light has come into the world and people ²¹  loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.

John 12:38

12:38 so that the word ²²  of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled. He said, ²³  “Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord ²⁴  been revealed?” ²⁵ 

John 12:47-48

12:47 If anyone ²⁶  hears my words and does not obey them, ²⁷  I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ²⁸  12:48 The one who rejects me and does not accept ²⁹  my words has a judge; ³⁰  the word ³¹  I have spoken will judge him at the last day.

[30:10]  ¹ tn Heb “who” (so NASB, NRSV). A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:10]  ² tn Heb “Do not see for us right things.”

[30:10]  ³ tn Heb “Tell us smooth things, see deceptive things.”

[30:11]  ⁴ sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.

[30:11]  ⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[30:12]  ⁶ tn The sentence actually begins with the word “because.” In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.

[30:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “and you trust in oppression and cunning.”

[30:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “and you lean on it”; NAB “and depend on it.”

[50:17]  ⁹ tn Heb “and throw my words behind you.”

[1:29]  ¹⁰ tn The causal particle תַּחַת כִּי (takhat ki, “for the reason that”) introduces a second accusation of sin and reason for punishment.

[1:29]  ¹¹ tn Heb “knowledge.” The noun דָעַת (da’at, “knowledge”) refers to moral knowledge. See note on 1:7.

[1:29]  ¹² tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” The noun is an objective genitive; the Lord is to be the object of fear. See note on 1:7.

[5:31]  ¹³ tn Heb “they shall rule at their hands.” Since the word “hand” can be used figuratively for authority or mean “side” and the pronoun “them” can refer to the priests themselves or the prophets, the following translations have also been suggested: “the priests rule under their [the prophets’] directions,” or “the priests rule in league with them [the prophets].” From the rest of the book it would appear that the prophets did not exercise authority over the priests nor did they exercise the same authority over the people that the priests did. Hence it probably mean “by their own hand/power/authority.”

[5:31]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “But what will you do at its end?” The rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “Nothing!”

[6:10]  ¹⁵ tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “To whom shall I speak? To whom shall I give warning? Who will listen?” Heb “Unto whom shall I speak and give warning that they may listen?”

[6:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “are uncircumcised.”

[6:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Behold!”

[6:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “They do not take pleasure in it.”

[3:19]  ²⁰ tn Or “this is the reason for God judging,” or “this is how judgment works.”

[3:19]  ²¹ tn Grk “and men,” but in a generic sense, referring to people of both genders (as “everyone” in v. 20 makes clear).

[12:38]  ²² tn Or “message.”

[12:38]  ²³ tn Grk “who said.”

[12:38]  ²⁴ tn “The arm of the Lord” is an idiom for “God’s great power” (as exemplified through Jesus’ miraculous signs). This response of unbelief is interpreted by the author as a fulfillment of the prophetic words of Isaiah (Isa 53:1). The phrase ὁ βραχίων κυρίου (Jo braciwn kuriou) is a figurative reference to God’s activity and power which has been revealed in the sign-miracles which Jesus has performed (compare the previous verse).

[12:38]  ²⁵ sn A quotation from Isa 53:1.

[12:47]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And if anyone”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been left untranslated here for improved English style.

[12:47]  ²⁷ tn Or “guard them,” “keep them.”

[12:47]  ²⁸ sn Cf. John 3:17.

[12:48]  ²⁹ tn Or “does not receive.”

[12:48]  ³⁰ tn Grk “has one who judges him.”

[12:48]  ³¹ tn Or “message.”