Isaiah 1
1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, that he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
This is the vision that Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw about Judah and Jerusalem in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Hear, heavens, and give ear, earth; for Yahweh has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, but they have rebelled against me.
Heavens, listen! Earth, pay attention! For the Lord has spoken! I brought up children, I cared for them, but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's feeding trough, but Israel does not know, Israel does not understand.”
An ox knows its owner, and a donkey knows its feeding trough; but my people don't know me, they don't understand me.
4 Woe! Nation, sinners, a people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned Yahweh, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have estranged themselves from him.
What a sinful nation—a people carrying such a load of guilt, an evil generation, corrupt children! They have abandoned the Lord. They have despised Israel's Holy One. They have become strangers. They have gone backwards.
5 Why are you still being beaten? Why do you rebel more and more? The whole head is sick, the whole heart is weak.
Are you wanting to be punished? Are you going to continue to rebel? The whole of your head is damaged, and your heart is totally giving out.
6 From the sole of the foot to the head there is no part unharmed; only wounds, and bruises, and fresh open wounds; they have not been closed, cleansed, bandaged, nor treated with oil.
You're injured from head to toe, bruised and sore, with open wounds that haven't been cleaned or bandaged or treated with olive oil.
7 Your country is ruined; your cities are burned; your fields—in your presence, strangers are destroying them— abandoned devastation, overthrown by strangers.
Your country has been devastated, your towns burned down, your fields stripped bare by foreigners right in front of you, as they turn it all into a wasteland.
8 The daughter of Zion is left like a hut in a vineyard, like a shed in a garden of cucumbers, like a besieged city.
The daughter of Zion is left like a shack in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field, like a city under attack.
9 If Yahweh of hosts had not left for us a small remnant, we would have been like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.
If the Lord Almighty hadn't let a few of us survive, we would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of Yahweh, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah:
Listen to what the Lord has to say, you rulers of Sodom! Pay attention to the instructions of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
11 “What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me?” says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fatted beasts; and in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats I do not delight.
What use are all your many sacrifices to me? asks the Lord. I am sick and tired of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of sacrificial animals. I don't delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats!
12 When you come to appear before me, who has required this of you, to trample my courts?
When you come to appear before me in worship, who asked you to proudly tramp around my courts?
13 Bring no more meaningless offerings; incense is an abomination to me; your new moon and Sabbath assemblies—I cannot tolerate these wicked assemblies.
Don't bring me any more meaningless offerings; your incense is offensive to me. Your new moon festivals and Sabbath observations and your calling of special religious meetings—I can't stand them because they're evil, as are your solemn assemblies.
14 I hate your new moons and your appointed feasts; they are a burden to me; I am tired of enduring them.
I detest your new moon and yearly festivals with my whole being! They've become just a burden to me—I can't bear them anymore!
15 So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
When you hold up your hands to me in prayer, I'll look away. Even though you pray many prayers, I won't pay attention to them, because your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash, cleanse yourselves; remove the evil of your deeds from my sight; stop being evil;
Wash yourselves and clean yourselves up. Get rid of your sins—I don't want to see them! Stop doing evil!
17 learn to do good; seek justice, make straight the oppression, give justice to the fatherless, defend the widow.”
Learn to do good; strive for justice, condemn those who oppress others; support the rights of orphans, take up cases to defend widows.
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” says Yahweh; “though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.
Come on, let's argue this out, says the Lord. Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will become white like snow. Even though they are red like crimson, they will become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land,
If you really want this, and if you do as you're told, then you yourselves will eat the best things that the land produces.
20 but if you refuse and rebel, the sword will devour you,” for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.
But if you are defiant, and if you are rebellious, you'll be killed by the sword. This is what the Lord has declared!
21 How the faithful city has become a prostitute! She who was full of justice—she was full of righteousness, but now she is full of murderers.
The city that used to be faithful has turned into a prostitute! Once she operated on principles of justice and followed what was right, but now only murderers live there.
22 Your silver has become impure, your wine mixed with water.
Your silver has become worthless waste; you wine has been watered down.
23 Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes and runs after payoffs. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the widow's legal plea come before them.
Your leaders are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and want to get kickbacks. They don't defend the rights of orphans, and refuse to take cases to help widows.
24 Therefore this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: “Woe to them! I will take vengeance against my adversaries, and avenge myself against my enemies;
So this is what the Lord says, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel: Ha! I will take satisfaction in punishing my enemies, by paying back those who hate me!
25 I will turn my hand against you, refine away your dross as with lye, and take away all your dross.
I will turn against you. I will refine you in a furnace, removing all impurities.
26 I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; after that you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful town.”
I will give you good leaders as you used to have before, wise counselors as you had in the beginning. After that you will once again be called the City of Integrity, the Faithful City.
27 Zion will be redeemed by justice, and her repentant ones by righteousness.
Zion will be rescued by justice, those who repent by doing right.
28 Rebels and sinners will be crushed together, and those who abandon Yahweh will be done away with.
But rebels and sinners will be destroyed together, and those who abandon the Lord will die.
29 “For you will be ashamed of the sacred oak trees that you desired, and you will be embarrassed by the gardens that you have chosen.
You will be ashamed about how you enjoyed your pagan worship among the oak trees; you will be embarrassed because you chose the pleasure gardens of idols.
30 For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades, and like a garden that has no water.
As a result you will become like an oak whose leaves have withered, a dried-out garden that has no water.
31 The strong man will be like tinder, and his work like a spark; they will both burn together, and no one will quench them.”
Your strong people will become like tinder, and their work will become like a spark. They will burn together, and nobody will be able to put out the flames.
