Woe to …: See the comments on 28.1.

Those who hide deep from the LORD their counsel: This probably refers to those who tried hard to keep Yahweh from knowing what advice they were giving to the king of Judah. In this context the Hebrew word for counsel has the sense of “advice” (compare 11.2; 16.3; 28.29) rather than “plans” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), since these people were giving advice upon which the king could base his plans. They were advising him to make an alliance with Egypt and break free of Assyrian domination. They try to hide their advice from Yahweh since they know he disagrees with it. They are foolish to do this since nothing can be hidden from him.

Whose deeds are in the dark further describes these advisers. They try to cover up their actions. This figurative language refers to doing something secretly, not to doing things at night. This line may be rendered “who scheme secretly” (similarly Good News Translation).

And who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”: These advisers also claim that nobody can see them or learn what they do. The verb say here means “think” or “believe.” Who sees us? and Who knows us? are rhetorical questions, which may be rendered “Nobody can see us! Nobody knows what we do!” Of course, Yahweh knows what they do and say, so what they believe is foolish and they deserve to be condemned. For languages that prefer indirect discourse here, Good News Translation provides a helpful model with “and think no one will see them or know what they are doing.”

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Alas for those who try to hide their advice from Yahweh in some secret place,
whose actions are done in some secret corner,
and who think that nobody sees them or knows what they do.

• Woe to those who seek to hide their advice far away from Yahweh,
whose deeds are done in the dark,
and who believe nobody can see them or find out what they do.

• Alas for those who try hard to hide from Yahweh the advice they give,
who scheme in darkness,
and who think, “Who can see us? Who knows what we do?”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .