Yesaya 29:8

29:8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating,

only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty. ¹ 

It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking,

only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched. ² 

So it will be for the horde from all the nations

that fight against Mount Zion.

Yesaya 30:17

30:17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; ³ 

at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, ⁴ 

until the remaining few are as isolated ⁵ 

as a flagpole on a mountaintop

or a signal flag on a hill.”

Yesaya 31:4

The Lord Will Defend Zion

31:4 Indeed, this is what the Lord says to me:

“The Lord will be like a growling lion,

like a young lion growling over its prey. ⁶ 

Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it,

it is not afraid of their shouts

or intimidated by their yelling. ⁷ 

In this same way the Lord who commands armies will descend

to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill. ⁸ 

Yesaya 36:2

36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser ⁹  from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, ¹⁰  along with a large army. The chief adviser ¹¹  stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ¹² 

Yesaya 40:26

40:26 Look up at the sky! ¹³ 

Who created all these heavenly lights? ¹⁴ 

He is the one who leads out their ranks; ¹⁵ 

he calls them all by name.

Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,

not one of them is missing.

Yesaya 62:8

62:8 The Lord swears an oath by his right hand,

by his strong arm: ¹⁶ 

“I will never again give your grain

to your enemies as food,

and foreigners will not drink your wine,

which you worked hard to produce.

[29:8]  ¹ tn Or “that he [or “his appetite”] is unsatisfied.”

[29:8]  ² tn Or “that he is faint and that he [or “his appetite”] longs [for water].”

[30:17]  ³ tn Heb “One thousand from before [or “because of”] one battle cry.” גְּעָרָה (gÿ’arah) is often defined as “threat,” but in war contexts it likely refers to a shout or battle cry. See Ps 76:6.

[30:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “from before [or “because of”] the battle cry of five you will flee.

[30:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “until you are left” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[31:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “As a lion growls, a young lion over its prey.” In the Hebrew text the opening comparison is completed later in the verse (“so the Lord will come down…”), after a parenthesis describing how fearless the lion is. The present translation divides the verse into three sentences for English stylistic reasons.

[31:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “Though there is summoned against it fullness of shepherds, by their voice it is not terrified, and to their noise it does not respond.”

[31:4]  ⁸ tn Some prefer to translate the phrase לִצְבֹּא עַל (litsbo’ ’al) as “fight against,” but the following context pictures the Lord defending, not attacking, Zion.

[36:2]  ⁹ sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.

[36:2]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[36:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[36:2]  ¹² tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[40:26]  ¹³ tn Heb “Lift on high your eyes and see.”

[40:26]  ¹⁴ tn The words “heavenly lights” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the following lines.

[40:26]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the one who brings out by number their host.” The stars are here likened to a huge army that the Lord leads out. Perhaps the next line pictures God calling roll. If so, the final line may be indicating that none of them dares “go AWOL.” (“AWOL” is a military acronym for “absent without leave.”)

[62:8]  ¹⁶ tn The Lord’s right hand and strong arm here symbolize his power and remind the audience that his might guarantees the fulfillment of the following promise.