Isaiah 32:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For the fool speaks folly, and his heart is busy with iniquity, to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the Lord, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink.

NIV: For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water.

NASB: For a fool speaks nonsense, And his heart inclines toward wickedness: To practice ungodliness and to speak error against the Lord, To keep the hungry person unsatisfied And to withhold drink from the thirsty.

CSB: For a fool speaks foolishness and his mind plots iniquity. He lives in a godless way and speaks falsely about the Lord. He leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.

NLT: For fools speak foolishness and make evil plans. They practice ungodliness and spread false teachings about the Lord. They deprive the hungry of food and give no water to the thirsty.

KJV: For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

NKJV: For the foolish person will speak foolishness, And his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, To utter error against the Lord, To keep the hungry unsatisfied, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

Isaiah 32:1–8 describes a future king and kingdom for Israel. This situation will be extraordinarily different from the kings of Isaiah's time. The coming King and his officials will rule with righteousness and justice, helping their people. All will give attention to the Lord's Word. Fools will not be called noble or scoundrels honorable. Fools are those busy with sin and ungodliness who don't provide food for the hungry. Scoundrels make evil plans and lie to take advantage of the poor. Noble people plan noble things and stand for noble causes.

Isaiah describes a future with a better king and kingdom for Israel. That king will rule with righteousness and justice. He and his princes will be protective and helpful to the people. The people will be more attentive to the Lord's will. The foolish and evil will no longer be celebrated. Isaiah tells the wealthy, complacent women of Judah that in about a year they will be shuddering and trembling. The harvests will be lost. They should mourn now for the ruined fields. The palace and city will be abandoned, but eventually the Lord's Spirit will be poured over Israel, returning abundance to the land.

Isaiah 30 and 31 declared "woe" on Judah for relying on Egypt for protection. Chapter 32 describes a future king and kingdom for Israel in which righteousness and justice will be normal. Isaiah tells the complacent women of Judah to begin to mourn for what will be lost in just over a year: no crops, no parties, the palace empty, and the city abandoned. Eventually, though, abundance, peace, and security will return to the land. The next chapter warns Judah's deceivers and reassures the faithful.

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).