Isaiah 9:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

NIV: Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and widows, for everyone is ungodly and wicked, every mouth speaks folly. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.

NASB: Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, Nor does He have compassion on their orphans or their widows; For every one of them is godless and an evildoer, And every mouth is speaking foolishness. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, And His hand is still stretched out.

CSB: Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over Israel's young men and has no compassion on its fatherless and widows, for everyone is a godless evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. In all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is still raised to strike.

NLT: That is why the Lord takes no pleasure in the young men and shows no mercy even to the widows and orphans. For they are all wicked hypocrites, and they all speak foolishness. But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.

KJV: Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

NKJV: Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

The Lord's heart turned cold toward His people in Israel, as described by the prophet Isaiah. He speaks as if these events had already been achieved. The Lord will intentionally wipe out Israel's corrupt leadership, punishing them for leading the people away from Him (Isaiah 9:14–16). Here, it is revealed that the corruption reaches down into every level of society, not just the leadership.

God finds nothing worth celebrating in the young men of Israel is Isaiah's day. He feels no compassion for the struggling orphans and widows. None of the people of any status are godly. Everyone has been practicing evil to some degree. The Lord's judgment will fall on them all for their rejection of Him and His Word to them.

Isaiah repeats for a second time, the Lord's anger is not satisfied. It doesn't turn away. His hand remains stretched out to strike His faithless people still more.

Isaiah 9:8–21 returns to describing the judgment coming upon Israel in Isaiah's time. Despite the arrogance of the people, the enemies of their allies will devour them. When the people do not repent, the Lord will wipe out their leaders. He will have no compassion for the sinful people in every level of society. Wickedness burns through the people like a wildfire, turning human lives into fuel. Sinfulness causes people to devour each other and even themselves in trying to satisfy sin's appetite. The Lord will judge Israel for all of it.

Isaiah 9 begins prophecy about a future when darkness will be lifted from Israel. The nation will be free, prosperous, and at permanent peace. This will happen because God will send a child who will become a king on David's throne. More than a man, this king will be called Mighty God and Prince of Peace and will rule forever. In Isaiah's day, though, God's judgment will soon fall on Israel. He will wipe out their leaders. Wickedness burns through the nation like fire.

Isaiah 9 begins with what may be the conclusion of the previous chapter. Isaiah 8 ended with the description of the darkness experienced by those in Israel who reject the Lord. The prophet describes a day in Israel's far future when the gloom will lift and glory will return. A child will become king of Israel, but He will also be the Everlasting Father who will rule forever. However, In Isaiah's time, the Lord will judge Israel with destruction from other nations. The following chapter pronounces disaster for the people who persist in sin.

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).