Isaiah 3

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¹For, behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah supply and support, the whole supply of bread, and the whole supply of water; ✦ ²the mighty man, the man of war, the judge, the prophet, the diviner, the elder, ✦ ³the captain of fifty, the honorable man, the counselor, the skilled craftsman, and the clever enchanter. ✦ ⁴I will give boys to be their princes, and children shall rule over them. ✦ ⁵The people will be oppressed, everyone by another, and everyone by his neighbor. The child will behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable. ✦ ⁶Indeed a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, “You have clothing, you be our ruler, and let this ruin be under your hand.” ✦ ⁷In that day he will cry out, saying, “I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing. You shall not make me ruler of the people.” ✦ ⁸For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against Yahweh, to provoke the eyes of his glory. ✦ ⁹The look of their faces testify against them. They parade their sin like Sodom. They don’t hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought disaster upon themselves. ✦ ¹⁰Tell the righteous “Good!” For they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. ✦ ¹¹Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them; for the deeds of his hands will be paid back to him. ✦ ¹²As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. My people, those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths. ✦ ¹³Yahweh stands up to contend, and stands to judge the peoples. ✦ ¹⁴Yahweh will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and their leaders: “It is you who have eaten up the vineyard. The plunder of the poor is in your houses. ✦ ¹⁵What do you mean that you crush my people, and grind the face of the poor?” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies. ✦ ¹⁶Moreover Yahweh said, “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and flirting eyes, walking to trip as they go, jingling ornaments on their feet; ✦ ¹⁷therefore the Lord brings sores on the crown of the head of the women of Zion, and Yahweh will make their scalps bald.” ✦ ¹⁸In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, the headbands, the crescent necklaces, ✦ ¹⁹the earrings, the bracelets, the veils, ✦ ²⁰the headdresses, the ankle chains, the sashes, the perfume bottles, the charms, ✦ ²¹the signet rings, the nose rings, ✦ ²²the fine robes, the capes, the cloaks, the purses, ²³the hand mirrors, the fine linen garments, the tiaras, and the shawls. ✦ ²⁴It shall happen that instead of sweet spices, there shall be rottenness; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of well set hair, baldness; instead of a robe, a wearing of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty. ✦ ²⁵Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war. ✦ ²⁶Her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate and sit on the ground. ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

Where this chapter connects

Ezek 16 ·6 Gen 24 ·5 2 Chr 36 ·5 Isa 1 ·5 Ezek 8 ·4 Isa 9 ·4 Mic 3 ·4 Deut 28 ·4

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 3 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.

Resources, by level

Lay

★ Start hereVideoBibleProject — video overviews & word studiesBibleProject · 5–10 min · Free · evangelical
Free animated overviews of every book of the Bible, plus themes and Hebrew/Greek word studies — the best visual on-ramp to any book. (Biblical-theology, broadly evangelical, not distinctly Reformed.)
★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical
A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

Pastoral

SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical
Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Seminary

★ Start hereCommentaryThe Book of Isaiah (NICOT)John N. Oswalt · Paid · evangelical
The standard evangelical commentary on Isaiah — thorough and devotionally warm.

Commentaries & study tools

VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 3YouTube · Lay · Free
Sermons and chapter teaching from across YouTube.
CommentaryEnduring Word — Isaiah 3David Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical
Readable, verse-by-verse exposition of the whole chapter.
CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
ReferenceBlue Letter Bible — Isaiah 3Blue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free
Interlinear, lexicon, and study tools across the chapter.

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