Yesaya 1:21

Purifying Judgment

1:21 How tragic that the once-faithful city

has become a prostitute! ¹ 

She was once a center of ²  justice,

fairness resided in her,

but now only murderers. ³ 

Yesaya 3:16

Washing Away Impurity

3:16 The Lord says,

“The women ⁴  of Zion are proud.

They walk with their heads high ⁵ 

and flirt with their eyes.

They skip along ⁶ 

and the jewelry on their ankles jingles. ⁷ 

Yesaya 10:22

10:22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as ⁸  the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. ⁹  Destruction has been decreed; ¹⁰  just punishment ¹¹  is about to engulf you. ¹² 

Yesaya 16:5

16:5 Then a trustworthy king will be established;

he will rule in a reliable manner,

this one from David’s family. ¹³ 

He will be sure to make just decisions

and will be experienced in executing justice. ¹⁴ 

Yesaya 23:1

The Lord Will Judge Tyre

23:1 Here is a message about Tyre:

Wail, you large ships, ¹⁵ 

for the port is too devastated to enter! ¹⁶ 

From the land of Cyprus ¹⁷  this news is announced to them.

Yesaya 24:16

24:16 From the ends of the earth we ¹⁸  hear songs –

the Just One is majestic. ¹⁹ 

But I ²⁰  say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!

Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” ²¹ 

Yesaya 28:12

28:12 In the past he said to them, ²² 

“This is where security can be found.

Provide security for the one who is exhausted!

This is where rest can be found.” ²³ 

But they refused to listen.

Yesaya 38:3

38:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you ²⁴  faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, ²⁵  and how I have carried out your will.” ²⁶  Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. ²⁷ 

Yesaya 40:14

40:14 From whom does he receive directions? ²⁸ 

Who ²⁹  teaches him the correct way to do things, ³⁰ 

or imparts knowledge to him,

or instructs him in skillful design? ³¹ 

Yesaya 41:1

The Lord Challenges the Nations

41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! ³² 

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate! ³³ 

Yesaya 42:3

42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,

a dim wick he will not extinguish; ³⁴ 

he will faithfully make just decrees. ³⁵ 

Yesaya 48:6

48:6 You have heard; now look at all the evidence! ³⁶ 

Will you not admit that what I say is true? ³⁷ 

From this point on I am announcing to you new events

that are previously unrevealed and you do not know about. ³⁸ 

Yesaya 51:1

There is Hope for the Future

51:1 “Listen to me, you who pursue godliness, ³⁹ 

who seek the Lord!

Look at the rock from which you were chiseled,

at the quarry ⁴⁰  from which you were dug! ⁴¹ 

Yesaya 54:14

54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. ⁴² 

You will not experience oppression; ⁴³ 

indeed, you will not be afraid.

You will not be terrified, ⁴⁴ 

for nothing frightening ⁴⁵  will come near you.

Yesaya 56:1

The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote ⁴⁶  justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly. ⁴⁷ 

Yesaya 56:10

56:10 All their watchmen ⁴⁸  are blind,

they are unaware. ⁴⁹ 

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, ⁵⁰  lie down,

and love to snooze.

Yesaya 63:1

The Victorious Divine Warrior

63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, ⁵¹ 

dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? ⁵² 

Who ⁵³  is this one wearing royal attire, ⁵⁴ 

who marches confidently ⁵⁵  because of his great strength?

“It is I, the one who announces vindication,

and who is able to deliver!” ⁵⁶ 

Yesaya 66:18

66:18 “I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming ⁵⁷  to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; ⁵⁸  they will come and witness my splendor.

[1:21]  ¹ tn Heb “How she has become a prostitute, the faithful city!” The exclamatory אֵיכָה (’ekhah, “how!”) is used several times as the beginning of a lament (see Lam 1:1; 2;1; 4:1-2). Unlike a number of other OT passages that link references to Israel’s harlotry to idolatry, Isaiah here makes the connection with social and moral violations.

[1:21]  ² tn Heb “filled with.”

[1:21]  ³ tn Or “assassins.” This refers to the oppressive rich and/or their henchmen. R. Ortlund (Whoredom, 78) posits that it serves as a synecdoche for all varieties of criminals, the worst being mentioned to imply all lesser ones. Since Isaiah often addressed his strongest rebuke to the rulers and leaders of Israel, he may have in mind the officials who bore the responsibility to uphold justice and righteousness.

[3:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “daughters” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).

[3:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “with an outstretched neck.” They proudly hold their heads high so that others can see the jewelry around their necks.

[3:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “walking and skipping, they walk.”

[3:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “and with their feet they jingle.”

[10:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “are like.”

[10:22]  ⁹ sn The twofold appearance of the statement “a remnant will come back” (שְׁאָר יָשׁוּב, she’ar yashuv) in vv. 21-22 echoes and probably plays off the name of Isaiah’s son Shear-jashub (see 7:3). In its original context the name was meant to encourage Ahaz (see the note at 7:3), but here it has taken on new dimensions. In light of Ahaz’s failure and the judgment it brings down on the land, the name Shear-jashub now foreshadows the destiny of the nation. According to vv. 21-22, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that a remnant of God’s people will return; the bad news is that only a remnant will be preserved and come back. Like the name Immanuel, this name foreshadows both judgment (see the notes at 7:25 and 8:8) and ultimate restoration (see the note at 8:10).

[10:22]  ¹⁰ tn Or “predetermined”; cf. ASV, NASB “is determined”; TEV “is in store.”

[10:22]  ¹¹ tn צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) often means “righteousness,” but here it refers to God’s just judgment.

[10:22]  ¹² tn Or “is about to overflow.”

[16:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “and a throne will be established in faithfulness, and he will sit on it in reliability, in the tent of David.”

[16:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “one who judges and seeks justice, and one experienced in fairness.” Many understand מְהִר (mÿhir) to mean “quick, prompt” (see BDB 555 s.v. מָהִיר), but HALOT 552 s.v. מָהִיר offers the meaning “skillful, experienced,” and translates the phrase in v. 5 “zealous for what is right.”

[23:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.

[23:1]  ¹⁶ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for it is destroyed, from a house, from entering.” The translation assumes that the mem (מ) on בַּיִת (bayit) was originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. This assumption allows one to take בַּיִת as the subject of the preceding verb. It is used in a metaphorical sense for the port city of Tyre. The preposition min (מִן) prefixed to בּוֹא (bo’) indicates negative consequence: “so that no one can enter.” See BDB 583 s.v. מִן 7.b.

[23:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the Kittim,” a designation for the people of Cyprus. See HALOT 504-05 s.v. כִּתִּיִּים.

[24:16]  ¹⁸ sn The identity of the subject is unclear. Apparently in vv. 15-16a an unidentified group responds to the praise they hear in the west by exhorting others to participate.

[24:16]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Beauty belongs to the just one.” These words may summarize the main theme of the songs mentioned in the preceding line.

[24:16]  ²⁰ sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.

[24:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”

[24:16]  tn Verse 16b is a classic example of Hebrew wordplay. In the first line (“I’m wasting away…”) four consecutive words end with hireq yod ( ִי); in the second line all forms are derived from the root בָּגַד (bagad). The repetition of sound draws attention to the prophet’s lament.

[28:12]  ²² tn Heb “who said to them.”

[28:12]  ²³ sn This message encapsulates the Lord’s invitation to his people to find security in his protection and blessing.

[38:3]  ²⁴ tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.

[38:3]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and with a complete heart”; KJV, ASV “with a perfect heart.”

[38:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”

[38:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “wept with great weeping”; NCV “cried loudly”; TEV “began to cry bitterly.”

[40:14]  ²⁸ tn Heb “With whom did he consult, so that he gave discernment to him?”

[40:14]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and taught him.” The vav (ו) consecutive with prefixed verbal form continues the previous line. The translation employs an interrogative pronoun for stylistic reasons.

[40:14]  ³⁰ tn The phrase אֹרַח מִשְׁפָּט (’orakh mishpat) could be translated “path of justice” (so NASB, NRSV), but in this context, where creative ability and skill is in view, the phrase is better understood in the sense of “the way that is proper or fitting” (see BDB 1049 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 6); cf. NIV, NCV “the right way.”

[40:14]  ³¹ tn Heb “or the way of understanding causes him to know?”

[40:14]  sn The implied answer to the rhetorical questions in vv. 13-14 is, “No one.” In contrast to Marduk, the creator-god of Mesopotamian myths who receives help from the god of wisdom, the Lord neither needs nor receives any such advice or help. See R. Whybray, Heavenly Counsellor (SOTSMS), 64-77.

[41:1]  ³² tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”

[41:1]  ³³ tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) could be translated “judgment,” but here it seems to refer to the dispute or debate between the Lord and the nations.

[42:3]  ³⁴ sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.

[42:3]  ³⁵ tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[48:6]  ³⁶ tn Heb “gaze [at] all of it”; KJV “see all this.”

[48:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “[as for] you, will you not declare?”

[48:6]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and hidden things, and you do not know them.”

[51:1]  ³⁹ tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “justice”; NLT “hope for deliverance.”

[51:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the excavation of the hole.”

[51:1]  ⁴¹ sn The “rock” and “quarry” refer here to Abraham and Sarah, the progenitors of the nation.

[54:14]  ⁴² tn Heb “in righteousness [or “vindication”] you will be established.” The precise meaning of צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) here is uncertain. It could mean “righteousness, justice,” indicating that the city will be a center for justice. But the context focuses on deliverance, suggesting that the term means “deliverance, vindication” here.

[54:14]  ⁴³ tn Heb “Be far from oppression!” The imperative is used here in a rhetorical manner to express certainty and assurance. See GKC 324 §110.c.

[54:14]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “from terror.” The rhetorical command, “be far” is understood by ellipsis here. Note the preceding context.

[54:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “it,” i.e., the “terror” just mentioned.

[56:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.”

[56:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.”

[56:10]  ⁴⁸ sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.

[56:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”

[56:10]  ⁵⁰ tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.

[63:1]  ⁵¹ sn Edom is here an archetype for the Lord’s enemies. See 34:5.

[63:1]  ⁵² tn Heb “[in] bright red garments, from Bozrah.”

[63:1]  ⁵³ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the first line of the verse.

[63:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “honored in his clothing”; KJV, ASV “glorious in his apparel.”

[63:1]  ⁵⁵ tc The Hebrew text has צָעָה (tsa’ah), which means “stoop, bend” (51:14). The translation assumes an emendation to צָעַד (tsa’ad, “march”; see BDB 858 s.v. צָעָה).

[63:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “I, [the one] speaking in vindication [or “righteousness”], great to deliver.”

[66:18]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and the tongues”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “and tongues.”