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Isaiah 63:1-6
The Message
Isaiah 63:1-6
The Message
Who Goes There?
63 The watchmen call out,
“Who goes there, marching out of Edom,
out of Bozrah in clothes dyed red?
Name yourself, so splendidly dressed,
advancing, bristling with power!”
“It is I: I speak what is right,
I, mighty to save!”
2 “And why are your robes so red,
your clothes dyed red like those who tread grapes?”
3-6 “I’ve been treading the winepress alone.
No one was there to help me.
Angrily, I stomped the grapes;
raging, I trampled the people.
Their blood spurted all over me—
all my clothes were soaked with blood.
I was set on vengeance.
The time for redemption had arrived.
I looked around for someone to help
—no one.
I couldn’t believe it
—not one volunteer.
So I went ahead and did it myself,
fed and fueled by my rage.
I trampled the people in my anger,
crushed them under foot in my wrath,
soaked the earth with their lifeblood.”
Isaiah 63:1-3
New English Translation
Isaiah 63:1-3
New English Translation
The Victorious Divine Warrior
63 Who is this who comes from Edom,[a]
dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah?[b]
Who[c] is this one wearing royal attire,[d]
who marches confidently[e] because of his great strength?
“It is I, the one who announces vindication,
and who is able to deliver!”[f]
2 Why are your clothes red?
Why do you look like someone who has stomped on grapes in a vat?[g]
3 “I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself;
no one from the nations joined me.
I stomped on them[h] in my anger;
I trampled them down in my rage.
Their juice splashed on my garments,
and stained[i] all my clothes.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 63:1 sn Edom is here an archetype for the Lord’s enemies. See 34:5.
- Isaiah 63:1 tn Heb “[in] bright red garments, from Bozrah.”
- Isaiah 63:1 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the first line of the verse.
- Isaiah 63:1 tn Heb “honored in his clothing”; KJV, ASV “glorious in his apparel.”
- Isaiah 63:1 tc The Hebrew text has צָעָה (tsaʿah), which means “stoop, bend” (51:14). The translation assumes an emendation to צָעַד (tsaʿad, “march”; see BDB 858 s.v. צָעָה).
- Isaiah 63:1 tn Heb “I, [the one] speaking in vindication [or “righteousness”], great to deliver.”
- Isaiah 63:2 tn Heb “and your garments like one who treads in a vat?”
- Isaiah 63:3 sn Nations, headed by Edom, are the object of the Lord’s anger (see v. 6). He compares military slaughter to stomping on grapes in a vat.
- Isaiah 63:3 tn Heb “and I stained.” For discussion of the difficult verb form, see HALOT 170 s.v. II גאל. Perhaps the form is mixed, combining the first person forms of the imperfect (note the alef prefix) and perfect (note the תי- ending).
Isaiah 63:1-3
New International Version
Isaiah 63:1-3
New International Version
God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption
63 Who is this coming from Edom,(A)
from Bozrah,(B) with his garments stained crimson?(C)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(D)
“It is I, proclaiming victory,
mighty to save.”(E)
2 Why are your garments red,
like those of one treading the winepress?(F)
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New English Translation (NET)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.