Yesaya 2:3

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ¹  he can teach us his requirements, ² 

and ³  we can follow his standards.” ⁴ 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ⁵ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ⁶ 

Yesaya 2:6

The Lord’s Day of Judgment

2:6 Indeed, O Lord, ⁷  you have abandoned your people,

the descendants of Jacob.

For diviners from the east are everywhere; ⁸ 

they consult omen readers like the Philistines do. ⁹ 

Plenty of foreigners are around. ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 7:20

7:20 At that time ¹¹  the sovereign master will use a razor hired from the banks of the Euphrates River, ¹²  the king of Assyria, to shave the head and the pubic hair; ¹³  it will also shave off the beard.

Yesaya 21:2

21:2 I have received a distressing message: ¹⁴ 

“The deceiver deceives,

the destroyer destroys.

Attack, you Elamites!

Lay siege, you Medes!

I will put an end to all the groaning!” ¹⁵ 

Yesaya 26:21

26:21 For look, the Lord is coming out of the place where he lives, ¹⁶ 

to punish the sin of those who live on the earth.

The earth will display the blood shed on it;

it will no longer cover up its slain. ¹⁷ 

Yesaya 30:1

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious ¹⁸  children are as good as dead,” ¹⁹  says the Lord,

“those who make plans without consulting me, ²⁰ 

who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, ²¹ 

and thereby compound their sin. ²² 

Yesaya 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. ²³ 

Indeed, the Lord is a just God;

all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. ²⁴ 

Yesaya 33:15

33:15 The one who lives ²⁵  uprightly ²⁶ 

and speaks honestly;

the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures

and rejects a bribe; ²⁷ 

the one who does not plot violent crimes ²⁸ 

and does not seek to harm others ²⁹  –

Yesaya 34:16

34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! ³⁰ 

Not one of these creatures will be missing, ³¹ 

none will lack a mate. ³² 

For the Lord has issued the decree, ³³ 

and his own spirit gathers them. ³⁴ 

Yesaya 37:26

37:26 ³⁵ Certainly you must have heard! ³⁶ 

Long ago I worked it out,

in ancient times I planned ³⁷  it,

and now I am bringing it to pass.

The plan is this:

Fortified cities will crash

into heaps of ruins. ³⁸ 

Yesaya 41:25

41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north ³⁹  and he advances,

one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name. ⁴⁰ 

He steps on ⁴¹  rulers as if they were clay,

like a potter treading the clay.

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; ⁴² 

you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. ⁴³ 

Yesaya 47:13

47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. ⁴⁴ 

Let them take their stand –

the ones who see omens in the sky,

who gaze at the stars,

who make monthly predictions –

let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! ⁴⁵ 

Yesaya 49:5

49:5 So now the Lord says,

the one who formed me from birth ⁴⁶  to be his servant –

he did this ⁴⁷  to restore Jacob to himself,

so that Israel might be gathered to him;

and I will be honored ⁴⁸  in the Lord’s sight,

for my God is my source of strength ⁴⁹  –

Yesaya 49:18

49:18 Look all around you! ⁵⁰ 

All of them gather to you.

As surely as I live,” says the Lord,

“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry;

you will put them on as if you were a bride.

Yesaya 50:11

50:11 Look, all of you who start a fire

and who equip yourselves with ⁵¹  flaming arrows, ⁵² 

walk ⁵³  in the light ⁵⁴  of the fire you started

and among the flaming arrows you ignited! ⁵⁵ 

This is what you will receive from me: ⁵⁶ 

you will lie down in a place of pain. ⁵⁷ 

Yesaya 53:7

53:7 He was treated harshly and afflicted, ⁵⁸ 

but he did not even open his mouth.

Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block,

like a sheep silent before her shearers,

he did not even open his mouth. ⁵⁹ 

Yesaya 58:3

58:3 They lament, ⁶⁰  ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?

Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’

Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, ⁶¹ 

you oppress your workers. ⁶² 

Yesaya 58:5

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? ⁶³ 

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, ⁶⁴ 

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out ⁶⁵  on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

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 59:10

59:10 We grope along the wall like the blind,

we grope like those who cannot see; ⁶⁷ 

we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.

Though others are strong, we are like dead men. 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 61:3

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ⁷⁴  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ⁷⁵  instead of discouragement. ⁷⁶ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ⁷⁷ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ⁷⁸ 

Yesaya 63:3

63:3 “I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself;

no one from the nations joined me.

I stomped on them ⁷⁹  in my anger;

I trampled them down in my rage.

Their juice splashed on my garments,

and stained ⁸⁰  all my clothes.

Yesaya 65:5

65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself!

Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’

These people are like smoke in my nostrils,

like a fire that keeps burning all day long.

Yesaya 65:25

65:25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; ⁸¹ 

a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, ⁸² 

and a snake’s food will be dirt. ⁸³ 

They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain,” ⁸⁴  says the Lord.

[2:3]  ¹ tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ² tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ³ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[2:6]  ⁷ tn The words “O Lord” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Isaiah addresses the Lord in prayer.

[2:6]  ⁸ tc Heb “they are full from the east.” Various scholars retain the BHS reading and suggest that the prophet makes a general statement concerning Israel’s reliance on foreign customs (J. Watts, Isaiah [WBC], 1:32; J. de Waard, Isaiah, 12-13). Nevertheless, it appears that a word is missing. Based on the parallelism (note “omen readers” in 5:6c), many suggest that קֹסְמִים (qosÿmim, “diviners”) or מִקְסָם (miqsam, “divination”) has been accidentally omitted. Homoioteleuton could account for the omission of an original קֹסְמִים (note how this word and the following מִקֶּדֶם [miqqedem, “from the east”] both end in mem); an original מִקְסָם could have fallen out by homoioarcton (note how this word and the following מִקֶּדֶם both begin with mem).

[2:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “and omen readers like the Philistines.” Through this line and the preceding, the prophet contends that Israel has heavily borrowed the pagan practices of the east and west (in violation of Lev 19:26; Deut 18:9-14).

[2:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and with the children of foreigners they [?].” The precise meaning of the final word is uncertain. Some take this verb (I שָׂפַק, safaq) to mean “slap,” supply the object “hands,” and translate, “they slap [hands] with foreigners”; HALOT 1349 s.v. I שׂפק. This could be a reference to foreign alliances. This translation has two disadvantages: It requires the conjectural insertion of “hands” and the use of this verb with its object prefixed with a בְּ (bet) preposition with this meaning does not occur elsewhere. The other uses of this verb refer to clapping at someone, an indication of hostility. The translation above assumes the verb is derived from II שׂפק (“to suffice,” attested in the Qal in 1 Kgs 20:10; HALOT 1349 s.v. II שׂפק). In this case the point is that a sufficient number of foreigners (in this case, too many!) live in the land. The disadvantage of this option is that the preposition prefixed to “the children of foreigners” does not occur with this verb elsewhere. The chosen translation is preferred since it continues the idea of abundant foreign influence and does not require a conjectural insertion or emendation.

[7:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in that day” (so ASV, NASB); KJV “In the same day.”

[7:20]  ¹² tn Heb “the river” (so KJV); NASB “the Euphrates.” The name of the river has been supplied in the present translation for clarity.

[7:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “the hair of the feet.” The translation assumes that the word “feet” is used here as a euphemism for the genitals. See BDB 920 s.v. רֶגֶל.

[21:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”

[21:2]  ¹⁵ sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.

[26:21]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “out of his place” (so KJV, ASV).

[26:21]  ¹⁷ sn This implies that rampant bloodshed is one of the reasons for divine judgment. See the note at 24:5.

[30:1]  ¹⁸ tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”

[30:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”

[30:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”

[30:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.

[30:1]  ²² tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”

[30:18]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”

[33:15]  ²⁵ tn Heb “walks” (so NASB, NIV).

[33:15]  ²⁶ tn Or, possibly, “justly”; NAB “who practices virtue.”

[33:15]  ²⁷ tn Heb “[who] shakes off his hands from grabbing hold of a bribe.”

[33:15]  ²⁸ tn Heb “[who] shuts his ear from listening to bloodshed.”

[33:15]  ²⁹ tn Heb “[who] closes his eyes from seeing evil.”

[34:16]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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]  ³² tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”

[34:16]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ 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).

[37:26]  ³⁵ tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.

[37:26]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.

[37:26]  ³⁷ tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).

[37:26]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.

[41:25]  ³⁹ sn That is, Cyrus the Persian. See the note at v. 2.

[41:25]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “[one] from the rising of the sun [who] calls in my name.”

[41:25]  ⁴¹ tn The Hebrew text has וְיָבֹא (vÿyavo’, “and he comes”), but this is likely a corruption of an original וַיָּבָס (vayyavas), from בּוּס (bus, “step on”).

[47:6]  ⁴² tn Or “compassion.”

[47:6]  ⁴³ tn Heb “on the old you made very heavy your yoke.”

[47:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”

[47:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “let them stand and rescue you – the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make known by months – from those things which are coming upon you.”

[49:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “from the womb” (so KJV, NASB).

[49:5]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ 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.

[49:18]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see.”

[50:11]  ⁵¹ tc Several more recent commentators have proposed an emendation of מְאַזְּרֵי (mÿ’azzÿre, “who put on”) to מְאִירִי (mÿ’iri, “who light”). However, both Qumran scrolls of Isaiah and the Vulgate support the MT reading (cf. NIV, ESV).

[50:11]  ⁵² tn On the meaning of זִיקוֹת (ziqot, “flaming arrows”), see HALOT 268 s.v. זִיקוֹת.

[50:11]  ⁵³ tn The imperative is probably rhetorical and has a predictive force.

[50:11]  ⁵⁴ tn Or perhaps, “flame” (so ASV).

[50:11]  ⁵⁵ sn Perhaps the servant here speaks to his enemies and warns them that they will self-destruct.

[50:11]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “from my hand” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[50:11]  ⁵⁷ sn The imagery may be that of a person who becomes ill and is forced to lie down in pain on a sickbed. Some see this as an allusion to a fiery place of damnation because of the imagery employed earlier in the verse.

[53:7]  ⁵⁸ tn The translation assumes the Niphal is passive; another option is take the clause (note the subject + verb pattern) as concessive and the Niphal as reflexive, “though he humbled himself.”

[53:7]  ⁵⁹ sn This verse emphasizes the servant’s silent submission. The comparison to a sheep does not necessarily suggest a sacrificial metaphor. Sheep were slaughtered for food as well as for sacrificial rituals, and טֶבַח (tevakh) need not refer to sacrificial slaughter (see Gen 43:16; Prov 7:22; 9:2; Jer 50:27; note also the use of the related verb in Exod 21:37; Deut 28:31; 1 Sam 25:11).

[58:3]  ⁶⁰ tn The words “they lament” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[58:3]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “you find pleasure”; NASB “you find your desire.”

[58:3]  ⁶² tn Or perhaps, “debtors.” See HALOT 865 s.v. * עָצֵב.

[58:5]  ⁶³ tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”

[58:5]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:5]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “making [their] bed.”

[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.

[59:10]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “like there are no eyes.”

[59:10]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb among the strong, like dead men.”

[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).

[61:3]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[63:3]  ⁷⁹ sn Nations, headed by Edom, are the object of the Lord’s anger (see v. 6). He compares military slaughter to stomping on grapes in a vat.

[63:3]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “and I stained.” For discussion of the difficult verb form, see HALOT 170 s.v. II גאל. Perhaps the form is mixed, combining the first person forms of the imperfect (note the alef prefix) and perfect (note the תי- ending).

[65:25]  ⁸¹ sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.

[65:25]  ⁸² sn These words also appear in 11:7.

[65:25]  ⁸³ sn Some see an allusion to Gen 3:14 (note “you will eat dirt”). The point would be that even in this new era the snake (often taken as a symbol of Satan) remains under God’s curse. However, it is unlikely that such an allusion exists. Even if there is an echo of Gen 3:14, the primary allusion is to 11:8, where snakes are pictured as no longer dangerous. They will no longer attack other living creatures, but will be content to crawl along the ground. (The statement “you will eat dirt” in Gen 3:14 means “you will crawl on the ground.” In the same way the statement “dirt will be its food” in Isa 65:25 means “it will crawl on the ground.”)

[65:25]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.

[65:25]  sn As in 11:1-9 the prophet anticipates a time when the categories predator-prey no longer exist. See the note at the end of 11:8.