Isaiah 1:1–17

¹This is the vision which Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw about Judah and Jerusalem at the time of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. 

The Lord Accuses Israel of Sin

²Listen, heaven, and pay attention, earth! 

The Lord has spoken, 

“I raised ⸤my⸥ children and helped them grow, 

but they have rebelled against me. 

³Oxen know their owners, 

and donkeys know where their masters feed them. 

But Israel doesn’t know ⸤its owner⸥. 

My people don’t understand ⸤who feeds them⸥. 

⁴“How horrible it will be for a nation that sins. 

⸤Its⸥ people are loaded down with guilt. 

They are descendants of evildoers 

and destructive children. 

They have abandoned the Lord. 

They have despised the Holy One of Israel. 

They have turned their backs on him. 

⁵“Why do you still want to be beaten? 

Why do you continue to rebel? 

Your whole head is infected. 

Your whole heart is failing. 

⁶From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head 

there is no healthy spot left on your ⸤body⸥— 

only bruises, sores, and fresh wounds. 

They haven’t been cleansed, bandaged, 

or soothed with oil. 

⁷“Your country is devastated. 

Your cities are burned down. 

Your fields are destroyed right before your eyes by foreigners. 

Your fields are devastated and taken over by foreigners. 

⁸My people Zion are left like a hut in a vineyard, 

like a shack in a cucumber field, 

like a city under attack.” 

⁹If the Lord of Armies hadn’t left us a few survivors, 

we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Israel’s Corrupt Religion

¹⁰Listen to the Lord’s word, you rulers of Sodom! 

Pay attention to the teachings from our God, you people of Gomorrah! 

¹¹The Lord asks, “What do your many animal sacrifices mean to me? 

I’ve had enough of your burnt offerings of rams 

and enough fat from your fattened calves. 

I’m not pleased with the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats. 

¹²When you appear in my presence, 

who asked you to trample on my courtyards? 

¹³Don’t bring any more worthless grain offerings. 

Your incense is disgusting to me, 

so are your New Moon Festivals, your days of rest—a holy days, 

and the assemblies you call. 

I can’t stand your evil assemblies. 

¹⁴I hate your New Moon Festivals and your appointed festivals. 

They’ve become a burden to me, 

and I’m tired of putting up with them. 

¹⁵So when you stretch out your hands ⸤in prayer⸥, 

I will turn my eyes away from you. 

Even though you offer many prayers, 

I will not listen because your hands are covered with blood. 

The Lord Invites Israel to Turn Away from Sin

¹⁶“Wash yourselves! Become clean! 

Get your evil deeds out of my sight. 

Stop doing evil. 

¹⁷Learn to do good. 

Seek justice. 

Arrest oppressors. 

Defend orphans. 

Plead the case of widows.”