Discovery BoxIsaiah 22:12-14 
Context22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning,
for shaved heads and sackcloth. 1
22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! 2
You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,
eat meat and drink wine.
Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 3
22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: 4 “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” 5 says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.
1 tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.
2 tn Heb “happiness and joy.”
3 tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.
4 tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
5 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.
