Yesaya 31:8

31:8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made; ¹ 

a sword not made by humankind will destroy them. ² 

They will run away from this sword ³ 

and their young men will be forced to do hard labor.

Yesaya 34:6

34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,

it is covered ⁴  with fat;

it drips ⁵  with the blood of young rams and goats

and is covered ⁶  with the fat of rams’ kidneys.

For the Lord is holding a sacrifice ⁷  in Bozrah, ⁸ 

a bloody ⁹  slaughter in the land of Edom.

Yesaya 65:12

65:12 I predestine you to die by the sword, ¹⁰ 

all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, ¹¹ 

because I called to you, and you did not respond,

I spoke and you did not listen.

You did evil before me; ¹² 

you chose to do what displeases me.”

Yesaya 66:16

66:16 For the Lord judges all humanity ¹³ 

with fire and his sword;

the Lord will kill many. ¹⁴ 

[31:8]  ¹ tn Heb “Assyria will fall by a sword, not of a man.”

[31:8]  ² tn Heb “and a sword not of humankind will devour him.”

[31:8]  ³ tn Heb “he will flee for himself from before a sword.”

[34:6]  ⁴ tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.

[34:6]  ⁵ tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:6]  ⁶ tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”

[34:6]  ⁸ sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.

[34:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[65:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I assign you to the sword.” Some emend the Qal verb form מָנִיתִי (maniti, “I assign”) to the Piel מִנִּיתִי (minniti, “ I ordain”). The verb sounds like the name of the god Meni (מְנִי, mÿni, “Destiny, Fate”). The sound play draws attention to the irony of the statement. The sinners among God’s people worship the god Meni, apparently in an effort to ensure a bright destiny for themselves. But the Lord is the one who really determines their destiny and he has decreed their demise.

[65:12]  ¹¹ tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”

[65:12]  ¹² tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”

[66:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “upon all men”; TEV “all the people of the world.”

[66:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “many are the slain of the Lord.”