Woe to the Wicked

Isaiah 5

8 Woe to those who 1 join h house to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land! 9 i In my hearing the LORD of hosts said,
"Truly, many houses shall be desolate,
Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant. 10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one j bath, 2
And a homer of seed shall yield one 3 ephah."

11 k Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
That they may 4 follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them! 12 l The harp and the strings,
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;
But m they do not regard the work of the LORD,
Nor consider the operation of His hands.

13 n Therefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no o knowledge;
Their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst. 14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it. 15 People shall be brought down,
p Each man shall be humbled,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled. 16 But the LORD of hosts shall be q exalted in judgment,
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness. 17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture,
And in the waste places of r the 5 fat ones strangers shall eat.

18 Woe to those who 6 draw iniquity with cords of 7 vanity,
And sin as if with a cart rope; 19 s That say, "Let Him make speed and hasten His work,
That we may see it;
And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come,
That we may know it." 20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe to those who are t wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight! 22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, 23 Who u justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!

24 Therefore, v as the 8 fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So w their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25 x Therefore the anger of the LORD is aroused against His people;
He has stretched out His hand against them
And stricken them,
And y the hills trembled.
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.
z For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

26 a He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,
And will b whistle to them from c the end of the earth;
Surely d they shall come with speed, swiftly. 27 No one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep;
Nor e will the belt on their loins be loosed,
Nor the strap of their sandals be broken; 28 f Whose arrows are sharp,
And all their bows bent;
Their horses' hooves will 9 seem like flint,
And their wheels like a whirlwind. 29 Their roaring will be like a lion,
They will roar like young lions;
Yes, they will roar
And lay hold of the prey;
They will carry it away safely,
And no one will deliver. 30 In that day they will roar against them
Like the roaring of the sea.
And if one g looks to the land,
Behold, darkness and 10 sorrow;
And the light is darkened by the clouds.

  1. Cross References
    Jeremiah 22:13 - 17
    Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor's service without wages And gives him nothing for his work.
    Micah 2:2
    They covet fields and take them by violence, Also houses, and seize them. So they oppress a man and his house, A man and his inheritance.
    Habakkuk 2:9 - 12
    Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!
  2. Cross References
    Isaiah 22:14
    Then it was revealed in my hearing by the LORD of hosts, "Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, Even to your death," says the Lord GOD of hosts.
  3. Cross References
    Ezekiel 45:11
    The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, so that the bath contains one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah one-tenth of a homer; their measure shall be according to the homer.
  4. Cross References
    Proverbs 23:29
    Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
    Proverbs 23:30
    Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine.
    Ecclesiastes 10:16
    Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, And your princes feast in the morning!
    Ecclesiastes 10:17
    Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time - For strength and not for drunkenness!
    Isaiah 5:22
    Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink.
  5. Cross References
    Amos 6:5
    Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, And invent for yourselves musical instruments like David.
  6. Cross References
    Job 34:27
    Because they turned back from Him, And would not consider any of His ways.
    Psalms 28:5
    Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, Nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them And not build them up.
  7. Cross References
    2 Kings 24:14 - 16
    Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.
  8. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:3
    The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.
    Isaiah 27:11
    When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off; The women come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no understanding; Therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, And He who formed them will show them no favor.
    Hosea 4:6
    My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
  9. Cross References
    Isaiah 2:9
    People bow down, And each man humbles himself; Therefore do not forgive them.
    Isaiah 2:11
    The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
  10. Cross References
    Isaiah 2:11
    The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
  11. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:16
    Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Will send leanness among his fat ones; And under his glory He will kindle a burning Like the burning of a fire.
  12. Cross References
    Jeremiah 17:15
    Indeed they say to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come now!
    Amos 5:18
    Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light.
  13. Cross References
    Proverbs 3:7
    Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
    Romans 1:22
    Professing to be wise, they became fools.
    Romans 12:16
    Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
    1 Corinthians 3:18 - 20
    Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
  14. Cross References
    Exodus 23:8
    And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.
    Proverbs 17:15
    He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.
    Isaiah 1:23
    Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
    Micah 3:11
    Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us.
    Micah 7:3
    That they may successfully do evil with both hands - The prince asks for gifts, The judge seeks a bribe, And the great man utters his evil desire; So they scheme together.
  15. Cross References
    Exodus 15:7
    And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble.
  16. Cross References
    Job 18:16
    His roots are dried out below, And his branch withers above.
  17. Cross References
    2 Kings 22:13
    "Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us."
    2 Kings 22:17
    'because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.' "'
    Isaiah 66:15
    For behold, the LORD will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire.
  18. Cross References
    Psalms 18:7
    Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry.
    Isaiah 64:3
    When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence.
    Jeremiah 4:24
    I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth.
    Nahum 1:5
    The mountains quake before Him, The hills melt, And the earth heaves at His presence, Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.
  19. Cross References
    Isaiah 9:12
    The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
    Isaiah 9:17
    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.
    Jeremiah 4:8
    For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, Lament and wail. For the fierce anger of the LORD Has not turned back from us.
    Daniel 9:16
    O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us.
  20. Cross References
    Isaiah 11:10
    "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious."
    Isaiah 11:12
    He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.
  21. Cross References
    Isaiah 7:18
    And it shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will whistle for the fly That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
    Zechariah 10:8
    I will whistle for them and gather them, For I will redeem them; And they shall increase as they once increased.
  22. Cross References
    Malachi 1:11
    For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations," Says the LORD of hosts.
  23. Cross References
    Joel 2:7
    They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks.
  24. Cross References
    Daniel 5:6
    Then the king's countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.
  25. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:16
    Their quiver is like an open tomb; They are all mighty men.
  26. Cross References
    Isaiah 8:22
    Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.
    Jeremiah 4:23 - 28
    I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light.
    Joel 2:10
    The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.
    Luke 21:25
    And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring.
    Luke 21:26
    Men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Next Book Next Book