Yesaya 1:16

1:16 ¹ Wash! Cleanse yourselves!

Remove your sinful deeds ² 

from my sight.

Stop sinning!

Yesaya 1:20

1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,

you will be devoured ³  by the sword.”

Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. ⁴ 

Yesaya 2:7

2:7 Their land is full of gold and silver;

there is no end to their wealth. ⁵ 

Their land is full of horses;

there is no end to their chariots. ⁶ 

Yesaya 8:16

8:16 Tie up the scroll as legal evidence, ⁷ 

seal the official record of God’s instructions and give it to my followers. ⁸ 

Yesaya 10:5

The Lord Turns on Arrogant Assyria

10:5 Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, ⁹ 

a cudgel with which I angrily punish. ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 11:3

11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord. ¹¹ 

He will not judge by mere appearances, ¹² 

or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. ¹³ 

Yesaya 13:5

13:5 They come from a distant land,

from the horizon. ¹⁴ 

It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment, ¹⁵ 

coming to destroy the whole earth. ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 14:3

14:3 When the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, ¹⁷  and from the hard labor which you were made to perform,

Yesaya 14:11

14:11 Your splendor ¹⁸  has been brought down to Sheol,

as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. ¹⁹ 

You lie on a bed of maggots,

with a blanket of worms over you. ²⁰ 

Yesaya 16:2

16:2 At the fords of the Arnon ²¹ 

the Moabite women are like a bird

that flies about when forced from its nest. ²² 

Yesaya 21:6

21:6 For this is what the sovereign master ²³  has told me:

“Go, post a guard!

He must report what he sees.

Yesaya 22:4

22:4 So I say:

“Don’t look at me! ²⁴ 

I am weeping bitterly.

Don’t try ²⁵  to console me

concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.” ²⁶ 

Yesaya 22:24

22:24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, ²⁷  including the offspring and the offshoots. ²⁸  All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.’ ²⁹ 

Yesaya 23:16

23:16 “Take the harp,

go through the city,

forgotten prostitute!

Play it well,

play lots of songs,

so you’ll be noticed!” ³⁰ 

Yesaya 24:21

The Lord Will Become King

24:21 At that time ³¹  the Lord will punish ³² 

the heavenly forces in the heavens ³³ 

and the earthly kings on the earth.

Yesaya 26:3

26:3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith,

for they trust in you. ³⁴ 

Yesaya 28:20

28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,

and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. ³⁵ 

Yesaya 29:2

29:2 I will threaten Ariel,

and she will mourn intensely

and become like an altar hearth ³⁶  before me.

Yesaya 32:9

The Lord Will Give True Security

32:9 You complacent ³⁷  women,

get up and listen to me!

You carefree ³⁸  daughters,

pay attention to what I say!

Yesaya 32:11

32:11 Tremble, you complacent ones!

Shake with fear, you carefree ones!

Strip off your clothes and expose yourselves –

put sackcloth on your waist! ³⁹ 

Yesaya 34:5

34:5 He says, ⁴⁰  “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. ⁴¹ 

Look, it now descends on Edom, ⁴² 

on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”

Yesaya 34:12

34:12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom

and all her officials will disappear. ⁴³ 

Yesaya 37:1

37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, ⁴⁴  he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple.

Yesaya 37:14

37:14 Hezekiah took the letter ⁴⁵  from the messengers and read it. ⁴⁶  Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord.

Yesaya 37:31

37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. ⁴⁷ 

Yesaya 37:34

37:34 He will go back the way he came –

he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.

Yesaya 38:10-11

38:10 “I thought, ⁴⁸ 

‘In the middle of my life ⁴⁹  I must walk through the gates of Sheol,

I am deprived ⁵⁰  of the rest of my years.’

38:11 “I thought,

‘I will no longer see the Lord ⁵¹  in the land of the living,

I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world. ⁵² 

Yesaya 38:22

38:22 Hezekiah said, “What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the Lord’s temple?”

Yesaya 40:17

40:17 All the nations are insignificant before him;

they are regarded as absolutely nothing. ⁵³ 

Yesaya 45:17

45:17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the Lord; ⁵⁴ 

you will never again be ashamed or humiliated. ⁵⁵ 

Yesaya 46:2

46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down;

they are unable to rescue the images; ⁵⁶ 

they themselves ⁵⁷  head off into captivity. ⁵⁸ 

Yesaya 51:14

51:14 The one who suffers ⁵⁹  will soon be released;

he will not die in prison, ⁶⁰ 

he will not go hungry. ⁶¹ 

Yesaya 52:3

52:3 For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,

and you will not be redeemed for money.”

Yesaya 59:20

59:20 “A protector ⁶²  comes to Zion,

to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,” ⁶³  says the Lord.

Yesaya 62:3

62:3 You will be a majestic crown in the hand of the Lord,

a royal turban in the hand of your God.

[1:16]  ¹ sn Having demonstrated the people’s guilt, the Lord calls them to repentance, which will involve concrete action in the socio-economic realm, not mere emotion.

[1:16]  ² sn This phrase refers to Israel’s covenant treachery (cf. Deut 28:10; Jer 4:4; 21:12; 23:2, 22; 25:5; 26:3; 44:22; Hos 9:15; Ps 28:4). In general, the noun ַמעַלְלֵיכֶם (ma’alleykhem) can simply be a reference to deeds, whether good or bad. However, Isaiah always uses it with a negative connotation (cf. 3:8, 10).

[1:20]  ³ sn The wordplay in the Hebrew draws attention to the options. The people can obey, in which case they will “eat” v. 19 (תֹּאכֵלוּ [to’khelu], Qal active participle of אָכַל) God’s blessing, or they can disobey, in which case they will be devoured (Heb “eaten,” תְּאֻכְּלוּ, [tÿ’ukkÿlu], Qal passive/Pual of אָכַל) by God’s judgment.

[1:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the option chosen by the people will become reality (it is guaranteed by the divine word).

[2:7]  ⁵ tn Or “treasuries”; KJV “treasures.”

[2:7]  ⁶ sn Judah’s royal bureaucracy had accumulated great wealth and military might, in violation of Deut 17:16-17.

[8:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “tie up [the] testimony.” The “testimony” probably refers to the prophetic messages God has given him. When the prophecies are fulfilled, he will be able to produce this official, written record to confirm the authenticity of his ministry and to prove to the people that God is sovereign over events.

[8:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “seal [the] instruction among my followers.” The “instruction” probably refers to the prophet’s exhortations and warnings. When the people are judged for the sins, the prophet can produce these earlier messages and essentially say, “I told you so.” In this way he can authenticate his ministry and impress upon the people the reality of God’s authority over them.

[10:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “Woe [to] Assyria, the club of my anger.” On הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) see the note on the first phrase of 1:4.

[10:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a cudgel is he, in their hand is my anger.” It seems likely that the final mem (ם) on בְיָדָם (bÿyadam) is not a pronominal suffix (“in their hand”), but an enclitic mem. If so, one can translate literally, “a cudgel is he in the hand of my anger.”

[11:3]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his smelling is in the fear of the Lord.” In Amos 5:21 the Hiphil of רוּחַ (ruakh, “smell”) carries the nuance of “smell with delight, get pleasure from.” There the Lord declares that he does not “smell with delight” (i.e., get pleasure from) Israel’s religious assemblies, which probably stand by metonymy for the incense offered during these festivals. In Isa 11:3 there is no sacrificial context to suggest such a use, but it is possible that “the fear of the Lord” is likened to incense. This coming king will get the same kind of delight from obeying (fearing) the Lord, as a deity does in the incense offered by worshipers. Some regard such an explanation as strained in this context, and prefer to omit this line from the text as a virtual dittograph of the preceding statement.

[11:3]  ¹² tn Heb “by what appears to his eyes”; KJV “after the sight of his eyes”; NIV “by what he sees with his eyes.”

[11:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “by what is heard by his ears”; NRSV “by what his ears hear.”

[13:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from the end of the sky.”

[13:5]  ¹⁵ tn Or “anger”; cf. KJV, ASV “the weapons of his indignation.”

[13:5]  ¹⁶ tn Or perhaps, “land” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT). Even though the heading and subsequent context (see v. 17) indicate Babylon’s judgment is in view, the chapter has a cosmic flavor that suggests that the coming judgment is universal in scope. Perhaps Babylon’s downfall occurs in conjunction with a wider judgment, or the cosmic style is poetic hyperbole used to emphasize the magnitude and importance of the coming event.

[14:3]  ¹⁷ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[14:11]  ¹⁸ tn Or “pride” (NCV, CEV); KJV, NIV, NRSV “pomp.”

[14:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or “harps” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[14:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “under you maggots are spread out, and worms are your cover.”

[16:2]  ²¹ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[16:2]  ²² tn Heb “like a bird fleeing, thrust away [from] a nest, the daughters of Moab are [at] the fords of Arnon.”

[21:6]  ²³ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[22:4]  ²⁴ tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[22:4]  ²⁵ tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).

[22:4]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the daughter of my people.” “Daughter” is here used metaphorically to express the speaker’s emotional attachment to his people, as well as their vulnerability and weakness.

[22:24]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and all the glory of the house of his father they will hang on him.” The Lord returns to the peg metaphor of v. 23a. Eliakim’s secure position of honor will bring benefits and jobs to many others in the family.

[22:24]  ²⁸ tn The precise meaning and derivation of this word are uncertain. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “the issue”; CEV “relatives.”

[22:24]  ²⁹ tn Heb “all the small vessels, from the vessels that are bowls to all the vessels that are jars.” The picture is that of a single peg holding the weight of all kinds of containers hung from it.

[23:16]  ³⁰ tn Heb “so you will be remembered.”

[24:21]  ³¹ tn Or “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[24:21]  ³² tn Heb “visit [in judgment].”

[24:21]  ³³ tn Heb “the host of the height in the height.” The “host of the height/heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13).

[26:3]  ³⁴ tn Heb “[one of] firm purpose you will keep [in] peace, peace, for in you he possesses trust.” The Hebrew term יֵצֶר (yetser) refers to what one devises in the mind; סָמוּךְ (samukh) probably functions here like an attributive adjective and carries the nuance “firm.” So the phrase literally means, “a firm purpose,” but as the object of the verb “keep, guard,” it must stand by metonymy for the one(s) who possess a firm purpose. In this context the “righteous nation” (v. 2) is probably in view and the “firm purpose” refers to their unwavering faith in God’s vindication (see 25:9). In this context שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”), which is repeated for emphasis, likely refers to national security, not emotional or psychological composure (see vv. 1-2). The passive participle בָּטוּחַ (batuakh) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action.

[28:20]  ³⁵ sn The bed and blanket probably symbolize their false sense of security. A bed that is too short and a blanket that is too narrow may promise rest and protection from the cold, but in the end they are useless and disappointing. In the same way, their supposed treaty with death will prove useless and disappointing.

[29:2]  ³⁶ tn The term אֲרִיאֵל (’ari’el, “Ariel”) is the word translated “altar hearth” here. The point of the simile is not entirely clear. Perhaps the image likens Jerusalem’s coming crisis to a sacrificial fire.

[32:9]  ³⁷ tn Or “self-assured”; NASB, NRSV “who are at ease.”

[32:9]  ³⁸ tn Or “self-confident”; NAB “overconfident.”

[32:11]  ³⁹ tn The imperatival forms in v. 11 are problematic. The first (חִרְדוּ, khirdu, “tremble”) is masculine plural in form, though spoken to a feminine plural addressee (שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת, sha’anannot, “complacent ones”). The four imperatival forms that follow (רְגָזָה, rÿgazah, “shake with fear”; פְּשֹׁטָה, pÿshotah, “strip off your clothes”; עֹרָה, ’orah, “expose yourselves”; and חֲגוֹרָה, khagorah, “put on”) all appear to be lengthened (so-called “emphatic”) masculine singular forms, even though they too appear to be spoken to a feminine plural addressee. GKC 131-32 §48.i suggests emending חִרְדוּ (khirdu) to חֲרָדָה (kharadah) and understanding all five imperatives as feminine plural “aramaized” forms.

[34:5]  ⁴⁰ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.

[34:5]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”

[34:5]  sn In v. 4 the “host of the heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13). As in 24:21, they are viewed here as opposing God and being defeated in battle.

[34:5]  ⁴² sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.

[34:12]  ⁴³ tn Heb “will be nothing”; NCV, TEV, NLT “will all be gone.”

[37:1]  ⁴⁴ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[37:14]  ⁴⁵ tc The Hebrew text has the plural, “letters.” The final mem (ם) may be dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular. If so, one still has to deal with the yod that is part of the plural ending. J. N. Oswalt refers to various commentators who have suggested ways to understand the plural form (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:652).

[37:14]  ⁴⁶ tn In the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:14 the verb has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”).

[37:31]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”

[38:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “I said” (KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[38:10]  ⁴⁹ tn The precise meaning of the phrase בִּדְמִי יָמַי (bidmi yamay, “in the [?] of my days”) is uncertain. According to HALOT 226 s.v. דְּמִי this word is a hapax legomenon meaning “half.” Others derive the form from דַּמִי (dami, “quiet, rest, peacefulness”).

[38:10]  ⁵⁰ tn The precise meaning of the verb is uncertain. The Pual of of פָּקַד (paqad) occurs only here and in Exod 38:21, where it appears to mean “passed in review” or “mustered.” Perhaps the idea is, “I have been called away for the remainder of my years.” To bring out the sense more clearly, one can translate, “I am deprived of the rest of my years.”

[38:11]  ⁵¹ tn The Hebrew text has יָהּ יָהּ (yah yah, the abbreviated form of יְהוָה [yÿhvah] repeated), but this is probably a corruption of יְהוָה.

[38:11]  ⁵² tc The Hebrew text has חָדֶל (khadel), which appears to be derived from a verbal root meaning “to cease, refrain.” But the form has probably suffered an error of transmission; the original form (attested in a few medieval Hebrew mss) was likely חֶלֶד (kheled, “world”).

[40:17]  ⁵³ tn Heb “[as derived] from nothing and unformed.”

[45:17]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “Israel will be delivered by the Lord [with] a permanent deliverance.”

[45:17]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “you will not be ashamed and you will not be humiliated for ages of future time.”

[46:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “[the] burden,” i.e., their images, the heavy burden carried by the animals.

[46:2]  ⁵⁷ tn נַפְשָׁם (nafsham, “their souls/lives”) is equivalent here to a third masculine plural suffix, but the third feminine singular verb הָלָכָה (halakhah, “they go”) agrees with the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, life”).

[46:2]  ⁵⁸ sn The downfall of Babylon is depicted here. The idols are carried off by the victorious enemy; the gods are likened to defeated captives who cower before the enemy and are taken into exile.

[51:14]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “who is stooped over” (under a burden).

[51:14]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “the pit” (so KJV); ASV, NAB “die and go down into the pit”; NASB, NIV “dungeon”; NCV “prison.”

[51:14]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “he will not lack his bread.”

[59:20]  ⁶² tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[59:20]  ⁶³ tn Heb “and to those who turn from rebellion in Jacob.”