Isaiah 5:24

5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire ¹  devours straw,

and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,

so their root will rot,

and their flower will blow away like dust. ² 

For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,

they have spurned the commands ³  of the Holy One of Israel. ⁴ 

Isaiah 41:26

41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?

Who announced it ⁵  ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?

Indeed, none of them decreed it!

Indeed, none of them announced it!

Indeed, no one heard you say anything!

Isaiah 45:21

45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! ⁶ 

Let them consult with one another!

Who predicted this in the past?

Who announced it beforehand?

Was it not I, the Lord?

I have no peer, there is no God but me,

a God who vindicates and delivers; ⁷ 

there is none but me.

Isaiah 49:5

49:5 So now the Lord says,

the one who formed me from birth ⁸  to be his servant –

he did this ⁹  to restore Jacob to himself,

so that Israel might be gathered to him;

and I will be honored ¹⁰  in the Lord’s sight,

for my God is my source of strength ¹¹  –

Isaiah 51:13

51:13 Why do you forget ¹²  the Lord, who made you,

who stretched out the sky ¹³ 

and founded the earth?

Why do you constantly tremble all day long ¹⁴ 

at the anger of the oppressor,

when he makes plans to destroy?

Where is the anger of the oppressor? ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 51:23

51:23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors ¹⁶ 

who said to you, ‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’

You made your back like the ground,

and like the street for those who walked over you.”

Isaiah 54:1

Zion Will Be Secure

54:1 “Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth!

Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the desolate one are more numerous

than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 58:2

58:2 They seek me day after day;

they want to know my requirements, ¹⁷ 

like a nation that does what is right

and does not reject the law of their God.

They ask me for just decrees;

they want to be near God.

Isaiah 58:5

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? ¹⁸ 

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, ¹⁹ 

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out ²⁰  on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

Isaiah 59:21

59:21 “As for me, this is my promise to ²¹  them,” says the Lord. “My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,” ²²  says the Lord.

Isaiah 62:4

62:4 You will no longer be called, “Abandoned,”

and your land will no longer be called “Desolate.”

Indeed, ²³  you will be called “My Delight is in Her,” ²⁴ 

and your land “Married.” ²⁵ 

For the Lord will take delight in you,

and your land will be married to him. ²⁶ 

Isaiah 66:8

66:8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?

Who has ever seen this?

Can a country ²⁷  be brought forth in one day?

Can a nation be born in a single moment?

Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!

[5:24]  ¹ tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.

[5:24]  ² sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.

[5:24]  ³ tn Heb “the word.”

[5:24]  ⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[41:26]  ⁵ tn The words “who announced it” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The interrogative particle and verb are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

[45:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “Declare! Bring near!”; NASB “Declare and set forth your case.” See 41:21.

[45:21]  ¹⁰ tn Or “a righteous God and deliverer”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “a righteous God and a Savior.”

[49:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “from the womb” (so KJV, NASB).

[49:5]  ¹⁴ tn The words “he did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the infinitive construct of purpose is subordinated to the previous statement.

[49:5]  ¹⁵ tn The vav (ו) + imperfect is translated here as a result clause; one might interpret it as indicating purpose, “and so I might be honored.”

[49:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and my God is [perhaps, “having been”] my strength.” The disjunctive structure (vav [ו] + subject + verb) is interpreted here as indicating a causal circumstantial clause.

[51:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and that you forget.”

[51:13]  ¹⁸ tn Or “the heavens” (also in v. 16). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[51:13]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and that you tremble constantly all the day.”

[51:13]  ²⁰ tn The question anticipates the answer, “Ready to disappear!” See v. 14.

[51:23]  ²¹ tn That is, to make them drink it.

[58:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “ways” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV); NLT “my laws.”

[58:5]  ²⁹ tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”

[58:5]  ³⁰ tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:5]  ³¹ tn Or “making [their] bed.”

[59:21]  ³³ tn Or “my covenant with” (so many English versions); NCV “my agreement with.”

[59:21]  ³⁴ tn Heb “from now and on into the future.”

[62:4]  ³⁷ tn Or “for”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “but.”

[62:4]  ³⁸ tn Hebrew חֶפְצִי־בָהּ (kheftsi-vah), traditionally transliterated “Hephzibah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).

[62:4]  ³⁹ tn Hebrew בְּעוּלָה (bÿ’ulah), traditionally transliterated “Beulah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).

[62:4]  ⁴⁰ tn That is, the land will be restored to the Lord’s favor and once again enjoy his blessing and protection. To indicate the land’s relationship to the Lord, the words “to him” have been supplied at the end of the clause.

[66:8]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “land,” but here אֶרֶץ (’erets) stands metonymically for an organized nation (see the following line).