Isaiah 1–5

1Here is the vision about Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah had. It came to him when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were ruling. They were kings of Judah. Isaiah was the son of Amoz.

Israel Refuses to Obey the Lord

²Listen to me, heavens! Pay attention to me, earth!

The Lord has said,

“I raised children. I brought them up.

But they have refused to obey me.

³The ox knows its master.

The donkey knows where its owner feeds it.

But Israel does not know me.

My people do not understand me.”

⁴They are a sinful nation.

They are loaded down with guilt.

They are people who do nothing but evil.

They are children who are always sinning.

They have deserted the Lord.

They have turned against the Holy One of Israel.

They have turned their backs on him.

⁵Israel, why do you want to be beaten all the time?

Why do you always refuse to obey the Lord?

Your head is covered with wounds.

Your whole heart is weak.

⁶There isn’t a healthy spot on your body

from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head.

There are only wounds, cuts

and open sores.

They haven’t been cleaned up or bandaged

or treated with olive oil.

⁷Your country has been deserted.

Your cities have been burned down.

The food from your fields is being eaten up by outsiders.

They are doing it right in front of you.

Your land has been completely destroyed.

It looks as if strangers have taken it over.

⁸The city of Zion is left like a hut

where someone stands guard in a vineyard.

It is left like an empty cabin in a melon field.

It’s like a city that is being attacked.

⁹The Lord who rules over all

has let some people live through that time of trouble.

If he hadn’t, we would have become like Sodom.

We would have been like Gomorrah.

¹⁰Rulers of Sodom,

hear the Lord’s message.

People of Gomorrah,

listen to the law of our God.

¹¹“Do you think I need any more of your sacrifices?”

asks the Lord.

“I have more than enough of your burnt offerings.

I have more than enough of rams

and the fat of your fattest animals.

I do not find any pleasure

in the blood of your bulls, lambs and goats.

¹²Who asked you to bring all of those animals

when you come to worship me?

Who asked you and your animals

to walk all over my courtyards?

¹³Stop bringing offerings that do not mean anything to me!

I hate your incense.

I can’t stand your evil gatherings.

I can’t stand the way you celebrate your New Moon Feasts,

Sabbath days and special services.

¹⁴I hate your New Moon Feasts

and your other appointed feasts.

They have become a heavy load to me.

I am tired of carrying it.

¹⁵You might spread out your hands toward me when you pray.

But I will not look at you.

You might even offer many prayers.

But I will not listen to them.

Your hands are covered with the blood of the people you have murdered.

¹⁶So wash your hands. Make yourselves clean.

Get your evil actions out of my sight!

Stop doing what is wrong!

¹⁷Learn to do what is right!

Treat people fairly.

Give hope to those who are beaten down.

Cheer them up.

Stand up in court for children whose fathers have died.

And do the same thing for widows.

¹⁸“Come. Let us talk some more about this matter,”

says the Lord.

“Even though your sins are bright red,

they will be as white as snow.

Even though they are deep red,

they will be white like wool.

¹⁹But you have to be willing to change and obey me.

If you are, you will eat the best food that grows on the land.

²⁰You must follow me. You must obey me.

If you do not, you will be killed with swords.”

The Lord has spoken.

²¹See how the faithful city of Jerusalem

has become like a prostitute!

Once it was full of people who treated others fairly.

Those who did what was right used to live in it.

But now murderers live there!

²²Jerusalem, your silver isn’t pure anymore.

Your best wine has been made weak with water.

²³Your rulers refuse to obey the Lord.

They are companions of robbers.

All of them love to accept money from those who want special favors.

They are always looking for gifts from other people.

They don’t stand up in court for children whose fathers have died.

They don’t do it for widows either.

²⁴The Lord is the Mighty One of Israel.

The Lord who rules over all announces,

“Israel, you have become my enemies.

I will pay you back for what you have done.

Then you will not trouble me anymore.

²⁵I will turn my powerful hand against you.

I will make you completely clean.

I will remove everything that is not pure.

²⁶I will give judges to you like the ones you had long ago.

I will give you advisers like those you had at the beginning.

Then you will be called

The City That Does What Is Right.

You will also be called The Faithful City.”

²⁷Zion will be saved when others are treated fairly.

Those who are sorry for their sins will be saved

when what is right is done.

²⁸But sinners and those who refuse to obey the Lord will be destroyed.

And those who desert the Lord will die.

²⁹Israel, you take delight in worshiping among the sacred oak trees.

You will be full of shame for doing that.

You have chosen to worship in the sacred gardens.

You will be dishonored for doing that.

³⁰You will be like an oak tree whose leaves are dying.

You will be like a garden that doesn’t have any water.

³¹Your strongest men will become like dry pieces of wood.

Their worship of other gods will be the spark that lights the fire.

Everything will be burned up.

No one will be there to put the fire out.

People From Many Nations Will Worship at Mount Zion

2Here is a vision that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, had about Judah and Jerusalem.

²In the last days

the mountain where the Lord’s temple is located will be famous.

It will be the most important mountain of all.

It will stand out above the hills.

All of the nations will go to it.

³People from many nations will go there. They will say,

“Come. Let us go up to the Lord’s mountain.

Let’s go to the house of Jacob’s God.

He will teach us how we should live.

Then we will live the way he wants us to.”

The law of the Lord will be taught at Zion.

His message will go out from Jerusalem.

⁴He will judge between the nations.

He’ll settle problems among many of them.

They will hammer their swords into plows.

They’ll hammer their spears into pruning tools.

Nations will not go to war against one another.

They won’t even train to fight anymore.

⁵People of Jacob, come.

Let us live the way the Lord has taught us to.

The Day of the Lord Is Coming

⁶Lord, you have deserted the people of Jacob.

They are your people.

The land is full of false beliefs from the east.

The people practice evil magic, just as the Philistines do.

They make ungodly people their friends.

⁷Their land is full of silver and gold.

There is no end to their treasures.

Their land is full of horses.

There is no end to their chariots.

⁸Their land is full of statues of gods.

They bow down to what their own hands have made.

They bow down to what their fingers have shaped.

⁹So man will be brought low.

People will be put to shame.

Do not forgive them.

¹⁰Go and hide in caves in the rocks, you people!

Hide in holes in the ground.

Hide from the terror of the Lord!

Hide when he comes in glory and majesty!

¹¹A man who brags will be brought low.

Men who are proud will be put to shame.

The Lord alone will be honored at that time.

¹²The Lord who rules over all has set apart a day when he will judge.

He has set it apart for all those who are proud and think they are important.

He has set it apart for all those who brag about themselves.

All of them will be brought low.

¹³The Lord has set that day apart for all of the cedar trees in Lebanon.

They are very tall.

He has set it apart for all of the oak trees in Bashan.

¹⁴He has set it apart for all of the towering mountains.

He has set it apart for all of the high hills.

¹⁵He has set it apart for every high tower

and every strong wall.

¹⁶He has set it apart for every trading ship

and every beautiful boat.

¹⁷A man who brags will be brought low.

Men who are proud will be put to shame.

The Lord alone will be honored at that time.

¹⁸And the statues of gods will totally disappear.

¹⁹People will run and hide in caves in the rocks.

They will go into holes in the ground.

They will run away from the terror of the Lord.

They will run when he comes in glory and majesty.

When he comes, he will shake the earth.

²⁰Men had made some statues of gods out of silver.

They had made others out of gold.

Then they worshiped them.

But when the Lord comes,

they will throw the statues away to the rodents and bats.

²¹They will run and hide in caves in the rocks.

They will go into holes in the cliffs.

They will run away from the terror of the Lord.

They will run when he comes in glory and majesty.

When he comes, he will shake the earth.

²²Stop trusting man. He can’t help you.

He only lives for a little while.

What good is he?

The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem and Judah

3Here is what

the Lord who rules over all is about to do.

The Lord will take away from Jerusalem and Judah

supplies and help alike.

He will take away all of the supplies of food and water.

²He’ll take away heroes and soldiers.

He’ll take away judges and prophets.

He’ll take away fortune tellers and elders.

³He’ll take away captains of companies of 50 men.

He’ll take away government leaders.

He’ll take away advisers, skilled workers

and those who are clever at doing evil magic.

⁴The Lord will make young boys rule over all of them.

Mere children will govern them.

⁵People will crush one another.

They will fight against each other.

They will fight against their neighbors.

Young people will attack old people.

Ordinary people will attack those who are more important.

⁶A man will grab hold of one of his brothers

at his father’s home. He will say,

“You have a coat. So you be our leader.

Take charge of all of these broken-down buildings!”

⁷But at that time the brother will cry out,

“I can’t help you.

I don’t have any food or clothing in my house.

Don’t make me the leader of these people.”

⁸Jerusalem is about to fall.

And so is Judah.

They say and do things against the Lord.

They dare to disobey him to his very…