This verse gives the result of Yahweh’s actions in the previous verse. It concludes the song of the people of Judah.

The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy: The first line refers to the action of trampling while the last two parallel lines identify those who do it. The poor and the needy within the community have presumably been oppressed by the proud leaders of the city. Now the situation is reversed: the poor trample on what is left of the city. This is probably a figurative description of their release from oppression and a return to justice. Foot, feet, and steps are figures of speech that use a part to refer to the whole (called synecdoche). The poor do the trampling, not just their feet. In languages where these images will not be understood correctly, Good News Translation provides an alternative model. Some languages may prefer to begin with those who do the trampling, as in Good News Translation (see also the first example below).

Translation examples for this verse are:

• The feet of the poor, the tread of the weak, trample it underfoot.

• Their feet trample all over it, the feet of the poor, the footsteps of the weak.

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 .