Isaiah 4:4

4:4 At that time ¹  the sovereign master ²  will wash the excrement ³  from Zion’s women,

he will rinse the bloodstains from Jerusalem’s midst, ⁴ 

as he comes to judge

and to bring devastation. ⁵ 

Isaiah 10:2

10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,

and to deprive ⁶  the oppressed among my people of justice,

so they can steal what widows own,

and loot what belongs to orphans. ⁷ 

Isaiah 16:5

16:5 Then a trustworthy king will be established;

he will rule in a reliable manner,

this one from David’s family. ⁸ 

He will be sure to make just decisions

and will be experienced in executing justice. ⁹ 

Isaiah 30:18

The Lord Will Not Abandon His People

30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;

he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. ¹⁰ 

Indeed, the Lord is a just God;

all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 32:7

32:7 A deceiver’s methods are evil; ¹² 

he dreams up evil plans ¹³ 

to ruin the poor with lies,

even when the needy are in the right. ¹⁴ 

Isaiah 42:1

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 ¹⁵ “Here is my servant whom I support,

my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.

I have placed my spirit on him;

he will make just decrees ¹⁶  for the nations. ¹⁷ 

Isaiah 56:1

The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote ¹⁸  justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly. ¹⁹ 

Isaiah 59:8-9

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust. ²⁰ 

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. ²¹ 

Israel Confesses its Sin

59:9 For this reason deliverance ²²  is far from us ²³ 

and salvation does not reach us.

We wait for light, ²⁴  but see only darkness; ²⁵ 

we wait for ²⁶  a bright light, ²⁷  but live ²⁸  in deep darkness. ²⁹ 

Isaiah 59:14-15

59:14 Justice is driven back;

godliness ³⁰  stands far off.

Indeed, ³¹  honesty stumbles in the city square

and morality is not even able to enter.

59:15 Honesty has disappeared;

the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.

The Lord watches and is displeased, ³² 

for there is no justice.

Isaiah 61:8

61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice

and hate robbery and sin.

I will repay them because of my faithfulness; ³³ 

I will make a permanent covenant with them.

[4:4]  ¹ tn Heb “when” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); CEV “after”; NRSV “once.”

[4:4]  ² tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[4:4]  ³ tn The word refers elsewhere to vomit (Isa 28:8) and fecal material (Isa 36:12). Many English versions render this somewhat euphemistically as “filth” (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV). Ironically in God’s sight the beautiful jewelry described earlier is nothing but vomit and feces, for it symbolizes the moral decay of the city’s residents (cf. NLT “moral filth”).

[4:4]  ⁴ sn See 1:21 for a related concept.

[4:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.” The precise meaning of the second half of the verse is uncertain. רוּחַ (ruakh) can be understood as “wind” in which case the passage pictures the Lord using a destructive wind as an instrument of judgment. However, this would create a mixed metaphor, for the first half of the verse uses the imagery of washing and rinsing to depict judgment. Perhaps the image would be that of a windstorm accompanied by heavy rain. רוּחַ can also mean “spirit,” in which case the verse may be referring to the Lord’s Spirit or, more likely, to a disposition that the Lord brings to the task of judgment. It is also uncertain if בָּעַר (ba’ar) here means “burning” or “sweeping away, devastating.”

[10:2]  ⁶ tn Or “rob” (ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); KJV “take away the right from the poor.”

[10:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “so that widows are their plunder, and they can loot orphans.”

[16:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and a throne will be established in faithfulness, and he will sit on it in reliability, in the tent of David.”

[16:5]  ¹² tn Heb “one who judges and seeks justice, and one experienced in fairness.” Many understand מְהִר (mÿhir) to mean “quick, prompt” (see BDB 555 s.v. מָהִיר), but HALOT 552 s.v. מָהִיר offers the meaning “skillful, experienced,” and translates the phrase in v. 5 “zealous for what is right.”

[30:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.

[30:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”

[32:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “as for a deceiver, his implements [or “weapons”] are evil.”

[32:7]  ²² tn Or “he plans evil things”; NIV “he makes up evil schemes.”

[32:7]  ²³ tn Heb “to ruin the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speak what is just.”

[42:1]  ²⁶ sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.

[42:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[42:1]  ²⁸ sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.

[56:1]  ³¹ tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.”

[56:1]  ³² tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.”

[59:8]  ³⁶ tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”

[59:8]  ³⁷ tn Heb “their paths they make crooked, everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”

[59:9]  ⁴¹ tn מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), which refers to “justice” in the earlier verses, here refers to “justice from God,” or “vindication.” Because the people are unjust, God refuses to vindicate them before their enemies. See v. 11.

[59:9]  ⁴² sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.

[59:9]  ⁴³ sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.

[59:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”

[59:9]  ⁴⁵ tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[59:9]  ⁴⁶ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.

[59:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”

[59:9]  ⁴⁸ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.

[59:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”

[59:14]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).

[59:15]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”

[61:8]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”