Yesaya 3:14

3:14 The Lord comes to pronounce judgment

on the leaders of his people and their officials.

He says, ¹  “It is you ²  who have ruined ³  the vineyard! ⁴ 

You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor. ⁵ 

Yesaya 4:4

4:4 At that time ⁶  the sovereign master ⁷  will wash the excrement ⁸  from Zion’s women,

he will rinse the bloodstains from Jerusalem’s midst, ⁹ 

as he comes to judge

and to bring devastation. ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 5:7

5:7 Indeed ¹¹  Israel ¹²  is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies,

the people ¹³  of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight.

He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! ¹⁴ 

He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help! ¹⁵ 

Yesaya 10:2

10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,

and to deprive ¹⁶  the oppressed among my people of justice,

so they can steal what widows own,

and loot what belongs to orphans. ¹⁷ 

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. ¹⁸ 

He will be sure to make just decisions

and will be experienced in executing justice. ¹⁹ 

Yesaya 26:9

26:9 I ²⁰  look for ²¹  you during the night,

my spirit within me seeks you at dawn,

for when your judgments come upon the earth,

those who live in the world learn about justice. ²² 

Yesaya 30:18

The Lord Will Not Abandon His People

30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;

he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. ²³ 

Indeed, the Lord is a just God;

all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. ²⁴ 

Yesaya 32:7

32:7 A deceiver’s methods are evil; ²⁵ 

he dreams up evil plans ²⁶ 

to ruin the poor with lies,

even when the needy are in the right. ²⁷ 

Yesaya 42:1

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 ²⁸ “Here is my servant whom I support,

my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.

I have placed my spirit on him;

he will make just decrees ²⁹  for the nations. ³⁰ 

Yesaya 49:4

49:4 But I thought, ³¹  “I have worked in vain;

I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.” ³² 

But the Lord will vindicate me;

my God will reward me. ³³ 

Yesaya 51:4

51:4 Pay attention to me, my people!

Listen to me, my people!

For ³⁴  I will issue a decree, ³⁵ 

I will make my justice a light to the nations. ³⁶ 

Yesaya 53:8

53:8 He was led away after an unjust trial ³⁷  –

but who even cared? ³⁸ 

Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; ³⁹ 

because of the rebellion of his own ⁴⁰  people he was wounded.

Yesaya 56:1

The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote ⁴¹  justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly. ⁴² 

Yesaya 59:8-9

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust. ⁴³ 

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. ⁴⁴ 

Israel Confesses its Sin

59:9 For this reason deliverance ⁴⁵  is far from us ⁴⁶ 

and salvation does not reach us.

We wait for light, ⁴⁷  but see only darkness; ⁴⁸ 

we wait for ⁴⁹  a bright light, ⁵⁰  but live ⁵¹  in deep darkness. ⁵² 

Yesaya 59:14-15

59:14 Justice is driven back;

godliness ⁵³  stands far off.

Indeed, ⁵⁴  honesty stumbles in the city square

and morality is not even able to enter.

59:15 Honesty has disappeared;

the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.

The Lord watches and is displeased, ⁵⁵ 

for there is no justice.

Yesaya 61:8

61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice

and hate robbery and sin.

I will repay them because of my faithfulness; ⁵⁶ 

I will make a permanent covenant with them.

[3:14]  ¹ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:14]  ² tn The pronominal element is masculine plural; the leaders are addressed.

[3:14]  ³ tn The verb בָּעַר (ba’ar, “graze, ruin”; HALOT 146 s.v. II בער) is a homonym of the more common בָּעַר (ba’ar, “burn”; see HALOT 145 s.v. I בער).

[3:14]  ⁴ sn The vineyard is a metaphor for the nation here. See 5:1-7.

[3:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “the plunder of the poor [is] in your houses” (so NASB).

[4:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “when” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); CEV “after”; NRSV “once.”

[4:4]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[4:4]  ⁸ tn The word refers elsewhere to vomit (Isa 28:8) and fecal material (Isa 36:12). Many English versions render this somewhat euphemistically as “filth” (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV). Ironically in God’s sight the beautiful jewelry described earlier is nothing but vomit and feces, for it symbolizes the moral decay of the city’s residents (cf. NLT “moral filth”).

[4:4]  ⁹ sn See 1:21 for a related concept.

[4:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.” The precise meaning of the second half of the verse is uncertain. רוּחַ (ruakh) can be understood as “wind” in which case the passage pictures the Lord using a destructive wind as an instrument of judgment. However, this would create a mixed metaphor, for the first half of the verse uses the imagery of washing and rinsing to depict judgment. Perhaps the image would be that of a windstorm accompanied by heavy rain. רוּחַ can also mean “spirit,” in which case the verse may be referring to the Lord’s Spirit or, more likely, to a disposition that the Lord brings to the task of judgment. It is also uncertain if בָּעַר (ba’ar) here means “burning” or “sweeping away, devastating.”

[5:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[5:7]  ¹² tn Heb “the house of Israel” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[5:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.

[5:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “but, look, disobedience.” The precise meaning of מִשְׂפָּח (mishpakh), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Some have suggested a meaning “bloodshed.” The term is obviously chosen for its wordplay value; it sounds very much like מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “justice”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.

[5:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “but, look, a cry for help.” The verb (“he waited”) does double duty in the parallelism. צְעָקָה (tsa’qah) refers to the cries for help made by the oppressed. It sounds very much like צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.

[10:2]  ¹⁶ tn Or “rob” (ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); KJV “take away the right from the poor.”

[10:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “so that widows are their plunder, and they can loot orphans.”

[10:2]  sn On the socio-economic background of vv. 1-2, see the note at 1:23.

[16:5]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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.”

[26:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “with my soul I.” This is a figure for the speaker himself (“I”).

[26:9]  ²¹ tn Or “long for, desire.” The speaker acknowledges that he is eager to see God come in judgment (see vv. 8, 9b).

[26:9]  ²² tn 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, “those who live in the world learn to live in a righteous manner” (cf. NCV).

[30:18]  ²³ tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.

[30:18]  ²⁴ tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”

[32:7]  ²⁵ tn Heb “as for a deceiver, his implements [or “weapons”] are evil.”

[32:7]  ²⁶ tn Or “he plans evil things”; NIV “he makes up evil schemes.”

[32:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “to ruin the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speak what is just.”

[42:1]  ²⁸ sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.

[42:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[42:1]  ³⁰ sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.

[49:4]  ³¹ tn Or “said” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “I replied.”

[49:4]  ³² tn Heb “for nothing and emptiness.” Synonyms are combined to emphasize the common idea.

[49:4]  ³³ tn Heb “But my justice is with the Lord, and my reward [or “wage”] with my God.”

[51:4]  ³⁴ tn Or “certainly.”

[51:4]  ³⁵ tn Heb “instruction [or “a law”] will go out from me.”

[51:4]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and my justice for a light to the nations I will cause to rest.”

[53:8]  ³⁷ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The present translation assumes that מִן (min) here has an instrumental sense (“by, through”) and understands עֹצֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט (’otser umimmishpat, “coercion and legal decision”) as a hendiadys meaning “coercive legal decision,” thus “an unjust trial.” Other interpretive options include: (1) “without [for this sense of מִן, see BDB 578 s.v. 1.b] hindrance and proper judicial process,” i.e., “unfairly and with no one to defend him,” (2) “from [in the sense of “after,” see BDB 581 s.v. 4.b] arrest and judgment.”

[53:8]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and his generation, who considers?” (NASB similar). Some understand “his generation” as a reference to descendants. In this case the question would suggest that he will have none. However, אֶת (’et) may be taken here as specifying a new subject (see BDB 85 s.v. I אֵת 3). If “his generation” refers to the servant’s contemporary generation, one may then translate, “As for his contemporary generation, who took note?” The point would be that few were concerned about the harsh treatment he received.

[53:8]  ³⁹ sn The “land of the living” is an idiom for the sphere where people live, in contrast to the underworld realm of the dead. See, for example, Ezek 32:23-27.

[53:8]  ⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew text reads “my people,” a reading followed by most English versions, but this is problematic in a context where the first person plural predominates, and where God does not appear to speak again until v. 11b. Therefore, it is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a עמו (“his people”). In this case, the group speaking in these verses is identified as the servant’s people (compare פְּשָׁעֵנוּ [pÿsha’enu, “our rebellious deeds”] in v. 5 with פֶּשַׁע עַמִּי [pesha’ ’ammi, “the rebellion of his people”] in v. 8).

[56:1]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.”

[56:1]  ⁴² tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.”

[59:8]  ⁴³ tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”

[59:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “their paths they make crooked, everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”

[59:9]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.

[59:9]  ⁴⁷ sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.

[59:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”

[59:9]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[59:9]  ⁵⁰ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.

[59:9]  ⁵¹ tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”

[59:9]  ⁵² tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.

[59:14]  ⁵³ tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”

[59:14]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).

[59:15]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”

[61:8]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”