Isaiah 1

Chapter 1

Rebellion of God’s People

¹The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning ^aJudah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the ¹reigns of ^bUzziah, ^cJotham, ^dAhaz and ^eHezekiah, kings of Judah.

^2aListen, O heavens, and hear, O ^bearth;

For the Lord speaks,

“^cSons I have reared and brought up,

But they have ^drevolted against Me.

³“An ox knows its owner,

And a donkey its master’s manger,

But Israel ^adoes not know,

My people ^bdo not understand.”

⁴Alas, sinful nation,

People weighed down with iniquity,

^1aOffspring of evildoers,

Sons who ^bact corruptly!

They have ^cabandoned the Lord,

They have ^ddespised the Holy One of Israel,

They have turned away 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, welts and raw wounds,

^cNot pressed out or bandaged,

Nor softened with oil.

⁷Your ^aland is desolate,

Your cities are burned with fire,

Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence;

It is desolation, 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 the Lord of hosts

Had left us a few ^bsurvivors,

We would be like ^cSodom,

We would be like Gomorrah.

God Has Had Enough

¹⁰Hear ^athe word of the Lord,

You rulers of ^bSodom;

Give ear to the instruction of our God,

You people of Gomorrah.

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

Says the Lord.

“I ¹have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

And the fat of fed cattle;

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

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 assemblies—

I cannot ^dendure iniquity and the solemn assembly.

¹⁴“I hate your new moon festivals and your ^aappointed feasts,

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;

Yes, even though you ^cmultiply prayers,

I will not listen.

^dYour hands are ¹covered with blood.

¹⁶“^aWash yourselves, ^bmake yourselves clean;

^cRemove the evil of your deeds from My sight.

^dCease to do evil,

¹⁷Learn to do good;

^aSeek justice,

Reprove the ruthless,

^1bDefend the orphan,

Plead for the widow.

“Let Us Reason”

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

Says the Lord,

“^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 consent and obey,

You will ^beat the best of the land;

²⁰“But if you refuse and rebel,

You will be ^adevoured by the sword.”

Truly, ^bthe mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Zion Corrupted, to be Redeemed

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 chases after rewards.

They ^cdo not ¹defend the ²orphan,

Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.

²⁴Therefore the Lord ¹God of hosts,

The ^aMighty One of Israel, declares,

“Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries

And ^bavenge Myself on My foes.

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 restore your ^ajudges as at the first,

And your counselors as at the beginning;

After that you will be called the ^bcity of righteousness,

A faithful city.”

²⁷Zion will be ^aredeemed with justice

And her ¹repentant ones with righteousness.

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

And those who forsake the Lord will come to an end.

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

And you will be embarrassed at the ^bgardens which you have chosen.

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

Or as a garden that has no water.

³¹The strong man will become tinder,

His work also a spark.

Thus they shall both ^aburn together

And there will be ^bnone to quench them.