“Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD: For Woe see the comments on 28.1. The rebellious children is literally “the children/sons who are rebelling.” It may be rendered “those who rebel.” For the concept of rebellion see the comments on 1.2. This phrase describes the people of Judah as stubborn and intent on doing whatever they want. They refuse to do what God wants. Good News Translation makes it explicit that God is referring to “Judah” here, which other languages may find helpful. Says the LORD may be placed at the beginning of the verse, as in Good News Translation.
Who carry out a plan, but not mine; and who make a league, but not of my spirit: These two parallel lines are synonymous. The people are making a treaty with Egypt against God’s will. Many versions render these lines as relative clauses describing the people, but in Hebrew they define their rebellion in particular, so a better rendering for the first three lines is “The LORD says, ‘It will be bad for those who rebel by making plans that are not my plans, by making a treaty that is against my will.’” For the noun plan, see the comments on 5.19 and 19.3. It can mean “advice,” but here it has the sense of “plans” (Good News Translation). Judah’s plan is also described as a league, which may be rendered “treaty” or “alliance.” Both nouns refer to Hezekiah’s plot to reject Assyrian domination by seeking help from Egypt through a treaty. The phrase make a league renders a Hebrew verb and noun that come from the same root. This root has several possible meanings: “make an image,” “pour out a drink offering,” “make an alliance,” and “weave.” Here it obviously means “make an alliance.”
The phrases but not mine and but not of my spirit emphasize that the plans of Hezekiah and his people are against God’s will. But not mine refers back to the noun plan, so we may say “but it is not my plan.” But not of my spirit is literally “and not my spirit/mind.” It may be rendered “but it is not my will” (similarly Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Revised English Bible has “but not inspired by me” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible).
That they may add sin to sin: This is the result of the people pursuing their own plans. They increase their sin.
Translation examples for this verse are:
• “Alas for those people who rebel,” says Yahweh,
“by making plans that are not my plans,
and by making an alliance that is not my will;
as a result, they add one sin to another.
• “Woe to those who rebel,” says Yahweh,
“making plans that are not mine,
and seeking a treaty that is against my will;
as a result, they sin even more.
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 .