Isaiah 29:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale.

NIV: Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob: "No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale.

NASB: Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob: 'Jacob will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;

CSB: Therefore, the Lord who redeemed Abraham says this about the house of Jacob: Jacob will no longer be ashamed, and his face will no longer be pale.

NLT: That is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel, 'My people will no longer be ashamed or turn pale with fear.

KJV: Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

NKJV: Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Nor shall his face now grow pale;

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).