Yesaya 10:14

10:14 My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest,

as one gathers up abandoned eggs,

I gathered up the whole earth.

There was no wing flapping,

or open mouth chirping.” ¹ 

Yesaya 11:4

11:4 He will treat the poor fairly, ² 

and make right decisions ³  for the downtrodden of the earth. ⁴ 

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, ⁵ 

and order the wicked to be executed. ⁶ 

Yesaya 18:2

18:2 that sends messengers by sea,

who glide over the water’s surface in boats made of papyrus.

Go, you swift messengers,

to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people, ⁷ 

to a people that are feared far and wide, ⁸ 

to a nation strong and victorious, ⁹ 

whose land rivers divide. ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 19:3

19:3 The Egyptians will panic, ¹¹ 

and I will confuse their strategy. ¹² 

They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead,

from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians. ¹³ 

Yesaya 25:4

25:4 For you are a protector for the poor,

a protector for the needy in their distress,

a shelter from the rainstorm,

a shade from the heat.

Though the breath of tyrants ¹⁴  is like a winter rainstorm, ¹⁵ 

Yesaya 25:8

25:8 he will swallow up death permanently. ¹⁶ 

The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face,

and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.

Indeed, the Lord has announced it! ¹⁷ 

Yesaya 28:15

28:15 For you say,

“We have made a treaty with death,

with Sheol ¹⁸  we have made an agreement. ¹⁹ 

When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by ²⁰ 

it will not reach us.

For we have made a lie our refuge,

we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.” ²¹ 

Yesaya 33:20

33:20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals!

You ²²  will see Jerusalem, ²³ 

a peaceful settlement,

a tent that stays put; ²⁴ 

its stakes will never be pulled up;

none of its ropes will snap in two.

Yesaya 34:16

34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! ²⁵ 

Not one of these creatures will be missing, ²⁶ 

none will lack a mate. ²⁷ 

For the Lord has issued the decree, ²⁸ 

and his own spirit gathers them. ²⁹ 

Yesaya 40:9

40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion!

Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! ³⁰ 

Shout, don’t be afraid!

Say to the towns of Judah,

“Here is your God!”

Yesaya 41:2

41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? ³¹ 

Who ³²  officially commissions him for service? ³³ 

He hands nations over to him, ³⁴ 

and enables him to subdue ³⁵  kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

like windblown straw with his bow. ³⁶ 

Yesaya 42:22

42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;

all of them are trapped in pits ³⁷ 

and held captive ³⁸  in prisons.

They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;

they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” ³⁹ 

Yesaya 42:25

42:25 So he poured out his fierce anger on them,

along with the devastation ⁴⁰  of war.

Its flames encircled them, but they did not realize it; ⁴¹ 

it burned against them, but they did notice. ⁴² 

Yesaya 44:19

44:19 No one thinks to himself,

nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:

‘I burned half of it in the fire –

yes, I baked bread over the coals;

I roasted meat and ate it.

With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?

Should I bow down to dry wood?’ ⁴³ 

Yesaya 45:9

The Lord Gives a Warning

45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger, ⁴⁴ 

one who is like a mere ⁴⁵  shard among the other shards on the ground!

The clay should not say to the potter, ⁴⁶ 

“What in the world ⁴⁷  are you doing?

Your work lacks skill!” ⁴⁸ 

Yesaya 45:20

45:20 Gather together and come!

Approach together, you refugees from the nations!

Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,

those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.

Yesaya 47:6

47:6 I was angry at my people;

I defiled my special possession

and handed them over to you.

You showed them no mercy; ⁴⁹ 

you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. ⁵⁰ 

Yesaya 49:5

49:5 So now the Lord says,

the one who formed me from birth ⁵¹  to be his servant –

he did this ⁵²  to restore Jacob to himself,

so that Israel might be gathered to him;

and I will be honored ⁵³  in the Lord’s sight,

for my God is my source of strength ⁵⁴  –

Yesaya 49:23

49:23 Kings will be your children’s ⁵⁵  guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children. ⁵⁶ 

With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you

and they will lick the dirt on ⁵⁷  your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

Yesaya 57:11

57:11 Whom are you worried about?

Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully

and not remember me

or think about me? ⁵⁸ 

Because I have been silent for so long, ⁵⁹ 

you are not afraid of me. ⁶⁰ 

Yesaya 57:13

57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols ⁶¹  help you!

The wind blows them all away, ⁶² 

a breeze carries them away. ⁶³ 

But the one who looks to me for help ⁶⁴  will inherit the land

and will have access to ⁶⁵  my holy mountain.”

Yesaya 58:9

58:9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;

you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’

You must ⁶⁶  remove the burdensome yoke from among you

and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

Yesaya 58:12

58:12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; ⁶⁷ 

you will reestablish the ancient foundations.

You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,

the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’ ⁶⁸ 

Yesaya 59:19

59:19 In the west, people respect ⁶⁹  the Lord’s reputation; ⁷⁰ 

in the east they recognize his splendor. ⁷¹ 

For he comes like a rushing ⁷²  stream

driven on by wind sent from the Lord. ⁷³ 

Yesaya 59:21

59:21 “As for me, this is my promise to ⁷⁴  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,” ⁷⁵  says the Lord.

Yesaya 60:7

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ⁷⁶ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ⁷⁷ 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

Yesaya 60:14

60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;

all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.

They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ ⁷⁸ 

Yesaya 61:3

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ⁷⁹  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ⁸⁰  instead of discouragement. ⁸¹ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ⁸² 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ⁸³ 

Yesaya 66:24

66:24 “They will go out and observe the corpses of those who rebelled against me, for the maggots that eat them will not die, ⁸⁴  and the fire that consumes them will not die out. ⁸⁵  All people will find the sight abhorrent.” ⁸⁶ 

[10:14]  ¹ sn The Assyrians’ conquests were relatively unopposed, like robbing a bird’s nest of its eggs when the mother bird is absent.

[11:4]  ² tn Heb “with justice” (so NAB) or “with righteousness” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[11:4]  ³ tn Heb “make decisions with rectitude”; cf. ASV, NRSV “and decide with equity.”

[11:4]  ⁴ tn Or “land” (NAB, NCV, CEV). It is uncertain if the passage is picturing universal dominion or focusing on the king’s rule over his covenant people. The reference to God’s “holy mountain” in v. 9 and the description of renewed Israelite conquests in v. 14 suggest the latter, though v. 10 seems to refer to a universal kingdom (see 2:2-4).

[11:4]  ⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and he will strike the earth with the scepter of his mouth.” Some have suggested that in this context אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) as an object of judgment seems too broad in scope. The parallelism is tighter if one emends the word to ץ(י)עָרִ (’arits, “potentate, tyrant”). The phrase “scepter of his mouth” refers to the royal (note “scepter”) decrees that he proclaims with his mouth. Because these decrees will have authority and power (see v. 2) behind them, they can be described as “striking” the tyrants down. Nevertheless, the MT reading may not need emending. Isaiah refers to the entire “earth” as the object of God’s judgment in several places without specifying the wicked as the object of the judgment (Isa 24:17-21; 26:9, 21; 28:22; cf. 13:11).

[11:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “and by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.” The “breath of his lips” refers to his speech, specifically in this context his official decrees that the wicked oppressors be eliminated from his realm. See the preceding note.

[18:2]  ⁷ tn The precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. מְמֻשָּׁךְ (mÿmushakh) appears to be a Pual participle from the verb מָשַׁךְ (mashakh, “to draw, extend”). Lexicographers theorize that it here refers to people who “stretch out,” as it were, or are tall. See BDB 604 s.v. מָשַׁךְ, and HALOT 645-46 s.v. משׁךְ. מוֹרָט (morat) is taken as a Pual participle from מָרַט (marat), which can mean “to pull out [hair],” in the Qal, “become bald” in the Niphal, and “be wiped clean” in the Pual. Lexicographers theorize that the word here refers to people with bare, or smooth, skin. See BDB 598-99 s.v. מָרַט, and HALOT 634-35 s.v. מרט. These proposed meanings, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.

[18:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “from it and onwards.” HALOT 245 s.v. הָלְאָה suggests the translation “far and wide.”

[18:2]  ⁹ tn Once more the precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. The expression קַו־קָו (qav-qav) is sometimes related to a proposed Arabic cognate and taken to mean “strength” (see BDB 876 II קַו). Others, on the basis of Isa 28:10, 13, understand the form as gibberish (literally, “kav, kav”) and take it to be a reference to this nation’s strange, unknown language. The form מְבוּסָה (mÿvusah) appears to be derived from בּוּס (bus, “to trample”), so lexicographers suggest the meaning “trampling” or “subjugation,” i.e., a nation that subdues others. See BDB 101 s.v. בּוּס and HALOT 541 s.v. מְבוּסָה. These proposals, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.

[18:2]  ¹⁰ tn The precise meaning of the verb בָּזָא (baza’), which occurs only in this oracle (see also v. 7) in the OT, is uncertain. BDB 102 s.v. suggests “divide” on the basis of alleged Aramaic and Arabic cognates; HALOT 117 s.v., citing an alleged Arabic cognate, suggests “wash away.”

[19:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”

[19:3]  ¹² tn The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (bala’, “swallow”); see HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע.

[19:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “they will inquire of the idols and of the spirits of the dead and of the ritual pits and of the magicians.” Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19.

[25:4]  ¹⁴ tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; NIV, NRSV “the ruthless.”

[25:4]  ¹⁵ tc The Hebrew text has, “like a rainstorm of a wall,” which might be interpreted to mean, “like a rainstorm battering against a wall.” The translation assumes an emendation of קִיר (qir, “wall”) to קֹר (qor, “cold, winter”; cf. Gen 8:22). See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:457, n. 6, for discussion.

[25:8]  ¹⁶ sn The image of the Lord “swallowing” death would be especially powerful, for death was viewed in Canaanite mythology and culture as a hungry enemy that swallows its victims. See the note at 5:14.

[25:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “has spoken” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[28:15]  ¹⁸ sn Sheol is the underworld, land of the dead, according to the OT world view.

[28:15]  ¹⁹ tn Elsewhere the noun חֹזֶה (khozeh) refers to a prophet who sees visions. In v. 18 the related term חָזוּת (khazut, “vision”) is used. The parallelism in both verses (note “treaty”) seems to demand a meaning “agreement” for both nouns. Perhaps חֹזֶה and חזוּת are used in a metonymic sense in vv. 15 and 18. Another option is to propose a homonymic root. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:514, and HALOT 301 s.v. II חֹזֶה.

[28:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the overwhelming scourge, when it passes by” (NRSV similar).

[28:15]  ²¹ sn “Lie” and “deceitful word” would not be the terms used by the people. They would likely use the words “promise” and “reliable word,” but the prophet substitutes “lie” and “deceitful word” to emphasize that this treaty with death will really prove to be disappointing.

[33:20]  ²² tn Heb “your eyes” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[33:20]  ²³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[33:20]  ²⁴ tn Or “that does not travel”; NASB “which shall not be folded.”

[34:16]  ²⁵ tn Heb “Seek from upon the scroll of the Lord and read.”

[34:16]  sn It is uncertain what particular scroll is referred to here. Perhaps the phrase simply refers to this prophecy and is an admonition to pay close attention to the details of the message.

[34:16]  ²⁶ tn Heb “one from these will not be missing.” הֵנָּה (hennah, “these”) is feminine plural in the Hebrew text. It may refer only to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or may include all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

[34:16]  ²⁷ tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”

[34:16]  ²⁸ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for a mouth, it has commanded.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and a few medieval mss have פִּיהוּ (pihu, “his mouth [has commanded]”), while a few other medieval mss read פִּי יְהוָה (pi yÿhvah, “the mouth of the Lord [has commanded]”).

[34:16]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and his spirit, he gathers them.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

[40:9]  ³⁰ tn The second feminine singular imperatives are addressed to personified Zion/Jerusalem, who is here told to ascend a high hill and proclaim the good news of the Lord’s return to the other towns of Judah. Isa 41:27 and 52:7 speak of a herald sent to Zion, but the masculine singular form מְבַשֵּׂר (mÿvaser) is used in these verses, in contrast to the feminine singular form מְבַשֶּׂרֶת (mÿvaseret) employed in 40:9, where Zion is addressed as a herald.

[41:2]  ³¹ sn The expression this one from the east refers to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, as later texts indicate (see 44:28-45:6; 46:11; 48:14-16).

[41:2]  ³² tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.

[41:2]  ³³ tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”

[41:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”

[41:2]  ³⁵ tn The verb יַרְדְּ (yardÿ) is an otherwise unattested Hiphil form from רָדָה (radah, “rule”). But the Hiphil makes no sense with “kings” as object; one must understand an ellipsis and supply “him” (Cyrus) as the object. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has יוֹרִד (yorid), which appears to be a Hiphil form from יָרַד (yarad, “go down”). Others suggest reading יָרֹד (yarod), a Qal form from רָדַד (radad, “beat down”).

[41:2]  ³⁶ sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.

[42:22]  ³⁷ tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).

[42:22]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”

[42:22]  ³⁹ tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”

[42:25]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “strength” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “fury”; NASB “fierceness”; NIV “violence.”

[42:25]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “and it blazed against him all around, but he did not know.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb “blazed” is the divine חֵמָה (khemah, “anger”) mentioned in the previous line.

[42:25]  ⁴² tn Heb “and it burned against him, but he did not set [it] upon [the] heart.”

[44:19]  ⁴³ tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.

[45:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who argues with the one who formed him.”

[45:9]  ⁴⁵ tn The words “one who is like a mere” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and clarification.

[45:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “Should the clay say to the one who forms it?” The rhetorical question anticipates a reply, “Of course not!”

[45:9]  ⁴⁷ tn The words “in the world” are supplied in the translation to approximate in English idiom the force of the sarcastic question.

[45:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “your work, there are no hands for it,” i.e., “your work looks like something made by a person who has no hands.”

[47:6]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “compassion.”

[47:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “on the old you made very heavy your yoke.”

[49:5]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “from the womb” (so KJV, NASB).

[49:5]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ 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.

[49:23]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).

[49:23]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.

[49:23]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”

[57:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”

[57:11]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”

[57:11]  ⁶⁰ sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.

[57:13]  ⁶¹ tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.

[57:13]  ⁶² tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”

[57:13]  ⁶³ tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”

[57:13]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”

[57:13]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.

[58:9]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 9b-10 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in vv. 9b-10a), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 10b.

[58:12]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and they will build from you ancient ruins.”

[58:12]  ⁶⁸ tc The Hebrew text has “the one who restores paths for dwelling.” The idea of “paths to dwell in” is not a common notion. Some have proposed emending נְתִיבוֹת (nÿtivot, “paths”) to נְתִיצוֹת (nÿtitsot, “ruins”), a passive participle from נָתַץ (natats, “tear down”; see HALOT 732 s.v. *נְתִיצָה), because tighter parallelism with the preceding line is achieved. However, none of the textual sources support this emendation. The line may mean that paths must be repaired in order to dwell in the land.

[59:19]  ⁶⁹ tc Heb “fear.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read “see.”

[59:19]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “and they fear from the west the name of the Lord.”

[59:19]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “and from the rising of the sun his splendor.”

[59:19]  ⁷² tn Heb “narrow”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “pent-up.”

[59:19]  ⁷³ tn Heb “the wind of the Lord drives it on.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh) could be translated “breath” here (see 30:28).

[59:21]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “my covenant with” (so many English versions); NCV “my agreement with.”

[59:21]  sn The Lord promises the repentant (note “to them”) that they and their offspring will possess his spirit and function as his spokesmen. In this regard they follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s special servant. See 42:1; 49:2; 51:16.

[59:21]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “from now and on into the future.”

[60:7]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.

[60:7]  ⁷⁷ tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).

[60:14]  ⁷⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[61:3]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ⁸² tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ⁸³ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[66:24]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “for their worm will not die.”

[66:24]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “and their fire will not be extinguished.”

[66:24]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “and they will be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

[66:24]  sn This verse depicts a huge mass burial site where the seemingly endless pile of maggot-infested corpses are being burned.