2tn Heb “will be cast aside”; NASB, NIV “thrown out.”

3tn Heb “[as for] their corpses, their stench will arise.”

4tn Heb “hills will dissolve from their blood.”

5tc Heb “and all the host of heaven will rot.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a inserts “and the valleys will be split open,” but this reading may be influenced by Mic 1:4. On the other hand, the statement, if original, could have been omitted by homoioarcton, a scribe’s eye jumping from the conjunction prefixed to “the valleys” to the conjunction prefixed to the verb “rot.”

6tn Heb “like the withering of a leaf from a vine, and like the withering from a fig tree.”

7tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.

8tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”

sn In v. 4 the “host of the heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13). As in 24:21, they are viewed here as opposing God and being defeated in battle.

9sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.

10tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.

11tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

12tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

13tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”

14sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.

15tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

16tn Heb “will go down”; NAB “shall be struck down.”

17tn Heb “and bulls along with strong ones.” Perhaps this refers to the leaders.

18tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”

19tn Heb “a year of repayment for the strife of Zion.” The translation assumes that רִיב (riv) refers to Edom’s hostility toward Zion. Another option is to understand רִיב (riv) as referring to the Lord’s taking up Zion’s cause. In this case one might translate, “a time when he will repay Edom and vindicate Zion.”

20tn Heb “her”; the referent (Edom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

21tn Heb “it will not be extinguished.”

22tn קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).

23tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).

24tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof v˙’orev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.

25tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

26tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.

27sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.

28tn Heb “will be nothing”; NCV, TEV, NLT “will all be gone.”

29tn The words “will grow” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

30tc Heb “and she will be a settlement for wild dogs, a dwelling place for ostriches.” The translation assumes an emendation of חָצִיר (khatsir, “grass”) to חָצֵר (khatser, “settlement”). One of the Qumran scrolls of Isaiah (1QIsa^a) supports this emendation (cf. HALOT 344 s.v. II חָצִיר)

31tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”

32tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”

33tn The precise meaning of לִּילִית (lilit) is unclear, though in this context the word certainly refers to some type of wild animal or bird. The word appears to be related to לַיְלָה (laylah, “night”). Some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. Cf. NRSV “Lilith.”

34tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”

35tn Hebrew קִפּוֹז (qippoz) occurs only here; the precise meaning of the word is uncertain.

36tn For this proposed meaning for Hebrew מָלַט (malat), see HALOT 589 s.v. I מלט.

37tn Heb “and brood [over them] in her shadow.”

38tn The precise meaning of דַּיָּה (dayyah) is uncertain, though the term appears to refer to some type of bird of prey, perhaps a vulture.

39tn Heb “Seek from upon the scroll of the Lord and read.”

sn It is uncertain what particular scroll is referred to here. Perhaps the phrase simply refers to this prophecy and is an admonition to pay close attention to the details of the message.

40tn Heb “one from these will not be missing.” הֵנָּה (hennah, “these”) is feminine plural in the Hebrew text. It may refer only to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or may include all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

41tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”

42tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for a mouth, it has commanded.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and a few medieval mss have פִּיהוּ (pihu, “his mouth [has commanded]”), while a few other medieval mss read פִּי יְהוָה (pi y˙hvah, “the mouth of the Lord [has commanded]”).

43tn Heb “and his spirit, he gathers them.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

44tn Heb “and he causes the lot to fall for them.” Once again the pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

45tn Heb “and his hand divides for them with a measuring line.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) now switches to masculine plural, referring to all the animals and birds mentioned in vv. 11-15, some of which were identified with masculine nouns. This signals closure for this portion of the speech, which began in v. 11. The following couplet (v. 17b) forms an inclusio with v. 11a through verbal repetition.

46tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV); NCV “they will own that land forever.”