Isaiah 5:12

5:12 They have stringed instruments, ¹  tambourines, flutes,

and wine at their parties.

So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing,

they do not perceive what he is bringing about. ² 

Isaiah 45:9

The Lord Gives a Warning

45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger, ³ 

one who is like a mere ⁴  shard among the other shards on the ground!

The clay should not say to the potter, ⁵ 

“What in the world ⁶  are you doing?

Your work lacks skill!” ⁷ 

Isaiah 45:11

45:11 This is what the Lord says,

the Holy One of Israel, ⁸  the one who formed him,

concerning things to come: ⁹ 

“How dare you question me ¹⁰  about my children!

How dare you tell me what to do with ¹¹  the work of my own hands!

Isaiah 59:6

59:6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;

they cannot cover themselves with what they make.

Their deeds are sinful;

they commit violent crimes. ¹² 

[5:12]  ¹ tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).

[5:12]  ² tn Heb “the work of the Lord they do not look at, and the work of his hands they do not see.” God’s “work” can sometimes be his creative deeds, but in this context it is the judgment that he is planning to bring upon his people (cf. vv. 19, 26; 10:12; 28:21).

[45:9]  ³ tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who argues with the one who formed him.”

[45:9]  ⁴ tn The words “one who is like a mere” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and clarification.

[45:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “Should the clay say to the one who forms it?” The rhetorical question anticipates a reply, “Of course not!”

[45:9]  ⁶ tn The words “in the world” are supplied in the translation to approximate in English idiom the force of the sarcastic question.

[45:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “your work, there are no hands for it,” i.e., “your work looks like something made by a person who has no hands.”

[45:11]  ⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[45:11]  ⁶ tc The Hebrew text reads “the one who formed him, the coming things.” Among various suggestions, some have proposed an emendation of יֹצְרוֹ (yotsÿro, “the one who formed him”) to יֹצֵר (yotser, “the one who forms”; the suffixed form in the Hebrew text may be influenced by vv. 9-10, where the same form appears twice) and takes “coming things” as the object of the participle (either objective genitive or accusative): “the one who brings the future into being.”

[45:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “Ask me” The rhetorical command sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.

[45:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “Do you command me about…?” The rhetorical question sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.

[59:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “their deeds are deeds of sin, and the work of violence [is] in their hands.”