The Aramaic Bible · the Prophets
Targum Jonathan on the Prophets Isaiah · chapter 12
Aramaic public domain · English where it exists, else the Bible (BSB)What is the Aramaic Bible?
After the exile, most Jews spoke Aramaic, not Hebrew, so in the synagogue each Scripture reading was followed by an Aramaic translation read aloud, so ordinary people could follow. Those translations are the Aramaic Bible. Scholars call them the Targums.
Why it’s worth reading: a Targum doesn’t just translate, it quietly explains as it goes. So it’s a window into how the first Jewish readers actually understood a passage. Famously, the Aramaic of Isaiah 53 names the servant “the Messiah” outright.
Why it reads differently from your Bible: a Targum doesn’t just translate, it interprets as it goes, so its wording often expands or differs from the plain Hebrew. That difference is the window into how the first readers understood it.
Tap any Aramaic word to trace it to its Jastrow dictionary entry.
:
And thou shalt say at that time, I will confess before Thee, O Lord, for that I have sinned before Thee, Thine anger is upon me; but when I return to the law, Thine anger will turn from me, and Thou wilt have mercy on me.
:
Behold, in the word of God is my salvation; I am trusting, and shall not be moved, because my strength and my praise is the fear of the Lord: He hath spoken by His word, and He is become my salvation.
:
And ye shall receive a new doctrine with joy from the chosen of the righteous.
:
And at that time shall ye say, Praise before the Lord, pray in His name, declare His doings among the people, remember ye that powerful is His name.
:
Praise the Lord, for He has done mighty works; this is revealed in all the earth.
:
Cry out and shout, O congregation of Zion, because He is great that promised to cause His Shekinah to dwell in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel.
Aramaic. Targum Jonathan to the Prophets, Aramaic: 'Mikraot Gedolot' (public domain), served by the Sefaria v3 API (sefaria.org)
English. English: London "Chaldee Paraphrase," 1871 (Public Domain) — an established translation of the Targum itself, joined by verse number. Never an AI rendering (BB-42).
We show the license-cleared original Aramaic and an established English translation, each Aramaic word traceable to a public-domain lexicon. We never machine-translate a primary text.