23:13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans,
these people who have lost their identity! 1
The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals.
They erected their siege towers, 2
demolished 3 its fortresses,
and turned it into a heap of ruins. 4
25:1 O Lord, you are my God! 5
I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. 6
For you have done extraordinary things,
and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. 7
25:2 Indeed, 8 you have made the city 9 into a heap of rubble,
the fortified town into a heap of ruins;
the fortress of foreigners 10 is no longer a city,
it will never be rebuilt.
27:11 When its branches get brittle, 11 they break;
women come and use them for kindling. 12
For these people lack understanding, 13
therefore the one who made them has no compassion on them;
the one who formed them has no mercy on them.
29:13 The sovereign master 14 says,
“These people say they are loyal to me; 15
they say wonderful things about me, 16
but they are not really loyal to me. 17
Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual. 18
29:16 Your thinking is perverse! 19
Should the potter be regarded as clay? 20
Should the thing made say 21 about its maker, “He didn’t make me”?
Or should the pottery say about the potter, “He doesn’t understand”?
30:33 For 22 the burial place is already prepared; 23
it has been made deep and wide for the king. 24
The firewood is piled high on it. 25
The Lord’s breath, like a stream flowing with brimstone,
will ignite it.
31:3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God;
their horses are made of flesh, not spirit.
The Lord will strike with 26 his hand;
the one who helps will stumble
and the one being helped will fall.
Together they will perish. 27
40:2 “Speak kindly to 30 Jerusalem, 31 and tell her
that her time of warfare is over, 32
that her punishment is completed. 33
For the Lord has made her pay double 34 for all her sins.”
40:21 Do you not know?
Do you not hear?
Has it not been told to you since the very beginning?
Have you not understood from the time the earth’s foundations were made?
43:24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds; 35
you did not present to me 36 the fat of your sacrifices.
Yet you burdened me with your sins;
you made me weary with your evil deeds. 37
44:2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says –
the one who formed you in the womb and helps you:
“Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,
Jeshurun, 38 whom I have chosen!
44:24 This is what the Lord, your protector, 39 says,
the one who formed you in the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made everything,
who alone stretched out the sky,
who fashioned the earth all by myself, 40
45:12 I made the earth,
I created the people who live 41 on it.
It was me – my hands 42 stretched out the sky, 43
I give orders to all the heavenly lights. 44
46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, 45
even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.
I made you and I will support you;
I will carry you and rescue you. 46
51:23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors 47
who said to you, ‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’
You made your back like the ground,
and like the street for those who walked over you.”
53:10 Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill,
once restitution is made, 48
he will see descendants and enjoy long life, 49
and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.
54:5 For your husband is the one who made you –
the Lord who commands armies is his name.
He is your protector, 50 the Holy One of Israel. 51
He is called “God of the entire earth.”
55:3 Pay attention and come to me!
Listen, so you can live! 52
Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to 53 you,
just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. 54
65:1 “I made myself available to those who did not ask for me; 55
I appeared to those who did not look for me. 56
I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
to a nation that did not invoke 57 my name.
66:2 My hand made them; 58
that is how they came to be,” 59 says the Lord.
I show special favor 60 to the humble and contrite,
who respect what I have to say. 61
1 tn Heb “this people [that] is not.”
2 tn For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 118 s.v. *בַּחוּן.
3 tn Or “laid bare.” For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 889 s.v. ערר.
4 sn This verse probably refers to the Assyrian destruction of Babylon.
5 sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.
6 tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.
7 tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.
8 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
9 tn The Hebrew text has “you have made from the city.” The prefixed mem (מ) on עִיר (’ir, “city”) was probably originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:456, n. 3.
10 tc Some with support from the LXX emend זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”) to זֵדִים (zedim, “the insolent”).
11 tn Heb “are dry” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
12 tn Heb “women come [and] light it.” The city is likened to a dead tree with dried up branches that is only good for firewood.
13 tn Heb “for not a people of understanding [is] he.”
14 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
15 tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”
16 tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”
17 tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.
18 tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”
19 tn Heb “your overturning.” The predicate is suppressed in this exclamation. The idea is, “O your perversity! How great it is!” See GKC 470 §147.c. The people “overturn” all logic by thinking their authority supersedes God’s.
20 tn The expected answer to this rhetorical question is “of course not.” On the interrogative use of אִם (’im), see BDB 50 s.v.
21 tn Heb “that the thing made should say.”
22 tn Or “indeed.”
23 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).
24 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!”
25 tn Heb “its pile of wood, fire and wood one makes abundant.”
sn Apparently this alludes to some type of funeral rite.
26 tn Heb “will extend”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV “stretch out.”
27 tn Heb “together all of them will come to an end.”
28 sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.
29 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
30 tn Heb “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is personified as a woman.
31 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
32 tn Heb “that she is filled [with] her warfare.” Some understand צָבָא (tsavah, “warfare”) as meaning “hard service” or “compulsory labor” in this context.
33 tn Heb “that her punishment is accepted [as satisfactory].”
34 tn Heb “for she has received from the hand of the Lord double.” The principle of the double portion in punishment is also seen in Jer 16:18; 17:18 and Rev 18:6. For examples of the double portion in Israelite law, see Exod 22:4, 7, 9 (double restitution by a thief) and Deut 21:17 (double inheritance portion for the firstborn).
35 tn That is, “calamus” (so NIV); NCV, TEV, NLT “incense”; CEV “spices.”
36 tn Heb “you did not saturate me”; NASB “Neither have you filled Me.”
37 sn In vv. 22-24 the Lord appears to be condemning his people for failure to bring the proper sacrifices. However, this is problematic. If this refers to the nation’s behavior while in exile, such cultic service was impossible and could hardly be expected by the Lord. If this refers to the nation’s conduct before the exile, it contradicts other passages that depict Israel as bringing excessive sacrifices (see, e.g., Isa 1:11-14; Jer 6:20; Amos 4:4-5, 5:21-23). Rather than being a condemnation of Israel’s failure to bring sacrifices, these verses are better taken as a highly rhetorical comment on the worthlessness of Israel’s religious ritual. They may have brought sacrifices, but not to the Lord, for he did not accept them or even want them. See C. R. North, Second Isaiah, 127, and R. Whybray, Isaiah 40-66 (NCBC), 91.
38 sn Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel; it occurs here and in Deut 32:15; 33:5, 26.
39 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
40 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “Who [was] with me?” The marginal reading (Qere) is “from with me,” i.e., “by myself.” See BDB 87 s.v. II אֵת 4.c.
41 tn The words “who live” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
42 tn Heb “I, even my hands”; NASB “I stretched out…with My hands”; NRSV “it was my hands that stretched out.” The same construction occurs at the beginning of v. 13.
43 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
44 tn Heb “and to all their host I commanded.” See the notes at 40:26.
45 tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”
46 sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.
47 tn That is, to make them drink it.
48 tn The meaning of this line is uncertain. It reads literally, “if you/she makes, a reparation offering, his life.” The verb תָּשִׂים (tasim) could be second masculine singular,in which case it would have to be addressed to the servant or to God. However, the servant is only addressed once in this servant song (see 52:14a), and God either speaks or is spoken about in this servant song; he is never addressed. Furthermore, the idea of God himself making a reparation offering is odd. If the verb is taken as third feminine singular, then the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) at the end of the line is the likely subject. In this case one can take the suffixed form of the noun as equivalent to a pronoun and translate, “if he [literally, “his life”] makes a reparation offering.”
sn What constitutes the servant’s reparation offering? Some might think his suffering, but the preceding context views this as past, while the verb here is imperfect in form. The offering appears to be something the servant does after his suffering has been completed. Perhaps the background of the language can be found in the Levitical code, where a healed leper would offer a reparation offering as part of the ritual to achieve ceremonial cleanliness (see Lev 14). The servant was pictured earlier in the song as being severely ill. This illness (a metaphor for the effects of the people’s sin) separated him from God. However, here we discover the separation is not final; once reparation is made, so to speak, he will again experience the Lord’s favor.
49 sn The idiomatic and stereotypical language emphasizes the servant’s restoration to divine favor. Having numerous descendants and living a long life are standard signs of divine blessing. See Job 42:13-16.
50 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
51 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
52 tn The jussive with vav (ו) conjunctive following the imperative indicates purpose/result.
sn To live here refers to covenantal blessing, primarily material prosperity and national security (see vv. 4-5, 13, and Deut 30:6, 15, 19-20).
53 tn Or “an eternal covenant with.”
54 tn Heb “the reliable expressions of loyalty of David.” The syntactical relationship of חַסְדֵי (khasde, “expressions of loyalty”) to the preceding line is unclear. If the term is appositional to בְּרִית (bÿrit, “covenant”), then the Lord here transfers the promises of the Davidic covenant to the entire nation. Another option is to take חַסְדֵי (khasde) as an adverbial accusative and to translate “according to the reliable covenantal promises.” In this case the new covenantal arrangement proposed here is viewed as an extension or perhaps fulfillment of the Davidic promises. A third option, the one reflected in the above translation, is to take the last line as comparative. In this case the new covenant being proposed is analogous to the Davidic covenant. Verses 4-5, which compare David’s international prominence to what Israel will experience, favors this view. In all three of these interpretations, “David” is an objective genitive; he is the recipient of covenantal promises. A fourth option would be to take David as a subjective genitive and understand the line as giving the basis for the preceding promise: “Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, because of David’s faithful acts of covenantal loyalty.”
55 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be sought by those who did not ask.”
56 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be found by those who did not seek.”
57 tn Heb “call out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “call on.”
58 tn Heb “all these.” The phrase refers to the heavens and earth, mentioned in the previous verse.
59 tn Heb “and all these were.” Some prefer to emend וַיִּהְיוּ (vayyihyu, “and they were”) to וְלִי הָיוּ (vÿli hayu, “and to me they were”), i.e., “and they belong to me.”
60 tn Heb “and to this one I look” (KJV and NASB both similar).
61 tn Heb “to the humble and the lowly in spirit and the one who trembles at my words.”