Isaiah 29:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,

NIV: The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—

NASB: For the ruthless will come to an end and the scorner will be finished, Indeed all who are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,

CSB: For the ruthless one will vanish, the scorner will disappear, and all those who lie in wait with evil intent will be killed—

NLT: The scoffer will be gone, the arrogant will disappear, and those who plot evil will be killed.

KJV: For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:

NKJV: For the terrible one is brought to nothing, The scornful one is consumed, And all who watch for iniquity are cut off—

Isaiah 29:13–24 begins with a description of Judah's empty worship. The nation knows the words, but their hearts are far from God. The Lord will do wonders among them. Jerusalem's leaders try to hide from Him. They think they are in control and can tell God how to act. God promises to give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and joy to the meek and poor in Himself. The ruthless and scoffers will be stopped and a future generation will sanctify His name.

The Lord declares that He will bring judgment on Jerusalem. Enemies will put the city under siege until the people are as good as dead. Then God will arrive suddenly, and Jerusalem's enemies will disappear like dust. The threat from the nations will be gone like a bad dream. Jerusalem's leaders are blinded to this revelation. The people use the words and motions of worship, but their hearts are far from God. He will one day make everything right and a future generation of Israelites will sanctify His name and stand in awe of Him.

Isaiah 29 is part of a larger section (Isaiah 28—33) pronouncing consequences for those who oppose the Lord's prophecy. Isaiah declares "woe" on Jerusalem and its leaders as they attempt to hide their actions from the Lord. God will lay siege against the city, then turn Judah's enemies to dust. After a time, the Lord will heal and correct all things. Chapter 30 emphasizes that Judah is foolish to ally with the Egyptians against Assyria, rather than trusting in God.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 12/24/2025 3:40:09 AM