Isaiah 1:1–3:26
1 The visiona concerning Judah and Jerusalemb that Isaiah son of Amoz sawc during the reigns of Uzziah,d Jotham,e Ahazf and Hezekiah,g kings of Judah.
2 Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!h
For the Lord has spoken:i
“I reared childrenj and brought them up,
but they have rebelledk against me.
3 The ox knowsl its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,m
but Israel does not know,n
my people do not understand.o”
a people whose guilt is great,p
a brood of evildoers,q
children given to corruption!r
They have forsakens the Lord;
they have spurned the Holy Onet of Israel
and turned their backsu on him.
5 Why should you be beatenv anymore?
Why do you persistw in rebellion?x
Your whole head is injured,
6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your heada
there is no soundnessb—
only wounds and weltsc
and open sores,
not cleansed or bandagedd
or soothed with olive oil.e
7 Your country is desolate,f
your cities burned with fire;g
your fields are being stripped by foreignersh
right before you,
laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.i
like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hutl in a cucumber field,
like a city under siege.
had left us some survivors,m
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.n
10 Hear the word of the Lord,o
you rulers of Sodom;p
listen to the instructionq of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!r
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;s
I have no pleasuret
in the blood of bullsu and lambs and goats.v
12 When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,w
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!x
Your incensey is detestablez to me.
New Moons,a Sabbaths and convocationsb—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moonc feasts and your appointed festivalsd
I hate with all my being.e
They have become a burden to me;f
I am wearyg of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your handsh in prayer,
I hidei my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.j
Your handsk are full of blood!l
16 Washm and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;n
stop doing wrong.o
17 Learn to do right;p seek justice.q
Take up the cause of the fatherless;s
plead the case of the widow.t
18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”u
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;v
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.w
19 If you are willing and obedient,x
you will eat the good things of the land;y
20 but if you resist and rebel,z
you will be devoured by the sword.”a
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.b
has become a prostitute!c
She once was full of justice;
righteousnessd used to dwell in her—
but now murderers!e
22 Your silver has become dross,f
your choice wine is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,g
partners with thieves;h
they all love bribesi
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them.j
24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
the Mighty Onek of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
and avengel myself on my enemies.m
25 I will turn my hand against you;b n
I will thoroughly purgeo away your drossp
and remove all your impurities.q
26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,r
your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be calleds
the City of Righteousness,t
the Faithful City.u”
27 Zion will be delivered with justice,
her penitentv ones with righteousness.w
28 But rebels and sinnersx will both be broken,
and those who forsakey the Lord will perish.z
29 “You will be ashameda because of the sacred oaksb
in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardensc
that you have chosen.
30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves,d
like a garden without water.
31 The mighty man will become tinder
and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
with no one to quench the fire.e”
2 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:f
2 In the last daysg
the mountainh of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;i
it will be exaltedj above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.k
3 Many peoplesl will come and say,
“Come, let us gom up to the mountainn of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The lawo will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.p
4 He will judgeq between the nations
and will settle disputesr for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.s
Nation will not take up sword against nation,t
nor will they train for war anymore.
5 Come, descendants of Jacob,u
let us walk in the lightv of the Lord.
6 You, Lord, have abandonedw your people,
the descendants of Jacob.x
They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divinationy like the Philistinesz
7 Their land is full of silver and gold;c
there is no end to their treasures.d
Their land is full of horses;e
there is no end to their chariots.f
8 Their land is full of idols;g
they bow downh to the work of their hands,i
to what their fingersj have made.
9 So people will be brought lowk
and everyone humbledl—
10 Go into the rocks, hiden in the ground
from the fearful presence of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty!o
11 The eyes of the arrogantp will be humbledq
and human prider brought low;s
the Lord alone will be exaltedt in that day.u
12 The Lord Almighty has a dayv in store
for all the proudw and lofty,x
for all that is exaltedy
(and they will be humbled),z
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,a tall and lofty,b
and all the oaks of Bashan,c
14 for all the towering mountains
and all the high hills,d
15 for every lofty towere
and every fortified wall,f
and every stately vessel.
17 The arrogance of man will be brought lowh
and human pride humbled;i
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,j
18 and the idolsk will totally disappear.l
19 People will flee to cavesm in the rocks
and to holes in the groundn
from the fearful presenceo of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,p
when he rises to shake the earth.q
20 In that dayr people will throw away
to the moles and batss
their idols of silver and idols of gold,t
which they made to worship.u
21 They will flee to caverns in the rocksv
and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,w
when he risesx to shake the earth.y
22 Stop trusting in mere humans,z
who have but a breatha in their nostrils.
Why hold them in esteem?b
Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah
3 See now, the Lord,
the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
both supply and support:c
all supplies of foodd and all supplies of water,e
2 the hero and the warrior,f
the judge and the prophet,
3 the captain of fiftyi and the man of rank,j
the counselor, skilled craftsmank and clever enchanter.l
4 “I will make mere youths their officials;
children will rule over them.”m
5 People will oppress each other—
man against man, neighbor against neighbor.n
The young will rise up against the old,
the nobody against the honored.
6 A man will seize one of his brothers
in his father’s house, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
take charge of this heap of ruins!”
7 But in that dayo he will cry out,
“I have no remedy.p
I have no foodq or clothing in my house;
do not make me the leader of the people.”r
Judah is falling;s
their wordst and deedsu are against the Lord,
defyingv his glorious presence.
9 The look on their faces testifiesw against them;
they parade their sin like Sodom;x
they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
They have brought disastery upon themselves.
10 Tell the righteous it will be wellz with them,
for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.a
11 Woe to the wicked!b
Disasterc is upon them!
They will be paid backd
for what their hands have done.e
12 Youthsf oppress my people,
women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;g
they turn you from the path.
13 The Lord takes his place in court;h
he rises to judgei the people.
14 The Lord enters into judgmentj
against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunderk from the poorl is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my peoplem
and grindingn the faces of the poor?”o
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.p
“The women of Zionq are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,r
flirting with their eyes,
strutting along with swaying hips,
with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
the Lord will make their scalps bald.s”
18 In that dayt the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces,u 19 the earrings and braceletsv and veils,w 20 the headdressesx and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings,y 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks,z the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garmentsa and tiarasb and shawls.
24 Instead of fragrancec there will be a stench;d
instead of a sash,e a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;f
instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;g
instead of beauty,h branding.i
25 Your men will fall by the sword,j
your warriors in battle.k