Isaiah 1

1 The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw about Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

THE VISION of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 Give ear, O heavens, and you, O earth, to the word which the Lord has said: I have taken care of my children till they became men, but their hearts have been turned away from me.

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD hath spoken: Children I have reared, and brought up, and they have rebelled against Me.

3 Even the ox has knowledge of its owner, and the ass of the place where its master puts its food: but Israel has no knowledge, my people give no thought to me.

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider.

4 O nation full of sin, a people weighted down with crime, a generation of evil-doers, false-hearted children: they have gone away from the Lord, they have no respect for the Holy One of Israel, their hearts are turned back from him.

Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly; they have forsaken the LORD, they have contemned the Holy One of Israel, they are turned away backward.

5 Why will you have more and more punishment? why keep on in your evil ways? Every head is tired and every heart is feeble.

On what part will ye yet be stricken, seeing ye stray away more and more? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;

6 The body, from head to foot, is all diseased; it is a mass of open wounds, marks of blows, and broken flesh: the flow of blood has not been stopped, and no oil has been put on the wounds.

From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and festering sores: they have not been pressed, neither bound up, neither mollified with oil.

7 Your country has become waste; your towns are burned with fire; as for your land, it is overturned before your eyes, made waste and overcome by men from strange lands.

Your country is desolate; your cities are burned with fire; your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by floods.

8 And the daughter of Zion has become like a tent in a vine-garden, like a watchman's house in a field of fruit, like a town shut in by armies.

And the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

9 If the Lord of armies had not kept some at least of us safe, we would have been like Sodom, and the fate of Gomorrah would have been ours.

Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

10 Give ear to the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; let your hearts be turned to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.

Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

11 What use to me is the number of the offerings which you give me? says the Lord; your burned offerings of sheep, and the best parts of fat cattle, are a weariness to me; I take no pleasure in the blood of oxen, or of lambs, or of he-goats.

To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the LORD; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats.

12 At whose request do you come before me, making my house unclean with your feet?

When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to trample My courts?

13 Give me no more false offerings; the smoke of burning flesh is disgusting to me, so are your new moons and Sabbaths and your holy meetings.

Bring no more vain oblations; it is an offering of abomination unto Me; new moon and sabbath, the holding of convocations — I cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly.

14 Your new moons and your regular feasts are a grief to my soul: they are a weight in my spirit; I am crushed under them.

Your new moons and your appointed seasons My soul hateth; they are a burden unto Me; I am weary to bear them.

15 And when your hands are stretched out to me, my eyes will be turned away from you: even though you go on making prayers, I will not give ear: your hands are full of blood.

And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood.

16 Be washed, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; let there be an end of sinning;

Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes, cease to do evil;

17 Take pleasure in well-doing; let your ways be upright, keep down the cruel, give a right decision for the child who has no father, see to the cause of the widow.

Learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us have an argument together, says the Lord: how may your sins which are red like blood be white as snow? how may their dark purple seem like wool?

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If you will give ear to my word and do it, the good things of the land will be yours;

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land;

20 But if your hearts are turned against me, I will send destruction on you by the sword; so the Lord has said.

But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken.

21 The upright town has become untrue; there was a time when her judges gave right decisions, when righteousness had a resting-place in her, but now she is full of those who take men's lives.

How is the faithful city become a harlot! She that was full of justice, righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

22 Your silver is no longer true metal, your wine is mixed with water.

Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water.

23 Your chiefs have gone against the Lord, they have become friends of thieves; every one of them is looking for profit and going after rewards; they do not give right decisions for the child who has no father, and they do not let the cause of the widow come before them.

Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; every one loveth bribes, and followeth after rewards; they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

24 For this reason the Lord, the Lord of armies, the Strong One of Israel, has said, I will put an end to my haters, and send punishment on those who are against me;

Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: Ah, I will ease Me of Mine adversaries, and avenge Me of Mine enemies;

25 And my hand will again be on you, washing away what is unclean as with soap, and taking away all your false metal;

And I will turn My hand upon thee, and purge away thy dross as with lye, and will take away all thine alloy;

26 And I will give you judges again as at the first, and wise guides as in the past; then you will be named, The Town of Righteousness, the true town.

And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning; afterward thou shalt be called The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

27 Upright acts will be the price of Zion's forgiveness, and by righteousness will men be living there.

Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and they that return of her with righteousness.

28 But a common destruction will overtake sinners and evil-doers together, and those who have gone away from the Lord will be cut off.

But the destruction of the transgressors and the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

29 For you will be put to shame because of the trees of your desire, and because of the gardens of your pleasure.

For they shall be ashamed of the terebinths which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.

30 For you will be like a tree whose leaves have become dry, and like a garden without water.

For ye shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.

31 And the strong will be as food for the fire, and his work as a flame; and they will be burned together, with no one to put out the fire.

And the strong shall be as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.