Isaiah 30:1

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious ¹  children are as good as dead,” ²  says the Lord,

“those who make plans without consulting me, ³ 

who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, ⁴ 

and thereby compound their sin. ⁵ 

Isaiah 1:6

1:6 From the soles of your feet to your head,

there is no spot that is unharmed. ⁶ 

There are only bruises, cuts,

and open wounds.

They have not been cleansed ⁷  or bandaged,

nor have they been treated ⁸  with olive oil. ⁹ 

Isaiah 1:9

1:9 If the Lord who commands armies ¹⁰  had not left us a few survivors,

we would have quickly become like Sodom, ¹¹ 

we would have become like Gomorrah.

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

[30:1]  ² tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”

[30:1]  ³ tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”

[30:1]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”

[1:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “there is not in it health”; NAB “there is no sound spot.”

[1:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “pressed out.”

[1:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “softened” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “soothed.”

[1:6]  ⁹ sn This verse describes wounds like those one would receive in battle. These wounds are comprehensive and without remedy.

[1:9]  ¹¹ tn Traditionally, “the Lord of hosts.” The title pictures God as the sovereign king who has at his disposal a multitude of attendants, messengers, and warriors to do his bidding. In some contexts, like this one, the military dimension of his rulership is highlighted. In this case, the title pictures him as one who leads armies into battle against his enemies.

[1:9]  ¹² tc The translation assumes that כִּמְעָט (kim’at, “quickly,” literally, “like a little”) goes with what follows, contrary to the MT accents, which take it with what precedes. In this case, one could translate the preceding line, “If the Lord who commands armies had not left us a few survivors.” If כִּמְעָט goes with the preceding line (following the MT accents), this expression highlights the idea that there would only be a few survivors (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:20; H. Zobel, TDOT 8:456). Israel would not be almost like Sodom but exactly like Sodom.