Isaiah 5:18
16 But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.
17 Lambs will graze as in their own pastures, and strangers will feed in the ruins of the wealthy.
Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, “Let Him hurry and hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come so that we may know it!”
20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,
- KJV
- Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
- WEB
- Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and wickedness as with cart rope,
- ASV
- Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and sin as it were with a cart rope;
- DARBY
- Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as with cart-ropes!
- BLB
- Woe [to] those drawing out iniquity with cords of falsehood, and sin with a rope of the cart,
- ÅB
- Ve dem som drar på misgjerningen med løgnens tauger og på synden som med vognrep,
- OTB
- Ve dem som drar synd med løgnens snorer, og ondskap som med vognrep,
- B1930
- Ve dem som drar på misgjerningen med løgnens tauger og på synden som med vognrep,
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Jeremiah 23:14
And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
Read in contextPsalms 36:2
For his eyes are too full of conceit to detect or hate his own sin.
Read in contextJeremiah 5:31
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?
Read in contextJeremiah 23:10
For the land is full of adulterers— because of the curse, the land mourns and the pastures of the wilderness have dried up— their course is evil and their power is misused.
Read in contextEzekiel 13:22
Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their lives,
Read in contextJudges 17:5
Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.
Read in contextJeremiah 28:15–16
Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you, but you have persuaded this people to trust in a lie.
Read in contextPsalms 10:11
He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.”
Read in context