Yesaya 3:9

3:9 The look on their faces ¹  testifies to their guilt; ² 

like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin. ³ 

Too bad for them! ⁴ 

For they bring disaster on themselves.

Yesaya 8:21

8:21 They will pass through the land ⁵  destitute and starving. Their hunger will make them angry, ⁶  and they will curse their king and their God ⁷  as they look upward.

Yesaya 34:14

34:14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; ⁸ 

wild goats will bleat to one another. ⁹ 

Yes, nocturnal animals ¹⁰  will rest there

and make for themselves a nest. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 44:20

44:20 He feeds on ashes; ¹² 

his deceived mind misleads him.

He cannot rescue himself,

nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ ¹³ 

Yesaya 47:9

47:9 Both of these will come upon you

suddenly, in one day!

You will lose your children and be widowed. ¹⁴ 

You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, ¹⁵ 

despite ¹⁶  your many incantations

and your numerous amulets. ¹⁷ 

Yesaya 49:13

49:13 Shout for joy, O sky! ¹⁸ 

Rejoice, O earth!

Let the mountains give a joyful shout!

For the Lord consoles his people

and shows compassion to the ¹⁹  oppressed.

Yesaya 55:1

The Lord Gives an Invitation

55:1 “Hey, ²⁰  all who are thirsty, come to the water!

You who have no money, come!

Buy and eat!

Come! Buy wine and milk

without money and without cost! ²¹ 

[3:9]  ¹ sn This refers to their proud, arrogant demeanor.

[3:9]  ² tn Heb “answers against them”; NRSV “bears witness against them.”

[3:9]  ³ tn Heb “their sin, like Sodom, they declare, they do not conceal [it].”

[3:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “woe to their soul.”

[8:21]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Or “gods” (NAB, NRSV, CEV).

[34:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”

[34:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”

[34:14]  ¹⁰ tn The precise meaning of לִּילִית (lilit) is unclear, though in this context the word certainly refers to some type of wild animal or bird. The word appears to be related to לַיְלָה (laylah, “night”). Some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. Cf. NRSV “Lilith.”

[34:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”

[44:20]  ¹² tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”

[44:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”

[47:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.

[47:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”

[47:9]  ¹⁶ tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.

[47:9]  ¹⁷ sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.

[49:13]  ¹⁸ tn Or “O heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[49:13]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “his” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[55:1]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments and is often prefixed to judgment oracles for rhetorical effect. But here it appears to be a simple interjection, designed to grab the audience’s attention. Perhaps there is a note of sorrow or pity. See BDB 223 s.v.

[55:1]  ²¹ sn The statement is an oxymoron. Its ironic quality adds to its rhetorical impact. The statement reminds one of the norm (one must normally buy commodities) as it expresses the astounding offer. One might paraphrase the statement: “Come and take freely what you normally have to pay for.”