Isaiah 1:20 (DRB)

Passage

But if you will not, and will provoke me to wrath: the sword shall devour you because the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:18 And then come, and accuse me, saith the Lord: if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.

Isaiah 1:19 If you be willing, and will hearken to me, you shall eat the good things of the land.

Isaiah 1:20 But if you will not, and will provoke me to wrath: the sword shall devour you because the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Isaiah 1:21 How is the faithful city, that was full of judgment, become a harlot? justice dwelt in it, but now murderers.

Isaiah 1:22 Thy silver is turned into dross: thy wine is mingled with water.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "If you be willing and will hearken..." into verse 21's "How is the faithful city that was...", so "provoke" and "wrath" 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 "provoke" and "wrath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.