Discovery BoxIsaiah 33:10-14 
Context33:10 “Now I will rise up,” says the Lord.
“Now I will exalt myself;
now I will magnify myself. 1
you give birth to chaff;
your breath is a fire that destroys you. 3
33:12 The nations will be burned to ashes; 4
like thorn bushes that have been cut down, they will be set on fire.
33:13 You who are far away, listen to what I have done!
You who are close by, recognize my strength!”
33:14 Sinners are afraid in Zion;
They say, 7 ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire?
Who among us can coexist with unquenchable 8 fire?’
1 tn Or “lift myself up” (KJV); NLT “show my power and might.”
2 tn The second person verb and pronominal forms in this verse are plural. The hostile nations are the addressed, as the next verse makes clear.
3 sn The hostile nations’ plans to destroy God’s people will come to nothing; their hostility will end up being self-destructive.
4 tn Heb “will be a burning to lime.” See Amos 2:1.
5 tn Or “trembling” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “shake with fear.”
6 tn Or “the defiled”; TEV “The sinful people of Zion”; NLT “The sinners in Jerusalem.”
7 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
8 tn Or “perpetual”; or “everlasting” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
