Isaiah 51
51
Israel Should Be Like Abraham
1“Some of you people try hard to live good lives. You go to the Lord for help. Listen to me. You should look at Abraham your father. He is the rock you were cut from. 2Abraham is your father, so look at him. Look at Sarah, who gave birth to you. Abraham was alone when I called him. Then I blessed him, and he began a great family with many descendants.”
3In the same way, the Lord will bless Zion. He will feel sorry for her and her people, and he will do something great for her. He will turn the desert into a garden. It will be like the Garden of Eden. The land was empty, but it will become like the Lord’s garden. People there will be very happy. They will sing victory songs to thank God for what he did.
4“My people, listen to me!
My decisions will be like lights showing people how to live.
5I will soon save you and show that I am fair.
I will use my power and judge all nations.
All the faraway places are waiting for me.
They wait for my power to help them.
6Look up to the heavens!
Look around you at the earth below!
The skies will disappear like clouds of smoke.
The earth will become like worthless old clothes.
The people on earth will die,
but my salvation will continue forever.
My goodness will never end.
7You people who understand goodness should listen to me.
You people who follow my teachings should hear the things I say.
Don’t be afraid of evil people.
Don’t let their insults upset you.
8They will be like old clothes eaten by moths.
They will be like wool eaten by worms.
But my goodness will last forever.
My salvation will continue forever and ever.”
God’s Own Power Will Save His People
9Wake up! Wake up!
Arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength.
Show your power the way you did long ago,
as you have from ancient times.
You are the one who destroyed Rahab.
You defeated the Dragon.#51:9 Rahab … Dragon This is Rahab the great sea monster. Some ancient stories tell about Rahab fighting with God.
10You dried up the water that was in the deep sea.
You made a road through the deepest parts of the sea.
Your people crossed over and were saved.
11The Lord will save his people.
They will return to Zion with joy.
They will be very happy.
Their happiness will be like a crown on their heads forever.
They will be singing with joy.
All sadness will be gone far away.
12The Lord says, “I am the one who comforts you.
So why should you be afraid of people?
They are only humans who live and die like the grass.
13“I, the Lord, am the one who made you.
With my power I made the earth
and spread the sky over the earth.
But you have forgotten me,
so you are always afraid that angry men will hurt you.
Those men planned to destroy you,
but where are they now?
14“People in prison will soon be made free.
They will not die and rot in prison.
They will have plenty of food.
15“I am the Lord your God,
the one who stirs up the sea and makes the waves roar.”
The Lord All-Powerful is his name.
16“My servant, I gave you the words I want you to say, and I covered you with my hands to protect you. I did this to make a new heaven and earth and so that you would say to Israel, ‘You are my people.’”
God Punished Israel
17Wake up! Wake up!
Jerusalem, get up!
The Lord was very angry with you.
So you were punished.
It was like a cup of poison you had to drink,
and you drank it all.
18Jerusalem had many people, but none of them became leaders for her. None of the children she raised became guides to lead her. 19Troubles came to you, Jerusalem, in pairs: Your land was destroyed and lies in ruins, and your people suffered from famine and war.
But no one felt sorry for you or showed you mercy. 20Your people became weak. They fell on the ground and lay there. They were lying on every street corner, like animals caught in a net. They were punished by the Lord’s anger until they could not accept any more punishment. When God said he would give them more punishment, they became very weak.
21Listen to me, poor Jerusalem. You are weak like a drunk, but you are not drunk from wine. You are weak from that “cup of poison.”
22Your God is the one who fights for his people. He is your Lord GOD, and he says to you, “Look, I am taking this ‘cup of poison’ away from you. It is full of my anger, and I am taking it out of your hand. You will not be punished by my anger again. 23I will now use my anger to punish the people who hurt you. They tried to kill you. They told you, ‘Bow down before us, and we will walk on you.’ They forced you to bow down before them, and then they walked on your back like dirt. You were like a road for them to walk on.”
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Isaiah 51
51
There is Hope for the Future
1 “Listen to me, you who pursue godliness,#tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “justice”; NLT “hope for deliverance.”
who seek the Lord!
Look at the rock from which you were chiseled,
at the quarry#tn Heb “the excavation of the hole.” from which you were dug!#sn The “rock” and “quarry” refer here to Abraham and Sarah, the progenitors of the nation.
2 Look at Abraham, your father,
and Sarah, who gave you birth.#sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.
When I summoned him, he was a lone individual,#tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”
but I blessed him#tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28. and gave him numerous descendants.#tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”
3 Certainly the Lord will console Zion;
he will console all her ruins.
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the Garden of the Lord.
Happiness and joy will be restored to#tn Heb “found in” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). her,
thanksgiving and the sound of music.
4 Pay attention to me, my people!
Listen to me, my people!
For#tn Or “certainly.” I will issue a decree,#tn Heb “instruction [or “a law”] will go out from me.”
I will make my justice a light to the nations.#tn Heb “and my justice for a light to the nations I will cause to rest.”
5 I am ready to vindicate,#tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”] is near.”
I am ready to deliver,#tn Heb “my deliverance goes forth.”
I will establish justice among the nations.#tn Heb “and my arms will judge [on behalf of] nations.”
The coastlands#tn Or “islands” (NIV); TEV “Distant lands.” wait patiently for me;
they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power.#tn Heb “for my arm” (so NIV, NRSV).
6 Look up at the sky!
Look at the earth below!
For the sky will dissipate#tn Heb “will be torn in pieces.” The perfect indicates the certitude of the event, from the Lord’s rhetorical perspective. like smoke,
and the earth will wear out like clothes;
its residents will die like gnats.
But the deliverance I give#tn Heb “my deliverance.” The same Hebrew word can also be translated “salvation” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); cf. CEV “victory.” is permanent;
the vindication I provide#tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”].” will not disappear.#tn Heb “will not be shattered [or “dismayed”].”
7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,
you people who are aware of my law!#tn Heb “people (who have) my law in their heart.”
Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;
don’t be discouraged because of their abuse!
8 For a moth will eat away at them like clothes;
a clothes moth will devour them like wool.
But the vindication I provide#tn Heb “my vindication”; many English versions “my righteousness”; NRSV, TEV “my deliverance”; CEV “my victory.” will be permanent;
the deliverance I give will last.”
9 Wake up! Wake up!
Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord!#tn The arm of the Lord is a symbol of divine military power. Here it is personified and told to arouse itself from sleep and prepare for action.
Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity!
Did you not smash#tn Heb “Are you not the one who smashed?” The feminine singular forms agree grammatically with the feminine noun “arm.” The Hebrew text has ַהמַּחְצֶבֶת (hammakhtsevet), from the verbal root חָצַב (khatsav, “hew, chop”). The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has, probably correctly, המחצת, from the verbal root מָחַץ (makhats, “smash”) which is used in Job 26:12 to describe God’s victory over “the Proud One.” the Proud One?#tn This title (רַהַב, rahav, “proud one”) is sometimes translated as a proper name: “Rahab” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). It is used here of a symbolic sea monster, known elsewhere in the Bible and in Ugaritic myth as Leviathan. This sea creature symbolizes the forces of chaos that seek to destroy the created order. In the Bible “the Proud One” opposes God’s creative work, but is defeated (see Job 26:12; Ps 89:10). Here the title refers to Pharaoh’s Egyptian army that opposed Israel at the Red Sea (see v. 10, and note also Isa 30:7 and Ps 87:4, where the title is used of Egypt).
Did you not#tn The words “did you not” are understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line). The rhetorical questions here and in v. 10 expect the answer, “Yes, you certainly did!” wound the sea monster?#tn Hebrew תַּנִּין (tannin) is another name for the symbolic sea monster. See the note at 27:1. In this context the sea creature represents Egypt. See the note on the title “Proud One” earlier in this verse.
10 Did you not dry up the sea,
the waters of the great deep?
Did you not make#tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Are you not the one who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made…?” a path through the depths of the sea,
so those delivered from bondage#tn Heb “the redeemed” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV “the ransomed.” could cross over?
11 Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return;
they will enter Zion with a happy shout.
Unending joy will crown them,#tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.
happiness and joy will overwhelm#tn Heb “overtake” (so NIV); NASB “they will obtain.” them;
grief and suffering will disappear.#tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee.”
12 “I, I am the one who consoles you.#tc The plural suffix should probably be emended to the second masculine singular (which is used in v. 13). The final mem (ם) is probably dittographic; note the mem at the beginning of the next word.
Why are you afraid of mortal men,
of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass?#tn Heb “Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, and of the son of man who [as] grass is given up?” The feminine singular forms should probably be emended to the masculine singular (see v. 13). They have probably been influenced by the construction אַתְּ־הִיא (’at-hi’) in vv. 9-10.
13 Why do you forget#tn Heb “and that you forget.” the Lord, who made you,
who stretched out the sky#tn Or “the heavens” (also in v. 16). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
and founded the earth?
Why do you constantly tremble all day long#tn Heb “and that you tremble constantly all the day.”
at the anger of the oppressor,
when he makes plans to destroy?
Where is the anger of the oppressor?#tn The question anticipates the answer, “Ready to disappear!” See v. 14.
14 The one who suffers#tn Heb “who is stooped over” (under a burden). will soon be released;
he will not die in prison,#tn Heb “the pit” (so KJV); ASV, NAB “die and go down into the pit”; NASB, NIV “dungeon”; NCV “prison.”
he will not go hungry.#tn Heb “he will not lack his bread.”
15 I am the Lord your God,
who churns up the sea so that its waves surge.
The Lord who commands armies is his name!
Zion’s Time to Celebrate
16 I commission you#tn The addressee (second masculine singular, as in vv. 13, 15) in this verse is unclear. The exiles are addressed in the immediately preceding verses (note the critical tone of vv. 12-13 and the reference to the exiles in v. 14). However, it seems unlikely that they are addressed in v. 16, for the addressee appears to be commissioned to tell Zion, who here represents the restored exiles, “you are my people.” The addressee is distinct from the exiles. The language of v. 16a is reminiscent of 49:2 and 50:4, where the Lord’s special servant says he is God’s spokesman and effective instrument. Perhaps the Lord, having spoken to the exiles in vv. 1-15, now responds to this servant, who spoke just prior to this in 50:4-11. as my spokesman;#tn Heb “I place my words in your mouth.”
I cover you with the palm of my hand,#tn Heb “with the shadow of my hand.”
to establish#tc The Hebrew text has לִנְטֹעַ (lintoa’, “to plant”). Several scholars prefer to emend this form to לִנְטֹת (lintot) from נָטָה (natah, “to stretch out”); see v. 13, as well as 40:22; 42:5; 44:24; 45:12; cf. NAB, NCV, NRSV. However, since the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa, LXX (and Aquila and Symmachus), and Vulgate support the MT reading, there is no need to emend the form. The interpretation is clear enough: Yahweh fixed the sky in its place. the sky and to found the earth,
to say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”#tn The infinitives in v. 16b are most naturally understood as indicating the purpose of the divine actions described in v. 16a. The relationship of the third infinitive to the commission is clear enough – the Lord has made the addressee (his special servant?) his spokesman so that the latter might speak encouraging words to those in Zion. But how do the first two infinitives relate? The text seems to indicate that the Lord has commissioned the addressee so that the latter might create the universe! Perhaps creation imagery is employed metaphorically here to refer to the transformation that Jerusalem will experience (see 65:17-18).
17 Wake up! Wake up!
Get up, O Jerusalem!
You drank from the cup the Lord passed to you,
which was full of his anger!#tn Heb “[you] who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his anger.”
You drained dry
the goblet full of intoxicating wine.#tn Heb “the goblet, the cup [that causes] staggering, you drank, you drained.”
18 There was no one to lead her
among all the children she bore;
there was no one to take her by the hand
among all the children she raised.
19 These double disasters confronted you.
But who feels sorry for you?
Destruction and devastation,
famine and sword.
But who consoles you?#tc The Hebrew text has אֲנַחֲמֵךְ (’anakhamekh), a first person form, but the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads correctly יִנַחֲמֵךְ (yinakhamekh), a third person form.
20 Your children faint;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a snare.
They are left in a stupor by the Lord’s anger,
by the battle cry of your God.#tn Heb “those who are full of the anger of the Lord, the shout [or “rebuke”] of your God.”
21 So listen to this, oppressed one,
who is drunk, but not from wine!
22 This is what your sovereign master,#tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). the Lord your God, says:
“Look, I have removed from your hand
the cup of intoxicating wine,#tn Heb “the cup of [= that causes] staggering” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV); NASB “the cup of reeling.”
the goblet full of my anger.#tn Heb “the goblet of the cup of my anger.”
You will no longer have to drink it.
23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors#tn That is, to make them drink it.
who said to you, ‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’
You made your back like the ground,
and like the street for those who walked over you.”
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