Yesaya 1:1

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1:1 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem ¹  that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned over Judah. ² 

Yesaya 1:15

1:15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,

I look the other way; ³ 

when you offer your many prayers,

I do not listen,

because your hands are covered with blood. ⁴ 

Yesaya 3:9

3:9 The look on their faces ⁵  testifies to their guilt; ⁶ 

like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin. ⁷ 

Too bad for them! ⁸ 

For they bring disaster on themselves.

Yesaya 3:16

Washing Away Impurity

3:16 The Lord says,

“The women ⁹  of Zion are proud.

They walk with their heads high ¹⁰ 

and flirt with their eyes.

They skip along ¹¹ 

and the jewelry on their ankles jingles. ¹² 

Yesaya 5:8

Disaster is Coming

5:8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, ¹³ 

those who also accumulate landed property ¹⁴ 

until there is no land left, ¹⁵ 

and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 5:13

5:13 Therefore my ¹⁷  people will be deported ¹⁸ 

because of their lack of understanding.

Their ¹⁹  leaders will have nothing to eat, ²⁰ 

their ²¹  masses will have nothing to drink. ²² 

Yesaya 6:9

6:9 He said, “Go and tell these people:

‘Listen continually, but don’t understand!

Look continually, but don’t perceive!’

Yesaya 7:25

7:25 They will stay away from all the hills that were cultivated, for fear of the thorns and briers. ²³  Cattle will graze there and sheep will trample on them. ²⁴ 

Yesaya 9:8

God’s Judgment Intensifies

9:8 ²⁵ The sovereign master ²⁶  decreed judgment ²⁷  on Jacob,

and it fell on Israel. ²⁸ 

Yesaya 9:12

9:12 Syria from the east,

and the Philistines from the west,

they gobbled up Israelite territory. ²⁹ 

Despite all this, his anger does not subside,

and his hand is ready to strike again. ³⁰ 

Yesaya 10:4

10:4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners,

or to fall among those who have been killed. ³¹ 

Despite all this, his anger does not subside,

and his hand is ready to strike again. ³² 

Yesaya 10:22

10:22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as ³³  the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. ³⁴  Destruction has been decreed; ³⁵  just punishment ³⁶  is about to engulf you. ³⁷ 

Yesaya 11:6

11:6 A wolf will reside ³⁸  with a lamb,

and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;

an ox and a young lion will graze together, ³⁹ 

as a small child leads them along.

Yesaya 13:8

13:8 They panic –

cramps and pain seize hold of them

like those of a woman who is straining to give birth.

They look at one another in astonishment;

their faces are flushed red. ⁴⁰ 

Yesaya 13:14

13:14 Like a frightened gazelle ⁴¹ 

or a sheep with no shepherd,

each will turn toward home, ⁴² 

each will run to his homeland.

Yesaya 14:21

14:21 Prepare to execute ⁴³  his sons

for the sins their ancestors have committed. ⁴⁴ 

They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,

or fill the surface of the world with cities.” ⁴⁵ 

Yesaya 14:32--15:1

14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? ⁴⁶ 

Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure;

the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.

The Lord Will Judge Moab

15:1 Here is a message about Moab:

Indeed, in a night it is devastated,

Ar of Moab is destroyed!

Indeed, in a night it is devastated,

Kir of Moab is destroyed!

Yesaya 15:9

15:9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon ⁴⁷  are full of blood!

Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. ⁴⁸ 

A lion will attack ⁴⁹  the Moabite fugitives

and the people left in the land.

Yesaya 16:9

16:9 So I weep along with Jazer ⁵⁰ 

over the vines of Sibmah.

I will saturate you ⁵¹  with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh,

for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly

over your fruit and crops. ⁵² 

Yesaya 16:12

16:12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, ⁵³ 

and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective! ⁵⁴ 

Yesaya 17:10

17:10 For you ignore ⁵⁵  the God who rescues you;

you pay no attention to your strong protector. ⁵⁶ 

So this is what happens:

You cultivate beautiful plants

and plant exotic vines. ⁵⁷ 

Yesaya 18:6

18:6 They will all be left ⁵⁸  for the birds of the hills

and the wild animals; ⁵⁹ 

the birds will eat them during the summer,

and all the wild animals will eat them during the winter.

Yesaya 19:8

19:8 The fishermen will mourn and lament,

all those who cast a fishhook into the river,

and those who spread out a net on the water’s surface will grieve. ⁶⁰ 

Yesaya 19:12

19:12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? ⁶¹ 

Let them tell you, let them find out

what the Lord who commands armies has planned for Egypt.

Yesaya 19:18

19:18 At that time five cities ⁶²  in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord who commands armies. One will be called the City of the Sun. ⁶³ 

Yesaya 20:3

20:3 Later the Lord explained, “In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush,

Yesaya 21:3

21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; ⁶⁴ 

cramps overwhelm me

like the contractions of a woman in labor.

I am disturbed ⁶⁵  by what I hear,

horrified by what I see.

Yesaya 22:2

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

the town is filled with revelry. ⁶⁶ 

Your slain were not cut down by the sword;

they did not die in battle. ⁶⁷ 

Yesaya 23:1

The Lord Will Judge Tyre

23:1 Here is a message about Tyre:

Wail, you large ships, ⁶⁸ 

for the port is too devastated to enter! ⁶⁹ 

From the land of Cyprus ⁷⁰  this news is announced to them.

Yesaya 24:15

24:15 So in the east ⁷¹  extol the Lord,

along the seacoasts extol ⁷²  the fame ⁷³  of the Lord God of Israel.

Yesaya 26:1

Judah Will Celebrate

26:1 At that time ⁷⁴  this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city!

The Lord’s ⁷⁵  deliverance, like walls and a rampart, makes it secure. ⁷⁶ 

Yesaya 26:5

26:5 Indeed, ⁷⁷  the Lord knocks down those who live in a high place,

he brings down an elevated town;

he brings it down to the ground, ⁷⁸ 

he throws it down to the dust.

Yesaya 26:10

26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,

they do not learn about justice. ⁷⁹ 

Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; ⁸⁰ 

they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.

Yesaya 26:14

26:14 The dead do not come back to life,

the spirits of the dead do not rise. ⁸¹ 

That is because ⁸²  you came in judgment ⁸³  and destroyed them,

you wiped out all memory of them.

Yesaya 27:4

27:4 I am not angry.

I wish I could confront some thorns and briers!

Then I would march against them ⁸⁴  for battle;

I would set them ⁸⁵  all on fire,

Yesaya 29:4

29:4 You will fall;

while lying on the ground ⁸⁶  you will speak;

from the dust where you lie, your words will be heard. ⁸⁷ 

Your voice will sound like a spirit speaking from the underworld; ⁸⁸ 

from the dust you will chirp as if muttering an incantation. ⁸⁹ 

Yesaya 29:14

29:14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people –

an absolutely extraordinary deed. ⁹⁰ 

Wise men will have nothing to say,

the sages will have no explanations.” ⁹¹ 

Yesaya 30:33

30:33 For ⁹²  the burial place is already prepared; ⁹³ 

it has been made deep and wide for the king. ⁹⁴ 

The firewood is piled high on it. ⁹⁵ 

The Lord’s breath, like a stream flowing with brimstone,

will ignite it.

Yesaya 33:21

33:21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. ⁹⁶ 

Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; ⁹⁷ 

no war galley will enter; ⁹⁸ 

no large ships will sail through. ⁹⁹ 

Yesaya 34:10

34:10 Night and day it will burn; ¹⁰⁰ 

its smoke will ascend continually.

Generation after generation it will be a wasteland

and no one will ever pass through it again.

Yesaya 34:17

34:17 He assigns them their allotment; ¹⁰¹ 

he measures out their assigned place. ¹⁰² 

They will live there ¹⁰³  permanently;

they will settle in it through successive generations.

Yesaya 37:3

37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: ¹⁰⁴  ‘This is a day of distress, insults, ¹⁰⁵  and humiliation, ¹⁰⁶  as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. ¹⁰⁷ 

Yesaya 37:17

37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! ¹⁰⁸ 

Yesaya 40:10

40:10 Look, the sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior; ¹⁰⁹ 

his military power establishes his rule. ¹¹⁰ 

Look, his reward is with him;

his prize goes before him. ¹¹¹ 

Yesaya 40:24

40:24 Indeed, they are barely planted;

yes, they are barely sown;

yes, they barely take root in the earth,

and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,

and the wind carries them away like straw.

Yesaya 41:19

41:19 I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness;

I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the desert.

Yesaya 42:19

42:19 My servant is truly blind,

my messenger is truly deaf.

My covenant partner, ¹¹²  the servant of the Lord, is truly blind. ¹¹³ 

Yesaya 43:12-13

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.

43:13 From this day forward I am he;

no one can deliver from my power; ¹¹⁴ 

I will act, and who can prevent it?”

Yesaya 43:19

43:19 “Look, I am about to do something new.

Now it begins to happen! ¹¹⁵  Do you not recognize ¹¹⁶  it?

Yes, I will make a road in the desert

and paths ¹¹⁷  in the wilderness.

Yesaya 44:11

44:11 Look, all his associates ¹¹⁸  will be put to shame;

the craftsmen are mere humans. ¹¹⁹ 

Let them all assemble and take their stand!

They will panic and be put to shame.

Yesaya 49:19

49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;

it is desolate and devastated. ¹²⁰ 

But now you will be too small to hold your residents,

and those who devoured you will be far away.

Yesaya 50:7

50:7 But the sovereign Lord helps me,

so I am not humiliated.

For that reason I am steadfastly resolved; ¹²¹ 

I know I will not be put to shame.

Yesaya 51:2

51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,

and Sarah, who gave you birth. ¹²² 

When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, ¹²³ 

but I blessed him ¹²⁴  and gave him numerous descendants. ¹²⁵ 

Yesaya 51:12

51:12 “I, I am the one who consoles you. ¹²⁶ 

Why are you afraid of mortal men,

of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass? ¹²⁷ 

Yesaya 51:19

51:19 These double disasters confronted you.

But who feels sorry for you?

Destruction and devastation,

famine and sword.

But who consoles you? ¹²⁸ 

Yesaya 53:5

53:5 He was wounded because of ¹²⁹  our rebellious deeds,

crushed because of our sins;

he endured punishment that made us well; ¹³⁰ 

because of his wounds we have been healed. ¹³¹ 

Yesaya 55:10

55:10 ¹³² The rain and snow fall from the sky

and do not return,

but instead water the earth

and make it produce and yield crops,

and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat.

Yesaya 57:5

57:5 you who practice ritual sex ¹³³  under the oaks and every green tree,

who slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs. ¹³⁴ 

Yesaya 57:17

57:17 I was angry because of their sinful greed;

I attacked them and angrily rejected them, ¹³⁵ 

yet they remained disobedient and stubborn. ¹³⁶ 

Yesaya 57:19

57:19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. ¹³⁷ 

Complete prosperity ¹³⁸  is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,”

says the Lord, “and I will heal them.

Yesaya 58:6

58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. ¹³⁹ 

I want you ¹⁴⁰  to remove the sinful chains,

to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,

to set free the oppressed, ¹⁴¹ 

and to break every burdensome yoke.

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. ¹⁴² 

Yesaya 59:5

59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake

and spin a spider’s web.

Whoever eats their eggs will die,

a poisonous snake is hatched. ¹⁴³ 

Yesaya 59:8

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust. ¹⁴⁴ 

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. ¹⁴⁵ 

Yesaya 59:12

59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, ¹⁴⁶ 

and our sins testify against us;

indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;

we know our sins all too well. ¹⁴⁷ 

Yesaya 59:17

59:17 He wears his desire for justice ¹⁴⁸  like body armor, ¹⁴⁹ 

and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head. ¹⁵⁰ 

He puts on the garments of vengeance ¹⁵¹ 

and wears zeal like a robe.

Yesaya 60:16

60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;

you will nurse at the breasts of kings. ¹⁵² 

Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,

your protector, ¹⁵³  the powerful ruler of Jacob. ¹⁵⁴ 

Yesaya 61:9

61:9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,

their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will recognize that

the Lord has blessed them.” ¹⁵⁵ 

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 ¹⁵⁶  to grow,

and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations. ¹⁵⁷ 

Yesaya 62:11

62:11 Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth: ¹⁵⁸ 

“Say to Daughter Zion,

‘Look, your deliverer comes!

Look, his reward is with him

and his reward goes before him!’” ¹⁵⁹ 

Yesaya 64:2

64:2 (64:1) As when fire ignites dry wood,

or fire makes water boil,

let your adversaries know who you are, ¹⁶⁰ 

and may the nations shake at your presence!

Yesaya 64:9

64:9 Lord, do not be too angry!

Do not hold our sins against us continually! ¹⁶¹ 

Take a good look at your people, at all of us! ¹⁶² 

[1:1]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:1]  ² tn Heb “The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”

[1:1]  sn Isaiah’s prophetic career probably began in the final year of Uzziah’s reign (ca. 740 b.c., see Isa 6:1) and extended into the later years of Hezekiah’s reign, which ended in 686 b.c.

[1:15]  ³ tn Heb “I close my eyes from you.”

[1:15]  ⁴ sn This does not just refer to the blood of sacrificial animals, but also the blood, as it were, of their innocent victims. By depriving the poor and destitute of proper legal recourse and adequate access to the economic system, the oppressors have, for all intents and purposes, “killed” their victims.

[3:9]  ⁵ sn This refers to their proud, arrogant demeanor.

[3:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “answers against them”; NRSV “bears witness against them.”

[3:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “their sin, like Sodom, they declare, they do not conceal [it].”

[3:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “woe to their soul.”

[3:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “daughters” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).

[3:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “with an outstretched neck.” They proudly hold their heads high so that others can see the jewelry around their necks.

[3:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “walking and skipping, they walk.”

[3:16]  ¹² tn Heb “and with their feet they jingle.”

[5:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who make a house touch a house.” The exclamation הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death.

[5:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[who] bring a field near a field.”

[5:8]  sn This verse does not condemn real estate endeavors per se, but refers to the way in which the rich bureaucrats of Judah accumulated property by exploiting the poor, in violation of the covenantal principle that the land belonged to God and that every family was to have its own portion of land. See the note at 1:23.

[5:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “until the end of the place”; NASB “until there is no more room.”

[5:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”

[5:13]  ¹⁷ sn It is not certain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking at this point.

[5:13]  ¹⁸ tn The suffixed (perfect) form of the verb is used; in this way the coming event is described for rhetorical effect as occurring or as already completed.

[5:13]  ¹⁹ tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”

[5:13]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Their glory will be men of hunger.” כָּבוֹד (kavod, “glory”) is in opposition to הָמוֹן (hamon, “masses”) and refers here to the rich and prominent members of the nation. Some prefer to repoint מְתֵי (mÿtey, “men of”) as מִתֵי (mitey, “dead ones of”).

[5:13]  ²¹ tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”

[5:13]  ²² tn Heb “and their masses will be parched [by] thirst.”

[7:25]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ 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.

[9:8]  ²⁵ sn The following speech (9:8-10:4) assumes that God has already sent judgment (see v. 9), but it also announces that further judgment is around the corner (10:1-4). The speech seems to describe a series of past judgments on the northern kingdom which is ready to intensify further in the devastation announced in 10:1-4. It may have been written prior to the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom in 734-733 b.c., or sometime between that invasion and the downfall of Samaria in 722 b.c. The structure of the speech displays four panels, each of which ends with the refrain, “Through all this, his anger did not subside; his hand remained outstretched” (9:12b; 17b; 21b; 10:4b): Panel I: (A) Description of past judgment (9:8); (B) Description of the people’s attitude toward past judgment (9:9-10); (C) Description of past judgment (9:11-12a); (D) Refrain (9:12b); Panel II: (A) Description of the people’s attitude toward past judgment (9:13); (B) Description of past judgment (9:14-17a); (C) Refrain (9:17b); Panel III: (A) Description of past judgment (9:18-21a); (B) Refrain (9:21b); Panel IV: (A) Woe oracle announcing future judgment (10:1-4a); (B) Refrain (10:4b).

[9:8]  ²⁶ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 17 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “sent a word” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB “sends a message.”

[9:8]  ²⁸ tn The present translation assumes that this verse refers to judgment that had already fallen. Both verbs (perfects) are taken as indicating simple past; the vav (ו) on the second verb is understood as a simple vav conjunctive. Another option is to understand the verse as describing a future judgment (see 10:1-4). In this case the first verb is a perfect of certitude; the vav on the second verb is a vav consecutive.

[9:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and they devoured Israel with all the mouth”; NIV “with open mouth”; NLT “With bared fangs.”

[9:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched.” One could translate in the past tense here (and in 9:17b and 21b), but the appearance of the refrain in 10:4b, where it follows a woe oracle prophesying a future judgment, suggests it is a dramatic portrait of the judge which did not change throughout this period of past judgment and will remain unchanged in the future. The English present tense is chosen to best reflect this dramatic mood. (See also 5:25b, where the refrain appears following a dramatic description of coming judgment.)

[10:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “except one kneels in the place of the prisoner, and in the place of the slain [who] fall.” On the force of בִּלְתִּי (bilti, “except”) and its logical connection to what precedes, see BDB 116 s.v. בֵלֶת. On the force of תַּחַת (takhat, “in the place of”) here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:258, n. 6.

[10:4]  ³² tn Heb “in all this his anger was not turned, and still his hand was outstretched”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “his had is stretched out still.”

[10:4]  sn See the note at 9:12.

[10:22]  ³³ tn Heb “are like.”

[10:22]  ³⁴ sn The twofold appearance of the statement “a remnant will come back” (שְׁאָר יָשׁוּב, she’ar yashuv) in vv. 21-22 echoes and probably plays off the name of Isaiah’s son Shear-jashub (see 7:3). In its original context the name was meant to encourage Ahaz (see the note at 7:3), but here it has taken on new dimensions. In light of Ahaz’s failure and the judgment it brings down on the land, the name Shear-jashub now foreshadows the destiny of the nation. According to vv. 21-22, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that a remnant of God’s people will return; the bad news is that only a remnant will be preserved and come back. Like the name Immanuel, this name foreshadows both judgment (see the notes at 7:25 and 8:8) and ultimate restoration (see the note at 8:10).

[10:22]  ³⁵ tn Or “predetermined”; cf. ASV, NASB “is determined”; TEV “is in store.”

[10:22]  ³⁶ tn צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) often means “righteousness,” but here it refers to God’s just judgment.

[10:22]  ³⁷ tn Or “is about to overflow.”

[11:6]  ³⁸ tn The verb גּוּר (gur) normally refers to living as a dependent, resident alien in another society.

[11:6]  ³⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads, “and an ox, and a young lion, and a fatling together.” Since the preceding lines refer to two animals and include a verb, many emend וּמְרִיא (umÿri’, “and the fatling”) to an otherwise unattested verb יִמְרְאוּ (yimrÿ’u, “they will graze”); cf. NAB, TEV, CEV. One of the Qumran copies of Isaiah confirms this suggestion (1QIsa^a). The present translation assumes this change.

[13:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “their faces are faces of flames.” Their faces are flushed with fear and embarrassment.

[13:14]  ⁴¹ tn Or “like a gazelle being chased.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[13:14]  ⁴² tn Heb “his people” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “his nation” (cf. TEV “their own countries”).

[14:21]  ⁴³ tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”

[14:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”

[14:21]  ⁴⁵ sn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:320, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.

[14:32]  ⁴⁶ sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.

[15:9]  ⁴⁷ tc The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads “Dibon” instead of “Dimon” in this verse.

[15:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Indeed I will place on Dimon added things.” Apparently the Lord is speaking.

[15:9]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “will attack” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[16:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “So I weep with the weeping of Jazer.” Once more the speaker (the Lord? – see v. 10b) plays the role of a mourner (see 15:5).

[16:9]  ⁵¹ tc The form אֲרַיָּוֶךְ (’arayyavekh) should be emended to אֲרַוָּיֶךְ (’aravvayekh; the vav [ו] and yod [י] have been accidentally transposed) from רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated”).

[16:9]  ⁵² tn Heb “for over your fruit and over your harvest shouting has fallen.” The translation assumes that the shouting is that of the conqueror (Jer 51:14). Another possibility is that the shouting is that of the harvesters (see v. 10b, as well as Jer 25:30), in which case one might translate, “for the joyful shouting over the fruit and crops has fallen silent.”

[16:12]  ⁵³ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[16:12]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “when he appears, when he grows tired, Moab on the high places, and enters his temple to pray, he will not prevail.” It is possible that “when he grows tired” is an explanatory gloss for the preceding “when he appears.”

[17:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “you have forgotten” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[17:10]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and the rocky cliff of your strength you do not remember.”

[17:10]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “a vine, a strange one.” The substantival adjective זָר (zar) functions here as an appositional genitive. It could refer to a cultic plant of some type, associated with a pagan rite. But it is more likely that it refers to an exotic, or imported, type of vine, one that is foreign (i.e., “strange”) to Israel.

[18:6]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “they will be left together” (so NASB).

[18:6]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “the beasts of the earth” (so KJV, NASB).

[19:8]  ⁶⁰ tn Or perhaps, “will disappear”; cf. TEV “will be useless.”

[19:12]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “Where are they? Where are your wise men?” The juxtaposition of the interrogative pronouns is emphatic. See HALOT 38 s.v. אֶי.

[19:18]  ⁶² sn The significance of the number “five” in this context is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:376-77.

[19:18]  ⁶³ tc The Hebrew text has עִיר הַהֶרֶס (’ir haheres, “City of Destruction”; cf. NASB, NIV) but this does not fit the positive emphasis of vv. 18-22. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and some medieval Hebrew mss read עִיר הָחֶרֶס (’ir hakheres, “City of the Sun,” i.e., Heliopolis). This reading also finds support from Symmachus’ Greek version, the Targum, and the Vulgate. See HALOT 257 s.v. חֶרֶס and HALOT 355 s.v. II חֶרֶס.

[21:3]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”

[21:3]  ⁶⁵ tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”

[22:2]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.

[22:2]  ⁶⁷ 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.

[23:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.

[23:1]  ⁶⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for it is destroyed, from a house, from entering.” The translation assumes that the mem (מ) on בַּיִת (bayit) was originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. This assumption allows one to take בַּיִת as the subject of the preceding verb. It is used in a metaphorical sense for the port city of Tyre. The preposition min (מִן) prefixed to בּוֹא (bo’) indicates negative consequence: “so that no one can enter.” See BDB 583 s.v. מִן 7.b.

[23:1]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “the Kittim,” a designation for the people of Cyprus. See HALOT 504-05 s.v. כִּתִּיִּים.

[24:15]  ⁷¹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “in the lights,” interpreted by some to mean “in the region of light,” referring to the east. Some scholars have suggested the emendation of בָּאֻרִים (ba’urim) to בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם (bÿ’iyyey hayyam, “along the seacoasts”), a phrase that is repeated in the next line. In this case, the two lines form synonymous parallelism. If one retains the MT reading (as above), “in the east” and “along the seacoasts” depict the two ends of the earth to refer to all the earth (as a merism).

[24:15]  ⁷² tn The word “extol” is supplied in the translation; the verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.

[24:15]  ⁷³ tn Heb “name,” which here stands for God’s reputation achieved by his mighty deeds.

[26:1]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “In that day” (so KJV).

[26:1]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:1]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “deliverance he makes walls and a rampart.”

[26:5]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[26:5]  ⁷⁸ tn The translation assumes that יַשְׁפִּילֶנָּה (yashpilennah) goes with the preceding words “an elevated town,” and that יַשְׁפִּילָהּ (yashpilah) belongs with the following words, “to the ground.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:469, n. 7.

[26:10]  ⁷⁹ tn As in verse 9b, the translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “they do not learn to live in a righteous manner.”

[26:10]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”

[26:14]  ⁸¹ sn In light of what is said in verse 14b, the “dead” here may be the “masters” mentioned in verse 13.

[26:14]  ⁸² tn The Hebrew term לָכֵן (lakhen) normally indicates a cause-effect relationship between what precedes and follows and is translated, “therefore.” Here, however, it infers the cause from the effect and brings out what is implicit in the previous statement. See BDB 487 s.v.

[26:14]  ⁸³ tn Heb “visited [for harm]” (cf. KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “you have punished.”

[27:4]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense. For other examples of a cohortative expressing resolve after a hypothetical statement introduced by נָתַן with מִי (miwith natan), see Judg 9:29; Jer 9:1-2; Ps 55:6.

[27:4]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense.

[29:4]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “from the ground” (so NIV, NCV).

[29:4]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and from the dust your word will be low.”

[29:4]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “and your voice will be like a ritual pit from the earth.” The Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19. Here the word is used metonymically for the voice that emerges from such a pit.

[29:4]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “and from the dust your word will chirp.” The words “as if muttering an incantation” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the parallelism and 8:19.

[29:14]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “Therefore I will again do something amazing with these people, an amazing deed, an amazing thing.” This probably refers to the amazing transformation predicted in vv. 17-24, which will follow the purifying judgment implied in vv. 15-16.

[29:14]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “the wisdom of their wise ones will perish, the discernment of their discerning ones will keep hidden.”

[30:33]  ⁹² tn Or “indeed.”

[30:33]  ⁹³ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for arranged from before [or “yesterday”] is [?].” The meaning of תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh), which occurs only here, is unknown. The translation above (as with most English versions) assumes an emendation to תֹּפֶת (tofet, “Topheth”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) and places the final hey (ה) on the beginning of the next word as an interrogative particle. Topheth was a place near Jerusalem used as a burial ground (see Jer 7:32; 19:11).

[30:33]  ⁹⁴ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Also it is made ready for the king, one makes it deep and wide.” If one takes the final hey (ה) on תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh) and prefixes it to גָּם (gam) as an interrogative particle (see the preceding note), one can translate, “Is it also made ready for the king?” In this case the question is rhetorical and expects an emphatic affirmative answer, “Of course it is!”

[30:33]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “its pile of wood, fire and wood one makes abundant.”

[30:33]  sn Apparently this alludes to some type of funeral rite.

[33:21]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “But there [as] a mighty one [will be] the Lord for us.”

[33:21]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “a place of rivers, streams wide of hands [i.e., on both sides].”

[33:21]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “a ship of rowing will not go into it.”

[33:21]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “and a mighty ship will not pass through it.”

[34:10]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “it will not be extinguished.”

[34:17]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “and he causes the lot to fall for them.” Once again the pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

[34:17]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “and his hand divides for them with a measuring line.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) now switches to masculine plural, referring to all the animals and birds mentioned in vv. 11-15, some of which were identified with masculine nouns. This signals closure for this portion of the speech, which began in v. 11. The following couplet (v. 17b) forms an inclusio with v. 11a through verbal repetition.

[34:17]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV); NCV “they will own that land forever.”

[37:3]  ¹⁰⁴ tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him” (cf. NRSV).

[37:3]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “rebuke” (KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “correction.”

[37:3]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “contempt”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “disgrace.”

[37:3]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”

[37:17]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “Hear all the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”

[40:10]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “comes as a strong one”; ASV “will come as a mighty one.” The preposition בְּ (bet) here carries the nuance “in the capacity of.” It indicates that the Lord possesses the quality expressed by the noun. See GKC 379 §119.i and HALOT 104 s.v. בְּ.

[40:10]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “his arm rules for him” (so NIV, NRSV). The Lord’s “arm” symbolizes his military power (see Isa 51:9-10; 63:5).

[40:10]  ¹¹¹ tn As the Lord returns to Jerusalem as a victorious warrior, he brings with him the spoils of victory, called here his “reward” and “prize.” These terms might also be translated “wages” and “recompense.” Verse 11 indicates that his rescued people, likened to a flock of sheep, are his reward.

[42:19]  ¹¹² tc The precise meaning of מְשֻׁלָּם (mÿshullam) in this context is uncertain. In later biblical Hebrew the form (which appears to be a Pual participle from the root שָׁלַם, shalam) occurs as a proper name, Meshullam. The Pual of שָׁלַם (“be complete”) is attested with the meaning “repaid, requited,” but that makes little sense here. BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלַם relates the form to the denominative verb שָׁלַם (“be at peace”) and paraphrases “one in a covenant of peace” (J. N. Oswalt suggests “the covenanted one”; Isaiah [NICOT], 2:128, n. 59) Some emend the form to מֹשְׁלָם (moshÿlam, “their ruler”) or to מְשֻׁלָּחִי (mÿshullakhi, “my sent [or “commissioned”] one”), which fits nicely in the parallelism (note “my messenger” in the previous line). The translation above assumes an emendation to כְּמוֹ שֹׁלְמִי (kÿmo sholÿmi, “like my ally”). Isaiah uses כְּמוֹ in 30:22 and perhaps 51:5; for שֹׁלְמי (“my ally”) see Ps 7:5 HT (7:4 ET).

[42:19]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like my messenger I send? Who is blind like my commissioned one, blind like the servant of the Lord?” The point of the rhetorical questions is that no one is as blind/deaf as this servant. In this context the Lord’s “servant” is exiled Israel (cf. 41:8-9), which is spiritually blind and deaf and has failed to fulfill God’s purpose for it. This servant stands in contrast to the ideal “Israel” of the servant songs.

[43:13]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “No one can oppose what I do.”

[43:19]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “sprouts up”; NASB “will spring forth.”

[43:19]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or “know” (KJV, ASV); NASB “be aware of”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “perceive.”

[43:19]  ¹¹⁷ tn The Hebrew texts has “streams,” probably under the influence of v. 20. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has נתיבות (“paths”).

[44:11]  ¹¹⁸ tn The pronoun “his” probably refers to the one who forms/casts an idol (v. 10), in which case it refers to the craftsman’s associates in the idol-manufacturing guild.

[44:11]  ¹¹⁹ sn The point seems to be this: If the idols are the mere products of human hands, then those who trust in them will be disappointed, for man-made gods are incapable of helping their “creators.”

[49:19]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “Indeed your ruins and your desolate places, and the land of your destruction.” This statement is abruptly terminated in the Hebrew text and left incomplete.

[50:7]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “Therefore I set my face like flint.”

[51:2]  ¹²² sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.

[51:2]  ¹²³ tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”

[51:2]  ¹²⁴ tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.

[51:2]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”

[51:12]  ¹²⁶ 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]  ¹²⁷ 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.

[51:19]  ¹²⁸ tc The Hebrew text has אֲנַחֲמֵךְ (’anakhamekh), a first person form, but the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads correctly יִנַחֲמֵךְ (yinakhamekh), a third person form.

[53:5]  ¹²⁹ tn The preposition מִן (min) has a causal sense (translated “because of”) here and in the following clause.

[53:5]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “the punishment of our peace [was] on him.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is here a genitive of result, i.e., “punishment that resulted in our peace.”

[53:5]  ¹³¹ sn Continuing to utilize the imagery of physical illness, the group acknowledges that the servant’s willingness to carry their illnesses (v. 4) resulted in their being healed. Healing is a metaphor for forgiveness here.

[55:10]  ¹³² tn This verse begins in the Hebrew text with כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר (ki ka’asher, “for, just as”), which is completed by כֵּן (ken, “so, in the same way”) at the beginning of v. 11. For stylistic reasons, this lengthy sentence is divided up into separate sentences in the translation.

[57:5]  ¹³³ tn Heb “inflame yourselves”; NRSV “burn with lust.” This verse alludes to the practice of ritual sex that accompanied pagan fertility rites.

[57:5]  ¹³⁴ sn This apparently alludes to the practice of child sacrifice (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).

[57:17]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “and I struck him, hiding, and I was angry.” פָּנַיִם (panayim, “face”) is the implied object of “hiding.”

[57:17]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “and he walked [as an] apostate in the way of his heart.”

[57:19]  ¹³⁷ 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]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “Peace, peace.” The repetition of the noun emphasizes degree.

[58:6]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[58:6]  ¹⁴⁰ tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:6]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “crushed.”

[59:2]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “and your sins have caused [his] face to be hidden from you so as not to hear.”

[59:5]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “that which is pressed in hatches [as] a snake.”

[59:8]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”

[59:8]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “their paths they make crooked, everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”

[59:12]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “for many are our rebellious deeds before you.”

[59:12]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] our rebellious deeds (are) with us, and our sins, we know them.”

[59:17]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “goodness.”

[59:17]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Or “a breastplate” (traditional; so many English versions); TEV “a coat of armour.”

[59:17]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “and [as] a helmet deliverance on his head.”

[59:17]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “and he puts on the clothes of vengeance [as] a garment.”

[60:16]  ¹⁵² sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.

[60:16]  ¹⁵³ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[60:16]  ¹⁵⁴ sn See 1:24 and 49:26.

[61:9]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”

[61:11]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Or perhaps, “righteousness,” but the context seems to emphasize deliverance and restoration (see v. 10 and 62:1).

[61:11]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “and praise before all the nations.”

[62:11]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so NASB, NRSV).

[62:11]  ¹⁵⁹ sn As v. 12 indicates, the returning exiles are the Lord’s reward/prize. See also 40:10 and the note there.

[64:2]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “to make known your name to your adversaries.” Perhaps the infinitive construct with preposition -לְ (lamed) should be construed with “come down” in v. 1a, or subordinated to the following line: “To make known your name to your adversaries, let the nations shake from before you.”

[64:9]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “do not remember sin continually.”

[64:9]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “Look, gaze at your people, all of us.” Another option is to translate, “Take a good look! We are all your people.”