Isaiah 1

Rebellion of God’s People

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning ^aJudah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the ▼

▼Lit days

reigns of ^cUzziah, ^dJotham, ^eAhaz, and ^fHezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 ^gListen, heavens, and hear, ^hearth;
For the Lord has spoken:
“ ⁱSons I have raised and brought up,
But they have ^jrevolted against Me.
3 “An ox knows its owner,
And a donkey its master’s manger,
But Israel ^kdoes not know,
My people ^ldo not understand.”

4 Oh, sinful nation,
People weighed down with guilt,
▼

▼Lit Seed

, ⁿOffspring of evildoers,
Sons who ^oact corruptly!
They have ^pabandoned the Lord,
They have ^qdespised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away ▼

▼Lit backward

from Him.

5 Where will you be stricken again,
As you ^scontinue in your rebellion?
The entire head is ^tsick
And the entire heart is faint.
6 ^uFrom the sole of the foot even to the head
There is ^vnothing healthy in it,
Only bruises, slashes, and raw wounds;
^wNot pressed out nor bandaged,
Nor softened with oil.

7 Your ^xland is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
As for your fields, strangers are devouring them in front of you;
It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,
Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a city under watch.
9 ^yIf the Lord of armies
Had not left us a few ^zsurvivors,
We would be like ^aaSodom,
We would be like Gomorrah.

God Has Had Enough

10 Hear ^abthe word of the Lord,
You rulers of ^acSodom;
Listen to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah!
11 “ ^adWhat are your many sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I ▼

▼Or am sated with

have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fattened cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.
12 “When you come ^afto appear before Me,
Who requires ▼

▼Lit of your hand

of you this trampling of My courtyards?
13 “Do not go on bringing your worthless offerings,
^ahIncense is an abomination to Me.
^aiNew moon and Sabbath, the ^ajproclamation of an assembly--
I cannot ^akendure wrongdoing and the festive assembly.
14 “ ▼

▼Lit My soul hates

I hate your new moon festivals and your ^amappointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am ^antired of bearing them.
15 “So when you ^aospread out your hands in prayer,
^apI will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you ^aqoffer many prayers,
I will not be listening.
^arYour hands are ▼

▼Lit full of

covered with blood.

16 “ ^atWash yourselves, ^aumake yourselves clean;
^avRemove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
^awStop doing evil,
17 Learn to do good;
^axSeek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor,
^ayObtain justice for the orphan,
Plead for the widow’s case.

Invitation to Debate

18 “Come now, and ^azlet us ▼

▼Or argue

debate your case,”
Says the Lord,
“ ^bbThough your sins are as scarlet,
They shall become as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be like wool.
19 “ ^bcIf you are willing and obedient,
You will ^bdeat the best of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be ^bedevoured by the sword.”
For ^bfthe mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Zion Corrupted; Will Be Redeemed

21 How the faithful city has become a ^bgprostitute,
She who was full of justice!
Righteousness once dwelt in her,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become ▼

▼Lit dross

waste matter,
Your drink diluted with water.
23 Your ^birulers are rebels
And companions of thieves;
Everyone ^bjloves a bribe
And chases after gifts.
They ^bkdo not obtain justice for the ▼

▼Or fatherless

orphan,
Nor does the widow’s case come before them.

24 Therefore the Lord ▼

▼Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord

God of armies,
The ^bnMighty One of Israel, declares,
“Ah, I will have satisfaction against My adversaries,
And ^boavenge Myself on My enemies.
25 “I will also turn My hand against you,
And ^bpsmelt away your impurities as with lye;
And I will remove all your slag.
26 “Then I will restore your ^bqjudges as at first,
And your counselors as at the beginning;
After that you will be called the ^brcity of righteousness,
A faithful city.”

27 Zion will be ^bsredeemed with justice
And her ▼

▼Or returning

repentant ones with righteousness.
28 But ▼

▼Lit a breaking of wrongdoers and sinners together

wrongdoers and sinners together will be ^bvbroken,
And those who abandon the Lord will come to an end.
29 ▼

▼As in some mss; MT They

You certainly will be ashamed of the ▼

▼Or terebinths

, ^byoaks which you have desired,
And you will be embarrassed by the ^bzgardens which you have chosen.
30 For you will be like an ▼

▼Or terebinth

oak whose ^cbleaf withers away,
Or like a garden that has no water.
31 The strong man will become like ▼

▼Lit tow

flax fiber,
And his work a spark.
So they shall both ^cdburn together
And there will be ^ceno one to extinguish them.