This verse asks two questions of those who use the law to oppress others. The questions are rhetorical, so they do not ask for information but they imply self-evident answers. The question form is used to make the unjust judges think seriously about their actions.

What will you do on the day of punishment, in the storm which will come from afar?: This double question implies that God will punish these judges severely for not practicing justice. Their painful ending is referred to in two ways: the day of punishment and the storm.

The day of punishment occurs in a similar context in Hos 5.9, where the Hebrew wording is different. It does not refer to one particular 24-hour period, so Good News Translation renders the first half of this question as “What will you do when God punishes you?” Good News Translation makes it explicit that God will bring the punishment; other translations may need to clarify this also.

In the storm which will come from afar is the second part of the first question. It may be rendered as a separate question, as in Good News Translation. The storm is a figurative reference to disaster (so Good News Translation, New International Version). People who come from afar will cause this disaster. So this line refers to an invasion by a foreign army. Bible en français courant keeps the metaphor of the approaching storm by rendering the first question as “When the Lord will intervene, when the thunderstorm will approach rapidly from afar, what will you do then?” The context makes it clear that this is not an actual storm.

The rhetorical question form implies the self-evident answer that these unjust lawmakers will have nowhere to go to escape from the coming disaster. In languages where rhetorical questions are not commonly used, the first half of this verse may be rendered as a strong statement, for example, “You will have absolutely nowhere to hide [or, run/escape] when the LORD comes to punish you. At that time his punishment will come like a thunderstorm.”

To whom will you flee for help where will you leave your wealth?: This is another double question. It may be rendered as two separate questions if the style of the receptor language requires it. The first part of the question implies that there will be nobody ready to offer help when these crooked judges try to flee from the coming punishment. The self-evident answer to the second part of the question is that there will be nowhere for them to hide their wealth. They probably acquired this wealth by false means, through unjust treatment and oppression of others. This may be implied in translation. The Hebrew noun rendered wealth has a wide range of meanings. It can mean “glory” (King James Version [King James Version]), “honor,” “dignity,” and “abundance.” Although many translations say “wealth” or something similar here, “dignity” or “honor” is also possible. So the last line may be rendered “To whom will you leave your honor?” This would refer to the honored place the judges had in the community. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh suggests “carcasses” (that is, dead bodies) as the meaning of the Hebrew word here, while Revised English Bible says “children.” However, most versions refer to physical wealth; for example, Bible en français courant renders the last line as “Where would you go to store your riches?” We recommend this interpretation.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• What will you do when punishment comes, the devastating storm that will come from afar?
Where will you go for help, and leave your riches?

• When judgment comes, that devastating storm from a foreign power, what will you do?
To whom will you turn for help, and to whom leave your honor?

If the receptor language prefers the statement form, one possible model is:

• You will not know what to do when the punishment comes,
when the devastation from an alien nation strikes.
Nor will you have anywhere to go for help,
and none to whom you can leave your wealth.

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 .