For I the LORD love justice, I hate robbery and wrong: The Hebrew particle ki rendered For may be a logical connector (so Revised Standard Version and most versions) or an emphatic marker (so Bible en français courant “indeed”). The emphatic expression I the LORD highlights the change in speaker here. Good News Translation begins with the quote frame “The LORD says” to show this change. These two lines reveal aspects of Yahweh’s character. In Hebrew the verbs for love and hate are participles (compare 44.24-28, where participles are also used to describe him). The impact of these participles may be expressed as “I am one who loves … and one who hates….” The verbs love and hate do not have a simple emotional sense here. If there is a risk of confusion with the ideas of “like” and “dislike,” love may be rendered “demand/require” or even “embody,” and hate may be translated “disapprove of / reject / oppose.” The Hebrew word for justice refers to fair legal judgments, the correct application of the laws God gave to Israel (see the comments on 1.17). New Jerusalem Bible renders it “fair judgment.” The Hebrew noun for robbery refers to the illegal taking of other people’s goods. There is a textual problem concerning the word wrong. Masoretic Text reads “burnt offering” (see RSV footnote). Earlier manuscripts read “wrongdoing” by using different vowels on the Hebrew word here. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project accepts both readings, but we prefer the sense of “wrongdoing.” A footnote is not required. The context suggests that the robbery and wrong are what foreign nations did to Judah. Bible en français courant refers to those who act rightly or wrongly by rendering these two lines as “I, the Lord, indeed love that one respects justice, but I detest, I am angry that one takes something by force.”

I will faithfully give them their recompense: The LORD will be faithful to compensate his people for their past suffering. This contrasts with his hatred of the crimes foreigners committed against them, so the common Hebrew conjunction (literally “and”) may be rendered “but.” The pronouns them and their refer to Judah. If this is not clear, translators may make “Judah” explicit (see the examples below). Good News Translation has “my people.” The word faithfully is literally “in truth,” which refers to God’s faithfulness in this context (compare 42.3). His people can rely on him to keep his promises. For recompense see the comments on 49.4. Bible en français courant renders it “compensation.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh gives only a financial sense to this term by rendering the whole line as “I will pay them their wages faithfully.” But such a narrow interpretation seems out of context unless it is taken figuratively.

And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: Yahweh will show his faithfulness to his people through the covenant he keeps with them forever. For this everlasting covenant with Judah, see the comments on 55.3.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• For I am Yahweh, the one who loves justice
and who hates robbery and wrongdoing.
I will be faithful and reward the people of Judah,
making with them an everlasting covenant.

• For I am the LORD who loves justice,
and who hates plunder and wrongdoing;
but I will faithfully reward Judah,
and make with her an everlasting covenant.

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 .