Isaiah 3:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.

NIV: Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.

NASB: Say to the righteous that it will go well for them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions.

CSB: Tell the righteous that it will go well for them, for they will eat the fruit of their labor.

NLT: Tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned!

KJV: Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

NKJV: “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

Isaiah has been describing the terrible judgment coming for Judah and Jerusalem because of the sinful actions and words of the people of the Lord (Genesis 3:1–9). They have proclaimed their sin in the open, in defiance of God. By making those choices, they have brought evil on themselves.

Now Isaiah recognizes that some in Judah may not have participated in this evil. He promises that those who have made righteous choices will experience good because of the good they have done.

This is true in two senses. On the one hand, those who make God-honoring choices in this life are more likely to experience positive outcomes. The Bible describes this as living wisely (Proverbs 3:33–35; 8:36–36). This will not completely shield them from the trials to come. Even the wisest among those in Judah and Jerusalem were going to experience the pain of being attacked and conquered by the Babylonians and the aftermath to follow.

Good results right choices also come in the sense of long-term consequences. God's covenant relationship with Israel promised blessing for those who obeyed God and disaster for those who did not (Deuteronomy 30:15–18). In this way, those faithful to God would be rewarded in the future.

The New Testament makes it clear that eternal salvation from sin comes only through God's grace and by the blood of Christ. Isaiah's book increasingly refers to the Messiah. His prophecy points to the One who was, in Isaiah's time, yet to come. We now know that Promised Messiah to be Christ (Matthew 12:15–21; John 11:27).

Making more good choices than bad in this life does not lead to eternal life with God. Such righteousness cannot be earned; it must be received as a gift through faith (Ephesians 2:1–10).

Isaiah 3:1–15 describes what will happen when God removes all the men of importance from Jerusalem . From soldiers to commanders and judges to charms experts. Those left behind will soon turn on each other for survival, oppressing the poor and old. Any man offered the role of Jerusalem's leader will refuse, knowing he cannot bring healing or provision to God's people. The Lord will bring charges against Judah's current leaders for mistreating the poor and taking everything from them.

Isaiah reveals that the Lord will take away all the qualified men from Judah and Jerusalem in His judgment. This includes military, political, and spiritual leaders. After they're gone, the people will turn on each other to survive, trying to convince anyone with the slightest advantage to be their leader. The Lord makes his case against Judah's leaders for taking from the poor instead of providing for them. The Lord will take away from Judah's women all the adornments they displayed in public in their arrogance and immorality. Jerusalem's men will fall, and she will be left empty.

Isaiah 3 picks up where the last verse in Isaiah 2 left off (Isaiah 2:22). There Isaiah warned the people not to trust in mere men and now he proclaims that the Lord will remove all the qualified men from Jerusalem. Those left behind will turn on each other. The Lord will bring charges against Jerusalem's current leaders for mistreating the poor. Because the wealthy women of Jerusalem and Judah are arrogant and immoral, the Lord will take away all their adornments, replacing hair with baldness and beauty with enemy brands. Jerusalem's men will die, leaving her broken and empty. This likely refers to the eventual invasion of Jerusalem and the capture of her people (2 Kings 24:14).

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).