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

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

11 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.

12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

13 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.

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

15 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.

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

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

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The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times(A)

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;(B) every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,(C) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming(D) and of the end of the age?”(E)

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.(F) For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.(G) You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.(H) There will be famines(I) and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted(J) and put to death,(K) and you will be hated by all nations because of me.(L) 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets(M) will appear and deceive many people.(N) 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.(O) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom(P) will be preached in the whole world(Q) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place(R) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a](S) spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop(T) go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!(U) 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.(V)

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect(W) those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.(X) 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders(Y) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning(Z) that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming(AA) of the Son of Man.(AB) 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.(AC)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11

24 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

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To the Church in Ephesus

“To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus(A) write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand(B) and walks among the seven golden lampstands.(C) I know your deeds,(D) your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested(E) those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.(F) You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,(G) and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.(H) Consider how far you have fallen! Repent(I) and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand(J) from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,(K) which I also hate.

Whoever has ears, let them hear(L) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,(M) I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,(N) which is in the paradise(O) of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna(P) write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last,(Q) who died and came to life again.(R) I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!(S) I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not,(T) but are a synagogue of Satan.(U) 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you,(V) and you will suffer persecution for ten days.(W) Be faithful,(X) even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.(Y)

11 Whoever has ears, let them hear(Z) what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.(AA)

To the Church in Pergamum

12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum(AB) write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.(AC) 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me,(AD) not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,(AE) who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.(AF)

14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:(AG) There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam,(AH) who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols(AI) and committed sexual immorality.(AJ) 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.(AK) 16 Repent(AL) therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.(AM)

17 Whoever has ears, let them hear(AN) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,(AO) I will give some of the hidden manna.(AP) I will also give that person a white stone with a new name(AQ) written on it, known only to the one who receives it.(AR)

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 2:1 Or messenger; also in verses 8, 12 and 18

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

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