Isaiah 30:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

NIV: Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

NASB: Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

CSB: Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God. All who wait patiently for him are happy.

NLT: So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.

KJV: And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

NKJV: Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Isaiah 30:18–33 turns to the positive aspects of this prophecy. Despite Judah's faithlessness, the Lord still waits to show them mercy. Eventually, they will repent and turn to Him for help. They will see God and listen to Him. They will throw away their false idols and trust in Him. He will begin to shower them with abundant blessings, including destroying the terror-stricken Assyrians while the people of Judah celebrate their divine rescue.

The Lord describes Judah's people as stubborn children. They think Egypt will protect them from Assyria, instead of trusting Him. But Egypt will be of no help. Judah's leaders ignore God. They demand that prophets only tell them what they want to hear. Those leaders will be surprised by the sudden consequences of faithlessness. The Lord waits for them to turn back to Him and cry for help. When they do, He will provide greatly for them after destroying the Assyrians who are threatening them. The people will sing and celebrate as the Assyrians fall.

Isaiah has been transmitting God's prophecies about Israel, Judah, and other nations. This chapter scolds the southern kingdom of Judah for stubbornness and self-reliance. They make foolish choices instead of relying on the Lord. Egypt will not protect Judah from the Assyrians. But God will take vengeance on the enemy nation one day. Chapter 31 continues to rebuke those who look to human armies instead of 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).