Isaiah 29:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

NIV: The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

NASB: Then the Lord said, 'Because this people approaches Me with their words And honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of the commandment of men that is taught;

CSB: The Lord said: These people approach me with their speeches to honor me with lip-service — yet their hearts are far from me, and human rules direct their worship of me.

NLT: And so the Lord says, 'These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

KJV: Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

NKJV: Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

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).