Yesaya 1:6

1:6 From the soles of your feet to your head,

there is no spot that is unharmed. ¹ 

There are only bruises, cuts,

and open wounds.

They have not been cleansed ²  or bandaged,

nor have they been treated ³  with olive oil. ⁴ 

Yesaya 1:13

1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless ⁵  offerings;

I consider your incense detestable! ⁶ 

You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,

but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! ⁷ 

Yesaya 1:31

1:31 The powerful will be like ⁸  a thread of yarn,

their deeds like a spark;

both will burn together,

and no one will put out the fire.

Yesaya 3:12

3:12 Oppressors treat my ⁹  people cruelly;

creditors rule over them. ¹⁰ 

My people’s leaders mislead them;

they give you confusing directions. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 5:8-9

Disaster is Coming

5:8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, ¹² 

those who also accumulate landed property ¹³ 

until there is no land left, ¹⁴ 

and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. ¹⁵ 

5:9 The Lord who commands armies told me this: ¹⁶ 

“Many houses will certainly become desolate,

large, impressive houses will have no one living in them. ¹⁷ 

Yesaya 5:13

5:13 Therefore my ¹⁸  people will be deported ¹⁹ 

because of their lack of understanding.

Their ²⁰  leaders will have nothing to eat, ²¹ 

their ²²  masses will have nothing to drink. ²³ 

Yesaya 5:29

5:29 Their roar is like a lion’s;

they roar like young lions.

They growl and seize their prey;

they drag it away and no one can come to the rescue.

Yesaya 7:8

7:8 For Syria’s leader is Damascus,

and the leader of Damascus is Rezin.

Within sixty-five years Ephraim will no longer exist as a nation. ²⁴ 

Yesaya 8:4

8:4 for before the child knows how to cry out, ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria ²⁵  will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” ²⁶ 

Yesaya 9:19

9:19 Because of the anger of the Lord who commands armies, the land was scorched, ²⁷ 

and the people became fuel for the fire. ²⁸ 

People had no compassion on one another. ²⁹ 

Yesaya 10:2

10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,

and to deprive ³⁰  the oppressed among my people of justice,

so they can steal what widows own,

and loot what belongs to orphans. ³¹ 

Yesaya 11:8-9

11:8 A baby ³²  will play

over the hole of a snake; ³³ 

over the nest ³⁴  of a serpent

an infant ³⁵  will put his hand. ³⁶ 

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain. ³⁷ 

For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,

just as the waters completely cover the sea. ³⁸ 

Yesaya 14:8

14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, ³⁹ 

as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, ⁴⁰ 

‘Since you fell asleep, ⁴¹ 

no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’ ⁴² 

Yesaya 14:19

14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave

like a shoot that is thrown away. ⁴³ 

You lie among ⁴⁴  the slain,

among those who have been slashed by the sword,

among those headed for ⁴⁵  the stones of the pit, ⁴⁶ 

as if you were a mangled corpse. ⁴⁷ 

Yesaya 14:21-22

14:21 Prepare to execute ⁴⁸  his sons

for the sins their ancestors have committed. ⁴⁹ 

They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,

or fill the surface of the world with cities.” ⁵⁰ 

14:22 “I will rise up against them,”

says the Lord who commands armies.

“I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, ⁵¹ 

including the offspring she produces,” ⁵² 

says the Lord.

Yesaya 14:27

14:27 Indeed, ⁵³  the Lord who commands armies has a plan,

and who can possibly frustrate it?

His hand is ready to strike,

and who can possibly stop it? ⁵⁴ 

Yesaya 14:30-31

14:30 The poor will graze in my pastures; ⁵⁵ 

the needy will rest securely.

But I will kill your root by famine;

it will put to death all your survivors. ⁵⁶ 

14:31 Wail, O city gate!

Cry out, O city!

Melt with fear, ⁵⁷  all you Philistines!

For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke,

and there are no stragglers in its ranks. ⁵⁸ 

Yesaya 16:12

16:12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, ⁵⁹ 

and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective! ⁶⁰ 

Yesaya 17:8

17:8 They will no longer trust in ⁶¹  the altars their hands made,

or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made. ⁶² 

Yesaya 19:8

19:8 The fishermen will mourn and lament,

all those who cast a fishhook into the river,

and those who spread out a net on the water’s surface will grieve. ⁶³ 

Yesaya 21:3

21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; ⁶⁴ 

cramps overwhelm me

like the contractions of a woman in labor.

I am disturbed ⁶⁵  by what I hear,

horrified by what I see.

Yesaya 22:18

22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball

and throw you into a wide, open land. ⁶⁶ 

There you will die,

and there with you will be your impressive chariots, ⁶⁷ 

which bring disgrace to the house of your master. ⁶⁸ 

Yesaya 24:20

24:20 The earth will stagger around ⁶⁹  like a drunk;

it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. ⁷⁰ 

Its sin will weigh it down,

and it will fall and never get up again.

Yesaya 26:10

26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,

they do not learn about justice. ⁷¹ 

Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; ⁷² 

they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.

Yesaya 27:4

27:4 I am not angry.

I wish I could confront some thorns and briers!

Then I would march against them ⁷³  for battle;

I would set them ⁷⁴  all on fire,

Yesaya 28:12

28:12 In the past he said to them, ⁷⁵ 

“This is where security can be found.

Provide security for the one who is exhausted!

This is where rest can be found.” ⁷⁶ 

But they refused to listen.

Yesaya 28:19

28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;

indeed, ⁷⁷  every morning it will sweep by,

it will come through during the day and the night.” ⁷⁸ 

When this announcement is understood,

it will cause nothing but terror.

Yesaya 29:14-15

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

an absolutely extraordinary deed. ⁷⁹ 

Wise men will have nothing to say,

the sages will have no explanations.” ⁸⁰ 

29:15 Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead, ⁸¹ 

who do their work in secret and boast, ⁸² 

“Who sees us? Who knows what we’re doing?” ⁸³ 

Yesaya 30:19

30:19 For people will live in Zion;

in Jerusalem ⁸⁴  you will weep no more. ⁸⁵ 

When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy;

when he hears it, he will respond to you. ⁸⁶ 

Yesaya 32:10

32:10 In a year’s time ⁸⁷ 

you carefree ones will shake with fear,

for the grape ⁸⁸  harvest will fail,

and the fruit harvest will not arrive.

Yesaya 33:21

33:21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. ⁸⁹ 

Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; ⁹⁰ 

no war galley will enter; ⁹¹ 

no large ships will sail through. ⁹² 

Yesaya 34:10

34:10 Night and day it will burn; ⁹³ 

its smoke will ascend continually.

Generation after generation it will be a wasteland

and no one will ever pass through it again.

Yesaya 35:9

35:9 No lions will be there,

no ferocious wild animals will be on it ⁹⁴  –

they will not be found there.

Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,

Yesaya 36:15

36:15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.”

Yesaya 37:8

37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. ⁹⁵ 

Yesaya 38:15

38:15 What can I say?

He has decreed and acted. ⁹⁶ 

I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. ⁹⁷ 

Yesaya 43:13

43:13 From this day forward I am he;

no one can deliver from my power; ⁹⁸ 

I will act, and who can prevent it?”

Yesaya 43:17

43:17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, ⁹⁹ 

together with a mighty army.

They fell down, ¹⁰⁰  never to rise again;

they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:

Yesaya 44:21

44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob,

O Israel, for you are my servant.

I formed you to be my servant;

O Israel, I will not forget you! ¹⁰¹ 

Yesaya 45:6

45:6 I do this ¹⁰²  so people ¹⁰³  will recognize from east to west

that there is no God but me;

I am the Lord, I have no peer.

Yesaya 47:10

47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; ¹⁰⁴ 

you thought, ¹⁰⁵  ‘No one sees me.’

Your self-professed ¹⁰⁶  wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,

when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’ ¹⁰⁷ 

Yesaya 47:15

47:15 They will disappoint you, ¹⁰⁸ 

those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth. ¹⁰⁹ 

Each strays off in his own direction, ¹¹⁰ 

leaving no one to rescue you.”

Yesaya 48:14

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

Who among them ¹¹¹  announced these things?

The Lord’s ally ¹¹²  will carry out his desire against Babylon;

he will exert his power against the Babylonians. ¹¹³ 

Yesaya 48:21

48:21 They do not thirst as he leads them through dry regions;

he makes water flow out of a rock for them;

he splits open a rock and water flows out.’ ¹¹⁴ 

Yesaya 49:4

49:4 But I thought, ¹¹⁵  “I have worked in vain;

I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.” ¹¹⁶ 

But the Lord will vindicate me;

my God will reward me. ¹¹⁷ 

Yesaya 49:15

49:15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? ¹¹⁸ 

Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? ¹¹⁹ 

Even if mothers ¹²⁰  were to forget,

I could never forget you! ¹²¹ 

Yesaya 49:19

49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;

it is desolate and devastated. ¹²² 

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

and those who devoured you will be far away.

Yesaya 51:19

51:19 These double disasters confronted you.

But who feels sorry for you?

Destruction and devastation,

famine and sword.

But who consoles you? ¹²³ 

Yesaya 53:3

53:3 He was despised and rejected by people, ¹²⁴ 

one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness;

people hid their faces from him; ¹²⁵ 

he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. ¹²⁶ 

Yesaya 53:8

53:8 He was led away after an unjust trial ¹²⁷  –

but who even cared? ¹²⁸ 

Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; ¹²⁹ 

because of the rebellion of his own ¹³⁰  people he was wounded.

Yesaya 54:11

54:11 “O afflicted one, driven away, ¹³¹  and unconsoled!

Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony

and I lay your foundation with lapis-lazuli.

Yesaya 56:10

56:10 All their watchmen ¹³²  are blind,

they are unaware. ¹³³ 

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, ¹³⁴  lie down,

and love to snooze.

Yesaya 57:1

57:1 The godly ¹³⁵  perish,

but no one cares. ¹³⁶ 

Honest people disappear, ¹³⁷ 

when no one ¹³⁸  minds ¹³⁹ 

that the godly ¹⁴⁰  disappear ¹⁴¹  because of ¹⁴²  evil. ¹⁴³ 

Yesaya 57:16

57:16 For I will not be hostile ¹⁴⁴  forever

or perpetually angry,

for then man’s spirit would grow faint before me, ¹⁴⁵ 

the life-giving breath I created.

Yesaya 59:7

59:7 They are eager to do evil, ¹⁴⁶ 

quick to shed innocent blood. ¹⁴⁷ 

Their thoughts are sinful;

they crush and destroy. ¹⁴⁸ 

Yesaya 59:13

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

we turned back from following our God.

We stir up ¹⁴⁹  oppression and rebellion;

we tell lies we concocted in our minds. ¹⁵⁰ 

Yesaya 60:15

60:15 You were once abandoned

and despised, with no one passing through,

but I will make you ¹⁵¹  a permanent source of pride

and joy to coming generations.

Yesaya 60:18

60:18 Sounds of violence ¹⁵²  will no longer be heard in your land,

or the sounds of ¹⁵³  destruction and devastation within your borders.

You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’

and your gates, ‘Praise.’

Yesaya 65:23

65:23 They will not work in vain,

or give birth to children that will experience disaster. ¹⁵⁴ 

For the Lord will bless their children

and their descendants. ¹⁵⁵ 

[1:6]  ¹ tn Heb “there is not in it health”; NAB “there is no sound spot.”

[1:6]  ² tn Heb “pressed out.”

[1:6]  ³ tn Heb “softened” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “soothed.”

[1:6]  ⁴ sn This verse describes wounds like those one would receive in battle. These wounds are comprehensive and without remedy.

[1:13]  ⁵ tn Or “worthless” (NASB, NCV, CEV); KJV, ASV “vain.”

[1:13]  ⁶ sn Notice some of the other practices that Yahweh regards as “detestable”: homosexuality (Lev 18:22-30; 20:13), idolatry (Deut 7:25; 13:15), human sacrifice (Deut 12:31), eating ritually unclean animals (Deut 14:3-8), sacrificing defective animals (Deut 17:1), engaging in occult activities (Deut 18:9-14), and practicing ritual prostitution (1 Kgs 14:23).

[1:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “sin and assembly” (these two nouns probably represent a hendiadys). The point is that their attempts at worship are unacceptable to God because the people’s everyday actions in the socio-economic realm prove they have no genuine devotion to God (see vv. 16-17).

[1:31]  ⁸ tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).

[3:12]  ⁹ sn This may refer to the prophet or to the Lord.

[3:12]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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).

[5:8]  ¹² tn Heb “Woe [to] those who make a house touch a house.” The exclamation הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death.

[5:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “[who] bring a field near a field.”

[5:8]  sn This verse does not condemn real estate endeavors per se, but refers to the way in which the rich bureaucrats of Judah accumulated property by exploiting the poor, in violation of the covenantal principle that the land belonged to God and that every family was to have its own portion of land. See the note at 1:23.

[5:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “until the end of the place”; NASB “until there is no more room.”

[5:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”

[5:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in my ears, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”

[5:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “great and good [houses], without a resident.”

[5:13]  ¹⁸ sn It is not certain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking at this point.

[5:13]  ¹⁹ tn The suffixed (perfect) form of the verb is used; in this way the coming event is described for rhetorical effect as occurring or as already completed.

[5:13]  ²⁰ tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”

[5:13]  ²¹ tn Heb “Their glory will be men of hunger.” כָּבוֹד (kavod, “glory”) is in opposition to הָמוֹן (hamon, “masses”) and refers here to the rich and prominent members of the nation. Some prefer to repoint מְתֵי (mÿtey, “men of”) as מִתֵי (mitey, “dead ones of”).

[5:13]  ²² tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”

[5:13]  ²³ tn Heb “and their masses will be parched [by] thirst.”

[7:8]  ²⁴ tn Heb “Ephraim will be too shattered to be a nation”; NIV “to be a people.”

[7:8]  sn This statement is problematic for several reasons. It seems to intrude stylistically, interrupting the symmetry of the immediately preceding and following lines. Furthermore, such a long range prophecy lacks punch in the midst of the immediate crisis. After all, even if Israel were destroyed sometime within the next 65 years, a lot could still happen during that time, including the conquest of Judah and the demise of the Davidic family. Finally the significance of the time frame is uncertain. Israel became an Assyrian province within the next 15 years and ceased to exist as a nation. For these reasons many regard the statement as a later insertion, but why a later editor would include the reference to “65 years” remains a mystery. Some try to relate the prophecy to the events alluded to in Ezra 4:2, 10, which refers to how the Assyrian kings Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal settled foreigners in former Israelite territory, perhaps around 670 b.c. However, even if the statement is referring to these events, it lacks rhetorical punch in its immediate context and has the earmarks of a later commentary that has been merged with the text in the process of transmission.

[8:4]  ²⁵ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[8:4]  ²⁶ sn The child’s name foreshadows what will happen to Judah’s enemies; when their defeat takes place, the child will be a reminder that God predicted the event and brought it to pass. As such the child will be a reminder of God’s protective presence with his people.

[9:19]  ²⁷ tn The precise meaning of the verb עְתַּם (’ÿtam), which occurs only here, is uncertain, though the context strongly suggests that it means “burn, scorch.”

[9:19]  ²⁸ sn The uncontrollable fire of the people’s wickedness (v. 18) is intensified by the fire of the Lord’s judgment (v. 19). God allows (or causes) their wickedness to become self-destructive as civil strife and civil war break out in the land.

[9:19]  ²⁹ tn Heb “men were not showing compassion to their brothers.” The idiom “men to their brothers” is idiomatic for reciprocity. The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite without vav (ו) consecutive or an imperfect used in a customary sense, describing continual or repeated behavior in past time.

[10:2]  ³⁰ tn Or “rob” (ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); KJV “take away the right from the poor.”

[10:2]  ³¹ tn Heb “so that widows are their plunder, and they can loot orphans.”

[10:2]  sn On the socio-economic background of vv. 1-2, see the note at 1:23.

[11:8]  ³² tn Heb “one sucking,” i.e., still being nursed by his mother.

[11:8]  ³³ tn Or perhaps, “cobra” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV); KJV, ASV, NRSV “asp.”

[11:8]  ³⁴ tc The Hebrew text has the otherwise unattested מְאוּרַת (mÿ’urat, “place of light”), i.e., opening of a hole. Some prefer to emend to מְעָרַת (mÿ’arat, “cave, den”).

[11:8]  ³⁵ tn Heb “one who is weaned” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[11:8]  ³⁶ sn The transformation of the animal kingdom depicted here typifies what will occur in human society under the just rule of the ideal king (see vv. 3-5). The categories “predator-prey” (i.e., oppressor-oppressed) will no longer exist.

[11:9]  ³⁷ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” In the most basic sense the Lord’s “holy mountain” is the mountain from which he rules over his kingdom (see Ezek 28:14, 16). More specifically it probably refers to Mount Zion/Jerusalem or to the entire land of Israel (see Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; Isa 56:7; 57:13; Ezek 20:40; Ob 16; Zeph 3:11). If the Lord’s universal kingdom is in view in this context (see the note on “earth” at v. 4), then the phrase would probably be metonymic here, standing for God’s worldwide dominion (see the next line).

[11:9]  ³⁸ tn Heb “for the earth will be full of knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The translation assumes that a universal kingdom is depicted here, but אֶרֶץ (’erets) could be translated “land” (see the note at v. 4). “Knowledge of the Lord” refers here to a recognition of the Lord’s sovereignty which results in a willingness to submit to his authority. See the note at v. 2.

[14:8]  ³⁹ tn Heb “concerning you.”

[14:8]  ⁴⁰ tn The word “singing” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Note that the personified trees speak in the second half of the verse.

[14:8]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”

[14:8]  ⁴² tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”

[14:19]  ⁴³ tn Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”

[14:19]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “are clothed with.”

[14:19]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “those going down to.”

[14:19]  ⁴⁶ tn בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. 15.

[14:19]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.

[14:21]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”

[14:21]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”

[14:21]  ⁵⁰ sn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:320, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.

[14:22]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (ASV, NAB, and NRSV all similar).

[14:22]  ⁵² tn Heb “descendant and child.”

[14:27]  ⁵³ tn Or “For” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[14:27]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “His hand is outstretched and who will turn it back?”

[14:30]  ⁵⁵ tc The Hebrew text has, “the firstborn of the poor will graze.” “Firstborn” may be used here in an idiomatic sense to indicate the very poorest of the poor. See BDB 114 s.v. בְּכוֹר. The translation above assumes an emendation of בְּכוֹרֵי (bÿkhorey, “firstborn of”) to בְּכָרַי (bekharay, “in my pastures”).

[14:30]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “your remnant” (so NAB, NRSV).

[14:31]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “despair” (see HALOT 555 s.v. מוג). The form נָמוֹג (namog) should be taken here as an infinitive absolute functioning as an imperative. See GKC 199-200 §72.v.

[14:31]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and there is no one going alone in his appointed places.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. בּוֹדֵד (boded) appears to be a participle from בָּדַד (badad, “be separate”; see BDB 94 s.v. בָּדַד). מוֹעָד (mo’ad) may mean “assembly” or, by extension, “multitude” (see HALOT 558 s.v. *מוֹעָד), but the referent of the third masculine pronominal suffix attached to the noun is unclear. It probably refers to the “nation” mentioned in the next line.

[16:12]  ⁵⁹ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[16:12]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “when he appears, when he grows tired, Moab on the high places, and enters his temple to pray, he will not prevail.” It is possible that “when he grows tired” is an explanatory gloss for the preceding “when he appears.”

[17:8]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “he will not gaze toward.”

[17:8]  ⁶² tn Heb “and that which his fingers made he will not see, the Asherah poles and the incense altars.”

[19:8]  ⁶³ tn Or perhaps, “will disappear”; cf. TEV “will be useless.”

[21:3]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”

[21:3]  ⁶⁵ tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”

[22:18]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”

[22:18]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”

[22:18]  ⁶⁸ sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.

[24:20]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “staggering, staggers.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis and sound play.

[24:20]  ⁷⁰ tn The words “in a windstorm” are supplied in the translation to clarify the metaphor.

[26:10]  ⁷¹ 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]  ⁷² tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”

[27:4]  ⁷³ tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense. For other examples of a cohortative expressing resolve after a hypothetical statement introduced by נָתַן with מִי (miwith natan), see Judg 9:29; Jer 9:1-2; Ps 55:6.

[27:4]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense.

[28:12]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “who said to them.”

[28:12]  ⁷⁶ sn This message encapsulates the Lord’s invitation to his people to find security in his protection and blessing.

[28:19]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[28:19]  ⁷⁸ tn The words “it will come through” are supplied in the translation. The verb “will sweep by” does double duty in the parallel structure.

[29:14]  ⁷⁹ 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]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “the wisdom of their wise ones will perish, the discernment of their discerning ones will keep hidden.”

[29:15]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who deeply hide counsel from the Lord.” This probably alludes to political alliances made without seeking the Lord’s guidance. See 30:1-2 and 31:1.

[29:15]  ⁸² tn Heb “and their works are in darkness and they say.”

[29:15]  ⁸³ tn The rhetorical questions suggest the answer, “no one.” They are confident that their deeds are hidden from others, including God.

[30:19]  ⁸⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[30:19]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “For people in Zion will live, in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.” The phrase “in Jerusalem” could be taken with what precedes. Some prefer to emend יֵשֵׁב (yeshev, “will live,” a Qal imperfect) to יֹשֵׁב (yoshev, a Qal active participle) and translate “For [you] people in Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.”

[30:19]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “he will indeed show you mercy at the sound of your crying out; when he hears, he will answer you.”

[32:10]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “days upon a year.”

[32:10]  ⁸⁸ tn Or perhaps, “olive.” See 24:13.

[33:21]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “But there [as] a mighty one [will be] the Lord for us.”

[33:21]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “a place of rivers, streams wide of hands [i.e., on both sides].”

[33:21]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “a ship of rowing will not go into it.”

[33:21]  ⁹² tn Heb “and a mighty ship will not pass through it.”

[34:10]  ⁹³ tn Heb “it will not be extinguished.”

[35:9]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “will go up on it”; TEV “will pass that way.”

[37:8]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”

[38:15]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “and he has spoken and he has acted.”

[38:15]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “because of the bitterness of my soul.”

[43:13]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “No one can oppose what I do.”

[43:17]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “led out chariots and horses.” The words “to destruction” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The verse refers to the destruction of the Egyptians at the Red Sea.

[43:17]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “lay down”; NAB “lie prostrate together”; CEV “lie dead”; NRSV “they lie down.”

[44:21]  ¹⁰¹ tc The verb in the Hebrew text is a Niphal imperfect with a pronominal suffix. Although the Niphal ordinarily has the passive sense, it can have a reflexive nuance as well (see above translation). Some have suggested an emendation to a Qal form: “Do not forget me” (all the ancient versions, NEB, REB; see GKC 369 §117.x). “Do not forget me” would make a good parallel with “remember these things” in the first line. Since the MT is the harder reading and fits with Israel’s complaint that God had forgotten her (Isa 40:27), the MT reading should be retained (NASB, NKJV, NRSV, ESV). The passive has been rendered as an active in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style (so also NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).

[45:6]  ¹⁰² tn The words “I do this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[45:6]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “they” (so KJV, ASV); TEV, CEV “everyone”; NLT “all the world.”

[47:10]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “you trusted in your evil”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “wickedness.”

[47:10]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “said”; NAB “said to yourself”’ NASB “said in your heart.”

[47:10]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The words “self-professed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[47:10]  ¹⁰⁷ tn See the note at v. 8.

[47:15]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “So they will be to you”; NIV “That is all they can do for you.”

[47:15]  ¹⁰⁹ 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]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “each to his own side, they err.”

[48:14]  ¹¹¹ sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).

[48:14]  ¹¹² tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”

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

[48:14]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”

[48:21]  ¹¹⁴ sn The translation above (present tense) assumes that this verse describes God’s provision for returning Babylonian exiles (see v. 20; 35:6; 49:10) in terms reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exod 17:6).

[49:4]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “said” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “I replied.”

[49:4]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “for nothing and emptiness.” Synonyms are combined to emphasize the common idea.

[49:4]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “But my justice is with the Lord, and my reward [or “wage”] with my God.”

[49:15]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “her suckling”; NASB “her nursing child.”

[49:15]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “so as not to have compassion on the son of her womb?”

[49:15]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “these” (so ASV, NASB).

[49:15]  ¹²¹ sn The argument of v. 15 seems to develop as follows: The Lord has an innate attachment to Zion, just like a mother does for her infant child. But even if mothers were to suddenly abandon their children, the Lord would never forsake Zion. In other words, the Lord’s attachment to Zion is like a mother’s attachment to her infant child, but even stronger.

[49:19]  ¹²² 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.

[51:19]  ¹²³ tc The Hebrew text has אֲנַחֲמֵךְ (’anakhamekh), a first person form, but the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads correctly יִנַחֲמֵךְ (yinakhamekh), a third person form.

[53:3]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “lacking of men.” If the genitive is taken as specifying (“lacking with respect to men”), then the idea is that he lacked company because he was rejected by people. Another option is to take the genitive as indicating genus or larger class (i.e., “one lacking among men”). In this case one could translate, “he was a transient” (cf. the use of חָדֵל [khadel] in Ps 39:5 HT [39:4 ET]).

[53:3]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “like a hiding of the face from him,” i.e., “like one before whom the face is hidden” (see BDB 712 s.v. מַסְתֵּר).

[53:3]  ¹²⁶ sn The servant is likened to a seriously ill person who is shunned by others because of his horrible disease.

[53:8]  ¹²⁷ 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]  ¹²⁸ 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]  ¹²⁹ 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]  ¹³⁰ 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).

[54:11]  ¹³¹ tn Or, more literally, “windblown, storm tossed.”

[56:10]  ¹³² sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.

[56:10]  ¹³³ tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”

[56:10]  ¹³⁴ tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.

[57:1]  ¹³⁵ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man”; TEV “Good people.”

[57:1]  ¹³⁶ tn Or perhaps, “understands.” Heb “and there is no man who sets [it] upon [his] heart.”

[57:1]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “Men of loyalty are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ¹³⁸ tn The Hebrew term בְּאֵין (bÿ’en) often has the nuance “when there is no.” See Prov 8:24; 11;14; 14:4; 15:22; 26:20; 29:18.

[57:1]  ¹³⁹ tn Or “realizes”; Heb “understands” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[57:1]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man.”

[57:1]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ¹⁴² tn The term מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne, “from the face of”) often has a causal nuance. It also appears with the Niphal of אָסַף (’asaph, “gather”) in 2 Chr 12:5: אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַם מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק (’asher-ne’esphu ’el-yÿrushalam mippÿney shishaq, “who had gathered at Jerusalem because of [i.e., due to fear of] Shishak”).

[57:1]  ¹⁴³ tn The translation assumes that this verse, in proverbial fashion, laments society’s apathy over the persecution of the godly. The second half of the verse observes that such apathy results in more widespread oppression. Since the next verse pictures the godly being taken to a place of rest, some interpret the second half of v. 1 in a more positive vein. According to proponents of this view, God removes the godly so that they might be spared suffering and calamity, a fact which the general populace fails to realize.

[57:16]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Or perhaps, “argue,” or “accuse” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[57:16]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “for a spirit from before me would be faint.”

[59:7]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”

[59:7]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”

[59:7]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”

[59:13]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “speaking.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[59:13]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”

[60:15]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”

[60:18]  ¹⁵² tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:18]  ¹⁵³ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[65:23]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “and they will not give birth to horror.”

[65:23]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “for offspring blessed by the Lord they [will be], and their descendants along with them.”