Yesaya 33:24

33:24 No resident of Zion ¹  will say, “I am ill”;

the people who live there will have their sin forgiven.

Yesaya 40:2

40:2 “Speak kindly to ²  Jerusalem, ³  and tell her

that her time of warfare is over, ⁴ 

that her punishment is completed. ⁵ 

For the Lord has made her pay double ⁶  for all her sins.”

Yesaya 43:25

43:25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake;

your sins I do not remember.

Yesaya 44:22

44:22 I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud,

the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. ⁷ 

Come back to me, for I protect ⁸  you.”

Yesaya 55:7

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ⁹ 

and sinful people their plans. ¹⁰ 

They should return ¹¹  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ¹² 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ¹³ 

[33:24]  ¹ tn The words “of Zion” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[40:2]  ² tn Heb “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is personified as a woman.

[40:2]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[40:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “that she is filled [with] her warfare.” Some understand צָבָא (tsavah, “warfare”) as meaning “hard service” or “compulsory labor” in this context.

[40:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “that her punishment is accepted [as satisfactory].”

[40:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “for she has received from the hand of the Lord double.” The principle of the double portion in punishment is also seen in Jer 16:18; 17:18 and Rev 18:6. For examples of the double portion in Israelite law, see Exod 22:4, 7, 9 (double restitution by a thief) and Deut 21:17 (double inheritance portion for the firstborn).

[44:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “I blot out like a cloud your rebellious deeds, and like a cloud your sins.” “Rebellious deeds” and “sins” stand by metonymy for the guilt they produce. Both עָב (’av) and עָנָן (’anan) refer to the clouds in the sky. It is tempting for stylistic purposes to translate the second with “fog” or “mist” (cf. NAB, NRSV “cloud…mist”; NIV “cloud…morning mist”; NLT “morning mists…clouds”), but this distinction between the synonyms is unwarranted here. The point of the simile seems to be this: The Lord forgives their sins, causing them to vanish just as clouds disappear from the sky (see Job 7:9; 30:15).

[44:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “redeem.” See the note at 41:14.

[55:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ¹² tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ¹³ sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.