Isaiah 5:2

5:2 He built a hedge around it, ¹  removed its stones,

and planted a vine.

He built a tower in the middle of it,

and constructed a winepress.

He waited for it to produce edible grapes,

but it produced sour ones instead. ² 

Isaiah 28:21

28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, ³ 

he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, ⁴ 

to accomplish his work,

his peculiar work,

to perform his task,

his strange task. ⁵ 

Isaiah 30:1

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious ⁶  children are as good as dead,” ⁷  says the Lord,

“those who make plans without consulting me, ⁸ 

who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, ⁹ 

and thereby compound their sin. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 63:14

63:14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, ¹¹ 

so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.

In this way ¹²  you guided your people,

gaining for yourself an honored reputation. ¹³ 

[5:2]  ¹ tn Or, “dug it up” (so NIV); KJV “fenced it.’ See HALOT 810 s.v. עזק.

[5:2]  ² tn Heb “wild grapes,” i.e., sour ones (also in v. 4).

[28:21]  ³ sn This probably alludes to David’s victory over the Philistines at Baal Perazim. See 2 Sam 5:20.

[28:21]  ⁴ sn This probably alludes to the Lord’s victory over the Canaanites at Gibeon, during the days of Joshua. See Josh 10:10-11.

[28:21]  ⁵ sn God’s judgment of his own people is called “his peculiar work” and “his strange task,” because he must deal with them the way he treated their enemies in the past.

[30:1]  ⁵ tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”

[30:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”

[30:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”

[30:1]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”

[63:14]  ⁷ tn The words “to graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[63:14]  ⁸ tn Or “so” (KJV, ASV), or “thus” (NAB, NRSV).

[63:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “making for yourself a majestic name.”