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2 Chronicles 31:2-21
New English Translation

The People Contribute to the Temple

2 Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and Levites to do their assigned tasks[a]—to offer burnt sacrifices and present offerings and to serve, give thanks, and offer praise in the gates of the Lord’s sanctuary.[b]

3 The king contributed[c] some of what he owned for burnt sacrifices, including the morning and evening burnt sacrifices and the burnt sacrifices made on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other appointed times prescribed[d] in the law of the Lord. 4 He ordered[e] the people living in Jerusalem to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient[f] to the law of the Lord. 5 When the edict was issued,[g] the Israelites freely contributed[h] the initial portion of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a tenth of everything, which added up to a huge amount. 6 The Israelites and people of Judah[i] who lived in the cities of Judah also contributed a tenth of their cattle and sheep, as well as a tenth of the holy items consecrated to the Lord their God. They brought them and placed them in many heaps.[j] 7 In the third month they began piling their contributions in heaps[k] and finished in the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and pronounced blessings on his people Israel.[l]

9 When Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps, 10 Azariah, the head priest from the family of Zadok, said to him, “Since the contributions began arriving in the Lord’s temple, we have had plenty to eat and have a large quantity left over. For the Lord has blessed his people, and this large amount remains.” 11 Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Lord’s temple. When this was done,[m] 12 they brought in the contributions, tithes,[n] and consecrated items that had been offered.[o] Konaniah, a Levite, was in charge of all this, assisted by his brother Shimei. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah worked under the supervision of Konaniah and his brother Shimei, as directed by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the supervisor of God’s temple.

14 Kore son of Imnah, a Levite and the guard on the east side, was in charge of the voluntary offerings made to God and disbursed the contributions made to the Lord and the consecrated items. 15 In the cities of the priests, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah faithfully assisted him in making disbursements to their fellow priests[p] according to their divisions, regardless of age.[q] 16 They made disbursements to all the males three years old and up who were listed in the genealogical records—to all who would enter the Lord’s temple to serve on a daily basis and fulfill their duties as assigned to their divisions.[r] 17 They made disbursements to the priests listed in the genealogical records by their families, and to the Levites twenty years old and up, according to their duties as assigned to their divisions, 18 and to all the infants, wives, sons, and daughters of the entire assembly listed in the genealogical records, for they faithfully consecrated themselves. 19 As for the descendants of Aaron, the priests who lived in the outskirts of all their cities,[s] men were assigned[t] to disburse portions to every male among the priests and to every Levite listed in the genealogical records.

20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what the Lord his God considered good and right and faithful. 21 He wholeheartedly and successfully reinstituted service in God’s temple and obedience to the law, in order to follow his God.[u]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 31:2 tn Heb “and Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each in accordance with his service for the priests and for the Levites.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 31:2 tn Heb “in the gates of the encampments of the Lord.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 31:3 tn Heb “the portion of the king [was].”
  4. 2 Chronicles 31:3 tn Heb “festivals, as written.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 31:4 tn Heb “said to.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 31:4 tn Heb “might hold firmly.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 31:5 tn Heb “and when the word spread out.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 31:5 tn Heb “the sons of Israel multiplied.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 31:6 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel and Judah.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 31:6 tn Heb “heaps, heaps.” Repetition of the noun draws attention to the large number of heaps.
  11. 2 Chronicles 31:7 tn Heb “they began the heaps to establish.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 31:8 tn Heb “they blessed the Lord and his people Israel.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 31:11 tn Heb “and they prepared.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 31:12 tn Heb “tenth.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 31:12 tn Heb “and holy things in faithfulness.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 31:15 tn Heb “to their brothers.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 31:15 tn Heb “like great, like small” (i.e., old and young alike).
  18. 2 Chronicles 31:16 tn Heb “in addition enrolling them by males from a son of three years and upwards, to everyone who enters the house of the Lord for a matter of a day in its day, for their service by their duties according to their divisions.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 31:19 tn Heb “the priests in the fields of the pastureland of their cities in every city and city.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 31:19 tn Heb “designated by names.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 31:21 tn Heb “and in all the work which he began with regard to the service of the house of God and with respect to the law and with respect to the commandment, to seek his God; with all his heart he acted and he succeeded.”
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2 Chronicles 30
2 Chronicles 32
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Isaiah 18-21
New English Translation

The Lord Will Judge a Distant Land in the South

18 Beware, land of buzzing wings,[a]
the one beyond the rivers of Cush,
2 that sends messengers by sea,
who glide over the water’s surface in boats made of papyrus.
Go, you swift messengers,
to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people,[b]
to a people that are feared far and wide,[c]
to a nation strong and victorious,[d]
whose land rivers divide.[e]
3 All you who live in the world,
who reside on the earth,
you will see a signal flag raised on the mountains;
you will hear a trumpet being blown.
4 For this is what the Lord has told me:
“I will wait[f] and watch from my place,
like scorching heat produced by the sunlight,[g]
like a cloud of mist[h] in the heat[i] of harvest.”[j]
5 For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted,
and the ripening fruit appears,[k]
he will cut off the unproductive shoots[l] with pruning knives;
he will prune the tendrils.[m]
6 They will all be left[n] for the birds of the hills
and the wild animals;[o]
the birds will eat them during the summer,
and all the wild animals will eat them during the winter.
7 At that time
tribute will be brought to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned,
a people that are feared far and wide,
a nation strong and victorious,
whose land rivers divide.[p]
The tribute[q] will be brought to the place where the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion.[r]

The Lord Will Judge Egypt

19 This is an oracle[s] about Egypt:
Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud
and approaches Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him;
the Egyptians lose their courage.[t]
2 “I will provoke civil strife in Egypt:[u]
brothers will fight with one another,
as will neighbors,
cities, and kingdoms.[v]
3 The Egyptians will panic,[w]
and I will confuse their strategy.[x]
They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead,
from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians.[y]
4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master;
a powerful king will rule over them,”
says the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
5 The water of the sea will be dried up,
and the river will dry up and be empty.[z]
6 The canals[aa] will stink;[ab]
the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up;
the bulrushes and reeds will decay,
7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river.[ac]
All the cultivated land near the river
will turn to dust and be blown away.[ad]
8 The fishermen will mourn and lament;
all those who cast a fishhook into the river,
and those who spread out a net on the water’s surface will grieve.[ae]
9 Those who make clothes from combed flax will be embarrassed;
those who weave will turn pale.[af]
10 Those who make cloth[ag] will be demoralized;[ah]
all the hired workers will be depressed.[ai]
11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools;[aj]
Pharaoh’s wise advisers give stupid advice.
How dare you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one of the sages,
one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?”[ak]
12 But where, oh where, are your wise men?[al]
Let them tell you, let them find out
what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has planned for Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan are fools,
the officials of Memphis[am] are misled;
the rulers[an] of her tribes lead Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has made them undiscerning;[ao]
they lead Egypt astray in all she does,
so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit.[ap]
15 Egypt will not be able to do a thing,
head or tail, shoots or stalk.[aq]

16 At that time[ar] the Egyptians[as] will be like women.[at] They will tremble and fear because the Lord of Heaven’s Armies brandishes his fist against them.[au] 17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is planning to do to them.[av]

18 At that time five cities[aw] in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. One will be called the City of the Sun.[ax] 19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, as well as a sacred pillar[ay] dedicated to the Lord at its border. 20 It[az] will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of[ba] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender[bb] who will rescue them. 21 The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they[bc] will acknowledge the Lord’s authority[bd] at that time.[be] They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will listen to their prayers[bf] and heal them.

23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.[bg] 24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing[bh] in the earth.[bi] 25 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying,[bj] “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession,[bk] Israel!”

20 The Lord revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and captured it.[bl] 2 At that time the Lord announced through[bm] Isaiah son of Amoz: “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and take your sandals off your feet.” He did as instructed and walked around in undergarments[bn] and barefoot. 3 Later the Lord explained, “In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush, 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old. They will be in undergarments and barefoot, with the buttocks exposed; the Egyptians will be publicly humiliated.[bo] 5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and embarrassed.[bp] 6 At that time[bq] those who live on this coast[br] will say, ‘Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’”

The Lord Will Judge Babylon

21 This is an oracle[bs] about the wilderness by the Sea:[bt]
Like strong winds blowing in the south,[bu]
one invades from the wilderness,
from a land that is feared.
2 I have received a distressing message:[bv]
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning.”[bw]
3 For this reason my stomach churns;[bx]
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed[by] by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
4 My heart palpitates,[bz]
I shake in fear;[ca]
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
5 Arrange the table,
lay out[cb] the carpet,
eat and drink![cc]
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields![cd]

6 For this is what the Lord[ce] has told me:

“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots,
teams of horses,[cf]
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
8 Then the guard[cg] cries out:
“On the watchtower, O Lord,[ch]
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.”[ci]
When questioned, he replies,[cj]
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor,[ck]
what I have heard
from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.

Bad News for Seir

11 This is an oracle about Dumah:[cl]
Someone calls to me from Seir,[cm]
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”[cn]
12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night.[co]
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.”[cp]

The Lord Will Judge Arabia

13 This is an oracle about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
15 For they flee from the swords—
from the drawn sword,
and from the battle-ready bow,
and from the severity of the battle.

16 For this is what the Lord[cq] has told me: “Within exactly one year[cr] all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.”[cs] Indeed,[ct] the Lord God of Israel has spoken.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:1 sn The significance of the qualifying phrase “buzzing wings” is uncertain. Some suggest that the designation points to Cush as a land with many insects. Another possibility is that it refers to the swiftness with which this land’s messengers travel (v. 2a); they move over the sea as swiftly as an insect flies through the air. For a discussion of the options, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:359-60.
  2. Isaiah 18:2 tn The precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. מְמֻשָּׁךְ (memushakh) appears to be a Pual participle from the verb מָשַׁךְ (mashakh, “to draw, extend”). Lexicographers theorize that it here refers to people who “stretch out,” as it were, or are tall. See BDB 604 s.v. מָשַׁךְ, and HALOT 645-46 s.v. משׁךְ. מוֹרָט (morat) is taken as a Pual participle from מָרַט (marat), which can mean “to pull out [hair],” in the Qal, “become bald” in the Niphal, and “be wiped clean” in the Pual. Lexicographers theorize that the word here refers to people with bare, or smooth, skin. See BDB 598-99 s.v. מָרַט, and HALOT 634-35 s.v. מרט. These proposed meanings, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.
  3. Isaiah 18:2 tn Heb “from it and onwards.” HALOT 245 s.v. הָלְאָה suggests the translation “far and wide.”
  4. Isaiah 18:2 tn Once more the precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. The expression קַו קָו (qav qav) is sometimes related to a proposed Arabic cognate and taken to mean “strength” (see BDB 876 II קַו). Others, on the basis of Isa 28:10, 13, understand the form as gibberish (literally, “kav, kav”) and take it to be a reference to this nation’s strange, unknown language. The form מְבוּסָה (mevusah) appears to be derived from בּוּס (bus, “to trample”), so lexicographers suggest the meaning “trampling” or “subjugation,” i.e., a nation that subdues others. See BDB 101 s.v. בּוּס and HALOT 541 s.v. מְבוּסָה. These proposals, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.
  5. Isaiah 18:2 tn The precise meaning of the verb בָּזָא (bazaʾ), which occurs only in this oracle (see also v. 7) in the OT, is uncertain. BDB 102 s.v. suggests “divide” on the basis of alleged Aramaic and Arabic cognates; HALOT 117 s.v., citing an alleged Arabic cognate, suggests “wash away.”
  6. Isaiah 18:4 tn Or “be quiet, inactive”; NIV “will remain quiet.”
  7. Isaiah 18:4 tn Heb “like the glowing heat because of light.” The precise meaning of the line is uncertain.
  8. Isaiah 18:4 tn Heb “a cloud of dew,” or “a cloud of light rain.”
  9. Isaiah 18:4 tc Some medieval Hebrew mss, with support from the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate, read “the day.”
  10. Isaiah 18:4 sn It is unclear how the comparisons in v. 4b relate to the preceding statement. How is waiting and watching similar to heat or a cloud? For a discussion of interpretive options, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:362.
  11. Isaiah 18:5 tn Heb “and the unripe, ripening fruit is maturing.”
  12. Isaiah 18:5 tn On the meaning of זַלְזַל (zalzal, “shoot [of the vine] without fruit buds”) see HALOT 272 s.v. *זַלְזַל.
  13. Isaiah 18:5 tn Heb “the tendrils he will remove, he will cut off.”
  14. Isaiah 18:6 tn Heb “they will be left together” (so NASB).
  15. Isaiah 18:6 tn Heb “the beasts of the earth” (so KJV, NASB).
  16. Isaiah 18:7 tn On the interpretive difficulties of this verse, see the notes at v. 2, where the same terminology is used.
  17. Isaiah 18:7 tn The words “the tribute” are repeated here in the translation for clarity.
  18. Isaiah 18:7 tn Heb “to the place of the name of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], Mount Zion.”
  19. Isaiah 19:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  20. Isaiah 19:1 tn Heb “and the heart of Egypt melts within it.”
  21. Isaiah 19:2 tn Heb I will provoke Egypt against Egypt” (NAB similar).
  22. Isaiah 19:2 tn Heb “and they will fight, a man against his brother, and a man against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.” Civil strife will extend all the way from the domestic level to the provincial arena.
  23. Isaiah 19:3 tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”
  24. Isaiah 19:3 tn The verb בָּלַע (balaʿ, “confuse”) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (balaʿ, “swallow”); see HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע.
  25. Isaiah 19:3 tn Heb “they will inquire of the idols and of the spirits of the dead and of the ritual pits and of the magicians.” Hebrew אוֹב (ʾov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19.
  26. Isaiah 19:5 tn Heb “will dry up and be dry.” Two synonyms are joined for emphasis.
  27. Isaiah 19:6 tn Heb “rivers” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, CEV “streams”; TEV “channels.”
  28. Isaiah 19:6 tn The verb form appears as a Hiphil in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa; the form in MT may be a so-called “mixed form,” reflecting the Hebrew Hiphil stem and the functionally corresponding Aramaic Aphel stem. See HALOT 276 s.v. I זנח.
  29. Isaiah 19:7 tn Heb “the plants by the river, by the mouth of the river.”
  30. Isaiah 19:7 tn Heb “will dry up, [being] scattered, and it will vanish.”
  31. Isaiah 19:8 tn Or perhaps, “will disappear”; cf. TEV “will be useless.”
  32. Isaiah 19:9 tn BDB 301 s.v. חוֹרִי suggests the meaning “white stuff” for חוֹרִי (khori); the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חָוֵרוּ (khaveru), probably a Qal perfect, third plural form of חוּר, (khur, “be white, pale”). See HALOT 299 s.v. I חור. The latter reading is assumed in the translation above.
  33. Isaiah 19:10 tn Some interpret שָׁתֹתֶיהָ (shatoteha) as “her foundations,” i.e., leaders, nobles. See BDB 1011 s.v. שָׁת. Others, on the basis of alleged cognates in Akkadian and Coptic, repoint the form שְׁתִיתֶיהָ (shetiteha) and translate “her weavers.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:370.
  34. Isaiah 19:10 tn Heb “crushed.” Emotional distress is the focus of the context (see vv. 8-9, 10b).
  35. Isaiah 19:10 tn Heb “sad of soul”; cf. NIV, NLT “sick at heart.”
  36. Isaiah 19:11 tn Or “certainly the officials of Zoan are fools.” אַךְ (’akh) can carry the sense, “only, nothing but,” or “certainly, surely.”
  37. Isaiah 19:11 tn Heb “A son of wise men am I, a son of ancient kings.” The term בֶּן (ben, “son of”) could refer to literal descent, but many understand the word, at least in the first line, in its idiomatic sense of “member [of a guild].” See HALOT 138 s.v. בֶּן and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:371. If this is the case, then one can take the word in a figurative sense in the second line as well, the “son of ancient kings” being one devoted to their memory as preserved in their literature.
  38. Isaiah 19:12 tn Heb “Where are they? Where are your wise men?” The juxtaposition of the interrogative pronouns is emphatic. See HALOT 38 s.v. אֶי.
  39. Isaiah 19:13 tn Heb “Noph” (so KJV); most recent English versions substitute the more familiar “Memphis.”
  40. Isaiah 19:13 tn Heb “the cornerstone.” The singular form should be emended to a plural.
  41. Isaiah 19:14 tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”
  42. Isaiah 19:14 tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”
  43. Isaiah 19:15 tn Heb “And there will not be for Egypt a deed, which head and tail, shoot and stalk, can do.” In 9:14-15 the phrase “head or tail” refers to leaders and prophets, respectively. This interpretation makes good sense in this context, where both leaders and advisers (probably including prophets and diviners) are mentioned (vv. 11-14). Here, as in 9:14, “shoots or stalk” picture a reed, which symbolizes the leadership of the nation in its entirety.
  44. Isaiah 19:16 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV); likewise at the beginning of vv. 18 and 19.
  45. Isaiah 19:16 tn Heb “Egypt,” which stands by metonymy for the country’s inhabitants.
  46. Isaiah 19:16 sn As the rest of the verse indicates, the point of the simile is that the Egyptians will be relatively weak physically and will wilt in fear before the Lord’s onslaught.
  47. Isaiah 19:16 tn Heb “and he will tremble and be afraid because of the brandishing of the hand of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”], which he brandishes against him.” Since according to the imagery here the Lord’s “hand” is raised as a weapon against the Egyptians, the term “fist” has been used in the translation.
  48. Isaiah 19:17 tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt. Everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”] which he is planning against him.”
  49. Isaiah 19:18 sn The significance of the number “five” in this context is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:376-77.
  50. Isaiah 19:18 tc The Hebrew text has עִיר הַהֶרֶס (ʿir haheres, “City of Destruction”; cf. NASB, NIV) but this does not fit the positive emphasis of vv. 18-22. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and some medieval Hebrew mss read עִיר הָחֶרֶס (ʿir hakheres, “City of the Sun,” i.e., Heliopolis). This reading also finds support from Symmachus’ Greek version, the Targum, and the Vulgate. See HALOT 257 s.v. חֶרֶס and HALOT 355 s.v. II חֶרֶס.
  51. Isaiah 19:19 tn This word is sometimes used of a sacred pillar associated with pagan worship, but here it is associated with the worship of the Lord.
  52. Isaiah 19:20 tn The masculine noun מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeakh, “altar”) in v. 19 is probably the subject of the masculine singular verb הָיָה (hayah) rather than the feminine noun מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”), also in v. 19.
  53. Isaiah 19:20 tn Heb “a sign and a witness to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”] in the land of Egypt.”
  54. Isaiah 19:20 tn רָב (rav) is a substantival participle (from רִיב, riv) meaning “one who strives, contends.”
  55. Isaiah 19:21 tn Heb “Egypt.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the present translation uses the pronoun (“they”) here.
  56. Isaiah 19:21 tn Heb “will know the Lord.”
  57. Isaiah 19:21 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV); likewise at the beginning of vv. 23 and 24.
  58. Isaiah 19:22 tn Heb “he will be entreated.” The Niphal has a tolerative sense here, “he will allow himself to be entreated.”
  59. Isaiah 19:23 tn The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23-25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (ʾet) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.
  60. Isaiah 19:24 tn Heb “will be a blessing” (so NCV).
  61. Isaiah 19:24 tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB).
  62. Isaiah 19:25 tn Heb “which the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”] will bless [it], saying.” The third masculine singular suffix on the form בֵּרֲכוֹ (berakho) should probably be emended to a third feminine singular suffix בֵּרֲכָהּ (berakhah), for its antecedent would appear to be the feminine noun אֶרֶץ (ʾerets, “earth”) at the end of v. 24.
  63. Isaiah 19:25 tn Or “my inheritance” (NAB, NASB, NIV).
  64. Isaiah 20:1 tn Heb “In the year the commanding general came to Ashdod, when Sargon king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and captured it.”sn This probably refers to the Assyrian campaign against Philistia in 712 or 711 b.c.
  65. Isaiah 20:2 tn Heb “spoke by the hand of.”
  66. Isaiah 20:2 tn The word used here (עָרוֹם, ʿarom) sometimes means “naked,” but here it appears to mean simply “lightly dressed,” i.e., stripped to one’s undergarments. See HALOT 883 s.v. עָרוֹם. The term also occurs in vv. 3, 4.
  67. Isaiah 20:4 tn Heb “lightly dressed and barefoot, and bare with respect to the buttocks, the nakedness of Egypt.”
  68. Isaiah 20:5 tn Heb “and they will be afraid and embarrassed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their beauty.”
  69. Isaiah 20:6 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
  70. Isaiah 20:6 sn This probably refers to the coastal region of Philistia (cf. TEV).
  71. Isaiah 21:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  72. Isaiah 21:1 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “wilderness” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like an uninhabited wilderness.
  73. Isaiah 21:1 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
  74. Isaiah 21:2 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
  75. Isaiah 21:2 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
  76. Isaiah 21:3 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
  77. Isaiah 21:3 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
  78. Isaiah 21:4 tn Heb “wanders”; perhaps here, “is confused.”
  79. Isaiah 21:4 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
  80. Isaiah 21:5 tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).
  81. Isaiah 21:5 tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
  82. Isaiah 21:5 sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
  83. Isaiah 21:6 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  84. Isaiah 21:7 tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
  85. Isaiah 21:8 tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (ʾaryeh, “lion”) probably needs to be emended to an original הָרֹאֶה (haroʾeh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6. The Dead Sea Scrolls (1Q Isaa) and the Syriac support an original הָרֹאֶה (haroʾeh, “the one who sees”).
  86. Isaiah 21:8 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
  87. Isaiah 21:9 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
  88. Isaiah 21:9 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
  89. Isaiah 21:10 tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
  90. Isaiah 21:11 tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.
  91. Isaiah 21:11 sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.
  92. Isaiah 21:11 sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.
  93. Isaiah 21:12 sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.
  94. Isaiah 21:12 sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”
  95. Isaiah 21:16 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  96. Isaiah 21:16 tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14.
  97. Isaiah 21:17 tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.”
  98. Isaiah 21:17 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
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