Isaiah 3:11
Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Study Note
Study Note
'Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him' is a concentrated woe-oracle articulating the principle of moral causality at the heart of covenantal theology. Embedded in Isaiah 3's indictment of Judah's corrupt leaders, it expresses the idea that injustice carries internal consequences — God's judgment often works through the natural outcomes of moral choices. Galatians 6:7 ('whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap') gives the same principle New Testament formulation, and Paul's connection of wrath and righteous deeds in Romans 2:5-8 operates within this covenantal structure.
Other Translations
Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him; for what his hands have done shall be done unto him.
Woe to the wicked--evil, Because the deed of his hand is done to him.
Unhappy is the sinner! for the reward of his evil doings will come on him.
Cross References
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to …
And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou …
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his …
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of …
Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of …
Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.
What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?
Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.