Yesaya 1:26

1:26 I will reestablish honest judges as in former times,

wise advisers as in earlier days. ¹ 

Then you will be called, ‘The Just City,

Faithful Town.’”

Yesaya 7:11

7:11 “Ask for a confirming sign from the Lord your God. You can even ask for something miraculous.” ² 

Yesaya 10:6

10:6 I sent him ³  against a godless ⁴  nation,

I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, ⁵ 

to take plunder and to carry away loot,

to trample them down ⁶  like dirt in the streets.

Yesaya 13:3

13:3 I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; ⁷ 

I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, ⁸ 

my boasting, arrogant ones. ⁹ 

Yesaya 16:3

16:3 “Bring a plan, make a decision! ¹⁰ 

Provide some shade in the middle of the day! ¹¹ 

Hide the fugitives! Do not betray ¹²  the one who tries to escape!

Yesaya 17:11

17:11 The day you begin cultivating, you do what you can to make it grow; ¹³ 

the morning you begin planting, you do what you can to make it sprout.

Yet the harvest will disappear ¹⁴  in the day of disease

and incurable pain.

Yesaya 19:14

19:14 The Lord has made them undiscerning; ¹⁵ 

they lead Egypt astray in all she does,

so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit. ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 19:22

19:22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their prayers ¹⁷  and heal them.

Yesaya 22:18

22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball

and throw you into a wide, open land. ¹⁸ 

There you will die,

and there with you will be your impressive chariots, ¹⁹ 

which bring disgrace to the house of your master. ²⁰ 

Yesaya 28:6

28:6 He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions,

and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. ²¹ 

Yesaya 28:12

28:12 In the past he said to them, ²² 

“This is where security can be found.

Provide security for the one who is exhausted!

This is where rest can be found.” ²³ 

But they refused to listen.

Yesaya 30:25

30:25 On every high mountain

and every high hill

there will be streams flowing with water,

at the time of ²⁴  great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse.

Yesaya 37:7

37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; ²⁵  he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down ²⁶  with a sword in his own land.”’”

Yesaya 40:11

40:11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;

he gathers up the lambs with his arm;

he carries them close to his heart; ²⁷ 

he leads the ewes along.

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 42:6

42:6 “I, the Lord, officially commission you; ³¹ 

I take hold of your hand.

I protect you ³²  and make you a covenant mediator for people, ³³ 

and a light ³⁴  to the nations, ³⁵ 

Yesaya 43:4

43:4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, ³⁶ 

and I love you,

I will hand over people in place of you,

nations in place of your life.

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 44:20

44:20 He feeds on ashes; ³⁷ 

his deceived mind misleads him.

He cannot rescue himself,

nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ ³⁸ 

Yesaya 45:11-12

45:11 This is what the Lord says,

the Holy One of Israel, ³⁹  the one who formed him,

concerning things to come: ⁴⁰ 

“How dare you question me ⁴¹  about my children!

How dare you tell me what to do with ⁴²  the work of my own hands!

45:12 I made the earth,

I created the people who live ⁴³  on it.

It was me – my hands ⁴⁴  stretched out the sky, ⁴⁵ 

I give orders to all the heavenly lights. ⁴⁶ 

Yesaya 48:17

48:17 This is what the Lord, your protector, ⁴⁷  says,

the Holy One of Israel: ⁴⁸ 

“I am the Lord your God,

who teaches you how to succeed,

who leads you in the way you should go.

Yesaya 50:6

50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked, ⁴⁹ 

my jaws to those who tore out my beard;

I did not hide my face

from insults and spitting.

Yesaya 50:8

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

Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! ⁵⁰ 

Who is my accuser? ⁵¹  Let him challenge me! ⁵² 

Yesaya 51:12

51:12 “I, I am the one who consoles you. ⁵³ 

Why are you afraid of mortal men,

of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass? ⁵⁴ 

Yesaya 56:10

56:10 All their watchmen ⁵⁵  are blind,

they are unaware. ⁵⁶ 

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, ⁵⁷  lie down,

and love to snooze.

Yesaya 57:10

57:10 Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired, ⁵⁸ 

but you do not say, ‘I give up.’ ⁵⁹ 

You get renewed energy, ⁶⁰ 

so you don’t collapse. ⁶¹ 

Yesaya 57:19

57:19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. ⁶² 

Complete prosperity ⁶³  is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,”

says the Lord, “and I will heal them.

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. ⁶⁴ 

Yesaya 61:11

61:11 For just as the ground produces its crops

and a garden yields its produce,

so the sovereign Lord will cause deliverance ⁶⁵  to grow,

and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations. ⁶⁶ 

Yesaya 62:2

62:2 Nations will see your vindication,

and all kings your splendor.

You will be called by a new name

that the Lord himself will give you. ⁶⁷ 

Yesaya 62:11

62:11 Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth: ⁶⁸ 

“Say to Daughter Zion,

‘Look, your deliverer comes!

Look, his reward is with him

and his reward goes before him!’” ⁶⁹ 

Yesaya 63:12

63:12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, ⁷⁰ 

who divided the water before them,

gaining for himself a lasting reputation, ⁷¹ 

Yesaya 63:14

63:14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, ⁷² 

so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.

In this way ⁷³  you guided your people,

gaining for yourself an honored reputation. ⁷⁴ 

[1:26]  ¹ tn Heb “I will restore your judges as in the beginning; and your counselors as in the beginning.” In this context, where social injustice and legal corruption are denounced (see v. 23), the “judges” are probably government officials responsible for making legal decisions, while the “advisers” are probably officials who helped the king establish policies. Both offices are also mentioned in 3:2.

[7:11]  ² tn Heb “Make it as deep as Sheol or make it high upwards.” These words suggest that Ahaz can feel free to go beyond the bounds of ordinary human experience.

[10:6]  ³ sn Throughout this section singular forms are used to refer to Assyria; perhaps the king of Assyria is in view (see v. 12).

[10:6]  ⁴ tn Or “defiled”; cf. ASV “profane”; NAB “impious”; NCV “separated from God.”

[10:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “and against the people of my anger I ordered him.”

[10:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “to make it [i.e., the people] a trampled place.”

[13:3]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “my warriors with respect to my anger.”

[13:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “the boasting ones of my pride”; cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV “my proudly exulting ones.”

[16:3]  ¹⁰ sn It is unclear who is being addressed in this verse. Perhaps the prophet, playing the role of a panic stricken Moabite refugee, requests the leaders of Judah (the imperatives are plural) to take pity on the fugitives.

[16:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Make your shade like night in the midst of noonday.” “Shade” here symbolizes shelter, while the heat of noonday represents the intense suffering of the Moabites. By comparing the desired shade to night, the speaker visualizes a huge dark shadow cast by a large tree that would provide relief from the sun’s heat.

[16:3]  ¹² tn Heb “disclose, uncover.”

[17:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “in the day of your planting you [?].” The precise meaning of the verb תְּשַׂגְשֵׂגִי (tÿsagsegi) is unclear. It is sometimes derived from שׂוּג/סוּג (sug, “to fence in”; see BDB 691 s.v. II סוּג). In this case one could translate “you build a protective fence.” However, the parallelism is tighter if one derives the form from שָׂגָא/שָׂגָה (saga’/sagah, “to grow”); see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:351, n. 4. For this verb, see BDB 960 s.v. שָׂגָא.

[17:11]  ¹⁴ tc The Hebrew text has, “a heap of harvest.” However, better sense is achieved if נֵד (ned, “heap”) is emended to a verb. Options include נַד (nad, Qal perfect third masculine singular from נָדַד [nadad, “flee, depart”]), נָדַד (Qal perfect third masculine singular from נָדַד), נֹדֵד (noded, Qal active participle from נָדַד), and נָד (nad, Qal perfect third masculine singular, or participle masculine singular, from נוּד [nud, “wander, flutter”]). See BDB 626 s.v. נוּד and HALOT 672 s.v. I נדד. One could translate literally: “[the harvest] departs,” or “[the harvest] flies away.”

[19:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”

[19:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”

[19:22]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he will be entreated.” The Niphal has a tolerative sense here, “he will allow himself to be entreated.”

[22:18]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”

[22:18]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”

[22:18]  ²⁰ sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.

[28:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “and [he will become] a spirit of justice for the one who sits [i.e., presides] over judgment, // and strength [for] the ones who turn back battle at the city gate.” The Lord will provide internal stability and national security.

[28:12]  ²² tn Heb “who said to them.”

[28:12]  ²³ sn This message encapsulates the Lord’s invitation to his people to find security in his protection and blessing.

[30:25]  ²⁴ tn Or “in the day of” (KJV).

[37:7]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”

[40:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “in his bosom” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV), an expression which reflects closeness and protective care.

[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.

[42:6]  ³¹ tn Heb “call you in righteousness.” The pronoun “you” is masculine singular, referring to the servant. See the note at 41:2.

[42:6]  ³² tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצַר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצַר (yatsar, “form”).

[42:6]  ³³ tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. The precise identity of עָם (’am, “people”) is uncertain. In v. 5 עָם refers to mankind, and the following reference to “nations” also favors this. But in 49:8, where the phrase בְּרִית עָם occurs again, Israel seems to be in view.

[42:6]  ³⁴ sn Light here symbolizes deliverance from bondage and oppression; note the parallelism in 49:6b and in 51:4-6.

[42:6]  ³⁵ tn Or “the Gentiles” (so KJV, ASV, NIV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context.

[43:4]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Since you are precious in my eyes and you are honored.”

[44:20]  ³⁷ tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”

[44:20]  ³⁸ tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”

[45:11]  ³⁹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[45:11]  ⁴⁰ tc The Hebrew text reads “the one who formed him, the coming things.” Among various suggestions, some have proposed an emendation of יֹצְרוֹ (yotsÿro, “the one who formed him”) to יֹצֵר (yotser, “the one who forms”; the suffixed form in the Hebrew text may be influenced by vv. 9-10, where the same form appears twice) and takes “coming things” as the object of the participle (either objective genitive or accusative): “the one who brings the future into being.”

[45:11]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Ask me” The rhetorical command sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.

[45:11]  ⁴² tn Heb “Do you command me about…?” The rhetorical question sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.

[45:12]  ⁴³ tn The words “who live” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[45:12]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “I, even my hands”; NASB “I stretched out…with My hands”; NRSV “it was my hands that stretched out.” The same construction occurs at the beginning of v. 13.

[45:12]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[45:12]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and to all their host I commanded.” See the notes at 40:26.

[48:17]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[48:17]  ⁴⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[50:6]  ⁴⁹ tn Or perhaps, “who beat [me].”

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

[50:8]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “Who is the master of my judgment?”

[50:8]  ⁵² tn Heb “let him approach me”; NAB, NIV “Let him confront me.”

[51:12]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ 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.

[56:10]  ⁵⁵ sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.

[56:10]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”

[56:10]  ⁵⁷ tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.

[57:10]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “by the greatness [i.e., “length,” see BDB 914 s.v. רֹב 2] of your way you get tired.”

[57:10]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “it is hopeless” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); NRSV “It is useless.”

[57:10]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “the life of your hand you find.” The term חַיָּה (khayyah, “life”) is here used in the sense of “renewal” (see BDB 312 s.v.) while יָד (yad) is used of “strength.”

[57:10]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “you do not grow weak.”

[57:19]  ⁶² tc The Hebrew text has literally, “one who creates fruit of lips.” Perhaps the pronoun אֲנִי (’ani) should be inserted after the participle; it may have been accidentally omitted by haplography: נוּב שְׂפָתָיִם[אֲנִי] בּוֹרֵא (bore’ [’ani] nuv sÿfatayim). “Fruit of the lips” is often understood as a metonymy for praise; perhaps it refers more generally to joyful shouts (see v. 18).

[57:19]  ⁶³ tn Heb “Peace, peace.” The repetition of the noun emphasizes degree.

[60:19]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”

[61:11]  ⁶⁵ tn Or perhaps, “righteousness,” but the context seems to emphasize deliverance and restoration (see v. 10 and 62:1).

[61:11]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and praise before all the nations.”

[62:2]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “which the mouth of the Lord will designate.”

[62:11]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so NASB, NRSV).

[62:11]  ⁶⁹ sn As v. 12 indicates, the returning exiles are the Lord’s reward/prize. See also 40:10 and the note there.

[63:12]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “who caused to go at the right hand of Moses the arm of his splendor.”

[63:12]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “making for himself a lasting name.”

[63:14]  ⁷² tn The words “to graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[63:14]  ⁷³ tn Or “so” (KJV, ASV), or “thus” (NAB, NRSV).

[63:14]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “making for yourself a majestic name.”