This verse continues to list the people’s sins that provoke God’s anger.

Who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places: These two parallel lines refer to related activities. To sit in tombs probably refers to communicating with spirits of the dead. The people could do this in the burial tombs of the dead, because it was common practice to use caves or holes in the rock to bury the dead (see 22.16). New International Version renders in tombs as “among the graves” (similarly Revised English Bible), but most versions say “in/inside tombs.”

To spend the night in secret places probably refers to worshiping other gods during the night in places set aside for this. These “gods” could be the spirits of ancestors (see 8.19). Good News Translation spells out this meaning explicitly by combining the first two lines. Revised English Bible renders the second line as “keeping vigil all night long,” New International Version says “and spend their nights keeping secret vigil,” and New Jerusalem Bible has “spending the night in dark corners.” For many languages it will be helpful to specify why the people keep vigil. We recommend making it explicit that they are worshiping foreign gods (see the examples below).

Who eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels: These two parallel lines refer to eating food that makes someone ritually unclean. To eat swine’s flesh goes against the food laws of Israel (see Lev 11.7). Swine’s flesh is pig’s meat. Good News Translation says simply “pork.” A broth is a soup or stew that is made by boiling meat of some kind. The Hebrew term rendered abominable things is rare; it refers to ceremonially unclean meat, such as pork. In this context it could refer to the meat of sacrifices offered to foreign gods (so Good News Translation). Bible en français courant and New Jerusalem Bible translate abominable things as “unclean foods,” which does not refer to food that is physically dirty, but to food that God says is unfit to eat (see the comments on 6.5). Their vessels refers to the cups or bowls from which the people ate the soup/stew.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• They sit inside/among the tombs of the dead [or, tombs to consult the dead],
and pass the night in places where they worship other gods.
They eat pork,
and drink soup made from the flesh of unclean animals.

• They join in rituals for the dead,
spending nights where they worship foreign gods.
They eat the meat of swine,
and drink soup made from detestable animals.

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 .