Logos Bible Study

Isaiah 1:11–17

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1:11“Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?”31

says the Lord.

“I am stuffed with32 burnt sacrifices

of rams and the fat from steers.

The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats

I do not want.33

1:12When you enter my presence,

do you actually think I want this—

animals trampling on my courtyards?34

1:13Do not bring any more meaningless35 offerings;

I consider your incense detestable!36

You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,

but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations!37

1:14I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;

they are a burden

that I am tired of carrying.

1:15When you spread out your hands in prayer,

I look the other way;38

when you offer your many prayers,

I do not listen,

because your hands are covered with blood.39

1:1640 Wash! Cleanse yourselves!

Remove your sinful deeds41

from my sight.

Stop sinning!

1:17Learn to do what is right!

Promote justice!

Give the oppressed reason to celebrate!42

Take up the cause of the orphan!

Defend the rights of the widow!43

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Footnotes

  1. 31 Heb “Why to me the multitude of your sacrifices?” The sarcastic rhetorical question suggests that their many sacrifices are of no importance to the Lord. This phrase answers the possible objection that an Israelite could raise in response to God’s indictment: “But we are offering the sacrifices you commanded!” In this section the Lord refutes a potential objection that his sinful people might offer in their defense. He has charged them with rebellion (vv. 2–3), but they might respond that they have brought him many sacrifices. So he points out that he requires social justice first and foremost, not empty ritual.
  2. 32 The verb שָׂבַע (sava’, “be satisfied, full”) is often used of eating and/or drinking one’s fill. See 959 שָׂבַע. Here sacrifices are viewed, in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion, as food for the deity. God here declares that he has eaten and drunk, as it were, his fill.
  3. 33 In the chiastic structure of the verse, the verbs at the beginning and end highlight God’s displeasure, while the heaping up of references to animals, fat, and blood in the middle lines hints at why God wants no more of their sacrifices. They have, as it were, piled the food on his table and he needs no more.
  4. 34 Heb “When you come to appear before me, who requires this from your hand, trampling of my courtyards?” The rhetorical question sarcastically makes the point that God does not require this parade of livestock. The verb “trample” probably refers to the eager worshipers and their sacrificial animals walking around in the temple area.
  5. 35 Or “worthless” (, , ); , “vain.”
  6. 36 Notice some of the other practices that Yahweh regards as “detestable”: homosexuality (Lev 18:22–30; 20:13), idolatry (Deut 7:25; 13:15), human sacrifice (Deut 12:31), eating ritually unclean animals (Deut 14:3–8), sacrificing defective animals (Deut 17:1), engaging in occult activities (Deut 18:9–14), and practicing ritual prostitution (1 Kgs 14:23).
  7. 37 Heb “sin and assembly” (these two nouns probably represent a hendiadys). The point is that their attempts at worship are unacceptable to God because the people’s everyday actions in the socio-economic realm prove they have no genuine devotion to God (see vv. 16–17).
  8. 38 Heb “I close my eyes from you.”
  9. 39 This does not just refer to the blood of sacrificial animals, but also the blood, as it were, of their innocent victims. By depriving the poor and destitute of proper legal recourse and adequate access to the economic system, the oppressors have, for all intents and purposes, “killed” their victims.
  10. 40 Having demonstrated the people’s guilt, the Lord calls them to repentance, which will involve concrete action in the socio-economic realm, not mere emotion.
  11. 41 This phrase refers to Israel’s covenant treachery (cf. Deut 28:10; Jer 4:4; 21:12; 23:2, 22; 25:5; 26:3; 44:22; Hos 9:15; Ps 28:4). In general, the noun ַמעַלְלֵיכֶם (ma’alleykhem) can simply be a reference to deeds, whether good or bad. However, Isaiah always uses it with a negative connotation (cf. 3:8, 10).
  12. 42 The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The translation assumes an emendation of חָמוֹץ (khamots, “oppressor [?]”) to חָמוּץ (khamuts, “oppressed”), a passive participle from II חָמַץ (khamats, “oppress”; II חמץ) and takes the verb II אָשַׁר (’ashar) in the sense of “make happy” (the delocutive Piel, meaning “call/pronounce happy,” is metonymic here, referring to actually effecting happiness). The parallelism favors this interpretation, for the next two lines speak of positive actions on behalf of the destitute. The other option is to retain the pointing and translate, “set right the oppressor,” but the nuance “set right” is not clearly attested elsewhere for the verb I אשׁר. This verb does appear as a participle in Isa 3:12 and 9:16 with the meaning “to lead or guide.” If it can mean to “lead” or “rebuke/redirect” in this verse, the prophet could be contrasting this appeal for societal reformation (v. 17c) with a command to reorder their personal lives (v. 17a–b). J. A. Motyer (The Prophecy of Isaiah, 47) suggests that these three statements (v. 17a–c) provide “the contrast between the two ends of imperfect society, the oppressor and the needy, the one inflicting and the other suffering the hurt. Isaiah looks for a transformed society wherever it needs transforming.”
  13. 43 This word refers to a woman who has lost her husband, by death or divorce. The orphan and widow are often mentioned in the OT as epitomizing the helpless and impoverished who have been left without the necessities of life due to the loss of a family provider.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

says the Lord;

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of well-fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

or of lambs, or of goats.

“When you come to appear before me,

who has required of you

this trampling of my courts?

Bring no more vain offerings;

incense is an abomination to me.

New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—

I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

Your new moons and your appointed feasts

my soul hates;

they have become a burden to me;

I am weary of bearing them.

When you spread out your hands,

I will hide my eyes from you;

even though you make many prayers,

I will not listen;

your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;

remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;

cease to do evil,

learn to do good;

seek justice,

correct oppression;

bring justice to the fatherless,

plead the widow’s cause.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“The multitude of your sacrifices—

what are they to me?” says the Lord.

“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,

of rams and the fat of fattened animals;

I have no pleasure

in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.

When you come to appear before me,

who has asked this of you,

this trampling of my courts?

Stop bringing meaningless offerings!

Your incense is detestable to me.

New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—

I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.

Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals

I hate with all my being.

They have become a burden to me;

I am weary of bearing them.

When you spread out your hands in prayer,

I hide my eyes from you;

even when you offer many prayers,

I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood!

Wash and make yourselves clean.

Take your evil deeds out of my sight;

stop doing wrong.

Learn to do right; seek justice.

Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless;

plead the case of the widow.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“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.

When you come to appear before me,

who requires this from you—

this trampling of my courts?

Stop bringing useless offerings.

Your incense is detestable to me.

New Moons and Sabbaths,

and the calling of solemn assemblies—

I cannot stand iniquity with a festival.

I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals.

They have become a burden to me;

I am tired of putting up with them.

When you spread out your hands in prayer,

I will refuse to look at you;

even if you offer countless prayers,

I will not listen.

Your hands are covered with blood.

“Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves.

Remove your evil deeds from my sight.

Stop doing evil.

Learn to do what is good.

Pursue justice.

Correct the oppressor.

Defend the rights of the fatherless.

Plead the widow’s cause.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?”

says the Lord.

“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of fattened cattle.

I get no pleasure from the blood

of bulls and lambs and goats.

When you come to worship me,

who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?

Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;

the incense of your offerings disgusts me!

As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath

and your special days for fasting—

they are all sinful and false.

I want no more of your pious meetings.

I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals.

They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!

When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.

Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,

for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

Wash yourselves and be clean!

Get your sins out of my sight.

Give up your evil ways.

Learn to do good.

Seek justice.

Help the oppressed.

Defend the cause of orphans.

Fight for the rights of widows.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

What is the abundance of your sacrifices to me? says Yahweh.

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of fattened animals

and I do not delight in the blood of bulls

and ram-lambs and goats.

When you come to appear before me,

who asked for this from your hand:

you trampling my courts?

You must not continue to bring offerings of futility,

incense—it is an abomination to me;

new moon and Sabbath, the calling of a convocation—

I cannot endure iniquity with solemn assembly.

Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates;

they have become to me like a burden,

I am not able to bear them.

And when you stretch out your hands,

I will hide my eyes from you;

even though you make many prayers,

I will not be listening.

Your hands are full of blood. Wash! Make yourselves clean!

Remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes!

Cease to do evil! Learn to do good!

Seek justice! Rescue the oppressed!

Defend the orphan! Plead for the widow!

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord:

I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts;

And I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

When ye come to appear before me,

Who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me;

The new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with;

It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth:

They are a trouble unto me;

I am weary to bear them.

And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you:

Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear:

Your hands are full of blood.

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

Learn to do well;

Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed,

Judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Public Domain