Isaiah 3:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: “It is you who have devoured the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

NIV: The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: 'It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses.

NASB: The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and leaders of His people, 'It is you who have devoured the vineyard; The goods stolen from the poor are in your houses.

CSB: The Lord brings this charge against the elders and leaders of his people: "You have devastated the vineyard. The plunder from the poor is in your houses.

NLT: The Lord comes forward to pronounce judgment on the elders and rulers of his people: 'You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor.

KJV: The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

NKJV: The Lord will enter into judgment With the elders of His people And His princes: “For you have eaten up the vineyard; The plunder of the poor is in your houses.

A terrifying image emerges from Isaiah's prophetic warning. He pictures the Lord as standing in a courtroom to present His case against the leaders of His people. They must listen as God describes not just how they have failed to provide for His people, but also how they have stolen from His people for their own gain.

Instead of protecting God's people from harm, these leaders have become the harm. They are the ones who have devoured the peoples resources, This could mean that they have taken the food from the people as a tax. The shocking statement regarding the "spoil of the poor" means that the leaders have taken what little the poor people have into their own homes. Instead of protecting the poor, they are using their power to take from those who already have so little to provide for their own households.

The accusation in the second half of this verse begins a statement coming from God, Himself. This continues into the following verse (Isaiah 3:15).

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).