Yesaya 17:10

17:10 For you ignore ¹  the God who rescues you;

you pay no attention to your strong protector. ² 

So this is what happens:

You cultivate beautiful plants

and plant exotic vines. ³ 

Yesaya 22:13

22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! ⁴ 

You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,

eat meat and drink wine.

Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” ⁵ 

Yesaya 59:9

Israel Confesses its Sin

59:9 For this reason deliverance ⁶  is far from us ⁷ 

and salvation does not reach us.

We wait for light, ⁸  but see only darkness; ⁹ 

we wait for ¹⁰  a bright light, ¹¹  but live ¹²  in deep darkness. ¹³ 

[17:10]  ¹ tn Heb “you have forgotten” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[17:10]  ² tn Heb “and the rocky cliff of your strength you do not remember.”

[17:10]  ³ tn Heb “a vine, a strange one.” The substantival adjective זָר (zar) functions here as an appositional genitive. It could refer to a cultic plant of some type, associated with a pagan rite. But it is more likely that it refers to an exotic, or imported, type of vine, one that is foreign (i.e., “strange”) to Israel.

[22:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “happiness and joy.”

[22:13]  ⁵ tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.

[59:9]  ⁶ tn מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), which refers to “justice” in the earlier verses, here refers to “justice from God,” or “vindication.” Because the people are unjust, God refuses to vindicate them before their enemies. See v. 11.

[59:9]  ⁷ sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.

[59:9]  ⁸ sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.

[59:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”

[59:9]  ¹⁰ tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[59:9]  ¹¹ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.

[59:9]  ¹² tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”

[59:9]  ¹³ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.