But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Parallel translations
- WEB but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.”
- KJV But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
- BSB But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
- NKJV But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
- NASB But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
But if they refuse and rebel, they will be devoured by the sword, for the LORD has spoken it. Persistent rebellion brings certain judgment.
Overview
This is the covenant curse paired with the blessing of verse 19, setting before them life or death. The certainty rests on the unbreakable word of the LORD Himself. The choice between obedient blessing and rebellious judgment runs throughout Scripture and finds its resolution in receiving or rejecting Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Isa 65:12I will destine you to the sword, and you will all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, you didn’t answer. When I spoke, you didn’t listen; but you did that which was evil in my eyes, and chose that in which I didn’t delight.”
- Isa 58:14then you shall delight yourself in Yahweh; and I will make you to ride on the high places of the earth; and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father:” for Yahweh’s mouth has spoken it.
- Num 23:19God is not a man, that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?
- Isa 40:5Yahweh’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.”
- Isa 3:25Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war.
- Isa 3:11Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them; for the deeds of his hands will be paid back to him.
- 2 Chr 36:14–16Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted Yahweh’s house which he had made holy in Jerusalem.
- Mic 4:4But they will sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and no one will make them afraid: For the mouth of Yahweh of Armies has spoken.
- Lev 26:33I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you. Your land will be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.
- Titus 1:2in hope of eternal life, which God, who can’t lie, promised before time began;
- 1 Sam 12:25But if you keep doing evil, you will be consumed, both you and your king.”
- 1 Sam 15:29Also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
- Heb 2:1–3Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 1:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.