Yesaya 66:15-18

66:15 For look, the Lord comes with fire,

his chariots come like a windstorm, ¹ 

to reveal his raging anger,

his battle cry, and his flaming arrows. ² 

66:16 For the Lord judges all humanity ³ 

with fire and his sword;

the Lord will kill many. ⁴ 

66:17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, ⁵  those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice ⁶  – they will all be destroyed together,” ⁷  says the Lord. 66:18 “I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming ⁸  to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; ⁹  they will come and witness my splendor.

[66:15]  ¹ sn Chariots are like a windstorm in their swift movement and in the way that they kick up dust.

[66:15]  ² tn Heb “to cause to return with the rage of his anger, and his battle cry [or “rebuke”] with flames of fire.”

[66:16]  ³ tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “upon all men”; TEV “all the people of the world.”

[66:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “many are the slain of the Lord.”

[66:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “the ones who consecrate themselves and the ones who purify themselves toward the orchards [or “gardens”] after the one in the midst.” The precise meaning of the statement is unclear, though it is obvious that some form of idolatry is in view.

[66:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”

[66:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”

[66:18]  ⁸ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and I, their deeds and their thoughts, am coming.” The syntax here is very problematic, suggesting that the text may have suffered corruption. Some suggest that the words “their deeds and their thoughts” have been displaced from v. 17. This line presents two primary challenges. In the first place, the personal pronoun “I” has no verb after it. Most translations insert “know” for the sake of clarity (NASB, NRSV, NLT, ESV). The NIV has “I, because of their actions and their imaginations…” Since God’s “knowledge” of Israel’s sin occasions judgment, the verb “hate” is an option as well (see above translation). The feminine form of the next verb (בָּאָה, ba’ah) could be understood in one of two ways. One could provide an implied noun “time” (עֵת, ’et) and render the next line “the time is coming/has come” (NASB, ESV). One could also emend the feminine verb to the masculine בָּא (ba’) and have the “I” at the beginning of the line govern this verb as well (for the Lord is speaking here): “I am coming” (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[66:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the tongues”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “and tongues.”