Isaiah 1

CHAPTER 1

Judah, a Sinful Nation

¹The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning ^aJudah and Jerusalem, which he beheld in the days of ^bUzziah, ^cJotham, ^dAhaz, and ^eHezekiah, kings of Judah.

^2aHear, O heavens, and give ear, O ^bearth;

For ¹Yahweh speaks,

“^cSons I have reared and raised up,

But they have ^dtransgressed against Me.

³“An ox knows its owner,

And a donkey its master’s manger,

But Israel ^adoes not know;

My people ^bdo not perceive.”

⁴Alas, sinful nation,

People heavy with iniquity,

^aSeed of evildoers,

Sons who ^bact corruptly!

They have ^cforsaken Yahweh;

They have ^dspurned the Holy One of Israel;

They have ¹become estranged ²from Him.

⁵Where will you be stricken again,

As you ^acontinue in your rebellion?

The whole head is ^bsick,

And the whole heart is faint.

^6aFrom the sole of the foot even to the head

There is ^bnothing sound in it,

Only bruises, wounds, and raw wounds,

^cNot pressed out, not bandaged,

Not softened with oil.

⁷Your ^aland is desolate;

Your cities are burned with fire;

Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence;

It is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

⁸The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,

Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.

^9aUnless Yahweh of hosts

Had left us a few ^bsurvivors,

We would be like ^cSodom,

We would be like Gomorrah.

¹⁰Hear ^athe word of Yahweh,

You rulers of ^bSodom;

Give ear to the law of our God,

You people of Gomorrah.

¹¹“^aWhat are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”

Says Yahweh.

“I ¹have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

And the fat of fed cattle;

And in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats ²I take no pleasure.

¹²“When you come ^ato appear before Me,

Who requires ¹of you this trampling of My courts?

¹³“Bring your worthless offerings no longer,

^aIncense is an abomination to Me.

^bNew moon and sabbath, the ^ccalling of convocation—

I cannot ^dendure wickedness and the solemn assembly.

¹⁴“My soul hates your new moon festivals and your ^aappointed times,

They have become a burden to Me;

I am ^bweary of bearing them.

¹⁵“So when you ^aspread out your hands in prayer,

^bI will hide My eyes from you;

Indeed, even though you ^cmultiply prayers,

I will not listen.

^dYour hands are full of blood.

¹⁶“^aWash yourselves, ^bpurify yourselves;

^cRemove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes.

^dCease to do evil,

¹⁷Learn to do good;

^aSeek justice,

Reprove the ruthless,

^bExecute justice for the ¹orphan,

Plead for the widow.

¹⁸“Come now, and ^alet us reason together,”

Says Yahweh,

“^bThough your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.

¹⁹“^aIf you are willing and obey,

You will ^beat the best of the land;

²⁰But if you refuse and rebel,

You will be ^aeaten by the sword.”

For ^bthe mouth of Yahweh has spoken.

Zion Will Be Redeemed with Justice

²¹How the faithful city has become a ^aharlot,

She who was full of justice!

Righteousness once lodged in her,

But now murderers.

²²Your silver has become dross,

Your drink diluted with water.

²³Your ^arulers are rebels

And companions of thieves;

Everyone ^bloves a bribe

And pursues rewards.

They ^cdo not execute justice for the ¹orphan,

Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.

²⁴Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of hosts,

The ^aMighty One of Israel, declares,

“Ah, I will be comforted concerning My adversaries,

And I will ^bavenge Myself on My enemies.

²⁵“I will also turn My hand against you,

And will ^asmelt away your dross as with lye

And will remove all your alloy.

²⁶“Then I will have your ^ajudges return as at the first,

And your counselors as at the beginning;

Afterwards you will be called the ^bcity of righteousness,

A faithful town.”

²⁷Zion will be ^aredeemed with justice

And her ¹repentant ones with righteousness.

²⁸But ¹transgressors and sinners will be ^abroken together,

And those who forsake Yahweh will come to an end.

²⁹For ¹you will be ashamed of the ^2aoaks which you have desired,

And you will be humiliated because of the ^bgardens which you have chosen.

³⁰For you will be like ¹an oak whose ^aleaf withers away

Or as a garden that has no water.

³¹And the strong man will become tinder,

His work also a spark.

Thus they shall both ^aburn together,

And there will be ^bnone to quench them.