To the teaching and to the testimony!: It is not clear what sense this exclamation has here. This is because the phrase seems to stand alone and because the Hebrew preposition translated To can have a variety of meanings. New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible, and Contemporary English Version take these words as continuing the previous verse. New Revised Standard Version says “[19 … should not a people consult their gods, the dead on behalf of the living,] 20 for teaching and for instruction?” Other scholars see the phrase as calling people back to the Law or to Isaiah’s own words, rather than calling for a trust in mediums. This approach can be justified because the two terms teaching and testimony form an inclusio for this section. In verse 16 they describe Isaiah’s words, so it is likely they have the same function here. However, for this sense we need to supply an introductory phrase, saying “Turn to the teaching and the testimony” or “Look again at….” Bible en français courant says “you will answer: ‘It is to the instructions and the messages of the Lord that one has to return’” (similarly Good News Translation).

Surely for this word which they speak there is no dawn: This is another difficult clause to interpret. It is literally “if they do not speak according to this word where there is no dawn.” Although there is a conditional clause here in Hebrew, some commentators consider Revised Standard Version‘s emphatic statement to be correct. According to this view, this word could refer either to the words of the consulting wizards (so Good News Translation), or to the views expressed by those who consult wizards (so Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “surely, for one who speaks thus there shall be no dawn.” If it is a conditional clause, however, then this word can refer to Isaiah’s teachings. For this whole verse New International Version has “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” The referent for the pronoun they depends on the interpretation a person chooses for the whole verse. It is probably best to render the pronoun as “anyone” or “someone.” New International Version‘s rendering of this conditional clause is cautiously recommended. Another possibility is “If they do not speak in accordance with this word, then there is no dawn for them.”

The Hebrew word rendered dawn presents another problem. The Septuagint rendered it “reward” by changing the final Hebrew letter r to a d. We prefer to retain the present Masoretic Text because it is the more difficult reading and also because it makes good sense here. The dawn represents the future, so there is no dawn may be rendered “there will be no future [for them].” Good News Translation suggests “what they tell you cannot keep trouble away,” and Revised English Bible has “what they say has no force.” We believe neither of these renderings catches the meaning adequately.

For the translation of this verse we suggest:

• Look again at the teaching and the testimony. If those others do not speak in accordance with this word, there is no future.

• Turn again to the teaching and the testimony. If anyone does not speak according to this word, then they have no future.

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 .