Isaiah 30:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures,

NIV: He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows.

NASB: Then He will give you rain for your seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and plentiful; on that day your livestock will graze in a wide pasture.

CSB: Then he will send rain for your seed that you have sown in the ground, and the food, the produce of the ground, will be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle will graze in open pastures.

NLT: Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock.

KJV: Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.

NKJV: Then He will give the rain for your seed With which you sow the ground, And bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed In large pastures.

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).