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. ¹ 

Indeed, the Lord is a just God;

all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. ² 

Yesaya 30:1

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious ³  children are as good as dead,” ⁴  says the Lord,

“those who make plans without consulting me, ⁵ 

who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, ⁶ 

and thereby compound their sin. ⁷ 

1 Korintus 2:9

2:9 But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, ⁸  are the things God has prepared for those who love him.” ⁹ 

[30:18]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”

[30:1]  ³ tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”

[30:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”

[30:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”

[30:1]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”

[2:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “entered the heart,” an OT expression, in which the heart functions like the mind.

[2:9]  ⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 64:4.