There are a number of similarities between this verse and the previous one. Both verses begin with the same verb in Hebrew, but the verb has a different meaning here, so it is translated differently. Both verses contain nouns with the second person singular pronominal suffix, and both use the Hebrew particle rendered as. The word righteousness and the phrase the faithful city link this verse with verse 21. They form brackets around the subsection 1.21-26 (see the introductory comments on these verses). This subsection concludes with a promise of a new future just as the previous sections did.

And I will restore your judges as at the first: Here Yahweh looks back to the past as an ideal time, a time when Israel was faithful. This would be David’s time. David had appointed judges and counselors whose responsibility was the administration of justice. From Jerusalem they had to promote law, order, and justice in the whole country. But Jerusalem had now become a city of corruption; therefore reform should begin in Jerusalem. God will remove all the corrupt judges and counselors and replace them with those who will administer justice.

As noted above, restore renders the same Hebrew verb that begins the previous verse. There it means “turn [against].” Here it carries the sense of “cause to return.” Judges translates a Hebrew root meaning “to judge” in the legal sense, but this noun in Hebrew can also describe a person who is a “leader” in both a military and a social sense. In this context of orphans and widows who do not receive justice (verses 17, 23), it refers to legal professionals. Most translations say “judges”; New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “magistrates,” but Good News Translation prefers “rulers,” which we do not recommend in this legal context. As at the first refers to the early days of Israel’s monarchy in the time of David, though a translation should not say this explicitly. This phrase may be rendered “as they [judges] used to be” or “like those you had long ago” (Good News Translation).

This line does not mean that the long-dead judges will come back again, but that those who are serving as judges in the community now will become like the ideal judges of long ago. Bible en français courant translates “I will make your judges as those of times past.”

And your counselors as at the beginning is parallel in form and meaning to the previous line. Counselors were people who gave advice to kings and other leaders. An example can be found in 2 Sam 16.20-23. “Advisers” (Good News Translation) is a good general term to use. As at the beginning also refers to the early days of the nation, a time when counselors gave sound advice. If translators have difficulty in finding two expressions referring to early times, they may follow the model of Good News Translation, which combines the first two lines.

Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city: Afterward refers to the time following the revolutionary changes Yahweh will make in Israel. Only then will Jerusalem know justice and righteousness. This time marker may be translated “Once this has happened” or simply “Then.” In languages that do not have the passive voice, you will be called may be rendered “people will call you” or even “all people will recognize you as.”

For the city of righteousness and the faithful city, see the comments on verse 21, where the same virtues are assigned to the city of Jerusalem. In languages where no abstract nouns can be used, these two phrases may be rendered “the city of people with right conduct” and “the city of people who are faithful to God” respectively. However, translators should try to use the same terms as those used in verse 21 in order to bring out the overall coherence of the subsection.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• I will restore to you judges like those you had in the beginning,
and advisers like those you had at first.
Then you will once again be called “the righteous city,”
the city where people are faithful [to me].

• I will make your judges like those you had in the beginning,
and advisers such as you used to have.
Once this happens you will be known again as “the righteous town,”
the town where people put all their trust in me, their God.

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 .