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.
This is the vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns 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.
Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but 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 knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.”
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.
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children of depravity! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.
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.
Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted.
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 your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed 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 land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you— a desolation demolished by strangers.
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 abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field, like a city besieged.
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.
Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled 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, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you 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.
“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 At whose request do you come before me, making my house unclean with your feet?
When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you— this trampling of 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 your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me— your New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations. I cannot endure iniquity in a 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.
I hate your New Moons and your appointed feasts. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing 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.
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with 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 and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing 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 right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of 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, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.
19 If you will give ear to my word and do it, the good things of the land will be yours;
If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best 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 you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.”
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.
See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness resided within her, but now only murderers!
22 Your silver is no longer true metal, your wine is mixed with water.
Your silver has become dross; your fine wine is diluted 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.
Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before 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 the Lord GOD of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will be relieved of My foes and avenge Myself on My 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;
I will turn My hand against you; I will thoroughly purge your dross; I will remove all your impurities.
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.
I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning. After that you will 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 will be redeemed with justice, her repentant ones 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 rebels and sinners will together be shattered, and those who forsake the LORD will perish.
29 For you will be put to shame because of the trees of your desire, and because of the gardens of your pleasure.
Surely you will be ashamed of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be embarrassed by the gardens that you have chosen.
30 For you will be like a tree whose leaves have become dry, and like a garden without water.
For you will become like an oak whose leaves are withered, like a garden without 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.
The strong man will become tinder and his work will be a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the flames.
