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 5:19

5:19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly, ³ 

so we can see;

let the plan of the Holy One of Israel ⁴  take shape ⁵  and come to pass,

then we will know it!”

Isaiah 18:5

18:5 For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted,

and the ripening fruit appears, ⁶ 

he will cut off the unproductive shoots ⁷  with pruning knives;

he will prune the tendrils. ⁸ 

Isaiah 23:4

23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon,

for the sea ⁹  says this, O fortress of the sea:

“I have not gone into labor

or given birth;

I have not raised young men

or brought up young women.” ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 26:11

26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act, ¹¹ 

but they don’t even notice.

They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, ¹² 

yes, fire will consume your enemies. ¹³ 

Isaiah 30:1

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious ¹⁴  children are as good as dead,” ¹⁵  says the Lord,

“those who make plans without consulting me, ¹⁶ 

who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, ¹⁷ 

and thereby compound their sin. ¹⁸ 

Isaiah 44:7

44:7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim! ¹⁹ 

Let him announce it and explain it to me –

since I established an ancient people – ²⁰ 

let them announce future events! ²¹ 

Isaiah 48:16

48:16 Approach me! Listen to this!

From the very first I have not spoken in secret;

when it happens, ²²  I am there.”

So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit. ²³ 

Isaiah 63:15

63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,

from your holy, majestic palace!

Where are your zeal ²⁴  and power?

Do not hold back your tender compassion! ²⁵ 

[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).

[5:19]  ³ tn Heb “let his work hurry, let it hasten.” The pronoun “his” refers to God, as the parallel line makes clear. The reference to his “work” alludes back to v. 12, which refers to his ‘work” of judgment. With these words the people challenged the prophet’s warning of approaching judgment. They were in essence saying that they saw no evidence that God was about to work in such a way.

[5:19]  ⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[5:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “draw near” (so NASB); NRSV “hasten to fulfillment.”

[18:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the unripe, ripening fruit is maturing.”

[18:5]  ⁶ tn On the meaning of זַלְזַל (zalzal, “shoot [of the vine] without fruit buds”) see HALOT 272 s.v. *זַלְזַל.

[18:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “the tendrils he will remove, he will cut off.”

[23:4]  ⁷ tn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:430-31) sees here a reference to Yam, the Canaanite god of the sea. He interprets the phrase מָעוֹז הַיָּם (ma’oz hayyam, “fortress of the sea”) as a title of Yam, translating “Mighty One of the Sea.” A more traditional view is that the phrase refers to Sidon.

[23:4]  ⁸ tn Or “virgins” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).

[26:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “O Lord, your hand is lifted up.”

[26:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “They will see and be ashamed of zeal of people.” Some take the prefixed verbs as jussives and translate the statement as a prayer, “Let them see and be put to shame.” The meaning of the phrase קִנְאַת־עָם (qin’at-’am, “zeal of people”) is unclear. The translation assumes that this refers to God’s angry judgment upon people. Another option is to understand the phrase as referring to God’s zealous, protective love of his covenant people. In this case one might translate, “by your zealous devotion to your people.”

[26:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “yes, fire, your enemies, will consume them.” Many understand the prefixed verb form to be jussive and translate, “let [fire] consume” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The mem suffixed to the verb may be enclitic; if a pronominal suffix, it refers back to “your enemies.”

[30:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”

[30:1]  ¹² tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”

[30:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”

[30:1]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”

[44:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “let him call” or “let him proclaim” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “Let him stand up and speak.”

[44:7]  ¹⁴ tc The Hebrew text reads, “from (the time) I established an ancient people, and the coming things.” Various emendations have been proposed. One of the options assumes the reading מַשְׁמִיעִים מֵעוֹלָם אוֹתִיּוֹת (mashmi’im me’olam ’otiyyot); This literally reads “the ones causing to hear from antiquity coming things,” but more idiomatically would read “as for those who predict from antiquity what will happen” (cf. NAB, NEB, REB). The emendation directs the attention of the reader to those who claim to be able to predict the future, challenging them to actually do what they claim they can do. The MT presents Yahweh as an example to whom these alleged “predictors of the future” can compare themselves. Since the ancient versions are unanimous in their support of the MT, the emendations should be set aside.

[44:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb and those things which are coming let them declare for themselves.”

[48:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.”

[48:16]  ¹⁶ sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.

[63:15]  ¹⁷ tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.

[63:15]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.