Isaiah 30:21

Easy-to-Read Version

If you wander from the right path, either to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, "You should go this way. Here is the right way."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”

Hebrew Names Version
and your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left.

King James Version
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

English Standard Version
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

New American Standard Bible
Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

New Century Version
If you go the wrong way—to the right or to the left—you will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the right way. You should go this way."

Amplified Bible
Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

World English Bible
and your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And thine eares shal heare a worde behind thee, saying, This is the way, walke ye in it, when thou turnest to the right hand, & when thou turnest to the left.

Legacy Standard Bible
And your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

Berean Standard Bible
And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: "This is the way. Walk in it."

Contemporary English Version
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, "This is the road! Now follow it."

Complete Jewish Bible
With your ears you will hear a word from behind you: "This is the way; stay on it, whether you go to the right or the left."

Darby Translation
And when ye turn to the right hand or when ye turn to the left, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it.

George Lamsa Translation
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, and do not turn aside, either to the right hand or to the left.

Good News Translation
If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, "Here is the road. Follow it."

Lexham English Bible
And your ears shall hear a word from behind you, saying, "this is the way; walk in it," when you go to your right and when you go to your left.

Literal Translation
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you go right, or when you go left.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and thine eares harken to his worde, that crieth after the and saieth: This is the waye, go this, and turne nether to the right honde nor the leffte.

American Standard Version
and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Bible in Basic English
And at your back, when you are turning to the right hand or to the left, a voice will be sounding in your ears, saying, This is the way in which you are to go.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying: 'This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.'

King James Version (1611)
And thine eares shall heare a word behinde thee, saying; This is the way, walke ye in it, when ye turne to the right hand, and when ye turne to the left.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Yea and thyne eare shall heare the talking of him that doth speake behinde thee: This is the way, walke ye in it, turne not aside neither to the right hande, nor to the left.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and thine ears shall hear the words of them that went after thee to lead thee astray, who say, This is the way, let us walk in it, whether to the right or to the left.

English Revised Version
and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand and when e turn to the left.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and thin eeris schulen here a word bihynde the bak of hym that monestith; This is the weie, go ye therynne, nether to the riyt half nether to the left half.

Update Bible Version
and your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it; when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left.

Webster's Bible Translation
And thy ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

New English Translation
You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying, "This is the correct way, walk in it," whether you are heading to the right or the left.

New King James Version
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.

New Living Translation
Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, "This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left.

New Life Bible
Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

New Revised Standard
And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So shall, thine own ears, hear a word from behind thee saying, - This, is the way, walk ye therein, When ye would turn to the right hand Or when ye would turn to the left.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thy ears shall hear the word of one admonishing thee behind thy back: This is the way, walk ye in it: and go not aside neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

Revised Standard Version
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Young's Literal Translation
And thine ear heareth a word behind thee, Saying, `This [is] the way, go ye in it,' When ye turn to the right, And when ye turn to the left.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ So the Lord is waiting to show his mercy to you. He wants to rise and comfort you. The Lord is the God who does the right thing, so he will bless everyone who waits for his help. ¹⁹ You people who live in Jerusalem on Mount Zion will not continue crying. The Lord will hear your crying, and he will comfort you. When he hears you, he will help you. ²⁰ The Lord might give you sorrow and pain like the bread and water you eat every day. But God is your teacher, and he will not continue to hide from you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. ²¹ If you wander from the right path, either to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, "You should go this way. Here is the right way." ²² Then you will take your idols covered with gold and silver and make them unfit to be used again. You will throw them away like filthy rags and say, "Go away!" ²³ At that time the Lord will send you rain. You will plant seeds, and the ground will grow food for you. You will have a very large harvest. You will have plenty of food in the fields for your animals. There will be large fields for your sheep. ²⁴ Your cattle and donkeys will have all the food they need. There will be much food. You will have to use shovels and pitchforks to spread all the food for your animals to eat. ²⁵ Every mountain and hill will have streams filled with water. These things will happen after many people are killed and the enemy's towers are pulled down. ²⁶ At that time the light from the moon will be as bright as the sun, and the light from the sun will be seven times brighter than it is now. One day of sunlight will be like a whole week's worth. This will happen when the Lord bandages his broken people and heals the hurts from their beatings.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thine ears: Isaiah 35:8, Isaiah 35:9, Isaiah 42:16, Isaiah 48:17, Isaiah 58:11, Psalms 25:8, Psalms 25:9, Psalms 143:8-10, Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 3:6, Jeremiah 6:16, 1 John 2:20, 1 John 2:27

when ye turn to the right: Deuteronomy 5:32, Joshua 1:7, Joshua 23:6, 2 Kings 22:2, Psalms 32:8, Proverbs 4:27

Reciprocal: Genesis 22:13 - behind Genesis 48:15 - did walk Exodus 18:20 - the way Exodus 33:13 - show Deuteronomy 4:12 - only ye heard a voice Deuteronomy 28:14 - the right 1 Kings 8:36 - the good way 1 Chronicles 17:3 - word 2 Chronicles 6:27 - good way Ezra 8:21 - to seek Job 22:28 - the light Psalms 27:11 - Teach Psalms 73:24 - Thou Psalms 107:7 - he led Proverbs 15:19 - the way of the righteous Jeremiah 3:15 - And I Ezekiel 16:26 - with the Joel 2:23 - the former Amos 8:11 - but Matthew 1:20 - while Matthew 2:22 - being Matthew 7:14 - narrow John 8:32 - ye shall Acts 16:6 - forbidden Revelation 10:8 - the voice

Cross-References

Genesis 30:1
Rachel saw that she was not giving Jacob any children. She became jealous of her sister Leah. So Rachel said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I will die!"

Genesis 30:3
Then Rachel said, "You can have my maid Bilhah. Sleep with her, and she will have a child for me. Then I can be a mother through her."

Genesis 34:26
Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, killed Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah out of Shechem's house and left.

Genesis 46:15
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun were Jacob's sons from his wife Leah. Leah had these sons in Paddan Aram. She also had a daughter named Dinah. There were 33 people in this family.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee,.... Which may be said in reference to the backsliding and declining state of the people, Isaiah 30:11 and is thought by some to be an allusion to schoolmasters, who stand behind their scholars, or at their backs, to guide, teach, and instruct them; and by others to shepherds following their flocks, who, when they observe any of the sheep going out of the way, call them back; or to travellers, who, coming to a place where are several ways, and being at a loss which way to take, and inclining to turn to the right or left, are called to by persons behind them, and directed in the right way. This "voice behind" is by the Jews e interpreted of Bath Kol; and by others of the voice of conscience; but it rather intends the Spirit of God, and his grace; though it seems best to understand it of the Scriptures of truth, the word of God, the only rule of faith and practice; the language of which is,

saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it; it directs to Christ the way, and who is the only way of life and salvation to be walked in by faith, and to all the lesser paths of duty and doctrine, which to walk in is both pleasant and profitable, and which is the right way; so the Targum paraphrases it,

"this is the right way;''

to which agree the comments of Aben Ezra, Jarchi, and Kimchi; though the Arabic and Syriac versions, following the Septuagint, represent them as the words of seducers, directing to a wrong way: but the words are a promise of being led right, and not a threatening of being led wrong:

when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left; through ignorance or inadvertency, through the prevalence of corruption, or force of temptation; and as it is promised there should be such a voice, so they should have ears to hear, their ears erect to attend to what is said, to observe it, and act according to it.

e T. Bab. Megilla, fol. 32. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And thine ears shall hear a word - A command or admonition. You shall not be left without spiritual guides and directors.

Behind thee - That is, says Vitringa, the voice of conscience, as an “invisible” guide, shall admonish you. The idea, however, seems to be that if they were ignorant of the way, or if they were inclined to err, they should be admonished of the true path which they ought to pursue. The idea is taken either from the practice of teachers who are represented as “following” their pupils and admonishing them if they were in danger of going astray (Grotius; or from shepherds, who are represented as following their flocks, and directing them when they wandered. The Jews understand this voice ‘from behind’ to be the כל בת bath kol - ‘the daughter of the voice;’ a divine admonition which they suppose attends the pious. The essential thought is, that they would not be left without a guide and instructor; that, if they were inclined to go astray, they would be recalled to the path of truth and duty. Perhaps there is the idea, also, that the admonition would come from some “invisible” influence, or from some unexpected quarter, as it is often the case that those who are inquiring on the subject of religion receive light from quarters where they least expected, and from sources to which they were not looking. It is also true that the admonitions of Providence, of conscience, and of the Holy Spirit, seem often to come from “behind” us. that is, they “recall” us from the path in which we were going, and restrain us from a course that would be fraught with danger.

When ye turn to the right hand ... - When you shall be in danger of wandering from the direct and straight path. The voice shall recall you, and direct you in the way in which you ought to go.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 30:21. When ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left - "Turn not aside, to the right or to the left."] The Syriac, Chaldee, and Vulgate, translate as if, instead of כי־וכי ki-vechi, they read לא־ולא lo-velo.