Discovery BoxIsaiah 3:24 
Context3:24 A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices, 1
a rope will replace a belt,
baldness will replace braided locks of hair,
a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe,
and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty.
Isaiah 55:2
Context55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? 2
Why spend 3 your hard-earned money 4 on something that will not satisfy?
Listen carefully 5 to me and eat what is nourishing! 6
Enjoy fine food! 7
1 tn Heb “and it will be in place of spices there will be a stench.” The nouns for “spices” and “stench” are right next to each other in the MT for emphatic contrast. The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
2 tn Heb “for what is not food.”
3 tn The interrogative particle and the verb “spend” are understood here by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
4 tn Heb “your labor,” which stands by metonymy for that which one earns.
5 tn The infinitive absolute follows the imperative and lends emphasis to the exhortation.
6 tn Heb “good” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
7 tn Heb “Let your appetite delight in fine food.”
sn Nourishing, fine food here represents the blessings God freely offers. These include forgiveness, a new covenantal relationship with God, and national prominence (see vv. 3-6).
