Isaiah 63

 

מִי־זֶה בָּא מֵאֱדֹום חֲמוּץ בְּגָדִים מִבָּצְרָה זֶה הָדוּר בִּלְבוּשֹׁו צֹעֶה בְּרֹב כֹּחֹו אֲנִי מְדַבֵּר בִּצְדָקָה רַב   63:1 לְהֹושִׁיעַ׃

Isai. 63:1   Who is This coming from Edom,

                            of reddened garments from Bozrah,

                    This -- glorious in His apparel,

                            stately in the greatness of His strength?

                    “I, Who speak rightly, great to save.”

מַדּוּעַ אָדֹם לִלְבוּשֶׁךָ וּבְגָדֶיךָ כְּדֹרֵךְ בְּגַת׃   63:2

Isai. 63:2   Why is Your apparel red,

                            and Your garments like a treader in a wine vat?

פּוּרָה דָּרַכְתִּי לְבַדִּי וּמֵעַמִּים אֵין־אִישׁ אִתִּי וְאֶדְרְכֵם בְּאַפִּי וְאֶרְמְסֵם בַּחֲמָתִי וְיֵז נִצְחָם עַל־בְּגָדַי   63:3    וְכָל־מַלְבּוּשַׁי אֶגְאָלְתִּי׃

Isai. 63:3   “I have trodden the wine press by Myself,

                            when there was no one from the peoples with Me.

                    And I trod them in My ‘anger’

                            and trampled them in My ‘fury,’

                    so their blood splashed on My garments,

                            and all of My clothes are stained.”

כִּי יֹום נָקָם בְּלִבִּי וּשְׁנַת גְּאוּלַי בָּאָה׃   63:4

Isai. 63:4   “For a day of vengeance was in My ‘heart,’

                            but the year of My redemption has come.”

וְאַבִּיט וְאֵין עֹזֵר וְאֶשְׁתֹּומֵם וְאֵין סֹומֵךְ וַתֹּושַׁע לִי זְרֹעִי וַחֲמָתִי הִיא סְמָכָתְנִי׃   63:5

Isai. 63:5   “When I looked, then there was no helper,

                            and I was astonished that there was none standing fast.

                    So My own ‘arm’ has been an avenger for Me,

                            and My ‘wrath,’ it sustained Me.”

וְאָבוּס עַמִּים בְּאַפִּי וַאֲשַׁכְּרֵם בַּחֲמָתִי וְאֹורִיד לָאָרֶץ נִצְחָם׃   63:6

Isai. 63:6   “So I trod down the peoples in My ‘anger’

                            and I made them drunk with My ‘wrath,’

                    and I spilled their lifeblood to the ground.”

These first six verses refer to Edom, as explained in the first verse.  They are the peoples who are destroyed.  Once more Isaiah is writing and quoting God as if he were living in the future.  After this, he seems to return to his present time.

חַסְדֵי יְהוָה אַזְכִּיר תְּהִלֹּת יְהוָה כְּעַל כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־גְּמָלָנוּ יְהוָה וְרַב־טוּב לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר־גְּמָלָם   63:7    כְּרַחֲמָיו וּכְרֹב חֲסָדָיו׃

Isai. 63:7   I will recount the kindnesses of the Lord,

                            the hymns of the Lord,

                   because of all that the Lord bestows on us,

                            and the great good for the house of Israel

                   that He bestows on them,

                            like His compassionate acts

                   and like the multitude of His merciful deeds.

וַיֹּאמֶר אַךְ־עַמִּי הֵמָּה בָּנִים לֹא יְשַׁקֵּרוּ וַיְהִי לָהֶם לְמֹושִׁיעַ׃   63:8

Isai. 63:8   So He said, “Surely they are My people;

                            children, they would not be untrue.”

                    And He would be for a Savior to them.

בְּכָל־צָרָתָם לֹא צָר וּמַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו הֹושִׁיעָם בְּאַהֲבָתֹו וּבְחֶמְלָתֹו הוּא גְאָלָם וַיְנַטְּלֵם וַיְנַשְּׂאֵם כָּל־יְמֵי   63:9  עֹולָם׃

Isai. 63:9   Through all their affliction He was not an Enemy,

                            and the angel of His presence saved them.

                     In His love and in His pity He redeemed them,

                            and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.

וְהֵמָּה מָרוּ וְעִצְּבוּ אֶת־רוּחַ קָדְשֹׁו וַיֵּהָפֵךְ לָהֶם לְאֹויֵב הוּא נִלְחַם־בָּם׃   63:10

Isai. 63:10   But they rebelled and they vexed His holy spirit,

                            so He became for an Enemy to them;

                      He waged war against them.

וַיִּזְכֹּר יְמֵי־עֹולָם מֹשֶׁה עַמֹּו אַיֵּה הַמַּעֲלֵם מִיָּם אֵת רֹעֵי צֹאנֹו אַיֵּה הַשָּׂם בְּקִרְבֹּו אֶת־רוּחַ קָדְשֹׁו׃   63:11

Isai. 63:11   Then His people remembered the days of old, Moses.

                           Where is He Who brought them up from the sea

                      with the shepherd of His flock?

                           Where is He Who set His holy spirit in its midst,

מֹולִיךְ לִימִין מֹשֶׁה זְרֹועַ תִּפְאַרְתֹּו בֹּוקֵעַ מַיִם מִפְּנֵיהֶם לַעֲשֹׂות לֹו שֵׁם עֹולָם׃   63:12

Isai. 63:12   causing the “arm” of His glory to go

                            at the right hand of Moses,

                      dividing the waters from before them,

                            making for Himself a name everlasting,

מֹולִיכָם בַּתְּהֹמֹות כַּסּוּס בַּמִּדְבָּר לֹא יִכָּשֵׁלוּ׃   63:13

Isai. 63:13   leading them through the depths?

                            As a horse, they would not stumble in the wilderness.

כַּבְּהֵמָה בַּבִּקְעָה תֵרֵד רוּחַ יְהוָה תְּנִיחֶנּוּ כֵּן נִהַגְתָּ עַמְּךָ לַעֲשֹׂות לְךָ שֵׁם תִּפְאָרֶת׃   63:14

Isai. 63:14   As a beast might descend into a valley,

                             the spirit of the Lord would cause it to rest.

                      So You guided Your people,

                            making for Yourself a glorious name.

הַבֵּט מִשָּׁמַיִם וּרְאֵה מִזְּבֻל קָדְשְׁךָ וְתִפְאַרְתֶּךָ אַיֵּה קִנְאָתְךָ וּגְבוּרֹתֶךָ הֲמֹון מֵעֶיךָ וְרַחֲמֶיךָ אֵלַי   63:15     הִתְאַפָּקוּ׃

Isai. 63:15   Look down from heaven and see,

                             from the dwelling place of Your holiness and Your glory.

                     Where are Your zeal and Your mighty acts?

                            The yearning of Your “heart”

                      and Your merciful deeds towards me are restrained.

כִּי־אַתָּה אָבִינוּ כִּי אַבְרָהָם לֹא יְדָעָנוּ וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יַכִּירָנוּ אַתָּה יְהוָה אָבִינוּ גֹּאֲלֵנוּ מֵעֹולָם שְׁמֶךָ׃   63:16

Isai. 63:16   But You are our Father,

                             for Abraham does not know us,

                      and Israel would not discern us.

                             You, O Lord, are our Father,

                      our Redeemer from of old is Your name.

לָמָּה תַתְעֵנוּ יְהוָה מִדְּרָכֶיךָ תַּקְשִׁיחַ לִבֵּנוּ מִיִּרְאָתֶךָ וּב לְמַעַן עֲבָדֶיךָ שִׁבְטֵי נַחֲלָתֶךָ׃   63:17

Isai. 63:17   Why would You cause us to stray, O Lord,

                             from Your ways,

                       and make our heart insensitive to reverence of You?

                             Return, for the sake of Your servants,

                       the tribes of Your inheritance.

לַמִּצְעָר יָרְשׁוּ עַם־קָדְשֶׁךָ צָרֵינוּ בֹּוסְסוּ מִקְדָּשֶׁךָ׃   63:18

Isai. 63:18   For a while they have driven out Your holy people;

                             our adversaries have trampled Your sanctuary.

הָיִינוּ מֵעֹולָם לֹא־מָשַׁלְתָּ בָּם לֹא־נִקְרָא שִׁמְךָ עֲלֵיהֶם   63:19

Isai. 63:19   We have existed from of old;

                             You did not rule among them;

                      we were not called of Your name because of them.

The pronouns them in this verse must refer to the adversaries mentioned in the previous verse.

 

Some bibles end the chapter with this verse.  Others include the first part of v. 64:1 here.  Because the chapter would then end in the middle of a sentence, I decided to follow the majority of bibles.  However, as the separation of verses and chapters is mostly arbitrary anyway, it makes little difference either way.  At least the meaning is not altered in either case.

 

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