The (A)vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem (B)in the days of (C)Uzziah, (D)Jotham, (E)Ahaz, and (F)Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The Wickedness of Judah

(G)Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O (H)earth;
    for the Lord has spoken:
“Children[a] (I)have I reared and brought up,
    but they have rebelled against me.
The ox (J)knows its owner,
    and the donkey its master's crib,
but Israel does (K)not know,
    my people do not understand.”

Ah, sinful nation,
    a people laden with iniquity,
(L)offspring of evildoers,
    children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the Lord,
    they have (M)despised (N)the Holy One of Israel,
    they are utterly (O)estranged.

Why will you still be (P)struck down?
    Why will you (Q)continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
    and the whole heart faint.
(R)From the sole of the foot even to the head,
    there is no soundness in it,
but bruises and sores
    and raw wounds;
they are (S)not pressed out or bound up
    or softened with oil.

(T)Your country lies desolate;
    your cities are burned with fire;
in your very presence
    foreigners devour your land;
    it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.
And (U)the daughter of Zion is left
    like a (V)booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field,
    like a besieged city.

(W)If the Lord of hosts
    had not left us (X)a few survivors,
we should have been like (Y)Sodom,
    and become like (Z)Gomorrah.

10 Hear the word of the Lord,
    you rulers of (AA)(AB)Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching[b] of our God,
    you people of (AC)Gomorrah!
11 (AD)“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.

12 “When you come to (AE)appear before me,
    who has required of you
    this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings;
    incense is an abomination to me.
(AF)New moon and Sabbath and the (AG)calling of convocations—
    I cannot endure (AH)iniquity and (AI)solemn assembly.
14 Your (AJ)new moons and your appointed feasts
    my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you (AK)spread out your hands,
    I will hide my eyes from you;
(AL)even though you make many prayers,
    I will not listen;
    (AM)your hands are full of blood.
16 (AN)Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
(AO)cease to do evil,
17     learn to do good;
(AP)seek justice,
    correct oppression;
(AQ)bring justice to the fatherless,
    plead the widow's cause.

18 “Come now, (AR)let us reason[c] together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as (AS)white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool.
19 (AT)If you are willing and obedient,
    you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
    you shall be eaten by the sword;
    (AU)for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:2 Or Sons; also verse 4
  2. Isaiah 1:10 Or law
  3. Isaiah 1:18 Or dispute

The vision(A) concerning Judah and Jerusalem(B) that Isaiah son of Amoz saw(C) during the reigns of Uzziah,(D) Jotham,(E) Ahaz(F) and Hezekiah,(G) kings of Judah.

A Rebellious Nation

Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!(H)
    For the Lord has spoken:(I)
“I reared children(J) and brought them up,
    but they have rebelled(K) against me.
The ox knows(L) its master,
    the donkey its owner’s manger,(M)
but Israel does not know,(N)
    my people do not understand.(O)

Woe to the sinful nation,
    a people whose guilt is great,(P)
a brood of evildoers,(Q)
    children given to corruption!(R)
They have forsaken(S) the Lord;
    they have spurned the Holy One(T) of Israel
    and turned their backs(U) on him.

Why should you be beaten(V) anymore?
    Why do you persist(W) in rebellion?(X)
Your whole head is injured,
    your whole heart(Y) afflicted.(Z)
From the sole of your foot to the top of your head(AA)
    there is no soundness(AB)
only wounds and welts(AC)
    and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged(AD)
    or soothed with olive oil.(AE)

Your country is desolate,(AF)
    your cities burned with fire;(AG)
your fields are being stripped by foreigners(AH)
    right before you,
    laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.(AI)
Daughter Zion(AJ) is left(AK)
    like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut(AL) in a cucumber field,
    like a city under siege.
Unless the Lord Almighty
    had left us some survivors,(AM)
we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.(AN)

10 Hear the word of the Lord,(AO)
    you rulers of Sodom;(AP)
listen to the instruction(AQ) of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!(AR)
11 “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;(AS)
I have no pleasure(AT)
    in the blood of bulls(AU) and lambs and goats.(AV)
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who has asked this of you,(AW)
    this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!(AX)
    Your incense(AY) is detestable(AZ) to me.
New Moons,(BA) Sabbaths and convocations(BB)
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon(BC) feasts and your appointed festivals(BD)
    I hate with all my being.(BE)
They have become a burden to me;(BF)
    I am weary(BG) of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands(BH) in prayer,
    I hide(BI) my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.(BJ)

Your hands(BK) are full of blood!(BL)

16 Wash(BM) and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;(BN)
    stop doing wrong.(BO)
17 Learn to do right;(BP) seek justice.(BQ)
    Defend the oppressed.[a](BR)
Take up the cause of the fatherless;(BS)
    plead the case of the widow.(BT)

18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”(BU)
    says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;(BV)
though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.(BW)
19 If you are willing and obedient,(BX)
    you will eat the good things of the land;(BY)
20 but if you resist and rebel,(BZ)
    you will be devoured by the sword.”(CA)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(CB)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:17 Or justice. / Correct the oppressor

Evil and Oppression

59 Behold, (A)the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
    or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
(B)but your iniquities have made a separation
    between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
    so that he does not hear.

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Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm(A) of the Lord is not too short(B) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.(C)
But your iniquities have separated(D)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.(E)

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What Does the Lord Require?

(A)“With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before (B)God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
(C)Will the Lord be pleased with[a] thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
(D)Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and (E)what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,[b]
    and to (F)walk humbly with your God?

Destruction of the Wicked

The voice of the Lord cries to the city—
    and it is sound wisdom to fear (G)your name:
“Hear of (H)the rod and of him who appointed it![c]
10     Can I forget any longer the treasures[d] of wickedness in the house of the wicked,
    and the scant measure that is accursed?
11 Shall I acquit the man (I)with wicked scales
    and with a bag of deceitful weights?
12 Your[e] rich men are (J)full of violence;
    your inhabitants (K)speak lies,
    and (L)their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow,
    (M)making you desolate because of your sins.
14 (N)You shall eat, but not be satisfied,
    and there shall be hunger within you;
you shall put away, but not preserve,
    and what you preserve I will give to the sword.
15 (O)You shall sow, but not reap;
    you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
    you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.
16 For you have kept the statutes of (P)Omri,[f]
    and all the works of the house of (Q)Ahab;
    and you have walked in their counsels,
that I may make you (R)a desolation, and your[g] inhabitants (S)a hissing;
    so you shall bear (T)the scorn of my people.”

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:7 Or Will the Lord accept
  2. Micah 6:8 Or steadfast love
  3. Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  4. Micah 6:10 Or Are there still treasures
  5. Micah 6:12 Hebrew whose
  6. Micah 6:16 Hebrew For the statutes of Omri are kept
  7. Micah 6:16 Hebrew its

With what shall I come before(A) the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?(B)
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,(C)
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?(D)
Shall I offer my firstborn(E) for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?(F)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly(G) and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly[a](H) with your God.(I)

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
    and to fear your name is wisdom—
    “Heed the rod(J) and the One who appointed it.[b]
10 Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
    and the short ephah,[c] which is accursed?(K)
11 Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,(L)
    with a bag of false weights?(M)
12 Your rich people are violent;(N)
    your inhabitants are liars(O)
    and their tongues speak deceitfully.(P)
13 Therefore, I have begun to destroy(Q) you,
    to ruin[d] you because of your sins.
14 You will eat but not be satisfied;(R)
    your stomach will still be empty.[e]
You will store up but save nothing,(S)
    because what you save[f] I will give to the sword.
15 You will plant but not harvest;(T)
    you will press olives but not use the oil,
    you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.(U)
16 You have observed the statutes of Omri(V)
    and all the practices of Ahab’s(W) house;
    you have followed their traditions.(X)
Therefore I will give you over to ruin(Y)
    and your people to derision;
    you will bear the scorn(Z) of the nations.[g]

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:8 Or prudently
  2. Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  3. Micah 6:10 An ephah was a dry measure.
  4. Micah 6:13 Or Therefore, I will make you ill and destroy you; / I will ruin
  5. Micah 6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  6. Micah 6:14 Or You will press toward birth but not give birth, / and what you bring to birth
  7. Micah 6:16 Septuagint; Hebrew scorn due my people

Faithless Israel Called to Repentance

The Lord said to me in the days of (A)King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, (B)how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there (C)played the whore? And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,’ but she did not return, and her treacherous (D)sister Judah saw it. She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, (E)I had sent her away with (F)a decree of divorce. (G)Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went (H)and played the whore. Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with (I)stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me (J)with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the Lord.”

11 And the Lord said to me, (K)“Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward (L)the north, and say,

(M)“‘Return, faithless Israel,
declares the Lord.
I will not look on you in anger,
    for (N)I am merciful,
declares the Lord;
(O)I will not be angry forever.
13 (P)Only acknowledge your guilt,
    that you rebelled against the Lord your God
and scattered your favors among foreigners under (Q)every green tree,
    and that you have not obeyed my voice,
declares the Lord.
14 (R)Return, O faithless children,
declares the Lord;
    (S)for I am your master;
I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
    and I will bring you to Zion.

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Unfaithful Israel

During the reign of King Josiah,(A) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless(B) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree(C) and has committed adultery(D) there. I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister(E) Judah saw it.(F) I gave faithless Israel(G) her certificate of divorce(H) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;(I) she also went out and committed adultery. Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land(J) and committed adultery(K) with stone(L) and wood.(M) 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return(N) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,(O)” declares the Lord.(P)

11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous(Q) than unfaithful(R) Judah.(S) 12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(T)

“‘Return,(U) faithless(V) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(W) declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry(X) forever.
13 Only acknowledge(Y) your guilt—
    you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods(Z)
    under every spreading tree,(AA)
    and have not obeyed(AB) me,’”
declares the Lord.

14 “Return,(AC) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.(AD) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion.

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