ISAIAH

1 The visiona concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiahb son of Amoz saw during the reignsB of Kings Uzziah,c Jotham,d Ahaz,e and Hezekiahf of Judah.g

JUDAH ON TRIAL

2 Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth,h

for the Lord has spoken:

“I have raised children* and brought them up,

but they have rebelled against me.i

3 The ox knows its owner,

and the donkey its master’s feeding trough,

but Israel does not know;

my people do not understand.”j

4 Oh sinful nation,

people weighed down with iniquity,k

brood of evildoers,l

depraved children!

They have abandonedm the Lord;

they have despisedn the Holy One of Israel;o

they have turned their backs on him.

5 Why do you want more beatings?

Why do you keep on rebelling?

The whole head is hurt,

and the whole heart is sick.

6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,p

no spot is uninjuredq—

wounds, welts, and festering sores

not cleansed, bandaged,

or soothed with oil.

7 Your land is desolate,

your cities burned down;r

foreigners devour your fields

right in front of you—

a desolation, like a place demolished by foreigners.

8 Daughter Zions is abandoned

like a shelter in a vineyard,

like a shack in a cucumber field,

like a besieged city.

9 If the Lord of Armiest

had not left us a few survivors,u

we would be like Sodom,

we would resemble Gomorrah.v

10 Hear the word of the Lord,w

you rulers of Sodom!

Listen to the instruction of our God,

you people of Gomorrah!x

11 “What are all your sacrifices to me?”

asks the Lord.

“I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams

and the fat of well-fed cattle;

I have no desire for the blood of bulls,

lambs, or male goats.y

12 When you come to appear before me,

who requires this from you—

this trampling of my courts?

13 Stop bringing useless offerings.z

Your incense is detestable to me.

New Moons and Sabbaths,aa

and the calling of solemn assembliesab—

I cannot stand iniquityac with a festival.

14 I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals.

They have become a burden to me;

I am tired of putting up with them.

15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,ad

I will refuse to look at you;

even if you offer countless prayers,

I will not listen.ae

Your hands are covered with blood.af

PURIFICATION OF JERUSALEM

16 “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves.ag

Remove your evil deeds from my sight.

Stop doing evil.ah

17 Learn to do what is good.

Pursue justice.ai

Correct the oppressor.D

Defend the rights of the fatherless.

Plead the widow’s cause.

18 “Come, let’s settle this,”a

says the Lord.

“Though your sins are scarlet,

they will be as white as snow;b

though they are crimson red,

they will be like wool.

19 If you are willing and obedient,

you will eat the good things of the land.c

20 But if you refuse and rebel,

you will be devoured by the sword.”d

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.e

21 The faithful town—

what an adulteressA she has become!

She was once full of justice.

Righteousness once dwelt in her,

but now, murderers!

22 Your silver has become dross to be discarded,

your beerB is diluted with water.

23 Your rulers are rebels,

friends of thieves.f

They all love graft

and chase after bribes.g

They do not defend the rights of the fatherless,

and the widow’s case never comes before them.h

24 Therefore the Lord God of Armies,

the Mighty One of Israel, declares:

“Ah, I will get even with my foes;

I will take revenge against my enemies.i

25 I will turn my hand against youj

and will burn away your dross completely;C

I will remove all your impurities.k

26 I will restore your judgesl to what they were at first,

and your advisers to what they were at the start.

Afterward you will be called the Righteous City,m

a Faithful Town.”

27 Zion will be redeemed by justice,

those who repent, by righteousness.n

28 At the same time both rebels and sinners will be broken,

and those who abandon the Lord will perish.

29 Indeed, theyF will be ashamed of the sacred trees

you desired,o

and you will be embarrassed because of the garden shrines

you have chosen.p

30 For you will become like an oak

whose leaves are withered,

and like a garden without water.q

31 The strong one will become tinder,

and his work a spark;

both will burn together,r

with no one to extinguish the flames.s

THE CITY OF PEACE

2 The vision that Isaiaht son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 Inu the last daysv

the mountain of the Lord’s housew will be established

at the top of the mountains

and will be raised above the hills.

All nations will stream to it,x

3 and many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob.y

He will teach us about his ways

so that we may walk in his paths.”

For instruction will go out of Zion

and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 He will settle disputes among the nations

and provide arbitration for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plows

and their spears into pruning knives.z

Nation will not take up the sword against nation,

and they will never again train for war.aa

THE DAY OF THE LORD

5 House of Jacob,

come and let’s walk in the Lord’s light.ab

6 For you have abandonedac your people,

the house of Jacob,

because they are full of divination from the East

and of fortune-tellersa like the Philistines.b

They are in leagueA with foreigners.

7 TheirB,C land is full of silver and gold,

and there is no limit to their treasures;

their land is full of horses,

and there is no limit to their chariots.c

8 Their land is full of worthless idols;d

they worship the work of their hands,

what their fingers have made.e

9 So humanity is brought low,

and each person is humbled.

Do not forgive them!f

10 Go into the rocksg

and hide in the dust

from the terror of the Lordh

and from his majestic splendor.i

11 The pride of mankindD will be humbled,j

and human loftiness will be brought low;

the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.

12 For a day belonging to the Lord of Armies is coming

against all that is proud and lofty,k

against all that is lifted up—it will be humbled—

13 against all the cedars of Lebanon,l

lofty and lifted up,

against all the oaks of Bashan,m

14 against all the high mountains,n

against all the lofty hills,

15 against every high tower,o

against every fortified wall,

16 against every ship of Tarshish,p

and against every splendid sea vessel.

17 The pride of mankind will be brought low,

and human loftiness will be humbled;

the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.q

18 The worthless idols will vanish completely.

19 People will go into caves in the rocksr

and holes in the ground,

away from the terror of the Lord

and from his majestic splendor,

when he rises to terrify the earth.s

20 On that day people will throw

their worthless idols of silver and gold,t

which they made to worship,

to the moles and the bats.

21 They will go into the caves of the rocks

and the crevices in the cliffs,

away from the terror of the Lord

and from his majestic splendor,u

when he rises to terrify the earth.

22 Put no more trust in a mere human,

who has only the breath in his nostrils.v

What is he really worth?

JUDAH’S LEADERS JUDGED

3 Note this: The Lord God of Armies

is about to remove from Jerusalem and from Judah

every kind of security:

the entire supply of bread and water,

2 heroes and warriors,w

judges and prophets,

fortune-tellers and elders,

3 commanders of fifty and dignitaries,

counselors, cunning magicians,E and necromancers.F

4 “I will make youths their leaders,x

and unstable rulersG will govern them.”

5 The people will oppress one another,y

man against man, neighbor against neighbor;

the young will act arrogantly toward the old,

and the worthless toward the honorable.

6 A man will even seize his brother

in his father’s house, saying,

“You have a cloak—you be our leader!

This heap of rubble will be under your control.”

7 On that day he will cry out, saying,

“I’m not a healer.

I don’t even have food or clothing in my house.

Don’t make me the leader of the people!”

8 For Jerusalem has stumbled

and Judah has fallen

because they have spoken and acted against the Lord,z

defying his glorious presence.a

9 The look on their faces testifies against them,

and like Sodom,b they flaunt their sin;

they do not conceal it.

Woe to them,

for they have brought disaster on themselves.c

10 Tell the righteous that it will go well for them,

for they will eat the fruit of their labor.

11 Woe to the wicked—it will go badly for them,

for what they have done will be done to them.

12 Youths oppress my people,d

and women rule over them.

My people, your leaders mislead you;

they confuse the direction of your paths.e

13 The Lord rises to argue the case

and stands to judge the people.f

14 The Lord brings this charge

against the elders and leaders of his people:g

“You have devastated the vineyard.

The plunder from the poor is in your houses.h

15 Why do you crush my people

and grind the faces of the poor?”

This is the declaration

of the Lord God of Armies.

JERUSALEM’S WOMEN JUDGED

16 The Lord also says:

Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,i

walking with heads held high

and seductive eyes,

prancing along,

jingling their ankle bracelets,

17 the Lord will put scabs on the heads

of the daughters of Zion,

and the Lord will shave their foreheads bare.

18 On that dayj the Lord will strip their finery: ankle bracelets, headbands, crescents,k 19 pendants, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, ankle jewelry, sashes, perfume bottles, amulets,l 21 signet rings, nose rings,m 22 festive robes, capes, cloaks, purses, 23 garments, linen clothes, turbans, and shawls.

24 Instead of perfume there will be a stench;

instead of a belt, a rope;

instead of beautifully styled hair,n baldness;o

instead of fine clothes, sackcloth;p

instead of beauty, branding.A

25 Your men will fall by the sword,

your warriors in battle.

26 Then her gatesq will lament and mourn;

deserted, she will sit on the ground.r

4 On that day seven women

will seize one man,s saying,

“We will eat our own bread

and provide our own clothing.

Just let us bear your name.

Take away our disgrace.”t

ZION’S FUTURE…