Yesaya 1:3

1:3 An ox recognizes its owner,

a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food; ¹ 

but Israel does not recognize me, ² 

my people do not understand.”

Yesaya 1:5

1:5 ³ Why do you insist on being battered?

Why do you continue to rebel? ⁴ 

Your head has a massive wound, ⁵ 

your whole body is weak. ⁶ 

Yesaya 1:18

1:18 ⁷ Come, let’s consider your options,” ⁸  says the Lord.

“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,

you can become ⁹  white like snow;

though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,

you can become ¹⁰  white like wool. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 3:12

3:12 Oppressors treat my ¹²  people cruelly;

creditors rule over them. ¹³ 

My people’s leaders mislead them;

they give you confusing directions. ¹⁴ 

Yesaya 8:21

8:21 They will pass through the land ¹⁵  destitute and starving. Their hunger will make them angry, ¹⁶  and they will curse their king and their God ¹⁷  as they look upward.

Yesaya 9:8

God’s Judgment Intensifies

9:8 ¹⁸ The sovereign master ¹⁹  decreed judgment ²⁰  on Jacob,

and it fell on Israel. ²¹ 

Yesaya 10:6

10:6 I sent him ²²  against a godless ²³  nation,

I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, ²⁴ 

to take plunder and to carry away loot,

to trample them down ²⁵  like dirt in the streets.

Yesaya 10:18

10:18 The splendor of his forest and his orchard

will be completely destroyed, ²⁶ 

as when a sick man’s life ebbs away. ²⁷ 

Yesaya 11:10

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ²⁸  a root from Jesse ²⁹  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ³⁰  and his residence will be majestic.

Yesaya 13:19

13:19 Babylon, the most admired ³¹  of kingdoms,

the Chaldeans’ source of honor and pride, ³² 

will be destroyed by God

just as Sodom and Gomorrah were. ³³ 

Yesaya 15:9

15:9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon ³⁴  are full of blood!

Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. ³⁵ 

A lion will attack ³⁶  the Moabite fugitives

and the people left in the land.

Yesaya 16:7

16:7 So Moab wails over its demise ³⁷  –

they all wail!

Completely devastated, they moan

about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth. ³⁸ 

Yesaya 19:1

The Lord Will Judge Egypt

19:1 Here is a message about Egypt:

Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud

and approaches Egypt.

The idols of Egypt tremble before him;

the Egyptians lose their courage. ³⁹ 

Yesaya 19:12

19:12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? ⁴⁰ 

Let them tell you, let them find out

what the Lord who commands armies has planned for Egypt.

Yesaya 20:6

20:6 At that time ⁴¹  those who live on this coast ⁴²  will say, ‘Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’”

Yesaya 22:16

22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? ⁴³ 

Why ⁴⁴  do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here?

He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place,

he carves out his tomb on a cliff.

Yesaya 24:13

24:13 This is what will happen throughout ⁴⁵  the earth,

among the nations.

It will be like when they beat an olive tree,

and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest. ⁴⁶ 

Yesaya 24:16

24:16 From the ends of the earth we ⁴⁷  hear songs –

the Just One is majestic. ⁴⁸ 

But I ⁴⁹  say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!

Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” ⁵⁰ 

Yesaya 26:17

26:17 As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver

and strains and cries out because of her labor pains,

so were we because of you, O Lord.

Yesaya 28:12

28:12 In the past he said to them, ⁵¹ 

“This is where security can be found.

Provide security for the one who is exhausted!

This is where rest can be found.” ⁵² 

But they refused to listen.

Yesaya 29:14

29:14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people –

an absolutely extraordinary deed. ⁵³ 

Wise men will have nothing to say,

the sages will have no explanations.” ⁵⁴ 

Yesaya 29:22

29:22 So this is what the Lord, the one who delivered Abraham, says to the family of Jacob: ⁵⁵ 

“Jacob will no longer be ashamed;

their faces will no longer show their embarrassment. ⁵⁶ 

Yesaya 37:6

37:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. ⁵⁷ 

Yesaya 37:21-22

37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, ⁵⁸  37:22 this is what the Lord says about him: ⁵⁹ 

“The virgin daughter Zion ⁶⁰ 

despises you – she makes fun of you;

daughter Jerusalem

shakes her head after you. ⁶¹ 

Yesaya 38:3

38:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you ⁶²  faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, ⁶³  and how I have carried out your will.” ⁶⁴  Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. ⁶⁵ 

Yesaya 39:1

Messengers from Babylon Visit Hezekiah

39:1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been ill and had recovered.

Yesaya 41:4

41:4 Who acts and carries out decrees? ⁶⁶ 

Who ⁶⁷  summons the successive generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,

and at the very end – I am the one. ⁶⁸ 

Yesaya 41:22

41:22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!

Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, ⁶⁹ 

so we may examine them ⁷⁰  and see how they were fulfilled. ⁷¹ 

Or decree for us some future events!

Yesaya 41:28

41:28 I look, but there is no one,

among them there is no one who serves as an adviser,

that I might ask questions and receive answers.

Yesaya 46:9

46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! ⁷² 

Truly I am God, I have no peer; ⁷³ 

I am God, and there is none like me,

Yesaya 47:12

47:12 Persist ⁷⁴  in trusting ⁷⁵  your amulets

and your many incantations,

which you have faithfully recited ⁷⁶  since your youth!

Maybe you will be successful ⁷⁷  –

maybe you will scare away disaster. ⁷⁸ 

Yesaya 48:1

The Lord Appeals to the Exiles

48:1 Listen to this, O family of Jacob, ⁷⁹ 

you who are called by the name ‘Israel,’

and are descended from Judah, ⁸⁰ 

who take oaths in the name of the Lord,

and invoke ⁸¹  the God of Israel –

but not in an honest and just manner. ⁸² 

Yesaya 48:3

48:3 “I announced events beforehand, ⁸³ 

I issued the decrees and made the predictions; ⁸⁴ 

suddenly I acted and they came to pass.

Yesaya 48:14

48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!

Who among them ⁸⁵  announced these things?

The Lord’s ally ⁸⁶  will carry out his desire against Babylon;

he will exert his power against the Babylonians. ⁸⁷ 

Yesaya 49:19

49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;

it is desolate and devastated. ⁸⁸ 

But now you will be too small to hold your residents,

and those who devoured you will be far away.

Yesaya 52:7

52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains ⁸⁹ 

the feet of a messenger who announces peace,

a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” ⁹⁰ 

Yesaya 52:15

52:15 his form was so marred he no longer looked human ⁹¹  –

so now ⁹²  he will startle ⁹³  many nations.

Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, ⁹⁴ 

for they will witness something unannounced to them,

and they will understand something they had not heard about.

Yesaya 53:8-9

53:8 He was led away after an unjust trial ⁹⁵  –

but who even cared? ⁹⁶ 

Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; ⁹⁷ 

because of the rebellion of his own ⁹⁸  people he was wounded.

53:9 They intended to bury him with criminals, ⁹⁹ 

but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb, ¹⁰⁰ 

because ¹⁰¹  he had committed no violent deeds,

nor had he spoken deceitfully.

Yesaya 55:13

55:13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes,

firs will grow in place of nettles;

they will be a monument to the Lord, ¹⁰² 

a permanent reminder that will remain. ¹⁰³ 

Yesaya 56:2

56:2 The people who do this will be blessed, ¹⁰⁴ 

the people who commit themselves to obedience, ¹⁰⁵ 

who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

who refrain from doing anything that is wrong. ¹⁰⁶ 

Yesaya 57:6

57:6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;

they, they are the object of your devotion. ¹⁰⁷ 

You pour out liquid offerings to them,

you make an offering.

Because of these things I will seek vengeance. ¹⁰⁸ 

Yesaya 59:13

59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;

we turned back from following our God.

We stir up ¹⁰⁹  oppression and rebellion;

we tell lies we concocted in our minds. ¹¹⁰ 

Yesaya 59:16

The Lord Intervenes

59:16 He sees there is no advocate; ¹¹¹ 

he is shocked ¹¹²  that no one intervenes.

So he takes matters into his own hands; ¹¹³ 

his desire for justice drives him on. ¹¹⁴ 

Yesaya 65:17

65:17 For look, I am ready to create

new heavens and a new earth! ¹¹⁵ 

The former ones ¹¹⁶  will not be remembered;

no one will think about them anymore. ¹¹⁷ 

[1:3]  ¹ tn Heb “and the donkey the feeding trough of its owner.” The verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.

[1:3]  ² tn Although both verbs have no object, the parallelism suggests that Israel fails to recognize the Lord as the one who provides for their needs. In both clauses, the placement of “Israel” and “my people” at the head of the clause focuses the reader’s attention on the rebellious nation (C. van der Merwe, J. Naudé, J. Kroeze, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, 346-47).

[1:5]  ³ sn In vv. 5-9 Isaiah addresses the battered nation (5-8) and speaks as their representative (9).

[1:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “Why are you still beaten? [Why] do you continue rebellion?” The rhetorical questions express the prophet’s disbelief over Israel’s apparent masochism and obsession with sin. The interrogative construction in the first line does double duty in the parallelism. H. Wildberger (Isaiah, 1:18) offers another alternative by translating the two statements with one question: “Why do you still wish to be struck that you persist in revolt?”

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “all the head is ill”; NRSV “the whole head is sick”; CEV “Your head is badly bruised.”

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and all the heart is faint.” The “heart” here stands for bodily strength and energy, as suggested by the context and usage elsewhere (see Jer 8:18; Lam 1:22).

[1:18]  ⁷ sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).

[1:18]  ⁸ tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.

[1:18]  ⁹ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ¹⁰ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.

[3:12]  ¹² sn This may refer to the prophet or to the Lord.

[3:12]  ¹³ tc The Hebrew text appears to read literally, “My people, his oppressors, he deals severely, and women rule over them.” The correct text and precise meaning of the verse are debated. The translation above assumes (1) an emendation of נֹגְשָׂיו (nogÿsayv, “his oppressors”) to נֹגְשִׂים (nogÿshim, “oppressors”) by moving the mem (ם) on the following form to the end of the word and dropping the vav (ו) as virtually dittographic; (2) an emendation of מְעוֹלֵל (mÿ’olel, a singular participle that does not agree with the preceding plural subject) to עֹלְלוּ (’olÿlu), a third plural Poel perfect from עָלַל (’alal, “deal severely”; note that the following form begins with a vav [ו]; the text may be haplographic or misdivided); and (3) an emendation (with support from the LXX) of נָשִׁים (nashim, “women”) to נֹשִׁים (noshim, “creditors”; a participle from נָשַׁא, nasa’). Another option is to emend מְעוֹלֵל to עוֹלְלִים (’olÿlim, “children”) and read, “My people’s oppressors are children; women rule over them.” In this case the point is the same as in v. 4; the leadership void left by the judgment will be filled by those incompetent to lead the community – children and women. (The text reflects the ancient Israelite patriarchal mindset.)

[3:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and the way of your paths they confuse.” The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”; HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”; see HALOT 134 s.v. בלע).

[8:21]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he will pass through it.” The subject of the collective singular verb is the nation. (See the preceding note.) The immediately preceding context supplies no antecedent for “it” (a third feminine singular suffix in the Hebrew text); the suffix may refer to the land, which would be a reasonable referent with a verb of motion. Note also that אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) does appear at the beginning of the next verse.

[8:21]  ¹⁶ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[8:21]  ¹⁷ tn Or “gods” (NAB, NRSV, CEV).

[9:8]  ¹⁸ sn The following speech (9:8-10:4) assumes that God has already sent judgment (see v. 9), but it also announces that further judgment is around the corner (10:1-4). The speech seems to describe a series of past judgments on the northern kingdom which is ready to intensify further in the devastation announced in 10:1-4. It may have been written prior to the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom in 734-733 b.c., or sometime between that invasion and the downfall of Samaria in 722 b.c. The structure of the speech displays four panels, each of which ends with the refrain, “Through all this, his anger did not subside; his hand remained outstretched” (9:12b; 17b; 21b; 10:4b): Panel I: (A) Description of past judgment (9:8); (B) Description of the people’s attitude toward past judgment (9:9-10); (C) Description of past judgment (9:11-12a); (D) Refrain (9:12b); Panel II: (A) Description of the people’s attitude toward past judgment (9:13); (B) Description of past judgment (9:14-17a); (C) Refrain (9:17b); Panel III: (A) Description of past judgment (9:18-21a); (B) Refrain (9:21b); Panel IV: (A) Woe oracle announcing future judgment (10:1-4a); (B) Refrain (10:4b).

[9:8]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 17 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “sent a word” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB “sends a message.”

[9:8]  ²¹ tn The present translation assumes that this verse refers to judgment that had already fallen. Both verbs (perfects) are taken as indicating simple past; the vav (ו) on the second verb is understood as a simple vav conjunctive. Another option is to understand the verse as describing a future judgment (see 10:1-4). In this case the first verb is a perfect of certitude; the vav on the second verb is a vav consecutive.

[10:6]  ²² sn Throughout this section singular forms are used to refer to Assyria; perhaps the king of Assyria is in view (see v. 12).

[10:6]  ²³ tn Or “defiled”; cf. ASV “profane”; NAB “impious”; NCV “separated from God.”

[10:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and against the people of my anger I ordered him.”

[10:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “to make it [i.e., the people] a trampled place.”

[10:18]  ²⁶ tn Heb “from breath to flesh it will destroy.” The expression “from breath to flesh” refers to the two basic components of a person, the immaterial (life’s breath) and the material (flesh). Here the phrase is used idiomatically to indicate totality.

[10:18]  ²⁷ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. מָסַס (masas), which is used elsewhere of substances dissolving or melting, may here mean “waste away” or “despair.” נָסַס (nasas), which appears only here, may mean “be sick” or “stagger, despair.” See BDB 651 s.v. I נָסַס and HALOT 703 s.v. I נסס. One might translate the line literally, “like the wasting away of one who is sick” (cf. NRSV “as when an invalid wastes away”).

[11:10]  ²⁸ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:10]  ²⁹ sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ³⁰ tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[13:19]  ³¹ tn Or “most beautiful” (NCV, TEV).

[13:19]  ³² tn Heb “the beauty of the pride of the Chaldeans.”

[13:19]  sn The Chaldeans were a group of tribes who lived in southern Mesopotamia. The established the so-called neo-Babylonian empire in the late seventh century b.c. Their most famous king, Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Judah in 605 b.c. and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 b.c.

[13:19]  ³³ tn Heb “and Babylon…will be like the overthrow by God of Sodom and Gomorrah.” On מַהְפֵּכַת (mahpekhat, “overthrow”) see the note on the word “destruction” in 1:7.

[15:9]  ³⁴ tc The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads “Dibon” instead of “Dimon” in this verse.

[15:9]  ³⁵ tn Heb “Indeed I will place on Dimon added things.” Apparently the Lord is speaking.

[15:9]  ³⁶ tn The words “will attack” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[16:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “So Moab wails for Moab.”

[16:7]  ³⁸ tn The Hebrew text has, “for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth you [masculine plural] moan, surely destroyed.” The “raisin cakes” could have cultic significance (see Hos 3:1), but the next verse focuses on agricultural disaster, so here the raisin cakes are mentioned as an example of the fine foods that are no longer available (see 2 Sam 6:19; Song 2:5) because the vines have been destroyed by the invader (see v. 8). Some prefer to take אֲשִׁישֵׁי (’ashishe, “raisin cakes of”) as “men of” (see HALOT 95 s.v. *אָשִׁישׁ; cf. NIV). The verb form תֶהְגּוּ (tehgu, “you moan”) is probably the result of dittography (note that the preceding word ends in tav [ת]) and should be emended to הגו (a perfect, third plural form), “they moan.”

[19:1]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and the heart of Egypt melts within it.”

[19:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Where are they? Where are your wise men?” The juxtaposition of the interrogative pronouns is emphatic. See HALOT 38 s.v. אֶי.

[20:6]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).

[20:6]  ⁴² sn This probably refers to the coastal region of Philistia (cf. TEV).

[22:16]  ⁴³ tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.

[22:16]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “that you chisel out.”

[24:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “in the midst of” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[24:13]  ⁴⁶ sn The judgment will severely reduce the earth’s population. See v. 6.

[24:16]  ⁴⁷ sn The identity of the subject is unclear. Apparently in vv. 15-16a an unidentified group responds to the praise they hear in the west by exhorting others to participate.

[24:16]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Beauty belongs to the just one.” These words may summarize the main theme of the songs mentioned in the preceding line.

[24:16]  ⁴⁹ sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.

[24:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”

[24:16]  tn Verse 16b is a classic example of Hebrew wordplay. In the first line (“I’m wasting away…”) four consecutive words end with hireq yod ( ִי); in the second line all forms are derived from the root בָּגַד (bagad). The repetition of sound draws attention to the prophet’s lament.

[28:12]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “who said to them.”

[28:12]  ⁵² sn This message encapsulates the Lord’s invitation to his people to find security in his protection and blessing.

[29:14]  ⁵³ tn Heb “Therefore I will again do something amazing with these people, an amazing deed, an amazing thing.” This probably refers to the amazing transformation predicted in vv. 17-24, which will follow the purifying judgment implied in vv. 15-16.

[29:14]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “the wisdom of their wise ones will perish, the discernment of their discerning ones will keep hidden.”

[29:22]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “So this is what the Lord says to the house of Jacob, the one who ransomed Abraham.” The relative pronoun must refer back to “the Lord,” not to the immediately preceding “Jacob.” It is uncertain to what event in Abraham’s experience this refers. Perhaps the name “Abraham” stands here by metonymy for his descendants through Jacob. If so, the Exodus is in view.

[29:22]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and his face will no longer be pale.”

[37:6]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”

[37:21]  ⁵⁸ tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:20 reads, “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense: “because.”

[37:22]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”

[37:22]  ⁶⁰ sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.

[37:22]  ⁶¹ sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.

[38:3]  ⁶² tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.

[38:3]  ⁶³ tn Heb “and with a complete heart”; KJV, ASV “with a perfect heart.”

[38:3]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”

[38:3]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “wept with great weeping”; NCV “cried loudly”; TEV “began to cry bitterly.”

[41:4]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “Who acts and accomplishes?”; NASB “Who has performed and accomplished it.”

[41:4]  ⁶⁷ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[41:4]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “I, the Lord, [am with] the first, and with the last ones I [am] he.”

[41:22]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “As for the former things, tell us what they are!”

[41:22]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “so we might set [them to] our heart.”

[41:22]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “and might know their outcome.”

[46:9]  ⁷² tn Heb “remember the former things, from antiquity”; KJV, ASV “the former things of old.”

[46:9]  ⁷³ tn Heb “and there is no other” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[47:12]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “stand” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “Stand fast.”

[47:12]  ⁷⁵ tn The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.

[47:12]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “in that which you have toiled.”

[47:12]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”

[47:12]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. 9.

[48:1]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV, CEV “people of Israel.”

[48:1]  ⁸⁰ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and from the waters of Judah came out.” מִמֵּי (mimme) could be a corruption of מִמְּעֵי (mimmÿ’e, “from the inner parts of”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT, NRSV) as suggested in the above translation. Some translations (ESV, NKJV) retain the MT reading because the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a, which corrects a similar form to “from inner parts of” in 39:7, does not do it here.

[48:1]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “cause to remember”; KJV, ASV “make mention of.”

[48:1]  ⁸² tn Heb “not in truth and not in righteousness.”

[48:3]  ⁸³ tn Heb “the former things beforehand I declared.”

[48:3]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “and from my mouth they came forth and I caused them to be heard.”

[48:14]  ⁸⁵ sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).

[48:14]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”

[48:14]  sn The Lord’s ally is a reference to Cyrus.

[48:14]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”

[49:19]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “Indeed your ruins and your desolate places, and the land of your destruction.” This statement is abruptly terminated in the Hebrew text and left incomplete.

[52:7]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “How delightful on the mountains.”

[52:7]  ⁹⁰ 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.

[52:15]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “and his form from the sons of men.” The preposition מִן (min) here carries the sense “away from,” i.e., “so as not to be.”

[52:15]  ⁹² tn This statement completes the sentence begun in v. 14a. The introductory כֵּן (ken) answers to the introductory כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher) of v. 14a. Verses 14b-15a are parenthetical, explaining why many were horrified.

[52:15]  ⁹³ tn Traditionally the verb יַזֶּה (yazzeh, a Hiphil stem) has been understood as a causative of נָזָה (nazah, “spurt, spatter”) and translated “sprinkle.” In this case the passage pictures the servant as a priest who “sprinkles” (or spiritually cleanses) the nations. Though the verb נָזָה does occur in the Hiphil with the meaning “sprinkle,” the usual interpretation is problematic. In all other instances where the object or person sprinkled is indicated, the verb is combined with a preposition. This is not the case in Isaiah 52:15, unless one takes the following עָלָיו (’alayv, “on him”) with the preceding line. But then one would have to emend the verb to a plural, make the nations the subject of the verb “sprinkle,” and take the servant as the object. Consequently some interpreters doubt the cultic idea of “sprinkling” is present here. Some emend the text; others propose a homonymic root meaning “spring, leap,” which in the Hiphil could mean “cause to leap, startle” and would fit the parallelism of the verse nicely.

[52:15]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “Because of him kings will shut their mouths,” i.e., be speechless.

[53:8]  ⁹⁵ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The present translation assumes that מִן (min) here has an instrumental sense (“by, through”) and understands עֹצֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט (’otser umimmishpat, “coercion and legal decision”) as a hendiadys meaning “coercive legal decision,” thus “an unjust trial.” Other interpretive options include: (1) “without [for this sense of מִן, see BDB 578 s.v. 1.b] hindrance and proper judicial process,” i.e., “unfairly and with no one to defend him,” (2) “from [in the sense of “after,” see BDB 581 s.v. 4.b] arrest and judgment.”

[53:8]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “and his generation, who considers?” (NASB similar). Some understand “his generation” as a reference to descendants. In this case the question would suggest that he will have none. However, אֶת (’et) may be taken here as specifying a new subject (see BDB 85 s.v. I אֵת 3). If “his generation” refers to the servant’s contemporary generation, one may then translate, “As for his contemporary generation, who took note?” The point would be that few were concerned about the harsh treatment he received.

[53:8]  ⁹⁷ sn The “land of the living” is an idiom for the sphere where people live, in contrast to the underworld realm of the dead. See, for example, Ezek 32:23-27.

[53:8]  ⁹⁸ tn The Hebrew text reads “my people,” a reading followed by most English versions, but this is problematic in a context where the first person plural predominates, and where God does not appear to speak again until v. 11b. Therefore, it is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a עמו (“his people”). In this case, the group speaking in these verses is identified as the servant’s people (compare פְּשָׁעֵנוּ [pÿsha’enu, “our rebellious deeds”] in v. 5 with פֶּשַׁע עַמִּי [pesha’ ’ammi, “the rebellion of his people”] in v. 8).

[53:9]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “one assigned his grave with criminals.” The subject of the singular is impersonal; English typically uses “they” in such constructions.

[53:9]  ¹⁰⁰ tn This line reads literally, “and with the rich in his death.” בְּמֹתָיו (bÿmotayv) combines a preposition, a plural form of the noun מוֹת (mot), and a third masculine singular suffix. The plural of the noun is problematic and the יו may be the result of virtual dittography. The form should probably be emended to בָּמָתוֹ (bamato, singular noun). The relationship between this line and the preceding one is uncertain. The parallelism appears to be synonymous (note “his grave” and “in his death”), but “criminals” and “the rich” hardly make a compatible pair in this context, for they would not be buried in the same kind of tomb. Some emend עָשִׁיר (’ashir, “rich”) to עָשֵׂי רָע (’ase ra’, “doers of evil”) but the absence of the ayin (ע) is not readily explained in this graphic environment. Others suggest an emendation to שְׂעִירִים (sÿ’irim, “he-goats, demons”), but the meaning in this case is not entirely transparent and the proposal assumes that the form suffered from both transposition and the inexplicable loss of a final mem. Still others relate עָשִׁיר (’ashir) to an alleged Arabic cognate meaning “mob.” See HALOT 896 s.v. עָשִׁיר. Perhaps the parallelism is antithetical, rather than synonymous. In this case, the point is made that the servant’s burial in a rich man’s tomb, in contrast to a criminal’s burial, was appropriate, for he had done nothing wrong.

[53:9]  ¹⁰¹ tn If the second line is antithetical, then עַל (’al) is probably causal here, explaining why the servant was buried in a rich man’s tomb, rather than that of criminal. If the first two lines are synonymous, then עַל is probably concessive: “even though….”

[55:13]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “to the Lord for a name.” For שֵׁם (shem) used in the sense of “monument,” see also 56:5, where it stands parallel to יָד (yad).

[55:13]  ¹⁰³ tn Or, more literally, “a permanent sign that will not be cut off.”

[56:2]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “blessed is the man who does this.”

[56:2]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “the son of mankind who takes hold of it.”

[56:2]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb and who keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

[57:6]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “among the smooth stones of the stream [is] your portion, they, they [are] your lot.” The next line indicates idols are in view.

[57:6]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The text reads literally, “Because of these am I relenting?” If the prefixed interrogative particle is retained at the beginning of the sentence, then the question would be rhetorical, with the Niphal of נָחָם (nakham) probably being used in the sense of “relent, change one’s mind.” One could translate: “Because of these things, how can I relent?” However, the initial letter he may be dittographic (note the final he [ה] on the preceding word). In this case one may understand the verb in the sense of “console oneself, seek vengeance,” as in 1:24.

[59:13]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “speaking.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[59:13]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”

[59:16]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “man” (so KJV, ASV); TEV “no one to help.”

[59:16]  ¹¹² tn Or “appalled” (NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “disgusted.”

[59:16]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “and his arm delivers for him.”

[59:16]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “and his justice [or “righteousness”] supports him.”

[65:17]  ¹¹⁵ sn This hyperbolic statement likens the coming transformation of Jerusalem (see vv. 18-19) to a new creation of the cosmos.

[65:17]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or perhaps, “the former things” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “The events of the past.”

[65:17]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “and they will not come up on the mind.”