Yesaya 1:13

1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless ¹  offerings;

I consider your incense detestable! ² 

You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,

but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! ³ 

Yesaya 3:6

3:6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother

right in his father’s house ⁴  and say, ⁵ 

‘You own a coat –

you be our leader!

This heap of ruins will be under your control.’ ⁶ 

Yesaya 3:16

Washing Away Impurity

3:16 The Lord says,

“The women ⁷  of Zion are proud.

They walk with their heads high ⁸ 

and flirt with their eyes.

They skip along ⁹ 

and the jewelry on their ankles jingles. ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 5:5

5:5 Now I will inform you

what I am about to do to my vineyard:

I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture, ¹¹ 

I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there. ¹² 

Yesaya 5:10

5:10 Indeed, a large vineyard ¹³  will produce just a few gallons, ¹⁴ 

and enough seed to yield several bushels ¹⁵  will produce less than a bushel.” ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 7:25

7:25 They will stay away from all the hills that were cultivated, for fear of the thorns and briers. ¹⁷  Cattle will graze there and sheep will trample on them. ¹⁸ 

Yesaya 9:4

9:4 For their oppressive yoke

and the club that strikes their shoulders,

the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, ¹⁹ 

you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat. ²⁰ 

Yesaya 9:18

9:18 For ²¹  evil burned like a fire, ²² 

it consumed thorns and briers;

it burned up the thickets of the forest,

and they went up in smoke. ²³ 

Yesaya 10:12

10:12 But when ²⁴  the sovereign master ²⁵  finishes judging ²⁶  Mount Zion and Jerusalem, then I ²⁷  will punish the king of Assyria for what he has proudly planned and for the arrogant attitude he displays. ²⁸ 

Yesaya 11:9

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain. ²⁹ 

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

just as the waters completely cover the sea. ³⁰ 

Yesaya 13:3

13:3 I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; ³¹ 

I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, ³² 

my boasting, arrogant ones. ³³ 

Yesaya 15:5

15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, ³⁴ 

and for the fugitives ³⁵  stretched out ³⁶  as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah.

For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith;

they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim. ³⁷ 

Yesaya 19:16-17

19:16 At that time ³⁸  the Egyptians ³⁹  will be like women. ⁴⁰  They will tremble and fear because the Lord who commands armies brandishes his fist against them. ⁴¹  19:17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord who commands armies is planning to do to them. ⁴² 

Yesaya 22:2

22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;

the town is filled with revelry. ⁴³ 

Your slain were not cut down by the sword;

they did not die in battle. ⁴⁴ 

Yesaya 22:14

22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: ⁴⁵  “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” ⁴⁶  says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.

Yesaya 23:2

23:2 Lament, ⁴⁷  you residents of the coast,

you merchants of Sidon ⁴⁸  who travel over the sea,

whose agents sail over

Yesaya 24:16

24:16 From the ends of the earth we ⁴⁹  hear songs –

the Just One is majestic. ⁵⁰ 

But I ⁵¹  say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!

Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” ⁵² 

Yesaya 28:27

28:27 Certainly ⁵³  caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge,

nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin seed. ⁵⁴ 

Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick,

and cumin seed with a flail.

Yesaya 29:5

29:5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust,

the horde of tyrants ⁵⁵  like chaff that is blown away.

It will happen suddenly, in a flash.

Yesaya 29:21

29:21 those who bear false testimony against a person, ⁵⁶ 

who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate ⁵⁷ 

and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges. ⁵⁸ 

Yesaya 30:32

30:32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel, ⁵⁹ 

with which the Lord will beat them, ⁶⁰ 

will be accompanied by music from the ⁶¹  tambourine and harp,

and he will attack them with his weapons. ⁶² 

Yesaya 37:3

37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: ⁶³  ‘This is a day of distress, insults, ⁶⁴  and humiliation, ⁶⁵  as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. ⁶⁶ 

Yesaya 37:7

37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; ⁶⁷  he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down ⁶⁸  with a sword in his own land.”’”

Yesaya 38:14

38:14 Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp,

I coo ⁶⁹  like a dove;

my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky. ⁷⁰ 

O sovereign master, ⁷¹  I am oppressed;

help me! ⁷² 

Yesaya 38:18

38:18 Indeed ⁷³  Sheol does not give you thanks;

death does not ⁷⁴  praise you.

Those who descend into the pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.

Yesaya 40:2

40:2 “Speak kindly to ⁷⁵  Jerusalem, ⁷⁶  and tell her

that her time of warfare is over, ⁷⁷ 

that her punishment is completed. ⁷⁸ 

For the Lord has made her pay double ⁷⁹  for all her sins.”

Yesaya 41:16

41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;

the wind will scatter them.

You will rejoice in the Lord;

you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

Yesaya 43:4

43:4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, ⁸⁰ 

and I love you,

I will hand over people in place of you,

nations in place of your life.

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 43:14

The Lord Will Do Something New

43:14 This is what the Lord says,

your protector, ⁸¹  the Holy One of Israel: ⁸² 

“For your sake I send to Babylon

and make them all fugitives, ⁸³ 

turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs. ⁸⁴ 

Yesaya 44:9

44:9 All who form idols are nothing;

the things in which they delight are worthless.

Their witnesses cannot see;

they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.

Yesaya 45:4

45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,

Israel, my chosen one,

I call you by name

and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize ⁸⁵  me.

Yesaya 47:9-10

47:9 Both of these will come upon you

suddenly, in one day!

You will lose your children and be widowed. ⁸⁶ 

You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, ⁸⁷ 

despite ⁸⁸  your many incantations

and your numerous amulets. ⁸⁹ 

47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; ⁹⁰ 

you thought, ⁹¹  ‘No one sees me.’

Your self-professed ⁹²  wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,

when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’ ⁹³ 

Yesaya 50:8

50:8 The one who vindicates me is close by.

Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! ⁹⁴ 

Who is my accuser? ⁹⁵  Let him challenge me! ⁹⁶ 

Yesaya 51:7

51:7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,

you people who are aware of my law! ⁹⁷ 

Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;

don’t be discouraged because of their abuse!

Yesaya 51:12

51:12 “I, I am the one who consoles you. ⁹⁸ 

Why are you afraid of mortal men,

of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass? ⁹⁹ 

Yesaya 51:17

51:17 Wake up! Wake up!

Get up, O Jerusalem!

You drank from the cup the Lord passed to you,

which was full of his anger! ¹⁰⁰ 

You drained dry

the goblet full of intoxicating wine. ¹⁰¹ 

Yesaya 54:10

54:10 Even if the mountains are removed

and the hills displaced,

my devotion will not be removed from you,

nor will my covenant of friendship ¹⁰²  be displaced,”

says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

Yesaya 58:4

58:4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by ¹⁰³  arguments, brawls,

and fistfights. ¹⁰⁴ 

Do not fast as you do today,

trying to make your voice heard in heaven.

Yesaya 59:2

59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;

your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. ¹⁰⁵ 

Yesaya 60:13

60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,

its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,

to beautify my palace; ¹⁰⁶ 

I will bestow honor on my throne room. ¹⁰⁷ 

Yesaya 60:19

60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,

nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light –

the splendor of your God will shine upon you. ¹⁰⁸ 

Yesaya 62:5

62:5 As a young man marries a young woman,

so your sons ¹⁰⁹  will marry you.

As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride,

so your God will rejoice over you.

Yesaya 62:11

62:11 Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth: ¹¹⁰ 

“Say to Daughter Zion,

‘Look, your deliverer comes!

Look, his reward is with him

and his reward goes before him!’” ¹¹¹ 

Yesaya 64:6

64:6 We are all like one who is unclean,

all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. ¹¹² 

We all wither like a leaf;

our sins carry us away like the wind.

Yesaya 65:19

65:19 Jerusalem will bring me joy,

and my people will bring me happiness. ¹¹³ 

The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow

will never be heard in her again.

[1:13]  ¹ tn Or “worthless” (NASB, NCV, CEV); KJV, ASV “vain.”

[1:13]  ² sn Notice some of the other practices that Yahweh regards as “detestable”: homosexuality (Lev 18:22-30; 20:13), idolatry (Deut 7:25; 13:15), human sacrifice (Deut 12:31), eating ritually unclean animals (Deut 14:3-8), sacrificing defective animals (Deut 17:1), engaging in occult activities (Deut 18:9-14), and practicing ritual prostitution (1 Kgs 14:23).

[1:13]  ³ tn Heb “sin and assembly” (these two nouns probably represent a hendiadys). The point is that their attempts at worship are unacceptable to God because the people’s everyday actions in the socio-economic realm prove they have no genuine devotion to God (see vv. 16-17).

[3:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “[in] the house of his father” (so ASV); NIV “at his father’s home.”

[3:6]  ⁵ tn The words “and say” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[3:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “your hand”; NASB “under your charge.”

[3:6]  sn The man’s motives are selfish. He tells his brother to assume leadership because he thinks he has some wealth to give away.

[3:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “daughters” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).

[3:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “with an outstretched neck.” They proudly hold their heads high so that others can see the jewelry around their necks.

[3:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “walking and skipping, they walk.”

[3:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and with their feet they jingle.”

[5:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and it will become [a place for] grazing.” בָּעַר (ba’ar, “grazing”) is a homonym of the more often used verb “to burn.”

[5:5]  ¹² tn Heb “and it will become a trampled place” (NASB “trampled ground”).

[5:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “a ten-yoke vineyard.” The Hebrew term צֶמֶד (tsemed, “yoke”) is here a unit of square measure. Apparently a ten-yoke vineyard covered the same amount of land it would take ten teams of oxen to plow in a certain period of time. The exact size is unknown.

[5:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “one bath.” A bath was a liquid measure. Estimates of its modern equivalent range from approximately six to twelve gallons.

[5:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a homer.” A homer was a dry measure, the exact size of which is debated. Cf. NCV “ten bushels”; CEV “five bushels.”

[5:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “an ephah.” An ephah was a dry measure; there were ten ephahs in a homer. So this verse envisions major crop failure, where only one-tenth of the anticipated harvest is realized.

[7:25]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and all the hills which were hoed with a hoe, you will not go there [for] fear of the thorns and briers.”

[7:25]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and it will become a pasture for cattle and a trampling place for sheep.”

[7:25]  sn At this point one is able to summarize the content of the “sign” (vv. 14-15) as follows: A young woman known to be present when Isaiah delivered this message to Ahaz (perhaps a member of the royal family or the prophetess mentioned in 8:3) would soon give birth to a boy whom the mother would name Immanuel, “God is with us.” Eventually Immanuel would be forced to eat sour milk and honey, which would enable him to make correct moral decisions. How would this situation come about and how would it constitute a sign? Before this situation developed, the Israelites and Syrians would be defeated. But then the Lord would usher in a period of time unlike any since the division of the kingdom almost 200 years before. The Assyrians would overrun the land, destroy the crops, and force the people to subsist on goats’ milk and honey. At that time, as the people saw Immanuel eating his sour milk and honey, the Davidic family would be forced to acknowledge that God was indeed with them. He was present with them in the Syrian-Israelite crisis, fully capable of rescuing them; but he was also present with them in judgment, disciplining them for their lack of trust. The moral of the story is quite clear: Failure to appropriate God’s promises by faith can turn potential blessing into disciplinary judgment.

[9:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the scepter of the oppressor against him.” The singular pronouns are collective, referring to the people. The oppressed nation is compared to an ox weighed down by a heavy yoke and an animal that is prodded and beaten.

[9:4]  ²⁰ sn This alludes to Gideon’s victory over Midian (Judg 7-8), when the Lord delivered Israel from an oppressive foreign invader.

[9:18]  ²¹ tn Or “Indeed” (cf. NIV “Surely”). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[9:18]  ²² sn Evil was uncontrollable and destructive, and so can be compared to a forest fire.

[9:18]  ²³ tn Heb “and they swirled [with] the rising of the smoke” (cf. NRSV).

[10:12]  ²⁴ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[10:12]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 23, 24, 33 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[10:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “his work on/against.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV “on”; NIV “against.”

[10:12]  ²⁷ tn The Lord is speaking here, as in vv. 5-6a.

[10:12]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I will visit [judgment] on the fruit of the greatness of the heart of the king of Assyria, and on the glory of the height of his eyes.” The proud Assyrian king is likened to a large, beautiful fruit tree.

[11:9]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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]  ³² tn Heb “my warriors with respect to my anger.”

[13:3]  ³³ tn Heb “the boasting ones of my pride”; cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV “my proudly exulting ones.”

[15:5]  ³⁴ tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?, see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.

[15:5]  ³⁵ tn The vocalization of the Hebrew text suggests “the bars of her gates,” but the form should be repointed to yield, “her fugitives.” See HALOT 156-57 s.v. בָּרִחַ, and BDB 138 s.v. בָּרִיהַ.

[15:5]  ³⁶ tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:5]  ³⁷ tn Heb “For the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up it; for [on] the road to Horonaim an outcry over shattering they raise up.”

[19:16]  ³⁸ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 18 and 19.

[19:16]  ³⁹ tn Heb “Egypt,” which stands by metonymy for the country’s inhabitants.

[19:16]  ⁴⁰ sn As the rest of the verse indicates, the point of the simile is that the Egyptians will be relatively weak physically and will wilt in fear before the Lord’s onslaught.

[19:16]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “and he will tremble and be afraid because of the brandishing of the hand of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], which he brandishes against him.” Since according to the imagery here the Lord’s “hand” is raised as a weapon against the Egyptians, the term “fist” has been used in the translation.

[19:17]  ⁴² tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt, everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] which he is planning against him.”

[22:2]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.

[22:2]  ⁴⁴ sn Apparently they died from starvation during the siege that preceded the final conquest of the city. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:409.

[22:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”

[22:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.

[23:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “keep quiet”; NAB “Silence!”

[23:2]  ⁴⁸ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[24:16]  ⁴⁹ sn The identity of the subject is unclear. Apparently in vv. 15-16a an unidentified group responds to the praise they hear in the west by exhorting others to participate.

[24:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “Beauty belongs to the just one.” These words may summarize the main theme of the songs mentioned in the preceding line.

[24:16]  ⁵¹ sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.

[24:16]  ⁵² tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”

[24:16]  tn Verse 16b is a classic example of Hebrew wordplay. In the first line (“I’m wasting away…”) four consecutive words end with hireq yod ( ִי); in the second line all forms are derived from the root בָּגַד (bagad). The repetition of sound draws attention to the prophet’s lament.

[28:27]  ⁵³ tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB).

[28:27]  ⁵⁴ sn Both of these seeds are too small to use the ordinary threshing techniques.

[29:5]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “violent men”; cf. NASB “the ruthless ones.”

[29:21]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “the ones who make a man a sinner with a word.” The Hiphil of חָטָא (khata’) here has a delocutive sense: “declare a man sinful/guilty.”

[29:21]  ⁵⁷ sn Legal disputes were resolved at the city gate, where the town elders met. See Amos 5:10.

[29:21]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and deprive by emptiness the innocent.”

[30:32]  ⁵⁹ tc The Hebrew text has “every blow from a founded [i.e., “appointed”?] cudgel.” The translation above, with support from a few medieval Hebrew mss, assumes an emendation of מוּסָדָה (musadah, “founded”) to מוּסָרֹה (musaroh, “his discipline”).

[30:32]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “which the Lord lays on him.”

[30:32]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “will be with” (KJV similar).

[30:32]  ⁶² tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and with battles of brandishing [weapons?] he will fight against him.” Some prefer to emend וּבְמִלְחֲמוֹת (uvÿmilkhamot, “and with battles of”) to וּבִמְחֹלוֹת (uvimkholot, “and with dancing”). Note the immediately preceding references to musical instruments.

[37:3]  ⁶³ tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him” (cf. NRSV).

[37:3]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “rebuke” (KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “correction.”

[37:3]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “contempt”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “disgrace.”

[37:3]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”

[37:7]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.

[37:7]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”

[38:14]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “moan” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); KJV, CEV “mourn.”

[38:14]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “my eyes become weak, toward the height.”

[38:14]  ⁷¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[38:14]  ⁷² tn Heb “stand surety for me.” Hezekiah seems to be picturing himself as a debtor who is being exploited; he asks that the Lord might relieve his debt and deliver him from the oppressive creditor.

[38:18]  ⁷³ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[38:18]  ⁷⁴ tn The negative particle is understood by ellipsis in this line. See GKC 483 §152.z.

[40:2]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is personified as a woman.

[40:2]  ⁷⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[40:2]  ⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “that her punishment is accepted [as satisfactory].”

[40:2]  ⁷⁹ 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).

[43:4]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “Since you are precious in my eyes and you are honored.”

[43:14]  ⁸¹ tn Or “kinsman redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[43:14]  ⁸² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[43:14]  ⁸³ tn Heb “and I bring down [as] fugitives all of them.”

[43:14]  ⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “as for the Babylonians, in ships their joyful shout.” This might be paraphrased, “even the Babylonians in the ships [over which] they joyfully shouted.” The point would be that the Lord caused the Babylonians to flee for safety in the ships in which they took such great pride. A slight change in vocalization yields the reading “into mourning songs,” which provides a good contrast with “joyful shout.” The prefixed bet (בְּ) would indicate identity.

[45:4]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “know” (NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT); NIV “acknowledge.”

[47:9]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.

[47:9]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”

[47:9]  ⁸⁸ tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.

[47:9]  ⁸⁹ sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.

[47:10]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “you trusted in your evil”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “wickedness.”

[47:10]  ⁹¹ tn Or “said”; NAB “said to yourself”’ NASB “said in your heart.”

[47:10]  ⁹² tn The words “self-professed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[47:10]  ⁹³ tn See the note at v. 8.

[50:8]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “Let us stand together!”

[50:8]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “Who is the master of my judgment?”

[50:8]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “let him approach me”; NAB, NIV “Let him confront me.”

[51:7]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “people (who have) my law in their heart.”

[51:12]  ⁹⁸ tc The plural suffix should probably be emended to the second masculine singular (which is used in v. 13). The final mem (ם) is probably dittographic; note the mem at the beginning of the next word.

[51:12]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, and of the son of man who [as] grass is given up?” The feminine singular forms should probably be emended to the masculine singular (see v. 13). They have probably been influenced by the construction אַתְּ־הִיא (’at-hi’) in vv. 9-10.

[51:17]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “[you] who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his anger.”

[51:17]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “the goblet, the cup [that causes] staggering, you drank, you drained.”

[54:10]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”

[58:4]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “you fast for” (so NASB); NRSV “you fast only to quarrel.”

[58:4]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “and for striking with a sinful fist.”

[59:2]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “and your sins have caused [his] face to be hidden from you so as not to hear.”

[60:13]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”

[60:13]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”

[60:19]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”

[62:5]  ¹⁰⁹ tc The Hebrew text has “your sons,” but this produces an odd metaphor and is somewhat incongruous with the parallelism. In the context (v. 4b, see also 54:5-7) the Lord is the one who “marries” Zion. Therefore several prefer to emend “your sons” to בֹּנָיִךְ (bonayikh, “your builder”; e.g., NRSV). In Ps 147:2 the Lord is called the “builder of Jerusalem.” However, this emendation is not the best option for at least four reasons. First, although the Lord is never called the “builder” of Jerusalem in Isaiah, the idea of Zion’s children possessing the land does occur (Isa 49:20; 54:3; cf. also 14:1; 60:21). Secondly, all the ancient versions support the MT reading. Thirdly, although the verb בָּעַל (ba’al) can mean “to marry,” its basic idea is “to possess.” Consequently, the verb stresses a relationship more than a state. All the ancient versions render this verb “to dwell in” or “to dwell with.” The point is not just that the land will be reinhabited, but that it will be in a relationship of “belonging” to the Israelites. Hence a relational verb like בָּעַל is used (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:581). Finally, “sons” is a well-known metaphor for “inhabitants” (J. de Waard, Isaiah, 208).

[62:11]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so NASB, NRSV).

[62:11]  ¹¹¹ sn As v. 12 indicates, the returning exiles are the Lord’s reward/prize. See also 40:10 and the note there.

[64:6]  ¹¹² tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”

[65:19]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “and I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be happy in my people.”