3:9 The look on their faces 1 testifies to their guilt; 2
like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin. 3
Too bad for them! 4
For they bring disaster on themselves.
13:11 5 I will punish the world for its evil, 6
and wicked people for their sin.
I will put an end to the pride of the insolent,
I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants. 7
22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: 8 “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” 9 says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.
24:20 The earth will stagger around 10 like a drunk;
it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. 11
Its sin will weigh it down,
and it will fall and never get up again.
30:1 “The rebellious 12 children are as good as dead,” 13 says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me, 14
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, 15
and thereby compound their sin. 16
30:13 So this sin will become your downfall.
You will be like a high wall
that bulges and cracks and is ready to collapse;
it crumbles suddenly, in a flash. 17
31:2 Yet he too is wise 18 and he will bring disaster;
he does not retract his decree. 19
He will attack the wicked nation, 20
and the nation that helps 21 those who commit sin. 22
53:6 All of us had wandered off like sheep;
each of us had strayed off on his own path,
but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him. 23
59:4 No one is concerned about justice; 24
no one sets forth his case truthfully.
They depend on false words 25 and tell lies;
they conceive of oppression 26
and give birth to sin.
1 sn This refers to their proud, arrogant demeanor.
2 tn Heb “answers against them”; NRSV “bears witness against them.”
3 tn Heb “their sin, like Sodom, they declare, they do not conceal [it].”
4 tn Heb “woe to their soul.”
5 sn The Lord is definitely speaking (again?) at this point. See the note at v. 4.
6 tn Or “I will bring disaster on the world.” Hebrew רָעָה (ra’ah) could refer to the judgment (i.e., disaster, calamity) or to the evil that prompts it. The structure of the parallel line favors the latter interpretation.
7 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; cf. NASB, NIV “the ruthless.”
8 tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
9 tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.
10 tn Heb “staggering, staggers.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis and sound play.
11 tn The words “in a windstorm” are supplied in the translation to clarify the metaphor.
12 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
13 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
14 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
15 tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
16 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
17 tn The verse reads literally, “So this sin will become for you like a breach ready to fall, bulging on a high wall, the breaking of which comes suddenly, in a flash.” Their sin produces guilt and will result in judgment. Like a wall that collapses their fall will be swift and sudden.
18 sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts.
19 tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”
20 tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”
21 sn That is, Egypt.
22 tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”
23 tn Elsewhere the Hiphil of פָגַע (paga’) means “to intercede verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25) or “to intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16), but neither nuance fits here. Apparently here the Hiphil is the causative of the normal Qal meaning, “encounter, meet, touch.” The Qal sometimes refers to a hostile encounter or attack; when used in this way the object is normally introduced by the preposition -בְּ (bet, see Josh 2:16; Judg 8:21; 15:12, etc.). Here the causative Hiphil has a double object – the Lord makes “sin” attack “him” (note that the object attacked is introduced by the preposition -בְּ. In their sin the group was like sheep who had wandered from God’s path. They were vulnerable to attack; the guilt of their sin was ready to attack and destroy them. But then the servant stepped in and took the full force of the attack.
24 tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”
25 tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”
26 tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”