Isaiah 58

This is remarkably apt for today's politics as was the previous chapter 5. I decided to do some low % Isaiah chapters. What a cool prophet. Isaiah will provide some ongoing respite from the more mechanical history when the challenge of Proverbs poetry is done. I won't run out of fun with this puzzle.

Verse 3 is interpreted as the exploitation of subservient workers by JB and a few other translations. Possibly true but I have left it as the braggadocio that Jesus warns against in the sermon on the mount. Perhaps Jesus meant more than that too.

You will note how Hebraic my renderings are. For the most part this reflects two tendencies, the drama of a delayed resolution to a sentence, and the need to allow as far as possible the ornamentation of the music to be reflected on the same English word in the text as it is in the Hebrew. I am occasionally surprised at how easy this is to do. Negatives, and some adjectives, and some verbs demand an adjustment of word order in the English, but many phrases do not demand any adjustment.

Isaiah 58		Fn		Min	Max	Syll
קְרָ֤א בְגָרוֹן֙ אַל־תַּחְשֹׂ֔ךְ כַּשּׁוֹפָ֖ר הָרֵ֣ם קוֹלֶ֑ךָ וְהַגֵּ֤ד לְעַמִּי֙ פִּשְׁעָ֔ם וּלְבֵ֥ית יַעֲקֹ֖ב חַטֹּאתָֽם	1		Proclaim aloud. Do not keep back. Like a shophar, lift high your voice, and make clear to my people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob, their sin.	3e	4C	16 16
וְאוֹתִ֗י י֥וֹם יוֹם֙ יִדְרֹשׁ֔וּן וְדַ֥עַת דְּרָכַ֖י יֶחְפָּצ֑וּן כְּג֞וֹי אֲשֶׁר־צְדָקָ֣ה עָשָׂ֗ה וּמִשְׁפַּ֤ט אֱלֹהָיו֙ לֹ֣א עָזָ֔ב יִשְׁאָל֙וּנִי֙ מִשְׁפְּטֵי־צֶ֔דֶק קִרְבַ֥ת אֱלֹהִ֖ים יֶחְפָּצֽוּן	2		Yet me day by day they search out, and the knowledge of my ways they delight in. As a nation that does righteousness, and the judgment of its God has not forsaken, they inquire of me the judgment of righteousness. The nearness of God they delight in.	3e	4C	17 35
לָ֤מָּה צַּ֙מְנוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א רָאִ֔יתָ עִנִּ֥ינוּ נַפְשֵׁ֖נוּ וְלֹ֣א תֵדָ֑ע הֵ֣ן בְּי֤וֹם צֹֽמְכֶם֙ תִּמְצְאוּ־חֵ֔פֶץ וְכָל־עַצְּבֵיכֶ֖ם תִּנְגֹּֽשׂוּ	3	C	Why have we fasted and you have not seen? We have afflicted ourselves and you did not know. Lo, in the day of your fast you find delight, and all your hardship, you are exploiting.	3e	4C	19 17
הֵ֣ן לְרִ֤יב וּמַצָּה֙ תָּצ֔וּמוּ וּלְהַכּ֖וֹת בְּאֶגְרֹ֣ף רֶ֑שַׁע לֹא־תָצ֣וּמוּ כַיּ֔וֹם לְהַשְׁמִ֥יעַ בַּמָּר֖וֹם קוֹלְכֶֽם	4	B	Lo, to contend and to struggle you fast, and to strike with a fist of wickedness. You will not fast as today to make your voice heard on high.	3e	4C	17 14
הֲכָזֶ֗ה יִֽהְיֶה֙ צ֣וֹם אֶבְחָרֵ֔הוּ י֛וֹם עַנּ֥וֹת אָדָ֖ם נַפְשׁ֑וֹ הֲלָכֹ֨ף כְּאַגְמֹ֜ן רֹאשׁ֗וֹ וְשַׂ֤ק וָאֵ֙פֶר֙ יַצִּ֔יעַ הֲלָזֶה֙ תִּקְרָא־צ֔וֹם וְי֥וֹם רָצ֖וֹן לַיהוָֽה	5		Is it like this a fast that I choose? a day for humanity to afflict its very self? to disturb as a bulrush his head, and sackcloth and ashes to spread out? Is it this that you call a fast and an acceptable day of Yahweh?	3d	4C	17 28
הֲל֣וֹא זֶה֮ צ֣וֹם אֶבְחָרֵהוּ֒ פַּתֵּ֙חַ֙ חַרְצֻבּ֣וֹת רֶ֔שַׁע הַתֵּ֖ר אֲגֻדּ֣וֹת מוֹטָ֑ה וְשַׁלַּ֤ח רְצוּצִים֙ חָפְשִׁ֔ים וְכָל־מוֹטָ֖ה תְּנַתֵּֽקוּ	6		Is not this, the fast that I choose? to open the stings of wickedness, to release the architecture of hegemony, and to set loose the damaged to be free, and every crosspiece to snap.	3e	4C	23 16
הֲל֨וֹא פָרֹ֤ס לָֽרָעֵב֙ לַחְמֶ֔ךָ וַעֲנִיִּ֥ים מְרוּדִ֖ים תָּ֣בִיא בָ֑יִת כִּֽי־תִרְאֶ֤ה עָרֹם֙ וְכִסִּית֔וֹ וּמִבְּשָׂרְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תִתְעַלָּֽם	7		Is it not to redistribute to the hungry your bread? and to the poor and the refugee, to bring to a house? when you see the naked, that you cover it? and from your flesh, you do not obscure yourself?	3e	4C	21 17
אָ֣ז יִבָּקַ֤ע כַּשַּׁ֙חַר֙ אוֹרֶ֔ךָ וַאֲרֻכָתְךָ֖ מְהֵרָ֣ה תִצְמָ֑ח וְהָלַ֤ךְ לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ צִדְקֶ֔ךָ כְּב֥וֹד יְהוָ֖ה יַאַסְפֶֽךָ	8	B	Then will split as dawn your light, and your patience swiftly will grow, and in your presence your righteousness will walk. The glory of Yahweh will gather you.	3e	4C	20 18
אָ֤ז תִּקְרָא֙ וַיהוָ֣ה יַעֲנֶ֔ה תְּשַׁוַּ֖ע וְיֹאמַ֣ר הִנֵּ֑נִי אִם־תָּסִ֤יר מִתּֽוֹכְךָ֙ מוֹטָ֔ה שְׁלַ֥ח אֶצְבַּ֖ע וְדַבֶּר־אָֽוֶן	9	C	Then you will call and Yahweh will answer. You will cry and he will say, Here am I, if you put aside from your midst your hegemony, the extending of a finger, and the word of mischief.	3e	4C	17 17
וְתָפֵ֤ק לָֽרָעֵב֙ נַפְשֶׁ֔ךָ וְנֶ֥פֶשׁ נַעֲנָ֖ה תַּשְׂבִּ֑יעַ וְזָרַ֤ח בַּחֹ֙שֶׁךְ֙ אוֹרֶ֔ךָ וַאֲפֵלָתְךָ֖ כַּֽצָּהֳרָֽיִם	10		And if you draw forth to the hungry your being, and the one who is afflicted, you satisfy, then will rise in the darkness your light, and your gloom will be as the noon day.	3e	4C	18 19
וְנָחֲךָ֣ יְהוָה֮ תָּמִיד֒ וְהִשְׂבִּ֤יעַ בְּצַחְצָחוֹת֙ נַפְשֶׁ֔ךָ וְעַצְמֹתֶ֖יךָ יַחֲלִ֑יץ וְהָיִ֙יתָ֙ כְּגַ֣ן רָוֶ֔ה וּכְמוֹצָ֣א מַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יְכַזְּב֖וּ מֵימָֽיו	11		And Yahweh will guide you continually, and will satisfy in a scorched place your being, and rescue your bones. Then you will be as a garden saturated, and as emerging water whose waters will not be a hoax.	3e	4C	27 20
וּבָנ֤וּ מִמְּךָ֙ חָרְב֣וֹת עוֹלָ֔ם מוֹסְדֵ֥י דוֹר־וָד֖וֹר תְּקוֹמֵ֑ם וְקֹרָ֤א לְךָ֙ גֹּדֵ֣ר פֶּ֔רֶץ מְשֹׁבֵ֥ב נְתִיב֖וֹת לָשָֽׁבֶת	12		And they will build from you the deserts of eras past. From the foundations, generation by generation, you will raise up, and you will be called: fencing for a breach, a restorer of pathways for settlement.	3e	4C	17 18
אִם־תָּשִׁ֤יב מִשַּׁבָּת֙ רַגְלֶ֔ךָ עֲשׂ֥וֹת חֲפָצֶ֖יךָ בְּי֣וֹם קָדְשִׁ֑י וְקָרָ֨אתָ לַשַּׁבָּ֜ת עֹ֗נֶג לִקְד֤וֹשׁ יְהוָה֙ מְכֻבָּ֔ד וְכִבַּדְתּוֹ֙ מֵעֲשׂ֣וֹת דְּרָכֶ֔יךָ מִמְּצ֥וֹא חֶפְצְךָ֖ וְדַבֵּ֥ר דָּבָֽר	13		If you turn from the Sabbath your foot to do your delight on my holy day, and you call the Sabbath exquisite, of the holiness of Yahweh, from glory, and you glorify him more than doing your ways, more than finding your delight and speaking a word,	3e	4C	19 37
אָ֗ז תִּתְעַנַּג֙ עַל־יְהוָ֔ה וְהִרְכַּבְתִּ֖יךָ עַל־בָּ֣מֳותֵי אָ֑רֶץ וְהַאֲכַלְתִּ֗יךָ נַחֲלַת֙ יַעֲקֹ֣ב אָבִ֔יךָ כִּ֛י פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה דִּבֵּֽר	14	~	Then you will delight exquisitely over Yahweh, and I will have you ride upon the high places of earth, and I will feed you the inheritance of Jacob your father, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.	3d	4B	18 21