Isaiah 5:20

5:20 Those who call evil good and good evil are as good as dead, ¹ 

who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,

who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter. ² 

Isaiah 13:10

13:10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations

no longer give out their light; ³ 

the sun is darkened as soon as it rises,

and the moon does not shine. ⁴ 

Isaiah 45:3

45:3 I will give you hidden treasures, ⁵ 

riches stashed away in secret places,

so you may recognize that I am the Lord,

the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.

Isaiah 45:7

45:7 I am ⁶  the one who forms light

and creates darkness; ⁷ 

the one who brings about peace

and creates calamity. ⁸ 

I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.

Isaiah 45:19

45:19 I have not spoken in secret,

in some hidden place. ⁹ 

I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,

‘Seek me in vain!’ ¹⁰ 

I am the Lord,

the one who speaks honestly,

who makes reliable announcements. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 59:9

Israel Confesses its Sin

59:9 For this reason deliverance ¹²  is far from us ¹³ 

and salvation does not reach us.

We wait for light, ¹⁴  but see only darkness; ¹⁵ 

we wait for ¹⁶  a bright light, ¹⁷  but live ¹⁸  in deep darkness. ¹⁹ 

[5:20]  ¹ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who call.” See the note at v. 8.

[5:20]  ² sn In this verse the prophet denounces the perversion of moral standards. Darkness and bitterness are metaphors for evil; light and sweetness symbolize uprightness.

[13:10]  ³ tn Heb “do not flash forth their light.”

[13:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “does not shed forth its light.”

[45:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “treasures of darkness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “treasures from dark, secret places.”

[45:7]  ⁷ tn The words “I am” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the participle at the beginning of v. 7 stands in apposition to “the Lord” in v. 6.

[45:7]  ⁸ tn On the surface v. 7a appears to describe God’s sovereign control over the cycle of day and night, but the following statement suggests that “light” and “darkness” symbolize “deliverance” and “judgment.”

[45:7]  ⁹ sn This verses affirms that God is ultimately sovereign over his world, including mankind and nations. In accordance with his sovereign will, he can cause wars to cease and peace to predominate (as he was about to do for his exiled people through Cyrus), or he can bring disaster and judgment on nations (as he was about to do to Babylon through Cyrus).

[45:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”

[45:19]  ¹⁰ tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”

[45:19]  ¹¹ tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”

[59:9]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.

[59:9]  ¹³ sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.

[59:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”

[59:9]  ¹⁵ tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[59:9]  ¹⁶ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.

[59:9]  ¹⁷ tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”

[59:9]  ¹⁸ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.