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 which Esaias the son of Amos saw, which he saw against Juda, and against Jerusalem, in the reign of Ozias, and Joatham, and Achaz, and Ezekias, who reigned over Judea.
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 heaven, and listen, O earth: for the Lord has spoken, [saying], I have begotten and reared up children, 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 his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel does not know me, and the people has not regarded me.
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 full of sins, an evil seed, lawless children: you have forsaken the Lord, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
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 should you be struck [any] more, transgressing more and more? the whole head is pained, and the whole heart sad.
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 feet to the head, there is no soundness in them; neither wound, nor bruise, nor festering ulcer [are healed]: it is not possible to apply a plaister, nor oil, nor bandages.
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 burnt with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is made desolate, overthrown by strange nations.
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.
The daughter of Sion shall be deserted as a tent in a vineyard, and as a storehouse of fruits 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.
And if the Lord of Sabaoth had not left us a seed, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been made like Gomorrha.
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 Sodoma; attend to the law of God, you people of Gomorrha.
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.
Of what [value] to me is the abundance of your sacrifices? says the Lord: I am full of whole burnt offerings of rams; and I delight not in the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats:
12 At whose request do you come before me, making my house unclean with your feet?
neither shall you come [with these] to appear before me; for who has required these things at your hands? You shall no more tread my court.
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.
Though you bring fine flour, [it is] vain; incense is an abomination to me; I can’t bear your new moons, and your sabbaths, and the great day;
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] fasting, and rest from work, your new moons also, and your feasts my soul hates: you have become loathsome to me; I will no more pardon your sins.
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 stretch forth your hands, I will turn away mine eyes from you: and though you make many supplications, I will not listen to you; for 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, be clean; remove your iniquities from your souls before mine eyes; cease from your iniquities;
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; diligently seek judgement, deliver him that is suffering wrong, plead for the orphan, and obtain justice 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?
And come, let us reason together, says the Lord: and though your sins be as purple, I will make them white as snow; and though they be as scarlet, I will make [them] white as wool.
19 If you will give ear to my word and do it, the good things of the land will be yours;
And if you be willing, and listen to me, you 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 you be not willing, nor listen to me, a sword shall devour you: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken this.
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 has the faithful city Sion, [once] full of judgement, become a harlot! wherein righteousness lodged, but now murderers.
22 Your silver is no longer true metal, your wine is mixed with water.
Your silver is worthless, your wine merchants mix the wine 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 princes are rebellious, companions of thieves, loving bribes, seeking after rewards; not pleading for orphans, and not heeding the cause of widows.
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 thus says the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Woe to the mighty [men] of Israel; for my wrath shall not cease against mine adversaries, and I will execute judgement on 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 bring my hand upon you, and purge you completely, and I will destroy the rebellious, and will take away from you all transgressors.
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 establish your judges as before, and your counsellors as at the beginning: and afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful mother-city of Sion.
27 Upright acts will be the price of Zion's forgiveness, and by righteousness will men be living there.
For her captives shall be saved with judgement, and with mercy.
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.
And the transgressors and the sinners shall be crushed together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be utterly 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 their idols, which they delighted in, and they are made ashamed of the gardens which they coveted.
30 For you will be like a tree whose leaves have become dry, and like a garden without water.
For they shall be as a turpentine tree that has cast its leaves, and as a garden that has 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 their strength shall be as a thread of tow, and their works as sparks, and the transgressors and the sinners shall be burnt up together, and there shall be none to quench [them].
