Yesaya 28:4

28:4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,

situated at the head of a rich valley,

will be like an early fig before harvest –

as soon as someone notices it,

he grabs it and swallows it. ¹ 

Yesaya 28:16

28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:

“Look, I am laying ²  a stone in Zion,

an approved ³  stone,

set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. ⁴ 

The one who maintains his faith will not panic. ⁵ 

Yesaya 36:7

36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’

Yesaya 37:4

37:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. ⁶  When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. ⁷  So pray for this remnant that remains.’” ⁸ 

Yesaya 49:22

49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;

I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms

and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

Yesaya 50:4

The Servant Perseveres

50:4 The sovereign Lord has given me the capacity to be his spokesman, ⁹ 

so that I know how to help the weary. ¹⁰ 

He wakes me up every morning;

he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 60:9

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ¹²  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ¹³  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ¹⁴ 

the Holy One of Israel, ¹⁵  for he has bestowed honor on you.

Yesaya 61:1

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ¹⁶  me. ¹⁷ 

He has commissioned ¹⁸  me to encourage ¹⁹  the poor,

to help ²⁰  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

[28:4]  ¹ tn Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”

[28:16]  ² tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense.

[28:16]  ³ tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.

[28:16]  ⁴ sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).

[28:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.

[37:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”

[37:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”

[37:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”

[50:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “has given to me a tongue of disciples.”

[50:4]  sn Verses 4-11 contain the third of the so-called servant songs, which depict the career of the Lord’s special servant, envisioned as an ideal Israel (49:3) who rescues the exiles and fulfills God’s purposes for the world. Here the servant alludes to opposition (something hinted at in 49:4), but also expresses his determination to persevere with the Lord’s help.

[50:4]  ¹⁰ tc Heb “to know [?] the weary with a word.” Comparing it with Arabic and Aramaic cognates yields the meaning of “help, sustain.” Nevertheless, the meaning of עוּת (’ut) is uncertain. The word occurs only here in the OT (see BDB 736 s.v.). Various scholars have suggested an emendation to עָנוֹת (’anot) from עָנָה (’anah, “answer”): “so that I know how to respond kindly to the weary.” Since the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and the Vulgate support the MT reading, that reading is retained.

[50:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he arouses for me an ear, to hear like disciples.”

[60:9]  ¹² tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ¹⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[61:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ¹⁷ sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ¹⁸ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”