Yesaya 5:22-23

5:22 Those who are champions ¹  at drinking wine are as good as dead, ² 

who display great courage when mixing strong drinks.

5:23 They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,

they ignore the just cause of the innocent. ³ 

Yesaya 29:21

29:21 those who bear false testimony against a person, ⁴ 

who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate ⁵ 

and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges. ⁶ 

[5:22]  ¹ tn The language used here is quite sarcastic and paves the way for the shocking description of the enemy army in vv. 25-30. The rich leaders of Judah are nothing but “party animals” who are totally incapable of withstanding real warriors.

[5:22]  ² tn Heb “Woe [to]….” See the note at v. 8.

[5:23]  ³ tn Heb “and the just cause of the innocent ones they turn aside from him.”

[5:23]  sn In vv. 22-23 the prophet returns to themes with which he opened his speech. The accusatory elements of vv. 8, 11-12, 18-23 are arranged in a chiastic manner: (A) social injustice (8), (B) carousing (11-12a), (C) spiritual insensitivity (12b) // (C') spiritual insensitivity (18-21), (B') carousing (22), (A') social injustice (23).

[29:21]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ sn Legal disputes were resolved at the city gate, where the town elders met. See Amos 5:10.

[29:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “and deprive by emptiness the innocent.”