A stern vision is told to me: A vision is a common means of receiving divine messages; see 1.1. In the Old Testament the ideas of speaking and hearing are often used in the context of a vision (for example, 2.1; Amos 1.1; Micah 1.1). The vision is described as stern (literally “hard”) because of its troubling message. It speaks about something “horrible” (Contemporary English Version). This explains why the prophet reacted in pain and anguish (verses 3-4). Stern may be rendered “disturbing” or “unsettling.” In some languages it will be awkward to say a vision is told, so for this line Good News Translation suggests “I have seen a vision of cruel events,” and Bible en français courant has “It’s a cruel vision that was thus revealed to me.” New International Version says “A dire vision has been shown to me” (similarly Contemporary English Version), while Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “It is horrible, what God let me see and hear.” For some versions this line introduces what God said in the vision. It is not clear where this quote concludes, but it is probably at the end of this verse (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

The plunderer plunders, and the destroyer destroys: In Hebrew each of these clauses repeats a participle, with the definite article on the first participle in each clause. These four Hebrew participles have the same vowels. This provides a solid sound rhythm, which may be possible to imitate in most translations if repetition is used as in Revised Standard Version.

The Hebrew verb translated plunderer and plunders in Revised Standard Version (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) actually carries the sense of treachery (see 24.16, where the same verb is rendered “the treacherous deal treacherously”). Most versions have a word such as “traitor” (New International Version, Revised English Bible), “betrayer” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “betrayal” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). Hebrew Old Testament Text Project endorses “betraying” and questions Revised Standard Version‘s use of “plunder.” In some languages “betray” will be rendered “deceive.” For the Hebrew verb rendered destroyer and destroys, see the comments on 15.1, where it is translated “laid waste.”

The plunderer and the destroyer are singular in Hebrew, but they have a plural sense here, each referring to a class of people, so translators may use the plural (see the first example below).

What is the function of these two statements here? New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh believes they refer to current events, saying “The betrayer is betraying, The ravager ravaging.” We prefer to see them as describing what traitors and destroyers typically do. They are an ominous introduction to the imperatives that follow. So our suggested translation is “Traitors will betray [others], destroyers will destroy [others].”

Go up, O Elam, lay siege, O Media: These two parallel imperatives address two nations in the area of Iran. Elam refers to groups of people who lived in the region east of Mesopotamia, on the Iranian plateau. They had a long history, dating back to the third millennium B.C. Media was the country of the Medes. It was a nation that came to power in central western Iran during the seventh century B.C. Since Go up is parallel with lay siege, it probably has the military sense of “attack” here (compare 7.6). Lay siege speaks of a common method of attacking a fortified town (see 1.8; 29.3; 2 Sam 11.1). It involves surrounding a town, cutting off all access to supplies of food and water and preventing people from entering or leaving it, until finally either the besiegers withdraw or the town surrenders. Neither imperative has an object here, so they function as general calls to prepare for battle against an enemy. From the larger context it is clear that the target is Babylonia.

All the sighing she has caused I bring to an end is literally “all her groaning I will give rest.” This means all her groaning will end. Revised Standard Version adds the words has caused (similarly Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New International Version). This addition probably arises from an attempt to decide who “her” is and what the “groaning” is. According to verse 9, the nation under attack is Babylonia, so the pronoun “her” refers to it. The “groaning” is either the anguish of Babylonia itself (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or the pain it caused other nations (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). The pronoun I refers to Yahweh. He will use Elam and Media to end the suffering caused by Babylonia. New Jerusalem Bible believes this pronoun refers to the prophet since the other first person pronouns in verses 2-4 refer to him, but this is unlikely. Good News Translation changes the direct speech of Yahweh here to indirect by rendering I as “God” (similarly Contemporary English Version; see also the second example below).

For the translation of this verse we suggest the following models:

• A troubling vision is told to me [or, The LORD gave me a troubling vision]:
“Betrayers betray; destroyers destroy.
Attack, Elam! Lay a siege, Media!
[Yahweh] will bring an end to all her [or, Babylonia’s] groaning.”

• I have received a painful vision.
A traitor will betray; a destroyer will destroy.
Elam, go on the attack! Media, set a siege!
Yahweh will put an end to the groaning that Babylonia has caused.

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 .