Isaiah 1
New American Standard Bible
Rebellion of God’s People
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning (A)Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the [a]reigns of (B)Uzziah, (C)Jotham, (D)Ahaz, and (E)Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 (F)Listen, heavens, and hear, (G)earth;
For the Lord has spoken:
“(H)Sons I have raised and brought up,
But they have (I)revolted against Me.
3 An ox knows its owner,
And a donkey its master’s manger,
But Israel (J)does not know,
My people (K)do not understand.”
4 Oh, sinful nation,
People weighed down with guilt,
[b](L)Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who (M)act corruptly!
They have (N)abandoned the Lord,
They have (O)despised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away [c]from Him.
5 Where will you be stricken again,
As you (P)continue in your rebellion?
The entire head is (Q)sick
And the entire heart is faint.
6 (R)From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is (S)nothing healthy in it,
Only bruises, slashes, and raw wounds;
(T)Not pressed out nor bandaged,
Nor softened with oil.
7 Your (U)land is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
As for your fields, strangers are devouring them in front of you;
It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,
Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a city under watch.
9 (V)If the Lord of armies
Had not left us a few (W)survivors,
We would be like (X)Sodom,
We would be like Gomorrah.
God Has Had Enough
10 Hear (Y)the word of the Lord,
You rulers of (Z)Sodom;
Listen to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah!
11 “(AA)What are your many sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I [d]have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fattened cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.
12 When you come (AB)to appear before Me,
Who requires [e]of you this trampling of My courtyards?
13 Do not go on bringing your worthless offerings,
(AC)Incense is an abomination to Me.
(AD)New moon and Sabbath, the (AE)proclamation of an assembly—
I cannot (AF)endure wrongdoing and the festive assembly.
14 [f]I hate your new moon festivals and your (AG)appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am (AH)tired of bearing them.
15 So when you (AI)spread out your hands in prayer,
(AJ)I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you (AK)offer many prayers,
I will not be listening.
(AL)Your hands are [g]covered with blood.
16 “(AM)Wash yourselves, (AN)make yourselves clean;
(AO)Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
(AP)Stop doing evil,
17 Learn to do good;
(AQ)Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor,
(AR)Obtain justice for the orphan,
Plead for the widow’s case.
Invitation to Debate
18 “Come now, and (AS)let us [h]debate your case,”
Says the Lord,
“(AT)Though your sins are as scarlet,
They shall become as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be like wool.
19 (AU)If you are willing and obedient,
You will (AV)eat the best of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be (AW)devoured by the sword.”
For (AX)the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Zion Corrupted; Will Be Redeemed
21 How the faithful city has become a (AY)prostitute,
She who was full of justice!
Righteousness once dwelt in her,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become [i]waste matter,
Your drink diluted with water.
23 Your (AZ)rulers are rebels
And companions of thieves;
Everyone (BA)loves a bribe
And chases after gifts.
They (BB)do not obtain justice for the [j]orphan,
Nor does the widow’s case come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord [k]God of armies,
The (BC)Mighty One of Israel, declares,
“Ah, I will have satisfaction against My adversaries,
And (BD)avenge Myself on My enemies.
25 I will also turn My hand against you,
And (BE)smelt away your impurities as with lye;
And I will remove all your slag.
26 Then I will restore your (BF)judges as at first,
And your counselors as at the beginning;
After that you will be called the (BG)city of righteousness,
A faithful city.”
27 Zion will be (BH)redeemed with justice
And her [l]repentant ones with righteousness.
28 But [m]wrongdoers and sinners together will be (BI)broken,
And those who abandon the Lord will come to an end.
29 [n]You certainly will be ashamed of the [o](BJ)oaks which you have desired,
And you will be embarrassed by the (BK)gardens which you have chosen.
30 For you will be like an [p]oak whose (BL)leaf withers away,
Or like a garden that has no water.
31 The strong man will become like [q]flax fiber,
And his work a spark.
So they shall both (BM)burn together
And there will be (BN)no one to extinguish them.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:1 Lit days
- Isaiah 1:4 Lit Seed
- Isaiah 1:4 Lit backward
- Isaiah 1:11 Or am sated with
- Isaiah 1:12 Lit of your hand
- Isaiah 1:14 Lit My soul hates
- Isaiah 1:15 Lit full of
- Isaiah 1:18 Or argue
- Isaiah 1:22 Lit dross
- Isaiah 1:23 Or fatherless
- Isaiah 1:24 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 1:27 Or returning
- Isaiah 1:28 Lit a breaking of wrongdoers and sinners together
- Isaiah 1:29 As in some mss; MT They
- Isaiah 1:29 Or terebinths
- Isaiah 1:30 Or terebinth
- Isaiah 1:31 Lit tow
Isaiah 1
Common English Bible
1 The vision about Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah, Amoz’s son, saw in the days of Judah’s kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
Rebels condemned
2 Hear you heavens, and listen earth,
for the Lord has spoken:
I reared children; I raised them,
and they turned against me!
3 An ox knows its owner,
and a donkey its master’s feeding trough.
But Israel doesn’t know;
my people don’t behave intelligently.
4 Doom! Sinful nation, people weighed down with crimes,
evildoing offspring, corrupt children!
They have abandoned the Lord,
despised the holy one of Israel;
they turned their backs on God.
5 Why do you invite further beatings?
Why continue to rebel?
Everyone’s head throbs,
and everyone’s heart fails.
6 From head to toe, none are well—
only bruises, cuts, and raw wounds,
not treated, not bandaged,
not soothed with oil.
7 Your country is deserted,
your cities burned with fire;
your land—strangers are devouring it in plain sight.
It’s a wasteland, as when foreigners raid.
8 Daughter Zion is left like a small shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut in a cucumber field,
like a city besieged.[a]
9 If the Lord of heavenly forces had not spared a few of us,
we would be like Sodom; we would resemble Gomorrah.
Hands filled with bloodshed
10 Hear the Lord’s word, you leaders of Sodom.
Listen to our God’s teaching,
people of Gomorrah!
11 What should I think about all your sacrifices?
says the Lord.
I’m fed up with entirely burned offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts.
I don’t want the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who asked this from you,
this trampling of my temple’s courts?
13 Stop bringing worthless offerings.
Your incense repulses me.
New moon, sabbath, and the calling of an assembly—
I can’t stand wickedness with celebration!
14 I hate your new moons and your festivals.
They’ve become a burden that I’m tired of bearing.
15 When you extend your hands,
I’ll hide my eyes from you.
Even when you pray for a long time,
I won’t listen.
Your hands are stained with blood.
16 Wash! Be clean!
Remove your ugly deeds from my sight.
Put an end to such evil;
17 learn to do good.
Seek justice:
help the oppressed;[b]
defend the orphan;
plead for the widow.
18 Come now, and let’s settle this,
says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they will be white as snow.
If they are red as crimson,
they will become like wool.
19 If you agree and obey,
you will eat the best food of the land.
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.
The Lord has said this.
Zion will be redeemed
21 This faithful town has become a prostitute!
She was full of justice;
righteousness lived in her—
but now murderers.
22 Your silver has become impure;
your beer is diluted with water.
23 Your princes are rebels,
companions of thieves.
Everyone loves a bribe and pursues gifts.
They don’t defend the orphan,
and the widow’s cause never reaches them.
24 Therefore, says the Lord God of heavenly forces,
the mighty one of Israel:
Doom! I will vent my anger against my foes;
I will take it out on my enemies,
25 and I will turn my hand against you.
I will refine your impurities as with lye,
and remove all your cinders.
26 Then I will restore your judges as in earlier times,
and your counselors as at the beginning.
After this you will be called Righteous City, Faithful Town.
27 Zion will be redeemed by justice,
and those who change their lives by righteousness.
28 But God will shatter rebels and sinners alike;
those who abandon the Lord will be finished.
29 You will be ashamed of the oaks you once desired,
and embarrassed by the gardens you once chose.
30 You will be like an oak with withering leaves,
like a garden without water.
31 The strong will be like dry twigs,
their deeds like sparks;
the two will burn together,
with no one to extinguish them.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:8 LXX, Vulg; MT spared
- Isaiah 1:17 LXX, Vulg; MT lead the oppressor
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