Yesaya 2:21

2:21 so they themselves can go into the crevices of the rocky cliffs

and the openings under the rocky overhangs, ¹ 

trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord ² 

and his royal splendor,

when he rises up to terrify the earth. ³ 

Yesaya 5:19

5:19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly, ⁴ 

so we can see;

let the plan of the Holy One of Israel ⁵  take shape ⁶  and come to pass,

then we will know it!”

Yesaya 10:22

10:22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as ⁷  the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. ⁸  Destruction has been decreed; ⁹  just punishment ¹⁰  is about to engulf you. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 11:9

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain. ¹² 

For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,

just as the waters completely cover the sea. ¹³ 

Yesaya 13:3

13:3 I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; ¹⁴ 

I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, ¹⁵ 

my boasting, arrogant ones. ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 19:1

The Lord Will Judge Egypt

19:1 Here is a message about Egypt:

Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud

and approaches Egypt.

The idols of Egypt tremble before him;

the Egyptians lose their courage. ¹⁷ 

Yesaya 25:11

25:11 Moab ¹⁸  will spread out its hands in the middle of it, ¹⁹ 

just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim;

the Lord ²⁰  will bring down Moab’s ²¹  pride as it spreads its hands. ²² 

Yesaya 26:10

26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,

they do not learn about justice. ²³ 

Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; ²⁴ 

they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.

Yesaya 27:7

27:7 Has the Lord struck down Israel like he did their oppressors? ²⁵ 

Has Israel been killed like their enemies? ²⁶ 

Yesaya 30:19

30:19 For people will live in Zion;

in Jerusalem ²⁷  you will weep no more. ²⁸ 

When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy;

when he hears it, he will respond to you. ²⁹ 

Yesaya 34:11

34:11 Owls and wild animals ³⁰  will live there, ³¹ 

all kinds of wild birds ³²  will settle in it.

The Lord ³³  will stretch out over her

the measuring line of ruin

and the plumb line ³⁴  of destruction. ³⁵ 

Yesaya 40:2

40:2 “Speak kindly to ³⁶  Jerusalem, ³⁷  and tell her

that her time of warfare is over, ³⁸ 

that her punishment is completed. ³⁹ 

For the Lord has made her pay double ⁴⁰  for all her sins.”

Yesaya 40:14

40:14 From whom does he receive directions? ⁴¹ 

Who ⁴²  teaches him the correct way to do things, ⁴³ 

or imparts knowledge to him,

or instructs him in skillful design? ⁴⁴ 

Yesaya 42:8

The Lord Intervenes

42:8 I am the Lord! That is my name!

I will not share my glory with anyone else,

or the praise due me with idols.

Yesaya 43:12

43:12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,

and there was no other god among you.

You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.

Yesaya 45:8

45:8 O sky, rain down from above!

Let the clouds send down showers ⁴⁵  of deliverance!

Let the earth absorb it ⁴⁶  so salvation may grow, ⁴⁷ 

and deliverance may sprout up ⁴⁸  along with it.

I, the Lord, create it. ⁴⁹ 

Yesaya 54:8

54:8 In a burst ⁵⁰  of anger I rejected you ⁵¹  momentarily,

but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”

says your protector, ⁵²  the Lord.

Yesaya 55:13

55:13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes,

firs will grow in place of nettles;

they will be a monument to the Lord, ⁵³ 

a permanent reminder that will remain. ⁵⁴ 

Yesaya 56:4

56:4 For this is what the Lord says:

“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths

and choose what pleases me

and are faithful to ⁵⁵  my covenant,

Yesaya 61:9

61:9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,

their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will recognize that

the Lord has blessed them.” ⁵⁶ 

Yesaya 63:16

63:16 For you are our father,

though Abraham does not know us

and Israel does not recognize us.

You, Lord, are our father;

you have been called our protector from ancient times. ⁵⁷ 

Yesaya 65:11

65:11 But as for you who abandon the Lord

and forget about worshiping at ⁵⁸  my holy mountain,

who prepare a feast for the god called ‘Fortune,’ ⁵⁹ 

and fill up wine jugs for the god called ‘Destiny’ ⁶⁰  –

Yesaya 65:23

65:23 They will not work in vain,

or give birth to children that will experience disaster. ⁶¹ 

For the Lord will bless their children

and their descendants. ⁶² 

[2:21]  ¹ sn The precise point of vv. 20-21 is not entirely clear. Are they taking the idols into their hiding places with them, because they are so attached to their man-made images? Or are they discarding the idols along the way as they retreat into the darkest places they can find? In either case it is obvious that the gods are incapable of helping them.

[2:21]  ² tn Heb “from the dread of the Lord,” that is, from the dread that he produces in the objects of his judgment.” The words “trying to escape” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:21]  ³ tn Or “land.” It is not certain if these verses are describing the judgment of Judah (see vv. 6-9) or a more universal judgment on all proud men. Almost all English versions translate “earth,” taking this to refer to universal judgment.

[5:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “let his work hurry, let it hasten.” The pronoun “his” refers to God, as the parallel line makes clear. The reference to his “work” alludes back to v. 12, which refers to his ‘work” of judgment. With these words the people challenged the prophet’s warning of approaching judgment. They were in essence saying that they saw no evidence that God was about to work in such a way.

[5:19]  ⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[5:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “draw near” (so NASB); NRSV “hasten to fulfillment.”

[10:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “are like.”

[10:22]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Or “predetermined”; cf. ASV, NASB “is determined”; TEV “is in store.”

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

[10:22]  ¹¹ tn Or “is about to overflow.”

[11:9]  ¹² tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” In the most basic sense the Lord’s “holy mountain” is the mountain from which he rules over his kingdom (see Ezek 28:14, 16). More specifically it probably refers to Mount Zion/Jerusalem or to the entire land of Israel (see Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; Isa 56:7; 57:13; Ezek 20:40; Ob 16; Zeph 3:11). If the Lord’s universal kingdom is in view in this context (see the note on “earth” at v. 4), then the phrase would probably be metonymic here, standing for God’s worldwide dominion (see the next line).

[11:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “for the earth will be full of knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The translation assumes that a universal kingdom is depicted here, but אֶרֶץ (’erets) could be translated “land” (see the note at v. 4). “Knowledge of the Lord” refers here to a recognition of the Lord’s sovereignty which results in a willingness to submit to his authority. See the note at v. 2.

[13:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “my consecrated ones,” i.e., those who have been set apart by God for the special task of carrying out his judgment.

[13:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “my warriors with respect to my anger.”

[13:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the boasting ones of my pride”; cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV “my proudly exulting ones.”

[19:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and the heart of Egypt melts within it.”

[25:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:11]  ¹⁹ tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is probably the masculine noun מַתְבֵּן (matben, “heap of straw”) in v. 10 rather than the feminine noun מַדְמֵנָה (madmenah, “manure pile”), also in v. 10.

[25:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:11]  ²² tn The Hebrew text has, “he will bring down his pride along with the [?] of his hands.” The meaning of אָרְבּוֹת (’arbot), which occurs only here in the OT, is unknown. Some (see BDB 70 s.v. אָרְבָּה) translate “artifice, cleverness,” relating the form to the verbal root אָרָב (’arav, “to lie in wait, ambush”), but this requires some convoluted semantic reasoning. HALOT 83 s.v. *אָרְבָּה suggests the meaning “[nimble] movements.” The translation above, which attempts to relate the form to the preceding context, is purely speculative.

[26:10]  ²³ tn As in verse 9b, the translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “they do not learn to live in a righteous manner.”

[26:10]  ²⁴ tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”

[27:7]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Like the striking down of the one striking him down does he strike him down?” The meaning of the text is unclear, but this may be a rhetorical question, suggesting that Israel has not experienced divine judgment to the same degree as her oppressors. In this case “the one striking down” refers to Israel’s oppressors, while the pronoun “him” refers to Israel. The subject of the final verb (“does he strike down”) would then be God, while the pronoun “him” would again refer to Israel.

[27:7]  ²⁶ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Or like the killing of his killed ones is he killed?” If one accepts the interpretation of the parallel line outlined in the previous note, then this line too would contain a rhetorical question suggesting that Israel has not experienced destruction to the same degree as its enemies. In this case “his killed ones” refers to the one who struck Israel down, and Israel would be the subject of the final verb (“is he killed”).

[30:19]  ²⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[30:19]  ²⁸ tn Heb “For people in Zion will live, in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.” The phrase “in Jerusalem” could be taken with what precedes. Some prefer to emend יֵשֵׁב (yeshev, “will live,” a Qal imperfect) to יֹשֵׁב (yoshev, a Qal active participle) and translate “For [you] people in Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.”

[30:19]  ²⁹ tn Heb “he will indeed show you mercy at the sound of your crying out; when he hears, he will answer you.”

[34:11]  ³⁰ tn קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).

[34:11]  ³¹ tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).

[34:11]  ³² tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof vÿ’orev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.

[34:11]  ³³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:11]  ³⁴ tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.

[34:11]  ³⁵ sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.

[40:2]  ³⁶ tn Heb “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is personified as a woman.

[40:2]  ³⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[40:2]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ tn Heb “that her punishment is accepted [as satisfactory].”

[40:2]  ⁴⁰ 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).

[40:14]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “With whom did he consult, so that he gave discernment to him?”

[40:14]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ 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.

[45:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”

[45:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”

[45:8]  ⁴⁷ tc The plural verb should be emended to a singular form. The vav (ו) ending is probably virtually dittographic (note the yod at the beginning of the following word).

[45:8]  ⁴⁸ tc The Hiphil verb form (תַצְמִיחַ, tatsmiakh) should probably be emended to a Qal (תִצְמַח, titsmakh). The יח sequence at the end of the form is probably due to dittography (note the following יַחַד, yakhad).

[45:8]  ⁴⁹ tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yasha’, “salvation”).

[54:8]  ⁵⁰ tn According to BDB 1009 s.v. שֶׁטֶף the noun שֶׁצֶף here is an alternate form of שֶׁטֶף (shetef, “flood”). Some relate the word to an alleged Akkadian cognate meaning “strength.”

[54:8]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “I hid my face from you.”

[54:8]  ⁵² tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[55:13]  ⁵³ tn Heb “to the Lord for a name.” For שֵׁם (shem) used in the sense of “monument,” see also 56:5, where it stands parallel to יָד (yad).

[55:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Or, more literally, “a permanent sign that will not be cut off.”

[56:4]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and take hold of” (so KJV); NASB “hold fast.”

[61:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”

[63:16]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “our protector [or “redeemer”] from antiquity [is] your name.”

[65:11]  ⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew text has simply, “forget.” The words “about worshiping at” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[65:11]  ⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew has לַגַּד (laggad, “for Gad”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 176 s.v. II גַּד 2.

[65:11]  ⁶⁰ tn The Hebrew has לַמְנִי (lamni, “for Meni”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 602 s.v. מְגִי.

[65:23]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and they will not give birth to horror.”

[65:23]  ⁶² tn Heb “for offspring blessed by the Lord they [will be], and their descendants along with them.”