Yesaya 1:18

1:18 ¹ Come, let’s consider your options,” ²  says the Lord.

“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,

you can become ³  white like snow;

though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,

you can become ⁴  white like wool. ⁵ 

Yesaya 5:13

5:13 Therefore my ⁶  people will be deported ⁷ 

because of their lack of understanding.

Their ⁸  leaders will have nothing to eat, ⁹ 

their ¹⁰  masses will have nothing to drink. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 8:7

8:7 So look, the sovereign master ¹²  is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River ¹³  – the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage and overflow its banks. ¹⁴ 

Yesaya 8:14

8:14 He will become a sanctuary, ¹⁵ 

but a stone that makes a person trip,

and a rock that makes one stumble –

to the two houses of Israel. ¹⁶ 

He will become ¹⁷  a trap and a snare

to the residents of Jerusalem. ¹⁸ 

Yesaya 10:26

10:26 The Lord who commands armies is about to beat them ¹⁹  with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. ²⁰  He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt. ²¹ 

Yesaya 14:30

14:30 The poor will graze in my pastures; ²² 

the needy will rest securely.

But I will kill your root by famine;

it will put to death all your survivors. ²³ 

Yesaya 15:5

15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, ²⁴ 

and for the fugitives ²⁵  stretched out ²⁶  as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah.

For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith;

they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim. ²⁷ 

Yesaya 41:16

41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;

the wind will scatter them.

You will rejoice in the Lord;

you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

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? ²⁸ 

Yesaya 56:1

The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote ²⁹  justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly. ³⁰ 

Yesaya 56:4

56:4 For this is what the Lord says:

“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths

and choose what pleases me

and are faithful to ³¹  my covenant,

Yesaya 60:18-19

60:18 Sounds of violence ³²  will no longer be heard in your land,

or the sounds of ³³  destruction and devastation within your borders.

You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’

and your gates, ‘Praise.’

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. ³⁴ 

Yesaya 66:23

66:23 From one month ³⁵  to the next and from one Sabbath to the next, all people ³⁶  will come to worship me,” ³⁷  says the Lord.

[1:18]  ¹ sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).

[1:18]  ² tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.

[1:18]  ³ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ⁴ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.

[5:13]  ⁶ sn It is not certain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking at this point.

[5:13]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”

[5:13]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”

[5:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and their masses will be parched [by] thirst.”

[8:7]  ¹² tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[8:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “the mighty and abundant waters of the river.” The referent of “the river” here, the Euphrates River, has been specified in the translation for clarity. As the immediately following words indicate, these waters symbolize the Assyrian king and his armies which will, as it were, inundate the land.

[8:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “it will go up over all its stream beds and go over all its banks.”

[8:14]  ¹⁵ tn Because the metaphor of protection (“sanctuary”) does not fit the negative mood that follows in vv. 14b-15, some contend that מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “sanctuary”) is probably a corruption of an original מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), a word that appears in the next line (cf. NAB and H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:355-56). If the MT reading is retained (as in the above translation), the fact that Yahweh is a sanctuary wraps up the point of v. 13 and stands in contrast to God’s treatment of those who rebel against him (the rest of v. 14).

[8:14]  ¹⁶ sn The two “houses” of Israel (= the patriarch Jacob) are the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

[8:14]  ¹⁷ tn These words are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. וְהָיָה (vÿhayah, “and he will be”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.

[8:14]  ¹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:26]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “him” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); the singular refers to the leader or king who stands for the entire nation. This is specified by NCV, CEV as “the Assyrians.”

[10:26]  ²⁰ sn According to Judg 7:25, the Ephraimites executed the Midianite general Oreb at a rock which was subsequently named after the executed enemy.

[10:26]  ²¹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his staff [will be] against the sea, and he will lift it in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.” If the text is retained, “the sea” symbolizes Assyria’s hostility, the metaphor being introduced because of the reference to Egypt. The translation above assumes an emendation of עַל הַיָּם (’al hayyam, “against the sea”) to עַלֵיהֶם (’alehem, “against them”). The proposed shift from the third singular pronoun (note “beat him” earlier in the verse) to the plural is not problematic, for the singular is collective. Note that a third plural pronoun is used at the end of v. 25 (“their destruction”). The final phrase, “in the way/manner of Egypt,” probably refers to the way in which God used the staff of Moses to bring judgment down on Egypt.

[14:30]  ²² tc The Hebrew text has, “the firstborn of the poor will graze.” “Firstborn” may be used here in an idiomatic sense to indicate the very poorest of the poor. See BDB 114 s.v. בְּכוֹר. The translation above assumes an emendation of בְּכוֹרֵי (bÿkhorey, “firstborn of”) to בְּכָרַי (bekharay, “in my pastures”).

[14:30]  ²³ tn Heb “your remnant” (so NAB, NRSV).

[15:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?, see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.

[15:5]  ²⁵ tn The vocalization of the Hebrew text suggests “the bars of her gates,” but the form should be repointed to yield, “her fugitives.” See HALOT 156-57 s.v. בָּרִחַ, and BDB 138 s.v. בָּרִיהַ.

[15:5]  ²⁶ tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:5]  ²⁷ tn Heb “For the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up it; for [on] the road to Horonaim an outcry over shattering they raise up.”

[51:19]  ²⁸ 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.

[56:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.”

[56:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.”

[56:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “and take hold of” (so KJV); NASB “hold fast.”

[60:18]  ³² tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:18]  ³³ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:19]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”

[66:23]  ³⁵ tn Heb “new moon.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[66:23]  ³⁶ tn Heb “all flesh” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NAB, NASB, NIV “all mankind”; NLT “All humanity.”

[66:23]  ³⁷ tn Or “bow down before” (NASB).