Isaiah 1

1The vision^a concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah^b son of Amoz saw during the reigns^A of Kings Uzziah,^c Jotham,^d Ahaz,^e and Hezekiah^f of Judah.^g

JUDAH ON TRIAL

²Listen, 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

³The ox knows its owner,

and the donkey its master’s feeding trough,

but Israel does not know;

my people do not understand.”^j

⁴Oh sinful nation,

people weighed down with iniquity,^k

brood of evildoers,^l

depraved children!

They have abandoned^m the Lord;

they have despisedⁿ the Holy One of Israel;^o

they have turned their backs on him.

⁵Why do you want more beatings?

Why do you keep on rebelling?

The whole head is hurt,

and the whole heart is sick.

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

no spot is uninjured^q—

wounds, welts, and festering sores

not cleansed, bandaged,

or soothed with oil.

⁷Your 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.

⁸Daughter Zion^s is abandoned

like a shelter in a vineyard,

like a shack in a cucumber field,

like a besieged city.

⁹If the Lord of Armies^t

had not left us a few survivors,^u

we would be like Sodom,

we would resemble Gomorrah.^v

¹⁰Hear 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

¹²When you come to appear before me,

who requires this from you—

this trampling of my courts?

¹³Stop bringing useless offerings.^z

Your incense is detestable to me.

New Moons and Sabbaths,^aa

and the calling of solemn assemblies^ab—

I cannot stand iniquity^ac with a festival.

¹⁴I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals.

They have become a burden to me;

I am tired of putting up with them.

¹⁵When 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

¹⁷Learn to do what is good.

Pursue justice.^ai

Correct the oppressor.^A

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.

¹⁹If you are willing and obedient,

you will eat the good things of the land.^c

²⁰But if you refuse and rebel,

you will be devoured by the sword.”^d

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.^e

²¹The faithful town—

what an adulteress^B she has become!

She was once full of justice.

Righteousness once dwelt in her,

but now, murderers!

²²Your silver has become dross to be discarded,

your beer^C is diluted with water.

²³Your 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

²⁴Therefore 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

²⁵I will turn my hand against you^j

and will burn away your dross completely;^D

I will remove all your impurities.^k

²⁶I will restore your judges^l 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.”

²⁷Zion will be redeemed by justice,

those who repent, by righteousness.ⁿ

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

and those who abandon the Lord will perish.

²⁹Indeed, they^A will be ashamed of the sacred trees

you desired,^o

and you will be embarrassed because of the garden shrines

you have chosen.^p

³⁰For you will become like an oak

whose leaves are withered,

and like a garden without water.^q

³¹The strong one will become tinder,

and his work a spark;

both will burn together,^r

with no one to extinguish the flames.^s