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

Judah on Trial

Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth,(H)
for the Lord has spoken:
“I have raised children[b] and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.(I)
The ox knows its owner,
and the donkey its master’s feeding trough,
but Israel does not know;
my people do not understand.”(J)

Oh sinful nation,
people weighed down with iniquity,(K)
brood of evildoers,(L)
depraved children!
They have abandoned(M) the Lord;
they have despised(N) the Holy One of Israel;(O)
they have turned their backs on him.

Why do you want more beatings?
Why do you keep on rebelling?
The whole head is hurt,
and the whole heart is sick.
From the sole of the foot even to the head,(P)
no spot is uninjured(Q)
wounds, welts, and festering sores
not cleansed, bandaged,
or soothed with oil.

Your land is desolate,
your cities burned down;(R)
foreigners devour your fields
right in front of you—
a desolation, like a place demolished by foreigners.
Daughter Zion(S) is abandoned
like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a shack in a cucumber field,
like a besieged city.
If the Lord of Armies(T)
had not left us a few survivors,(U)
we would be like Sodom,
we would resemble Gomorrah.(V)

10 Hear the word of the Lord,(W)
you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!(X)
11 “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.(Y)
12 When you come to appear before me,
who requires this from you—
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing useless offerings.(Z)
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons and Sabbaths,(AA)
and the calling of solemn assemblies(AB)
I cannot stand iniquity(AC) with a festival.
14 I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals.
They have become a burden to me;
I am tired of putting up with them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,(AD)
I will refuse to look at you;
even if you offer countless prayers,
I will not listen.(AE)
Your hands are covered with blood.(AF)

Purification of Jerusalem

16 “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves.(AG)
Remove your evil deeds from my sight.
Stop doing evil.(AH)
17 Learn to do what is good.
Pursue justice.(AI)
Correct the oppressor.[c]
Defend the rights of the fatherless.
Plead the widow’s cause.

18 “Come, let’s settle this,”(AJ)
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are scarlet,
they will be as white as snow;(AK)
though they are crimson red,
they will be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land.(AL)
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”(AM)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(AN)

21 The faithful town—
what an adulteress[d] she has become!
She was once full of justice.
Righteousness once dwelt in her,
but now, murderers!
22 Your silver has become dross to be discarded,
your beer[e] is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,
friends of thieves.(AO)
They all love graft
and chase after bribes.(AP)
They do not defend the rights of the fatherless,
and the widow’s case never comes before them.(AQ)

24 Therefore the Lord God of Armies,
the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
“Ah, I will get even with my foes;
I will take revenge against my enemies.(AR)
25 I will turn my hand against you(AS)
and will burn away your dross completely;[f]
I will remove all your impurities.(AT)
26 I will restore your judges(AU) to what they were at first,
and your advisers to what they were at the start.
Afterward you will be called the Righteous City,(AV)
a Faithful Town.”

27 Zion will be redeemed by justice,
those who repent, by righteousness.(AW)
28 At the same time both rebels and sinners will be broken,
and those who abandon the Lord will perish.
29 Indeed, they[g] will be ashamed of the sacred trees
you desired,(AX)
and you will be embarrassed because of the garden shrines
you have chosen.(AY)
30 For you will become like an oak
whose leaves are withered,
and like a garden without water.(AZ)
31 The strong one will become tinder,
and his work a spark;
both will burn together,(BA)
with no one to extinguish the flames.(BB)

The City of Peace

The vision that Isaiah(BC) son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

In(BD) the last days(BE)
the mountain of the Lord’s house(BF) will be established
at the top of the mountains
and will be raised above the hills.
All nations will stream to it,(BG)
and many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob.(BH)
He will teach us about his ways
so that we may walk in his paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will settle disputes among the nations
and provide arbitration for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plows
and their spears into pruning knives.(BI)
Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
and they will never again train for war.(BJ)

The Day of the Lord

House of Jacob,
come and let’s walk in the Lord’s light.(BK)
For you have abandoned(BL) your people,
the house of Jacob,
because they are full of divination from the East
and of fortune-tellers(BM) like the Philistines.(BN)
They are in league[h] with foreigners.
Their[i][j] land is full of silver and gold,
and there is no limit to their treasures;
their land is full of horses,
and there is no limit to their chariots.(BO)
Their land is full of worthless idols;(BP)
they worship the work of their hands,
what their fingers have made.(BQ)
So humanity is brought low,
and each person is humbled.
Do not forgive them!(BR)
10 Go into the rocks(BS)
and hide in the dust
from the terror of the Lord(BT)
and from his majestic splendor.(BU)
11 The pride of mankind[k] will be humbled,(BV)
and human loftiness will be brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.

12 For a day belonging to the Lord of Armies is coming
against all that is proud and lofty,(BW)
against all that is lifted up—it will be humbled—
13 against all the cedars of Lebanon,(BX)
lofty and lifted up,
against all the oaks of Bashan,(BY)
14 against all the high mountains,(BZ)
against all the lofty hills,
15 against every high tower,(CA)
against every fortified wall,
16 against every ship of Tarshish,(CB)
and against every splendid sea vessel.
17 The pride of mankind will be brought low,
and human loftiness will be humbled;
the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.(CC)
18 The worthless idols will vanish completely.

19 People will go into caves in the rocks(CD)
and holes in the ground,
away from the terror of the Lord
and from his majestic splendor,
when he rises to terrify the earth.(CE)
20 On that day people will throw
their worthless idols of silver and gold,(CF)
which they made to worship,
to the moles and the bats.
21 They will go into the caves of the rocks
and the crevices in the cliffs,
away from the terror of the Lord
and from his majestic splendor,(CG)
when he rises to terrify the earth.
22 Put no more trust in a mere human,
who has only the breath in his nostrils.(CH)
What is he really worth?

Judah’s Leaders Judged

Note this: The Lord God of Armies
is about to remove from Jerusalem and from Judah
every kind of security:
the entire supply of bread and water,
heroes and warriors,(CI)
judges and prophets,
fortune-tellers and elders,
commanders of fifty and dignitaries,
counselors, cunning magicians,[l] and necromancers.[m]
“I will make youths their leaders,(CJ)
and unstable rulers[n] will govern them.”
The people will oppress one another,(CK)
man against man, neighbor against neighbor;
the young will act arrogantly toward the old,
and the worthless toward the honorable.
A man will even seize his brother
in his father’s house, saying,
“You have a cloak—you be our leader!
This heap of rubble will be under your control.”
On that day he will cry out, saying,
“I’m not a healer.
I don’t even have food or clothing in my house.
Don’t make me the leader of the people!”
For Jerusalem has stumbled
and Judah has fallen
because they have spoken and acted against the Lord,(CL)
defying his glorious presence.(CM)
The look on their faces testifies against them,
and like Sodom,(CN) they flaunt their sin;
they do not conceal it.
Woe to them,
for they have brought disaster on themselves.(CO)
10 Tell the righteous that it will go well for them,
for they will eat the fruit of their labor.
11 Woe to the wicked—it will go badly for them,
for what they have done will be done to them.
12 Youths oppress my people,(CP)
and women rule over them.
My people, your leaders mislead you;
they confuse the direction of your paths.(CQ)

13 The Lord rises to argue the case
and stands to judge the people.(CR)
14 The Lord brings this charge
against the elders and leaders of his people:(CS)
“You have devastated the vineyard.
The plunder from the poor is in your houses.(CT)
15 Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor?”
This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies.

Jerusalem’s Women Judged

16 The Lord also says:

Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,(CU)
walking with heads held high
and seductive eyes,
prancing along,
jingling their ankle bracelets,
17 the Lord will put scabs on the heads
of the daughters of Zion,
and the Lord will shave their foreheads bare.

18 On that day(CV) the Lord will strip their finery: ankle bracelets, headbands, crescents,(CW) 19 pendants, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, ankle jewelry, sashes, perfume bottles, amulets,(CX) 21 signet rings, nose rings,(CY) 22 festive robes, capes, cloaks, purses, 23 garments, linen clothes, turbans, and shawls.

24 Instead of perfume there will be a stench;
instead of a belt, a rope;
instead of beautifully styled hair,(CZ) baldness;(DA)
instead of fine clothes, sackcloth;(DB)
instead of beauty, branding.[o]
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle.
26 Then her gates(DC) will lament and mourn;
deserted, she will sit on the ground.(DD)
On that day seven women
will seize one man,(DE) saying,
“We will eat our own bread
and provide our own clothing.
Just let us bear your name.
Take away our disgrace.”(DF)

Zion’s Future Glory

On that day the Branch[p] of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious,(DG) and the fruit of the land(DH) will be the pride and glory(DI) of Israel’s survivors.(DJ) Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem(DK) will be called holy(DL)—all in Jerusalem written in the book of life[q](DM) when the Lord has washed away the filth(DN) of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodguilt(DO) from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment(DP) and a spirit of burning.(DQ) Then the Lord will create(DR) a cloud of smoke by day(DS) and a glowing flame of fire by night over the entire site of Mount Zion and over its assemblies. For there will be a canopy over all the glory,[r] and there will be a shelter for shade from heat by day and a refuge and shelter from storm and rain.(DT)

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 ca 792–686 BC
  2. 1:2 Or sons, also in v. 4
  3. 1:17 Or Aid the oppressed
  4. 1:21 Or prostitute
  5. 1:22 Or wine
  6. 1:25 Lit dross as with lye
  7. 1:29 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, Tg read you
  8. 2:6 Or They teem, or They partner; Hb obscure
  9. 2:7 Lit Its
  10. 2:7 = the house of Jacob
  11. 2:11 Lit Mankind’s proud eyes
  12. 3:3 Or skilled craftsmen
  13. 3:3 Or mediums
  14. 3:4 Or mischief-makers
  15. 3:24 DSS read shame
  16. 4:2 Or plant
  17. 4:3 Lit Jerusalem recorded for life
  18. 4:5 Or For glory will be a canopy over all

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)

21 See how the faithful city
    has become a prostitute!(CC)
She once was full of justice;
    righteousness(CD) used to dwell in her—
    but now murderers!(CE)
22 Your silver has become dross,(CF)
    your choice wine is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,(CG)
    partners with thieves;(CH)
they all love bribes(CI)
    and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
    the widow’s case does not come before them.(CJ)

24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    the Mighty One(CK) of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
    and avenge(CL) myself on my enemies.(CM)
25 I will turn my hand against you;[b](CN)
    I will thoroughly purge(CO) away your dross(CP)
    and remove all your impurities.(CQ)
26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,(CR)
    your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called(CS)
    the City of Righteousness,(CT)
    the Faithful City.(CU)

27 Zion will be delivered with justice,
    her penitent(CV) ones with righteousness.(CW)
28 But rebels and sinners(CX) will both be broken,
    and those who forsake(CY) the Lord will perish.(CZ)

29 “You will be ashamed(DA) because of the sacred oaks(DB)
    in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens(DC)
    that you have chosen.
30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves,(DD)
    like a garden without water.
31 The mighty man will become tinder
    and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
    with no one to quench the fire.(DE)

The Mountain of the Lord(DF)

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:(DG)

In the last days(DH)

the mountain(DI) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;(DJ)
it will be exalted(DK) above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.(DL)

Many peoples(DM) will come and say,

“Come, let us go(DN) up to the mountain(DO) of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(DP) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.(DQ)
He will judge(DR) between the nations
    and will settle disputes(DS) for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.(DT)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,(DU)
    nor will they train for war anymore.

Come, descendants of Jacob,(DV)
    let us walk in the light(DW) of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord

You, Lord, have abandoned(DX) your people,
    the descendants of Jacob.(DY)
They are full of superstitions from the East;
    they practice divination(DZ) like the Philistines(EA)
    and embrace(EB) pagan customs.(EC)
Their land is full of silver and gold;(ED)
    there is no end to their treasures.(EE)
Their land is full of horses;(EF)
    there is no end to their chariots.(EG)
Their land is full of idols;(EH)
    they bow down(EI) to the work of their hands,(EJ)
    to what their fingers(EK) have made.
So people will be brought low(EL)
    and everyone humbled(EM)
    do not forgive them.[c](EN)

10 Go into the rocks, hide(EO) in the ground
    from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty!(EP)
11 The eyes of the arrogant(EQ) will be humbled(ER)
    and human pride(ES) brought low;(ET)
the Lord alone will be exalted(EU) in that day.(EV)

12 The Lord Almighty has a day(EW) in store
    for all the proud(EX) and lofty,(EY)
for all that is exalted(EZ)
    (and they will be humbled),(FA)
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,(FB) tall and lofty,(FC)
    and all the oaks of Bashan,(FD)
14 for all the towering mountains
    and all the high hills,(FE)
15 for every lofty tower(FF)
    and every fortified wall,(FG)
16 for every trading ship[d](FH)
    and every stately vessel.
17 The arrogance of man will be brought low(FI)
    and human pride humbled;(FJ)
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,(FK)
18     and the idols(FL) will totally disappear.(FM)

19 People will flee to caves(FN) in the rocks
    and to holes in the ground(FO)
from the fearful presence(FP) of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,(FQ)
    when he rises to shake the earth.(FR)
20 In that day(FS) people will throw away
    to the moles and bats(FT)
their idols of silver and idols of gold,(FU)
    which they made to worship.(FV)
21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks(FW)
    and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,(FX)
    when he rises(FY) to shake the earth.(FZ)

22 Stop trusting in mere humans,(GA)
    who have but a breath(GB) in their nostrils.
    Why hold them in esteem?(GC)

Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

See now, the Lord,
    the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
    both supply and support:(GD)
all supplies of food(GE) and all supplies of water,(GF)
    the hero and the warrior,(GG)
the judge and the prophet,
    the diviner(GH) and the elder,(GI)
the captain of fifty(GJ) and the man of rank,(GK)
    the counselor, skilled craftsman(GL) and clever enchanter.(GM)

“I will make mere youths their officials;
    children will rule over them.”(GN)

People will oppress each other—
    man against man, neighbor against neighbor.(GO)
The young will rise up against the old,
    the nobody against the honored.

A man will seize one of his brothers
    in his father’s house, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
    take charge of this heap of ruins!”
But in that day(GP) he will cry out,
    “I have no remedy.(GQ)
I have no food(GR) or clothing in my house;
    do not make me the leader of the people.”(GS)

Jerusalem staggers,
    Judah is falling;(GT)
their words(GU) and deeds(GV) are against the Lord,
    defying(GW) his glorious presence.
The look on their faces testifies(GX) against them;
    they parade their sin like Sodom;(GY)
    they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
    They have brought disaster(GZ) upon themselves.

10 Tell the righteous it will be well(HA) with them,
    for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.(HB)
11 Woe to the wicked!(HC)
    Disaster(HD) is upon them!
They will be paid back(HE)
    for what their hands have done.(HF)

12 Youths(HG) oppress my people,
    women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;(HH)
    they turn you from the path.

13 The Lord takes his place in court;(HI)
    he rises to judge(HJ) the people.
14 The Lord enters into judgment(HK)
    against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
    the plunder(HL) from the poor(HM) is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people(HN)
    and grinding(HO) the faces of the poor?”(HP)
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.(HQ)

16 The Lord says,
    “The women of Zion(HR) are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,(HS)
    flirting with their eyes,
strutting along with swaying hips,
    with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
    the Lord will make their scalps bald.(HT)

18 In that day(HU) the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces,(HV) 19 the earrings and bracelets(HW) and veils,(HX) 20 the headdresses(HY) and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings,(HZ) 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks,(IA) the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments(IB) and tiaras(IC) and shawls.

24 Instead of fragrance(ID) there will be a stench;(IE)
    instead of a sash,(IF) a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;(IG)
    instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;(IH)
    instead of beauty,(II) branding.(IJ)
25 Your men will fall by the sword,(IK)
    your warriors in battle.(IL)
26 The gates(IM) of Zion will lament and mourn;(IN)
    destitute,(IO) she will sit on the ground.(IP)

In that day(IQ) seven women
    will take hold of one man(IR)
and say, “We will eat our own food(IS)
    and provide our own clothes;
only let us be called by your name.
    Take away our disgrace!”(IT)

The Branch of the Lord

In that day(IU) the Branch of the Lord(IV) will be beautiful(IW) and glorious, and the fruit(IX) of the land will be the pride and glory(IY) of the survivors(IZ) in Israel. Those who are left in Zion,(JA) who remain(JB) in Jerusalem, will be called holy,(JC) all who are recorded(JD) among the living in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away the filth(JE) of the women of Zion;(JF) he will cleanse(JG) the bloodstains(JH) from Jerusalem by a spirit[e] of judgment(JI) and a spirit[f] of fire.(JJ) Then the Lord will create(JK) over all of Mount Zion(JL) and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night;(JM) over everything the glory[g](JN) will be a canopy.(JO) It will be a shelter(JP) and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge(JQ) and hiding place from the storm(JR) and rain.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:17 Or justice. / Correct the oppressor
  2. Isaiah 1:25 That is, against Jerusalem
  3. Isaiah 2:9 Or not raise them up
  4. Isaiah 2:16 Hebrew every ship of Tarshish
  5. Isaiah 4:4 Or the Spirit
  6. Isaiah 4:4 Or the Spirit
  7. Isaiah 4:5 Or over all the glory there