Isaiah 58:6

58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. ¹ 

I want you ²  to remove the sinful chains,

to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,

to set free the oppressed, ³ 

and to break every burdensome yoke.

Isaiah 66:1

66:1 This is what the Lord says:

“The heavens are my throne

and the earth is my footstool.

Where then is the house you will build for me?

Where is the place where I will rest?

Isaiah 58:5

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? ⁴ 

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, ⁵ 

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out ⁶  on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

Isaiah 3:1

A Coming Leadership Crisis

3:1 Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies ⁷ 

is about to remove from Jerusalem ⁸  and Judah

every source of security, including ⁹ 

all the food and water, ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 26:10

26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,

they do not learn about justice. ¹¹ 

Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; ¹² 

they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.

Isaiah 30:12

30:12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says:

“You have rejected this message; ¹³ 

you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick, ¹⁴ 

and rely on that kind of behavior. ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 34:15

34:15 Owls ¹⁶  will make nests and lay eggs ¹⁷  there;

they will hatch them and protect them. ¹⁸ 

Yes, hawks ¹⁹  will gather there,

each with its mate.

Isaiah 47:15

47:15 They will disappoint you, ²⁰ 

those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth. ²¹ 

Each strays off in his own direction, ²² 

leaving no one to rescue you.”

Isaiah 58:4

58:4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by ²³  arguments, brawls,

and fistfights. ²⁴ 

Do not fast as you do today,

trying to make your voice heard in heaven.

Isaiah 28:25

28:25 Once he has leveled its surface,

does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant,

sow the seed of the cumin plant,

and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places? ²⁵ 

Isaiah 30:18

The Lord Will Not Abandon His People

30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;

he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. ²⁶ 

Indeed, the Lord is a just God;

all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. ²⁷ 

Isaiah 34:14

34:14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; ²⁸ 

wild goats will bleat to one another. ²⁹ 

Yes, nocturnal animals ³⁰  will rest there

and make for themselves a nest. ³¹ 

Isaiah 40:2

40:2 “Speak kindly to ³²  Jerusalem, ³³  and tell her

that her time of warfare is over, ³⁴ 

that her punishment is completed. ³⁵ 

For the Lord has made her pay double ³⁶  for all her sins.”

Isaiah 44:11

44:11 Look, all his associates ³⁷  will be put to shame;

the craftsmen are mere humans. ³⁸ 

Let them all assemble and take their stand!

They will panic and be put to shame.

Isaiah 44:20

44:20 He feeds on ashes; ³⁹ 

his deceived mind misleads him.

He cannot rescue himself,

nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ ⁴⁰ 

Isaiah 41:7

41:7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,

the one who wields the hammer encourages ⁴¹  the one who pounds on the anvil.

He approves the quality of the welding, ⁴² 

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

[58:6]  ¹ tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[58:6]  ² tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:6]  ³ tn Heb “crushed.”

[58:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”

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

[58:5]  ⁶ tn Or “making [their] bed.”

[3:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at 1:9.

[3:1]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “support and support.” The masculine and feminine forms of the noun are placed side-by-side to emphasize completeness. See GKC 394 §122.v.

[3:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all the support of food, and all the support of water.”

[26:10]  ¹⁰ tn As in verse 9b, the translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “they do not learn to live in a righteous manner.”

[26:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”

[30:12]  ¹³ tn The sentence actually begins with the word “because.” In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.

[30:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and you trust in oppression and cunning.”

[30:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and you lean on it”; NAB “and depend on it.”

[34:15]  ¹⁶ tn Hebrew קִפּוֹז (qippoz) occurs only here; the precise meaning of the word is uncertain.

[34:15]  ¹⁷ tn For this proposed meaning for Hebrew מָלַט (malat), see HALOT 589 s.v. I מלט.

[34:15]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and brood [over them] in her shadow.”

[34:15]  ¹⁹ tn The precise meaning of דַּיָּה (dayyah) is uncertain, though the term appears to refer to some type of bird of prey, perhaps a vulture.

[47:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “So they will be to you”; NIV “That is all they can do for you.”

[47:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “that for which you toiled, your traders from your youth.” The omen readers and star gazers are likened to merchants with whom Babylon has had an ongoing economic relationship.

[47:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “each to his own side, they err.”

[58:4]  ²² tn Heb “you fast for” (so NASB); NRSV “you fast only to quarrel.”

[58:4]  ²³ tn Heb “and for striking with a sinful fist.”

[28:25]  ²⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “place wheat [?], and barley [?], and grain in its territory.” The term שׂוֹרָה (shorah) is sometimes translated “[in] its place,” but the word is unattested elsewhere. It is probably due to dittography of the immediately following שְׂעֹרָה (sÿo’rah, “barley”). The meaning of נִסְמָן (nisman) is also uncertain. It may be due to dittography of the immediately following כֻסֶּמֶת (kussemet, “grain”).

[30:18]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.

[30:18]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”

[34:14]  ³¹ tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”

[34:14]  ³² tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”

[34:14]  ³³ tn The precise meaning of לִּילִית (lilit) is unclear, though in this context the word certainly refers to some type of wild animal or bird. The word appears to be related to לַיְלָה (laylah, “night”). Some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. Cf. NRSV “Lilith.”

[34:14]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”

[40:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is personified as a woman.

[40:2]  ³⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[40:2]  ³⁶ tn Heb “that she is filled [with] her warfare.” Some understand צָבָא (tsavah, “warfare”) as meaning “hard service” or “compulsory labor” in this context.

[40:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “that her punishment is accepted [as satisfactory].”

[40:2]  ³⁸ tn Heb “for she has received from the hand of the Lord double.” The principle of the double portion in punishment is also seen in Jer 16:18; 17:18 and Rev 18:6. For examples of the double portion in Israelite law, see Exod 22:4, 7, 9 (double restitution by a thief) and Deut 21:17 (double inheritance portion for the firstborn).

[44:11]  ³⁷ tn The pronoun “his” probably refers to the one who forms/casts an idol (v. 10), in which case it refers to the craftsman’s associates in the idol-manufacturing guild.

[44:11]  ³⁸ sn The point seems to be this: If the idols are the mere products of human hands, then those who trust in them will be disappointed, for man-made gods are incapable of helping their “creators.”

[44:20]  ⁴⁰ tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”

[44:20]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”

[41:7]  ⁴³ tn The verb “encourages” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[41:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “saying of the welding, ‘It is good.’”