Isaiah 29:17-21
Legacy Standard Bible
The Afflicted Will Rejoice
17 Is it not yet just a little while
[a]Before Lebanon will be turned into a (A)fruitful orchard,
And the fruitful orchard will be counted as a forest?
18 On that day the (B)deaf will hear (C)words of a book,
And out of [b]darkness and thick darkness the (D)eyes of the blind will see.
19 The (E)afflicted also will increase their gladness in Yahweh,
And the (F)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the (G)ruthless will come to an end and the (H)scoffer will be finished,
Indeed (I)all who are watching out to do evil will be cut off;
21 Who [c]cause a person to sin by a word,
And (J)ensnare him who reproves at the gate,
And [d](K)defraud the one in the right with [e]meaningless arguments.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 29:17 Lit And
- Isaiah 29:18 Lit thick darkness and darkness, cf. 8:22; 9:2
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit bring a person under condemnation
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit turn aside
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit confusion
Isaiah 29:17-21
New English Translation
Changes Are Coming
17 In just a very short time[a]
Lebanon will turn into an orchard,
and the orchard will be considered a forest.[b]
18 At that time[c] the deaf will be able to hear words read from a scroll,
and the eyes of the blind will be able to see through deep darkness.[d]
19 The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord;
the poor among humankind will take delight[e] in the Holy One of Israel.[f]
20 For tyrants will disappear,
those who taunt will vanish,
and all those who love to do wrong will be eliminated[g]—
21 those who bear false testimony against a person,[h]
who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate[i]
and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges.[j]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 29:17 tn The Hebrew text phrases this as a rhetorical question, “Is it not yet a little, a short [time]?”
- Isaiah 29:17 sn The meaning of this verse is debated, but it seems to depict a reversal in fortunes. The mighty forest of Lebanon (symbolic of the proud and powerful; see 2:13; 10:34) will be changed into a common orchard, while the common orchard (symbolic of the oppressed and lowly) will grow into a great forest. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:538.
- Isaiah 29:18 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
- Isaiah 29:18 tn Heb “and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.”sn Perhaps this depicts the spiritual transformation of the once spiritually insensitive nation (see vv. 10-12, cf. also 6:9-10).
- Isaiah 29:19 tn Or “will rejoice” (NIV, NCV, NLT).
- Isaiah 29:19 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
- Isaiah 29:20 tn Heb “and all the watchers of wrong will be cut off.”
- Isaiah 29:21 tn Heb “the ones who make a man a sinner with a word.” The Hiphil of חָטָא (khataʾ) here has a delocutive sense: “declare a man sinful/guilty.”
- Isaiah 29:21 sn Legal disputes were resolved at the city gate, where the town elders met. See Amos 5:10.
- Isaiah 29:21 tn Heb “and deprive by emptiness the innocent.”
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