Isaiah 33:1

The Lord Will Restore Zion

33:1 The destroyer is as good as dead, ¹ 

you who have not been destroyed!

The deceitful one is as good as dead, ² 

the one whom others have not deceived!

When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed;

when you finish ³  deceiving, others will deceive you!

Isaiah 33:4

33:4 Your plunder ⁴  disappears as if locusts were eating it; ⁵ 

they swarm over it like locusts! ⁶ 

Jeremiah 51:56

51:56 For a destroyer is attacking Babylon. ⁷ 

Her warriors will be captured;

their bows will be broken. ⁸ 

For the Lord is a God who punishes; ⁹ 

he pays back in full. ¹⁰ 

[33:1]  ¹ tn Heb “Woe [to] the destroyer.”

[33:1]  ² tn Heb “and the deceitful one”; NAB, NIV “O traitor”; NRSV “you treacherous one.” In the parallel structure הוֹי (hoy, “woe [to]”) does double duty.

[33:1]  ³ tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to derive from an otherwise unattested verb נָלָה (nalah). The translation follows the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a in reading ככלתך, a Piel infinitival form from the verbal root כָּלָה (kalah), meaning “finish.”

[33:4]  ⁴ tn The pronoun is plural; the statement is addressed to the nations who have stockpiled plunder from their conquests of others.

[33:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “and your plunder is gathered, the gathering of the locust.”

[33:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “like a swarm of locusts swarming on it.”

[51:56]  ⁷ tn Heb “for a destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon.”

[51:56]  ⁸ tn The Piel form (which would be intransitive here, see GKC 142 §52.k) should probably be emended to Qal.

[51:56]  ⁹ tn Or “God of retribution.”

[51:56]  ¹⁰ tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. Another option is to translate, “he certainly pays one back.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form here describes the Lord’s characteristic actions. Another option is to take it as referring specifically to his judgment on Babylon, in which case one should translate, “he will pay (Babylon) back in full.”