¹ tn Heb “in that day.” 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 “will become” (so NASB); NAB “shall be turned to.”

³ tn Heb “and all the hills which were hoed with a hoe, you will not go there [for] fear of the thorns and briers.”

⁴ tn Heb “and it will become a pasture for cattle and a trampling place for sheep.”

sn At this point one is able to summarize the content of the “sign” (vv. 14-15) as follows: A young woman known to be present when Isaiah delivered this message to Ahaz (perhaps a member of the royal family or the prophetess mentioned in 8:3) would soon give birth to a boy whom the mother would name Immanuel, “God is with us.” Eventually Immanuel would be forced to eat sour milk and honey, which would enable him to make correct moral decisions. How would this situation come about and how would it constitute a sign? Before this situation developed, the Israelites and Syrians would be defeated. But then the Lord would usher in a period of time unlike any since the division of the kingdom almost 200 years before. The Assyrians would overrun the land, destroy the crops, and force the people to subsist on goats’ milk and honey. At that time, as the people saw Immanuel eating his sour milk and honey, the Davidic family would be forced to acknowledge that God was indeed with them. He was present with them in the Syrian-Israelite crisis, fully capable of rescuing them; but he was also present with them in judgment, disciplining them for their lack of trust. The moral of the story is quite clear: Failure to appropriate God’s promises by faith can turn potential blessing into disciplinary judgment.

⁵ tn Heb “are waste places”; cf. NRSV “are a desolation.”

⁶ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).

⁷ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “like the abandonment of the wooded height and the top one.” The following relative clause appears to allude back to the Israelite conquest of the land, so it seems preferable to emend הַחֹרֶשׁ וְהָאָמִיר (hakhoresh vÿha’amir, “the wooded height and the top one”) to חֹרֵשֵׁי הָאֱמֹרִי (khoreshe ha’emori, “[like the abandonment] of the wooded heights of the Amorites”).

⁸ tn Heb “happiness and joy.”

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ tn Or “violated, raped,” the point being that Daughter Sidon has lost her virginity in the most brutal manner possible.

¹¹ tn Heb “[to the] Kittim, get up, cross over; even there there will be no rest for you.” On “Kittim” see the note on “Cyprus” at v. 1.

¹² tn Heb “they will be gathered [in] a gathering [as] a prisoner in a cistern.” It is tempting to eliminate אֲסֵפָה (’asefah, “a gathering”) as dittographic or as a gloss, but sound repetition is one of the main characteristics of the style of this section of the chapter.

¹³ tn Heb “and after a multitude of days.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “visited” (so KJV, ASV). This verse can mean to visit for good or for evil. The translation assumes the latter, based on v. 21a. However, BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד B.Niph.2 suggests the meaning “visit graciously” here, in which case one might translate “they will be released.”

¹⁵ tn Or “in the day of” (KJV).

¹⁶ tn Heb “and he causes the lot to fall for them.” Once again the pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

¹⁷ tn Heb “and his hand divides for them with a measuring line.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) now switches to masculine plural, referring to all the animals and birds mentioned in vv. 11-15, some of which were identified with masculine nouns. This signals closure for this portion of the speech, which began in v. 11. The following couplet (v. 17b) forms an inclusio with v. 11a through verbal repetition.

¹⁸ tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV); NCV “they will own that land forever.”

¹⁹ tn The Hebrew text includes “and he said.”

²⁰ tn Heb “good” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “favorable.”

²¹ tn Heb “and he said.” The verb אָמַר (’amar, “say”) is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself).

²² tn Or “surely”; cf. CEV “At least.”

²³ tn Heb “and there is none besides.” On the use of עוֹד (’od) here, see BDB 729 s.v. 1.c.

²⁴ tn Heb “gird you” (so NASB) or “strengthen you” (so NIV).

²⁵ tn Or “know” (NAB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT); NIV “have not acknowledged.”

²⁶ tn The words “I do this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

²⁷ tn Heb “they” (so KJV, ASV); TEV, CEV “everyone”; NLT “all the world.”

²⁸ tn Heb “remember the former things, from antiquity”; KJV, ASV “the former things of old.”

²⁹ tn Heb “and there is no other” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

³⁰ tn Heb “the vessels of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).

³¹ tn See the note at v. 9.

³² tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”

³³ tn Heb “man” (so KJV, ASV); TEV “no one to help.”

³⁴ tn Or “appalled” (NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “disgusted.”

³⁵ tn Heb “and his arm delivers for him.”

³⁶ tn Heb “and his justice [or “righteousness”] supports him.”