Discovery BoxIsaiah 10:24 
Context10:24 So 1 here is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of Assyria, even though they beat you with a club and lift their cudgel against you as Egypt did. 2
Isaiah 15:5
Context15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, 3
and for the fugitives 4 stretched out 5 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. 6
Isaiah 36:12
Context36:12 But the chief adviser said, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. 7 His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you!” 8
Isaiah 37:24
Context37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 9
‘With my many chariots I climbed up
the high mountains,
the slopes of Lebanon.
I cut down its tall cedars
and its best evergreens.
I invaded its most remote regions, 10
its thickest woods.
Isaiah 47:8
Context47:8 So now, listen to this,
O one who lives so lavishly, 11
who lives securely,
who says to herself, 12
‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! 13
I will never have to live as a widow;
I will never lose my children.’ 14
Isaiah 49:8
Context49:8 This is what the Lord says:
“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you;
in the day of deliverance I will help you;
I will protect you 15 and make you a covenant mediator for people, 16
and to reassign the desolate property.
Isaiah 50:1-2
Context50:1 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s divorce certificate
by which I divorced her?
Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? 19
Look, you were sold because of your sins; 20
because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother. 21
50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?
Why does no one respond when I call? 22
Is my hand too weak 23 to deliver 24 you?
Do I lack the power to rescue you?
Look, with a mere shout 25 I can dry up the sea;
I can turn streams into a desert,
so the fish rot away and die
from lack of water. 26
Isaiah 56:6
Context56:6 As for foreigners who become followers of 27 the Lord and serve him,
who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants –
all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,
and who are faithful to 28 my covenant –
Isaiah 57:13
Context57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols 29 help you!
The wind blows them all away, 30
a breeze carries them away. 31
But the one who looks to me for help 32 will inherit the land
and will have access to 33 my holy mountain.”
Isaiah 58:2
Context58:2 They seek me day after day;
they want to know my requirements, 34
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.
Isaiah 58:13
Context58:13 You must 35 observe the Sabbath 36
rather than doing anything you please on my holy day. 37
You must look forward to the Sabbath 38
and treat the Lord’s holy day with respect. 39
You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities,
and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals. 40
Isaiah 61:10
Context61:10 I 41 will greatly rejoice 42 in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God. 43
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. 44
I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;
I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry. 45
Isaiah 62:4
Context62:4 You will no longer be called, “Abandoned,”
and your land will no longer be called “Desolate.”
Indeed, 46 you will be called “My Delight is in Her,” 47
and your land “Married.” 48
For the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be married to him. 49
Isaiah 65:8
Context65:8 This is what the Lord says:
“When 50 juice is discovered in a cluster of grapes,
someone says, ‘Don’t destroy it, for it contains juice.’ 51
So I will do for the sake of my servants –
I will not destroy everyone. 52
Isaiah 66:5
Context66:5 Hear the word of the Lord,
you who respect what he has to say! 53
Your countrymen, 54 who hate you
and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name,
say, “May the Lord be glorified,
then we will witness your joy.” 55
But they will be put to shame.
Isaiah 66:20
Context66:20 They will bring back all your countrymen 56 from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them 57 on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels 58 to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers.
1 tn Heb “therefore.” The message that follows is one of encouragement, for it focuses on the eventual destruction of the Assyrians. Consequently “therefore” relates back to vv. 5-21, not to vv. 22-23, which must be viewed as a brief parenthesis in an otherwise positive speech.
2 tn Heb “in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.”
3 tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?, see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.
4 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.
5 tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
6 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.”
7 tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
8 tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”
sn The chief adviser alludes to the horrible reality of siege warfare, when the starving people in the besieged city would resort to eating and drinking anything to stay alive.
9 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
10 tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”
11 tn Or perhaps, “voluptuous one” (NAB); NAB “you sensual one”; NLT “You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom.”
12 tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”
13 tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.” See Zeph 2:15.
14 tn Heb “I will not live [as] a widow, and I will not know loss of children.”
15 tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצָר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצָר (yatsar, “form”).
16 tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. Here עָם (’am, “people”) appears to refer to Israel. See the note at 42:6.
17 tn The Hiphil of קוּם (qum, “arise”) is probably used here in the sense of “rebuild.”
18 tn The “land” probably stands by metonymy for the ruins within it.
19 sn The Lord challenges the exiles (Zion’s children) to bring incriminating evidence against him. The rhetorical questions imply that Israel accused the Lord of divorcing his wife (Zion) and selling his children (the Israelites) into slavery to pay off a debt.
20 sn The Lord admits that he did sell the Israelites, but it was because of their sins, not because of some debt he owed. If he had sold them to a creditor, they ought to be able to point him out, but the preceding rhetorical question implies they would not be able to do so.
21 sn The Lord admits he did divorce Zion, but that too was the result of the nation’s sins. The force of the earlier rhetorical question comes into clearer focus now. The question does not imply that a certificate does not exist and that no divorce occurred. Rather, the question asks for the certificate to be produced so the accuser can see the reason for the divorce in black and white. The Lord did not put Zion away arbitrarily.
22 sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.
23 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).
24 tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).
25 tn Heb “with my rebuke.”
26 tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”
27 tn Heb “who attach themselves to.”
28 tn Heb “and take hold of”; NAB “hold to”; NIV, NRSV “hold fast.”
29 tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.
30 tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”
31 tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”
32 tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”
33 tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.
34 tn Heb “ways” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV); NLT “my laws.”
35 tn Lit., “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 13-14 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in v. 13), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 14.
36 tn Heb “if you turn from the Sabbath your feet.”
37 tn Heb “[from] doing your desires on my holy day.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa supplies the preposition מִן (min) on “doing.”
38 tn Heb “and call the Sabbath a pleasure”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “a delight.”
39 tn Heb “and [call] the holy [day] of the Lord honored.” On קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, “holy”) as indicating a time period, see BDB 872 s.v. 2.e (cf. also Neh 8:9-11).
40 tn Heb “and you honor it [by refraining] from accomplishing your ways, from finding your desire and speaking a word.” It is unlikely that the last phrase (“speaking a word”) is a prohibition against talking on the Sabbath; instead it probably refers to making transactions or plans (see Hos 10:4). Some see here a reference to idle talk (cf. 2 Sam 19:30).
41 sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration.
42 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
43 tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
44 tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
45 tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.
46 tn Or “for”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “but.”
47 tn Hebrew חֶפְצִי־בָהּ (kheftsi-vah), traditionally transliterated “Hephzibah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).
48 tn Hebrew בְּעוּלָה (bÿ’ulah), traditionally transliterated “Beulah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).
49 tn That is, the land will be restored to the Lord’s favor and once again enjoy his blessing and protection. To indicate the land’s relationship to the Lord, the words “to him” have been supplied at the end of the clause.
50 tn Heb “just as.” In the Hebrew text the statement is one long sentence, “Just as…, so I will do….”
51 tn Heb “for a blessing is in it.”
52 tn Heb “by not destroying everyone.”
53 tn Heb “who tremble at his word.”
54 tn Heb “brothers” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “Your own people”; NLT “Your close relatives.”
55 tn Or “so that we might witness your joy.” The point of this statement is unclear.
56 tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”
57 tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
58 tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.
