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 39:8

39:8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” ³  Then he thought, ⁴  “For ⁵  there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.”

Isaiah 41:7

41:7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,

the one who wields the hammer encourages ⁶  the one who pounds on the anvil.

He approves the quality of the welding, ⁷ 

and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”

Isaiah 52:7

52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains ⁸ 

the feet of a messenger who announces peace,

a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” ⁹ 

Isaiah 55:2

55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? ¹⁰ 

Why spend ¹¹  your hard-earned money ¹²  on something that will not satisfy?

Listen carefully ¹³  to me and eat what is nourishing! ¹⁴ 

Enjoy fine food! ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 56:5

56:5 I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument ¹⁶ 

that will be better than sons and daughters.

I will set up a permanent monument ¹⁷  for them that will remain.

Isaiah 65:2

65:2 I spread out my hands all day long

to my rebellious people,

who lived in a way that is morally unacceptable,

and who did what they desired. ¹⁸ 

[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.

[39:8]  ³ tn Heb “good” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “favorable.”

[39:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he said.” The verb אָמַר (’amar, “say”) is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself).

[39:8]  ⁵ tn Or “surely”; cf. CEV “At least.”

[41:7]  ⁵ tn The verb “encourages” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[41:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “saying of the welding, ‘It is good.’”

[52:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “How delightful on the mountains.”

[52:7]  ⁸ tn Or “has become king.” When a new king was enthroned, his followers would give this shout. For other examples of this enthronement formula (Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular מָלַךְ [malakh], followed by the name of the king), see 2 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 1:11, 13, 18; 2 Kgs 9:13. The Lord is an eternal king, but here he is pictured as a victorious warrior who establishes his rule from Zion.

[55:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “for what is not food.”

[55:2]  ¹⁰ tn The interrogative particle and the verb “spend” are understood here by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[55:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “your labor,” which stands by metonymy for that which one earns.

[55:2]  ¹² tn The infinitive absolute follows the imperative and lends emphasis to the exhortation.

[55:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “good” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[55:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Let your appetite delight in fine food.”

[56:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a hand and a name.” For other examples where יָד (yad) refers to a monument, see HALOT 388 s.v.

[56:5]  ¹² tn Heb “name” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[65:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “who walked [in] the way that is not good, after their thoughts.”