Isaiah 29:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.

NIV: those who with a word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.

NASB: Who cause a person to be indicted by a word, And set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate, And defraud the one in the right with meaningless arguments.

CSB: those who, with their speech, accuse a person of wrongdoing, who set a trap for the one mediating at the city gate and without cause deprive the righteous of justice.

NLT: Those who convict the innocent by their false testimony will disappear. A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice and who tell lies to destroy the innocent.

KJV: That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.

NKJV: Who make a man an offender by a word, And lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, And turn aside the just by empty words.

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).