For the Lord, the LORD of hosts, will make a full end, as decreed is literally “Indeed a complete destruction and a determined thing the Lord, the LORD of hosts, is doing.” The use of the Hebrew participle for “doing” can refer to something about to happen. That is its most obvious sense here. Yahweh is about to carry out completely his determined plan. We may say “Yes, the Master, Yahweh of hosts, will fully carry out his decision to destroy.” For the Lord, the LORD of hosts, see verse 16 and 3.15.

In the midst of all the earth means “upon the whole land/country” (see Good News Translation). It is another reference to the completeness of the coming destruction. No place in Israel will escape God’s judgment. Several translations take the earth literally, and not just as a reference to the land of Israel. For this verse Bible en français courant has “Yes, the Lord, the God of the universe, will carry out on the whole earth the destruction he has decided.” But it is likely that only Israel is intended, as Good News Translation implies. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch takes in the midst of all the earth to mean that Israel is destroyed, with the surrounding nations watching. It reads “The LORD, the ruler of the whole world, has firmly decided to destroy you before the eyes of all peoples.” Translators may choose this to follow this understanding or that of Good News Translation.

For the translation of this verse we suggest:

• Indeed, my Master, Yahweh of hosts, will carry out
his determined destruction on the whole land.

• Indeed, my Lord, Yahweh of hosts, will bring complete destruction on the whole land, as he has determined.

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 .