Isaiah 40:1

The Lord Returns to Jerusalem

40:1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”

says your ¹  God.

Isaiah 66:13

66:13 As a mother consoles a child, ² 

so I will console you,

and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”

Isaiah 1:24

1:24 Therefore, the sovereign Lord who commands armies, ³ 

the powerful ruler of Israel, ⁴  says this:

“Ah, I will seek vengeance ⁵  against my adversaries,

I will take revenge against my enemies. ⁶ 

Isaiah 12:1

12:1 At that time ⁷  you will say:

“I praise you, O Lord,

for even though you were angry with me,

your anger subsided, and you consoled me.

Isaiah 51:19

51:19 These double disasters confronted you.

But who feels sorry for you?

Destruction and devastation,

famine and sword.

But who consoles you? ⁸ 

Isaiah 52:9

52:9 In unison give a joyful shout,

O ruins of Jerusalem!

For the Lord consoles his people;

he protects ⁹  Jerusalem.

Isaiah 54:11

54:11 “O afflicted one, driven away, ¹⁰  and unconsoled!

Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony

and I lay your foundation with lapis-lazuli.

Isaiah 61:2

61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,

the day when our God will seek vengeance, ¹¹ 

to console all who mourn,

Isaiah 51:3

51:3 Certainly the Lord will console Zion;

he will console all her ruins.

He will make her wilderness like Eden,

her desert like the Garden of the Lord.

Happiness and joy will be restored to ¹²  her,

thanksgiving and the sound of music.

Isaiah 22:4

22:4 So I say:

“Don’t look at me! ¹³ 

I am weeping bitterly.

Don’t try ¹⁴  to console me

concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.” ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 49:13

49:13 Shout for joy, O sky! ¹⁶ 

Rejoice, O earth!

Let the mountains give a joyful shout!

For the Lord consoles his people

and shows compassion to the ¹⁷  oppressed.

Isaiah 51:12

51:12 “I, I am the one who consoles you. ¹⁸ 

Why are you afraid of mortal men,

of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass? ¹⁹ 

Isaiah 57:6

57:6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;

they, they are the object of your devotion. ²⁰ 

You pour out liquid offerings to them,

you make an offering.

Because of these things I will seek vengeance. ²¹ 

[40:1]  ¹ tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural. The identity of the addressee is uncertain: (1) God’s people may be addressed, or (2) the unidentified heralds commanded to comfort Jerusalem.

[66:13]  ² tn Heb “like a man whose mother comforts him.”

[1:24]  ³ tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at v. 9.

[1:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Israel.”

[1:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “console myself” (i.e., by getting revenge); NRSV “pour out my wrath on.”

[1:24]  ⁶ sn The Lord here identifies with the oppressed and comes as their defender and vindicator.

[12:1]  ⁴ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[51:19]  ⁵ tc The Hebrew text has אֲנַחֲמֵךְ (’anakhamekh), a first person form, but the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads correctly יִנַחֲמֵךְ (yinakhamekh), a third person form.

[52:9]  ⁶ tn Or “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.

[54:11]  ⁷ tn Or, more literally, “windblown, storm tossed.”

[61:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.

[51:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “found in” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[22:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[22:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).

[22:4]  ¹² tn Heb “the daughter of my people.” “Daughter” is here used metaphorically to express the speaker’s emotional attachment to his people, as well as their vulnerability and weakness.

[49:13]  ¹¹ tn Or “O heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[49:13]  ¹² tn Heb “his” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[51:12]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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.

[57:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “among the smooth stones of the stream [is] your portion, they, they [are] your lot.” The next line indicates idols are in view.

[57:6]  ¹⁴ tn The text reads literally, “Because of these am I relenting?” If the prefixed interrogative particle is retained at the beginning of the sentence, then the question would be rhetorical, with the Niphal of נָחָם (nakham) probably being used in the sense of “relent, change one’s mind.” One could translate: “Because of these things, how can I relent?” However, the initial letter he may be dittographic (note the final he [ה] on the preceding word). In this case one may understand the verb in the sense of “console oneself, seek vengeance,” as in 1:24.