Yesaya 2:4

2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;

he will settle cases for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares, ¹ 

and their spears into pruning hooks. ² 

Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,

and they will no longer train for war.

Yesaya 2:6

The Lord’s Day of Judgment

2:6 Indeed, O Lord, ³  you have abandoned your people,

the descendants of Jacob.

For diviners from the east are everywhere; ⁴ 

they consult omen readers like the Philistines do. ⁵ 

Plenty of foreigners are around. ⁶ 

Yesaya 8:19

Darkness Turns to Light as an Ideal King Arrives

8:19 ⁷ They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations. ⁸  Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?” ⁹ 

Yesaya 25:4

25:4 For you are a protector for the poor,

a protector for the needy in their distress,

a shelter from the rainstorm,

a shade from the heat.

Though the breath of tyrants ¹⁰  is like a winter rainstorm, ¹¹ 

Yesaya 29:23

29:23 For when they see their children,

whom I will produce among them, ¹² 

they will honor ¹³  my name.

They will honor the Holy One of Jacob; ¹⁴ 

they will respect ¹⁵  the God of Israel.

Yesaya 30:6

30:6 This is a message ¹⁶  about the animals in the Negev:

Through a land of distress and danger,

inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, ¹⁷ 

by snakes and darting adders, ¹⁸ 

they transport ¹⁹  their wealth on the backs of donkeys,

their riches on the humps of camels,

to a nation that cannot help them. ²⁰ 

Yesaya 33:14

33:14 Sinners are afraid in Zion;

panic ²¹  grips the godless. ²² 

They say, ²³  ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire?

Who among us can coexist with unquenchable ²⁴  fire?’

Yesaya 40:9

40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion!

Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! ²⁵ 

Shout, don’t be afraid!

Say to the towns of Judah,

“Here is your God!”

Yesaya 40:26

40:26 Look up at the sky! ²⁶ 

Who created all these heavenly lights? ²⁷ 

He is the one who leads out their ranks; ²⁸ 

he calls them all by name.

Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,

not one of them is missing.

Yesaya 42:22

42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;

all of them are trapped in pits ²⁹ 

and held captive ³⁰  in prisons.

They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;

they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” ³¹ 

Yesaya 44:8

44:8 Don’t panic! Don’t be afraid! ³² 

Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?

You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me?

There is no other sheltering rock; ³³  I know of none.

Yesaya 45:20

45:20 Gather together and come!

Approach together, you refugees from the nations!

Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,

those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.

Yesaya 49:2

49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,

he hid me in the hollow of his hand;

he made me like a sharpened ³⁴  arrow,

he hid me in his quiver. ³⁵ 

Yesaya 49:6

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant ³⁶  of Israel? ³⁷ 

I will make you a light to the nations, ³⁸ 

so you can bring ³⁹  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

Yesaya 50:11

50:11 Look, all of you who start a fire

and who equip yourselves with ⁴⁰  flaming arrows, ⁴¹ 

walk ⁴²  in the light ⁴³  of the fire you started

and among the flaming arrows you ignited! ⁴⁴ 

This is what you will receive from me: ⁴⁵ 

you will lie down in a place of pain. ⁴⁶ 

Yesaya 57:11

57:11 Whom are you worried about?

Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully

and not remember me

or think about me? ⁴⁷ 

Because I have been silent for so long, ⁴⁸ 

you are not afraid of me. ⁴⁹ 

Yesaya 58:2

58:2 They seek me day after day;

they want to know my requirements, ⁵⁰ 

like a nation that does what is right

and does not reject the law of their God.

They ask me for just decrees;

they want to be near God.

Yesaya 60:7

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ⁵¹ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ⁵² 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

Yesaya 63:9

63:9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. ⁵³ 

The messenger sent from his very presence ⁵⁴  delivered them.

In his love and mercy he protected ⁵⁵  them;

he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times. ⁵⁶ 

[2:4]  ¹ sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.

[2:4]  ² sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.

[2:6]  ³ tn The words “O Lord” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Isaiah addresses the Lord in prayer.

[2:6]  ⁴ tc Heb “they are full from the east.” Various scholars retain the BHS reading and suggest that the prophet makes a general statement concerning Israel’s reliance on foreign customs (J. Watts, Isaiah [WBC], 1:32; J. de Waard, Isaiah, 12-13). Nevertheless, it appears that a word is missing. Based on the parallelism (note “omen readers” in 5:6c), many suggest that קֹסְמִים (qosÿmim, “diviners”) or מִקְסָם (miqsam, “divination”) has been accidentally omitted. Homoioteleuton could account for the omission of an original קֹסְמִים (note how this word and the following מִקֶּדֶם [miqqedem, “from the east”] both end in mem); an original מִקְסָם could have fallen out by homoioarcton (note how this word and the following מִקֶּדֶם both begin with mem).

[2:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “and omen readers like the Philistines.” Through this line and the preceding, the prophet contends that Israel has heavily borrowed the pagan practices of the east and west (in violation of Lev 19:26; Deut 18:9-14).

[2:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “and with the children of foreigners they [?].” The precise meaning of the final word is uncertain. Some take this verb (I שָׂפַק, safaq) to mean “slap,” supply the object “hands,” and translate, “they slap [hands] with foreigners”; HALOT 1349 s.v. I שׂפק. This could be a reference to foreign alliances. This translation has two disadvantages: It requires the conjectural insertion of “hands” and the use of this verb with its object prefixed with a בְּ (bet) preposition with this meaning does not occur elsewhere. The other uses of this verb refer to clapping at someone, an indication of hostility. The translation above assumes the verb is derived from II שׂפק (“to suffice,” attested in the Qal in 1 Kgs 20:10; HALOT 1349 s.v. II שׂפק). In this case the point is that a sufficient number of foreigners (in this case, too many!) live in the land. The disadvantage of this option is that the preposition prefixed to “the children of foreigners” does not occur with this verb elsewhere. The chosen translation is preferred since it continues the idea of abundant foreign influence and does not require a conjectural insertion or emendation.

[8:19]  ⁷ tn It is uncertain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking in vv. 19-22. If the latter, then vv. 19-22 resume the speech recorded in vv. 12-15, after the prophet’s response in vv. 16-18.

[8:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “inquire of the ritual pits and of the magicians who chirp and mutter.” The Hebrew word אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a אוֹב-בַּעֲלַת (ba’alat-’ov, “owner of a ritual pit”). See H. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401.

[8:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “Should a nation not inquire of its gods on behalf of the living, (by inquiring) of the dead?” These words appear to be a continuation of the quotation begun in the first part of the verse. אֱלֹהָיו (’elohayv) may be translated “its gods” or “its God.” Some take the second half of the verse as the prophet’s (or the Lord’s) rebuke of the people who advise seeking oracles at the ritual pits, but in this case the words “the dead on behalf of the living” are difficult to explain.

[25:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; NIV, NRSV “the ruthless.”

[25:4]  ¹¹ tc The Hebrew text has, “like a rainstorm of a wall,” which might be interpreted to mean, “like a rainstorm battering against a wall.” The translation assumes an emendation of קִיר (qir, “wall”) to קֹר (qor, “cold, winter”; cf. Gen 8:22). See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:457, n. 6, for discussion.

[29:23]  ¹² tn Heb “for when he sees his children, the work of my hands in his midst.”

[29:23]  ¹³ tn Or “treat as holy” (also in the following line); NASB, NRSV “will sanctify.”

[29:23]  ¹⁴ sn Holy One of Jacob is similar to the phrase “Holy One of Israel” common throughout Isaiah; see the sn at Isa 1:4.

[29:23]  ¹⁵ tn Or “fear,” in the sense of “stand in awe of.”

[30:6]  ¹⁶ tn Traditionally, “burden” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “oracle.”

[30:6]  ¹⁷ tc Heb “[a land of] a lioness and a lion, from them.” Some emend מֵהֶם (mehem, “from them”) to מֵהֵם (mehem), an otherwise unattested Hiphil participle from הָמַם (hamam, “move noisily”). Perhaps it would be better to take the initial mem (מ) as enclitic and emend the form to הֹמֶה (homeh), a Qal active participle from הָמָה (hamah, “to make a noise”); cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:542, n. 9.

[30:6]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “flying fiery one.” See the note at 14:29.

[30:6]  ¹⁹ tn Or “carry” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[30:6]  ²⁰ sn This verse describes messengers from Judah transporting wealth to Egypt in order to buy Pharaoh’s protection through a treaty.

[33:14]  ²¹ tn Or “trembling” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “shake with fear.”

[33:14]  ²² tn Or “the defiled”; TEV “The sinful people of Zion”; NLT “The sinners in Jerusalem.”

[33:14]  ²³ tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[33:14]  ²⁴ tn Or “perpetual”; or “everlasting” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[40:9]  ²⁵ tn The second feminine singular imperatives are addressed to personified Zion/Jerusalem, who is here told to ascend a high hill and proclaim the good news of the Lord’s return to the other towns of Judah. Isa 41:27 and 52:7 speak of a herald sent to Zion, but the masculine singular form מְבַשֵּׂר (mÿvaser) is used in these verses, in contrast to the feminine singular form מְבַשֶּׂרֶת (mÿvaseret) employed in 40:9, where Zion is addressed as a herald.

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

[40:26]  ²⁷ tn The words “heavenly lights” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the following lines.

[40:26]  ²⁸ 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.”)

[42:22]  ²⁹ tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).

[42:22]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”

[42:22]  ³¹ tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”

[44:8]  ³² tn BDB 923 s.v. רָהָה derives this verb from an otherwise unattested root, while HALOT 403 s.v. יָרָה defines it as “be stupefied” on the basis of an Arabic cognate. The form is likely a corruption of תיראו, the reading attested in the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a.

[44:8]  ³³ tn Heb “rock” or “rocky cliff,” a title that depicts God as a protective refuge in his role as sovereign king; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”

[49:2]  ³⁴ tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”

[49:2]  ³⁵ sn The figurative language emphasizes the servant’s importance as the Lord’s effective instrument. The servant’s mouth, which stands metonymically for his words, is compared to a sharp sword because he will be an effective spokesman on God’s behalf (see 50:4). The Lord holds his hand on the servant, ready to draw and use him at the appropriate time. The servant is like a sharpened arrow reserved in a quiver for just the right moment.

[49:6]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”

[49:6]  ³⁷ sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.

[49:6]  ³⁸ tn See the note at 42:6.

[49:6]  ³⁹ tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”

[50:11]  ⁴⁰ tc Several more recent commentators have proposed an emendation of מְאַזְּרֵי (mÿ’azzÿre, “who put on”) to מְאִירִי (mÿ’iri, “who light”). However, both Qumran scrolls of Isaiah and the Vulgate support the MT reading (cf. NIV, ESV).

[50:11]  ⁴¹ tn On the meaning of זִיקוֹת (ziqot, “flaming arrows”), see HALOT 268 s.v. זִיקוֹת.

[50:11]  ⁴² tn The imperative is probably rhetorical and has a predictive force.

[50:11]  ⁴³ tn Or perhaps, “flame” (so ASV).

[50:11]  ⁴⁴ sn Perhaps the servant here speaks to his enemies and warns them that they will self-destruct.

[50:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “from my hand” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[50:11]  ⁴⁶ sn The imagery may be that of a person who becomes ill and is forced to lie down in pain on a sickbed. Some see this as an allusion to a fiery place of damnation because of the imagery employed earlier in the verse.

[57:11]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”

[57:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”

[57:11]  ⁴⁹ sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.

[58:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “ways” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV); NLT “my laws.”

[60:7]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.

[60:7]  ⁵² tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).

[63:9]  ⁵³ tn Heb “in all their distress, there was distress to him” (reading לוֹ [lo] with the margin/Qere).

[63:9]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “the messenger [or “angel”] of his face”; NIV “the angel of his presence.”

[63:9]  sn This may refer to the “angel of God” mentioned in Exod 14:19, who in turn may be identical to the divine “presence” (literally, “face”) referred to in Exod 33:14-15 and Deut 4:37. Here in Isa 63 this messenger may be equated with God’s “holy Spirit” (see vv. 10-11) and “the Spirit of the Lord” (v. 14). See also Ps 139:7, where God’s “Spirit” seems to be equated with his “presence” (literally, “face”) in the synonymous parallelistic structure.

[63:9]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “redeemed” (KJV, NAB, NIV), or “delivered.”

[63:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “all the days of antiquity”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “days of old.”