Read Through LXX Isaiah in a Year—Part 1 of 356

Even the donkey knows where its food comes from (v.3).

Okay, so I'm not actually going to make a post every single day on the Greek text of Isaiah. You can now emit a sigh of relief. However, unless it becomes too taxing on my time, I do plan to occasionally post an update on how translation has been going. With my still-limited knowledge of Greek, it's going to be tough, but my hope is that this reading program will strengthen my ability a bit. Especially exciting is the fact that I get to be a part of a large group of participating scholars and students whose skills far outshine my own, so I have quite a reference network at my fingertips. I'm working on Isaiah 1:1-25 this week. Below are verses 1-5 with my own translation. If something doesn't look right, feel free to leave a comment.

HSAIAS

(LXX Isaiah)

Chapter One

¹O”rasiV h}n ei‹den HJsai¯aV uiJo;V Ajmw;V, h’n ei‹de kata; thæV IjoudaivaV kai; kata; IJerousalh;m, ejn basileiva÷ Ojzivou, kai; Ijwavqam, kai; A[caz, kai; Ejzekivou, oi’ ejbasivleusan thæV IjoudaivaV.

The vision that was seen by Isaiah son of Amos, that he saw concerning Judah and concerning Jerusalem, during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Ezekiah, rulers of Judah:

²A[koue oujrane;, kai; ejnwtivzou ghæ, o”ti KuvrioV ejlavlhsen, uiJou;V ejgevnnhsa kai; u”ywsa, aujtoi; dev me hjqevthsan.

Listen, Heavens! Pay attention, Earth!

For the Lord has spoken:

“I have raised and brought up sons,

but they have set me aside.

³E[gnw bouÆV to;n kthsavmenon, kai; o[noV th;n favtnhn touÆ kurivou aujtouÆ` Ijsrah;l dev me oujk e[gnw, kai; oJ laovV me ouj sunhæken.

The ox knows the one who owns it,

and the donkey [knows] where his owner feeds him[1];

But Israel does not know me,

the people do not understand me!  

⁴Oujai; e[qnoV aJmartwlo;n, lao;V plhvrhV aJmartiwÆn, spevrma ponhro;n, uiJoi; a[nomoi` ejgkatelivpate to;n Kuvrion, kai; parwrgivsate to;n a”gion touÆ Ijsrahvl.

Ah! How horrible!

A nation of sinfulness,

the people totally immersed in sin,

spawn of evil,

children of wickedness!

They have abandoned the Lord, and

they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel.

⁵Tiv e[ti plhghæte prostiqevnteV ajnomivan~ paÆsa kefalh; eijV povnon, kai; paÆsa kardiva eijV luvphn`

Why do y’all continue to be smacked around?

Why persist in wickedness?

The whole head in pain,

the whole heart in grief!

---

[1] Literally, the donkey [knows] the manger of his lord. I translated this phrase differently to avoid problematic and de-contextualized Christian parallels.