Isaiah 1:20 (ASV)

Passage

but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

Isaiah 1:20 but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.

Isaiah 1:21 How is the faithful city become a harlot! she that was full of justice! righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

Isaiah 1:22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "refuse", "rebel", "shall", "devoured", "sword", "mouth", "jehovah", and "hath". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "refuse" and "rebel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "If ye be willing and obedient ye..." into verse 21's "How is the faithful city become a...", so "refuse" and "rebel" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "refuse" and "rebel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.