Isaiah 3
New English Translation
A Coming Leadership Crisis
3 Look, the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies[a]
is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah
every source of security, including[b]
all the food and water,[c]
2 the mighty men and warriors,
judges and prophets,
omen readers and leaders,[d]
3 captains of groups of fifty,
the respected citizens,[e]
advisers and those skilled in magical arts,[f]
and those who know incantations.
4 The Lord says,[g] “I will make youths their officials;
malicious young men[h] will rule over them.
5 The people will treat each other harshly;
men will oppose each other;
neighbors will fight.[i]
Youths will proudly defy the elderly
and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected.[j]
6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother
right in his father’s house[k] and say,[l]
‘You own a coat—
you be our leader!
This heap of ruins will be under your control.’[m]
7 At that time[n] the brother will shout,[o]
‘I am no doctor,[p]
I have no food or coat in my house;
don’t make me a leader of the people!’”
8 Jerusalem certainly stumbles,
Judah falls,
for their words and their actions offend the Lord;[q]
they rebel against his royal authority.[r]
9 The look on their faces[s] testifies to their guilt;[t]
like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin.[u]
Woe to them![v]
For they bring disaster on themselves.
10 Tell the innocent[w] it will go well with them,[x]
for they will be rewarded for what they have done.[y]
11 Woe to the wicked sinners!
For they will get exactly what they deserve.[z]
12 Oppressors treat my[aa] people cruelly;
creditors rule over them.[ab]
My people, your leaders mislead you;
they give you confusing directions.[ac]
13 The Lord takes his position to judge;
he stands up to pass sentence on his people.[ad]
14 The Lord comes to pronounce judgment
on the leaders of his people and their officials.
He says,[ae] “It is you[af] who have ruined[ag] the vineyard![ah]
You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor.[ai]
15 Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor?”[aj]
The Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies[ak] has spoken.
Washing Away Impurity
16 The Lord says,
“The women[al] of Zion are proud.
They walk with their heads high[am]
and flirt with their eyes.
They skip along[an]
and the jewelry on their ankles jingles.[ao]
17 So[ap] the Lord[aq] will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s women[ar] with skin diseases;[as]
the Lord will make the front of their heads bald.”[at]
18 [au] At that time[av] the Lord will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry,[aw] neck ornaments, crescent-shaped ornaments, 19 earrings, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets,[ax] amulets, 21 rings, nose rings, 22 festive dresses, robes, shawls, purses, 23 garments, vests, head coverings, and gowns.[ay]
24 A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices,[az]
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.
25 Your[ba] men will fall by the sword,
your strong men will die in battle.[bb]
26 Her gates will mourn and lament;
deprived of her people, she will sit on the ground.[bc]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 3:1 tn Heb “the master, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, the “Lord of hosts”].” On the title “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,” see the note at 1:9.
- Isaiah 3:1 tn Heb “support and support.” The masculine and feminine forms of the noun are placed side-by-side to emphasize completeness. See GKC 394 §122.v.
- Isaiah 3:1 tn Heb “all the support of food, and all the support of water.”
- Isaiah 3:2 tn Heb “elder” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NCV “older leaders.”
- Isaiah 3:3 tn Heb “the ones lifted up with respect to the face.” For another example of the Hebrew idiom, see 2 Kgs 5:1.
- Isaiah 3:3 tn Heb “and the wise with respect to magic.” On the meaning of חֲרָשִׁים (kharashim, “magic”), see HALOT 358 s.v. III חרשׁ. Some understand here a homonym, meaning “craftsmen.” In this case, one could translate, “skilled craftsmen” (cf. NIV, NASB).
- Isaiah 3:4 tn The words “the Lord says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The prophet speaks in vv. 1-3 (note the third person reference to the Lord in v. 1), but here the Lord himself announces that he will intervene in judgment. It is unclear where the Lord’s words end and the prophet’s pick up again. The prophet is apparently speaking again by v. 8, where the Lord is referred to in the third person. Since vv. 4-7 comprise a thematic unity, the quotation probably extends through v. 7.
- Isaiah 3:4 tn תַעֲלוּלִים (taʿalulim) is often understood as an abstract plural meaning “wantonness, cruelty” (cf. NLT). In this case the chief characteristic of these leaders is substituted for the leaders themselves. However, several translations make the parallelism tighter by emending the form to עוֹלְלִים (ʿolelim, “children”; cf. ESV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NKJV, NRSV). This emendation is unnecessary for at least two reasons. The word in the MT highlights the cruelty or malice of the “leaders” who are left behind in the wake of God’s judgment. The immediate context makes clear the fact that they are mere youths. The coming judgment will sweep away the leaders, leaving a vacuum which will be filled by incompetent, inexperienced youths.
- Isaiah 3:5 tn Heb “man against man, and a man against his neighbor.”
- Isaiah 3:5 tn Heb “and those lightly esteemed those who are respected.” The verb רָהַב (rahav) does double duty in the parallelism.
- Isaiah 3:6 tn Heb “[in] the house of his father” (so ASV); NIV “at his father’s home.”
- Isaiah 3:6 tn The words “and say” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
- Isaiah 3:6 tn Heb “your hand”; NASB “under your charge.”sn The man’s motives are selfish. He tells his brother to assume leadership because he thinks he has some wealth to give away.
- Isaiah 3:7 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
- Isaiah 3:7 tn Heb “he will lift up [his voice].”
- Isaiah 3:7 tn Heb “wrapper [of wounds]”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “healer.”
- Isaiah 3:8 tn Heb “for their tongue and their deeds [are] to the Lord.”
- Isaiah 3:8 tn Heb “to rebel [against] the eyes of his majesty.” The word כָּבוֹד (kavod) frequently refers to the Lord’s royal splendor that is an outward manifestation of his authority as king.
- Isaiah 3:9 sn This refers to their proud, arrogant demeanor.
- Isaiah 3:9 tn Heb “answers against them”; NRSV “bears witness against them.”
- Isaiah 3:9 tn Heb “their sin, like Sodom, they declare, they do not conceal [it].”
- Isaiah 3:9 tn Heb “woe to their soul.”
- Isaiah 3:10 tn Or “the righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, TEV); NLT “those who are godly.”
- Isaiah 3:10 tn Heb “that it is good.”
- Isaiah 3:10 tn Heb “for the fruit of their deeds they will eat.”
- Isaiah 3:11 tn Heb “for the work of his hands will be done to him.”
- Isaiah 3:12 sn This may refer to the prophet or to the Lord.
- Isaiah 3:12 tc The Hebrew text appears to read literally, “My people, his oppressors, he deals severely, and women rule over them.” The correct text and precise meaning of the verse are debated. The translation above assumes (1) an emendation of נֹגְשָׂיו (nogesayv, “his oppressors”) to נֹגְשִׂים (nogeshim, “oppressors”) by moving the mem (ם) on the following form to the end of the word and dropping the vav (ו) as virtually dittographic; (2) an emendation of מְעוֹלֵל (meʿolel, a singular participle that does not agree with the preceding plural subject) to עֹלְלוּ (ʿolelu), a third plural Poel perfect from עָלַל (ʿalal, “deal severely”; note that the following form begins with a vav [ו]; the text may be haplographic or misdivided); and (3) an emendation (with support from the LXX) of נָשִׁים (nashim, “women”) to נֹשִׁים (noshim, “creditors”; a participle from נָשַׁא, nashaʾ). Another option is to emend מְעוֹלֵל to עוֹלְלִים (ʿolelim, “children”) and read, “My people’s oppressors are children; women rule over them.” In this case the point is the same as in v. 4; the leadership void left by the judgment will be filled by those incompetent to lead the community—children and women.
- Isaiah 3:12 tn Heb “and the way of your paths they confuse.” The verb בָּלַע (balaʿ, “confuse”; HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”; see HALOT 134 s.v. בלע).
- Isaiah 3:13 tc The Hebrew text has עַמִּים (ʿammim, “nations”) but the context makes it clear that the Lord is judging his covenant people. As indicated by the LXX the text should read עַמּוֹ (ʿammo, “his people”). The final mem (ם) on the form in the Hebrew is either dittographic or enclitic. When the mem was added or read as a plural ending, the vav (ו) was then misread as a yod (י).
- Isaiah 3:14 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Isaiah 3:14 tn The pronominal element is masculine plural; the leaders are addressed.
- Isaiah 3:14 tn The verb בָּעַר (baʿar, “graze, ruin”; HALOT 146 s.v. II בער) is a homonym of the more common בָּעַר (baʿar, “burn”; see HALOT 145 s.v. I בער).
- Isaiah 3:14 sn The vineyard is a metaphor for the nation here. See 5:1-7.
- Isaiah 3:14 tn Heb “the plunder of the poor [is] in your houses” (so NASB).
- Isaiah 3:15 sn The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s outrage at what the leaders have done to the poor. He finds it almost unbelievable that they would have the audacity to treat his people in this manner.
- Isaiah 3:15 tn Heb Traditionally, the “Lord of hosts.” On the title “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,” see the note at 1:9.sn The use of this title, which also appears in v. 1, forms an inclusio around vv. 1-15. The speech begins and ends with a reference to “the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
- Isaiah 3:16 tn Heb “daughters” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).
- Isaiah 3:16 tn Heb “with an outstretched neck.” They proudly hold their heads high so that others can see the jewelry around their necks.
- Isaiah 3:16 tn Heb “walking and skipping, they walk.”
- Isaiah 3:16 tn Heb “and with their feet they jingle.”
- Isaiah 3:17 tn In the Hebrew text vv. 16-17 are one long sentence, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud and walk…, the Lord will afflict….” In v. 17 the Lord refers to himself in the third person.
- Isaiah 3:17 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v. 18 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
- Isaiah 3:17 tn Heb “the daughters of Zion.”
- Isaiah 3:17 tn Or “a scab” (KJV, ASV); NIV, NCV, CEV “sores.”
- Isaiah 3:17 tn The precise meaning of this line is unclear because of the presence of the rare word פֹּת (pot). Since the verb in the line means “lay bare, make naked,” some take פֹּת as a reference to the genitals (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV, CEV). (In 1 Kgs 7:50 a noun פֹּת appears, with the apparent meaning “socket.”) J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:139, n. 2), basing his argument on alleged Akkadian evidence and the parallelism of the verse, takes פֹּת as “forehead.”
- Isaiah 3:18 sn The translation assumes that the direct quotation ends with v. 17. The introductory formula “in that day” and the shift from a poetic to prosaic style indicate that a new speech unit begins in v. 18.
- Isaiah 3:18 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
- Isaiah 3:18 tn Or “the beauty of [their] ankle jewelry.”
- Isaiah 3:20 tn Heb “houses of breath.” HALOT 124 s.v. בַּיִת defines them as “scent-bottles”; cf. NAB, NRSV “perfume boxes.”
- Isaiah 3:23 tn The precise meaning of many of the words in this list is uncertain.sn The rhetorical purpose for such a lengthy list is to impress on the audience the guilt of these women with their proud, materialistic attitude, whose husbands and fathers have profited at the expense of the poor.
- Isaiah 3:24 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.
- Isaiah 3:25 tn The pronoun is feminine singular, suggesting personified Zion, as representative of its women, is the addressee. The reference to “her gates’ in v. 26 makes this identification almost certain.
- Isaiah 3:25 tn Heb “your strength in battle.” The verb in the first clause provides the verbal idea for the second clause.
- Isaiah 3:26 tn Heb “she will be empty, on the ground she will sit.” Jerusalem is personified as a destitute woman who sits mourning the empty city.
Isaiah 3
International Standard Version
Judgment Comes to Judah’s Leaders
3 “Note this! The Lord God of the Heavenly Armies
is taking away from Jerusalem and Judah
everything that your society needs—[a]
all food supplies
and all water supplies,
2 the mighty man
and the warrior,
the judge
and the prophet,
the fortune-teller
and the elder,
3 the commander of fifty
and the man of rank,
and the counselor, the expert magician,
and the medium.
4 “I will make youths their princes,
and infants will rule over them.
5 People will oppress one another—
It will be man against man
and neighbor against neighbor.
The young will be disrespectful to the old,
and the worthless to the honorable.
6 “For a man will grab his brother
in his own father’s house,
and say, ‘You have a cloak,
so you be our leader,
and this heap of ruins
will be under your rule!’
7 “But[b] at that time,[c] he’ll protest![d]
He’ll say, ‘I won’t be your healer.
I have neither food nor clothing in my house!
You’re not going to make me a leader of the people!’
8 “For Jerusalem has stumbled,
and Judah has fallen,
because what they say and do opposes[e] the Lord;
they keep defying him.[f]
9 “The expressions on their faces give them away.[g]
They parade their sin around like Sodom;
they don’t even try to[h] hide it.
How horrible it will be for them,
because they have brought disaster on themselves!”
Encouragement to the Righteous
10 “Tell[i] the righteous that things will go well,
because they will enjoy[j] the fruit of their actions.”
Warning to the Wicked
11 “How terrible it will be for the wicked!
Disaster is headed their way,
because what they did with their hand[k] will be repaid[l] to them.
12 “As for my people, children[m] are their oppressors,
and women rule over them.
My people, your leaders are misleading you—
they’re giving you confusing directions.”[n]
When God Goes to Court
13 The Lord is taking his place to argue his case;
he’s standing up to judge the people.
14 The Lord will go to court[o]
to oppose[p] the elders and princes of his people:
“You’re the ones who have been devouring the vineyard,
the plunder of the poor is in your own houses!
15 How dare you crush[q] my people
as you grind down the face of the poor?”
declares the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.[r]
Judgment of Jerusalem’s Women
16 The Lord also says:
“Because Zion’s women are so haughty,
and walk with outstretched necks,
flirting with their eyes,
prancing[s] along as they walk,
and making tinkling noises with their ankle bracelets,[t]
17 therefore the Lord[u] will afflict sores
on the heads of Zion’s women,
and the Lord[v] will expose their private parts.
18 “At that time,[w] the Lord[x] will take away the finery of the ankle bracelets, headbands, crescents, 19 pendants, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, armlets, sashes, perfume boxes, charms, 21 signet rings, nose rings, 22 fine robes, capes,[y] purses, 23 mirrors, linen garments, tiaras, and veils.
24 “And it will come about that instead of fragrance
there will be[z] a stench;
instead of a belt, a rope;
instead of well-set hair, baldness;
instead of a fine robe, sackcloth;
and instead of beauty, shame.[aa]
25 Your men will die violently,[ab]
while your forces[ac] fall[ad] in battle
26 and her gates lament and mourn.
Ravaged, she will sit on the ground.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 3:1 Lit. Judah both supply and support
- Isaiah 3:7 So 1QIsaa LXX; the Heb. lacks But
- Isaiah 3:7 Lit. day
- Isaiah 3:7 Lit. he’ll cry out
- Isaiah 3:8 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read do is towards
- Isaiah 3:8 Lit. defying his glorious presence
- Isaiah 3:9 Lit. faces bears witness against them
- Isaiah 3:9 1QIsaa MT lack try to
- Isaiah 3:10 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks Tell
- Isaiah 3:10 Lit. eat
- Isaiah 3:11 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read hands
- Isaiah 3:11 So 1QIsaa; MT reads done
- Isaiah 3:12 Or youths
- Isaiah 3:12 So MT; 1QIsaa reads they’re devouring your paths
- Isaiah 3:14 Lit. go into judgment
- Isaiah 3:14 Lit. with
- Isaiah 3:15 Lit. What do you mean by crushing
- Isaiah 3:15 So 1QIsaa MT; LXX lacks this line
- Isaiah 3:16 Or mincing
- Isaiah 3:16 Lit. their feet
- Isaiah 3:17 So 1QIsaa corrector; 1QIsaa 4QIsab MT read my Lord; LXX reads God
- Isaiah 3:17 So 1QIsaa corrector MT; 1QIsaa reads my Lord
- Isaiah 3:18 Lit. In that day
- Isaiah 3:18 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT 1QIsaa corrector read my Lord
- Isaiah 3:22 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT read capes and cloaks
- Isaiah 3:24 The 1QIsaa lacks will be a stench
- Isaiah 3:24 So 1QIsaa; MT reads burning instead of beauty; LXX lacks this line
- Isaiah 3:25 Lit. will fall by the sword
- Isaiah 3:25 So 1QIsaa; MT reads force
- Isaiah 3:25 1QIsaa MT lack fall
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