Isa 29:13 | NETfull | STEP | The sovereign master says, “These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual.

Isaiah 29:13

13 The sovereign master ^{▼▼ The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).} says,
“These people say they are loyal to me; ^{▼▼ Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”}
they say wonderful things about me, ^{▼▼ Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”}
but they are not really loyal to me. ^{▼▼ Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.}
Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual. ^{▼▼ Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”}