Isaiah 1
New International Version
1 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
2 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.
3 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)”
4 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.
5 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)
6 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)
7 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)
8 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.
9 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)
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)”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:17 Or justice. / Correct the oppressor
- Isaiah 1:25 That is, against Jerusalem
Isaiah 1
Wycliffe Bible
1 The vision, either prophesy, of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw on Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, of Jotham, of Ahaz, and of Hezekiah, kings of Judah. (The vision, or the prophesy, 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.)
2 Ye heavens, hear, and thou earth, perceive with ears, for the Lord spake. I have nourished and I have enhanced sons; soothly they have despised me. (Ye heavens, hear, and thou earth, listen, for the Lord spoke. I have nourished and I have raised up my children; but they have despised me.)
3 An ox knew his lord, and an ass knew the cratch of his lord; but Israel knew not me, and my people understood not. (An ox knew its master, and a donkey knew its master’s stall; but Israel knoweth not, and my people do not understand.)
4 Woe to the sinful folk, to the people heavy in wickedness, to the wayward seed, to the cursed sons; they have forsaken the Lord, they have blasphemed the Holy of Israel, they be aliened [away] backward. (Woe to this sinful nation, to the people heavy in wickedness, to this depraved generation, to these cursed sons and daughters; they have deserted the Lord, they have blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, they have turned their backs on him.)
5 On what thing shall I smite you more, that increase trespassing? (Over what thing shall I strike you, ye who continue to trespass, or to sin?) Each head is sick, and each heart is mourning.
6 From the sole of the foot till to the noll, health is not therein; wound, and wanness, and beating swelling (that) is not bound about (and swelling from a beating that is not bound up), neither cured by medicine, neither nursed with oil.
7 Your land is forsaken, your cities be burnt by fire; aliens devour your country before you, and it shall be desolate as in the destroying of enemies. (Your land is deserted, your cities be burned down; foreigners devour your country before you, and it shall be made desolate in its destruction by your enemies.)
8 And the daughter of Zion, that is, Jerusalem, shall be forsaken as a shadowing place in a vineyard, and as an hulk in a place where gourds waxed, and as a city which is wasted. (And the daughter of Zion, that is, Jerusalem, shall be deserted like a place of shadow in a vineyard, and like a hut in a place where cucumbers grew, and like a city that is destroyed.)
9 If the Lord of hosts had not left seed to us, we had been as Sodom, and we had been like as Gomorrah. (If the Lord of hosts had not left some of us alive, then we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.)
10 Ye princes of men of Sodom, hear the word of the Lord; and ye people of Gomorrah, perceive with ears the law of your God. (Ye leaders of the people of Sodom, listen to the word of the Lord; and ye people of Gomorrah, listen to the Law of your God.)
11 Whereto offer ye to me the multitude of your sacrifices? saith the Lord. I am full; I would not the burnt sacrifices of wethers (I do not desire the burnt sacrifices of rams), and the inner fatness of fat beasts, and the blood of calves, and of lambs, and of bucks of goats.
12 When ye came before my sight, who asked of your hands these things, that ye should go in my foreyards? (When ye came before me, who asked for any of these things from your hands, so that ye could walk in my courtyards?)
13 Offer ye no more sacrifice(s) in vain; incense is abomination to me; I shall not suffer new moon, and sabbath, and other feasts. For your companies be wicked; (To offer your sacrifices any longer would be in vain, that is, empty and futile; your incense is an abomination to me; I will no longer abide new moon, or sabbath, or other festivals. For your congregation is wicked;)
14 my soul hateth your calends and your solemnities; those be dis-easeful to me, I travailed (with) suffering. (my soul hateth your calends and your feasts; they be distasteful to me, and I am tired of having to witness them.)
15 And when ye stretch forth your hands, I shall turn away mine eyes from you; and when ye multiply prayer, I shall not hear (you); for why your hands be full of blood.
16 Be ye washed, be ye clean; do ye away the evil of your thoughts from mine eyes; cease ye to do waywardly,
17 learn ye to do well. Seek ye doom, help ye him that is oppressed, deem ye to the fatherless and motherless child, defend ye a widow. (learn ye to do what is right. Seek ye justice, help ye those who be oppressed, judge ye for the fatherless and the motherless child, defend ye a widow.)
18 And come ye, and prove ye me, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as blood-red, those shall be made white as snow; and though they be red as vermilion, they shall be white as wool. (And come ye, and prove ye me out, saith the Lord. And though your sins be as red as blood, they shall be made as white as snow; and though they be as red as vermilion, they shall be made as white as wool.)
19 If ye will, and hear me, ye shall eat the goods of [the] earth. (If ye be willing, and obey me, then ye shall eat the good things of the earth.)
20 That if ye do not, and ye stir me to wrathfulness, (the) sword shall devour you; for why the mouth of the Lord spake. (But if ye do not, and ye stir me to anger, the sword shall devour you; for the Lord hath spoken.)
21 How is the faithful city full of doom made an whore? rightfulness dwelled therein; but now men-quellers dwell therein. (How the faithful city is made like a whore! Once it was full of justice, and righteousness lived there/and the righteous lived there; but now only murderers live there!)
22 Thy silver is turned into dross, either filth; thy wine is meddled with water (thy wine is mixed with water).
23 Thy princes be unfaithful, the fellows of thieves; all love gifts, and follow yieldings, either meeds; they deem not to a fatherless child, and the cause of a widow entereth not to them. (Thy leaders be unfaithful, the friends of thieves; all of them love gifts, and follow after bribes, or rewards; they do not judge favourably for a fatherless child, and a widow’s case never even cometh before them.)
24 For this thing, saith the Lord God of hosts, the Strong of Israel, Alas! I shall be comforted on mine enemies, and I shall be venged of mine enemies (For this thing, saith the Lord God of hosts, the Strong One of Israel, No more! Now I shall get satisfaction over my enemies, and I shall take vengeance upon my enemies/and I shall be avenged upon my enemies.)
25 And I shall turn mine hand to thee, and I shall seethe out thy filth to the clean, and I shall do away all thy tin. (And I shall turn my hand to thee, and I shall boil out thy filth, until thou be cleansed, and I shall do away all of thine that be worthless.)
26 And I shall restore thy judges, as they were before, and thy counsellors, as in eld time. After these things thou shalt be called the city of the rightful, a faithful city (And after these things thou shalt be called the city of the righteous, yea, a faithful city).
27 Zion shall be again-bought in doom, and they shall bring it again into rightfulness; (Zion shall be redeemed in justice, and they shall bring it back to righteousness;)
28 and God shall all-break [the] cursed men and [the] sinners together, and they that forsake the Lord, shall be wasted (yea, they who desert the Lord, shall be destroyed).
29 For they shall be ashamed of [the] idols, to which they made sacrifice; and ye shall be ashamed on the orchards, which ye choosed (and ye shall be ashamed of the gardens dedicated, or consecrated, to idols, which ye have planted).
30 When ye shall be as an oak, when the leaves fall down, and as an orchard without water. (And ye shall be like an oak, when the leaves fall down, and like a garden without water.)
31 And your strength shall be as a dead spark of stubble, either of hards of flax, and your work shall be as a quick spark; and ever either shall be burnt together, and none shall be that shall quench. (And your strength shall be like a dead spark of stubble, or of the husks of flax, and your work shall be like a living spark; and both shall be burned together, and no one shall be able to quench them.)
Isaiah 1
Easy-to-Read Version
1 This is the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz. God showed Isaiah what would happen to Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah saw this during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.
God’s Case Against Israel
2 Heaven and earth, listen! This is what the Lord says:
“I raised my children and helped them grow up,
but they have turned against me.
3 A bull knows its master,
and a donkey knows where its owner feeds it.
But Israel does not know me.
My people do not understand.”
4 Oh, what a sinful nation! Their guilt is like a heavy weight that they must carry. They are evil, destructive children.[a] They left the Lord and insulted the Holy One of Israel. They turned away and treated him like a stranger.
5 What good will it do to keep punishing you? You will continue to rebel. Your whole head and heart are already sick and aching.[b] 6 From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head, every part of your body has wounds, cuts, and open sores. You have not taken care of them. Your wounds have not been cleaned and bandaged.
7 Your land is in ruins, and your cities are in flames. Your enemies have taken your land, and foreigners are taking what it produces. It looks like some foreigners destroyed it.[c]
Warnings for Jerusalem
8 The city of Jerusalem[d] is now like an empty shed left in a vineyard. It is like an old straw hut abandoned in a field of cucumbers or like a city surrounded by enemies. 9 If the Lord All-Powerful had not allowed a few people to live, we would have been destroyed completely like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And that almost happened!
10 You officers of Sodom, listen to the Lord’s message. You people of Gomorrah,[e] listen to God’s teaching. 11 The Lord says, “Why do you continue giving me all these sacrifices? I have had enough of your sacrifices of rams and the fat from well-fed animals. I don’t want the blood of those bulls, sheep, and goats. 12 When you people come to meet with me, you trample everything in my yard. Who told you to do this?
13 “Don’t keep bringing me those worthless sacrifices. I hate the incense you give me. I cannot stand your festivals for the New Moon, the Sabbath, and other special meeting days. I hate the evil you do during those holy times together. 14 I hate your monthly meetings and councils. They have become like heavy weights to me, and I am tired of carrying them.
15 “When you raise your arms to pray to me, I will refuse to look at you. You will say more and more prayers, but I will refuse to listen because your hands are covered with blood.
16 “Wash yourselves and make yourselves clean. Stop doing the evil things I see you do. Stop doing wrong. 17 Learn to do good. Treat people fairly. Punish those who hurt others. Speak up for the widows and orphans. Argue their cases for them in court.
18 “I, the Lord, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow.
19 “If you listen to what I say, you will get the good things from this land. 20 But if you refuse to listen and rebel against me, your enemies will destroy you.”
The Lord himself said this.
Unfaithful Jerusalem
21 Look at Jerusalem. She was a faithful city. What made her become like a prostitute? In the past, Jerusalem was filled with justice, and goodness should live there now. Instead, there are murderers.
22 Once you were like pure silver, but now you are like the impurities that people throw away when the silver is purified. You are like good wine that has been weakened with water. 23 Your rulers are rebels and friends of thieves. They demand bribes and accept money for doing wrong. They take money to cheat people, and they don’t speak up for widows and orphans. They will not even listen to their cries for help.
24 Because of this, the Lord God All-Powerful, the Mighty One of Israel, says, “Look, I will get relief from my enemies. You will not cause me any more trouble. 25 People use lye to clean silver. In the same way, I will clean away all your wrongs. I will remove all the impurities from you. 26 I will bring back the kind of judges you had in the beginning. Your counselors will be like those you had long ago. Then you will be called ‘The Good and Faithful City.’”
27 God is good and does what is right, so he will rescue Zion and the people who come back to him. 28 But all the criminals and sinners will be destroyed. Those who stopped following the Lord will be removed.
29 In the future, you will be ashamed of the oak trees and special gardens[f] you chose to worship, 30 because you will be like an oak tree whose leaves are dying. You will be like a garden dying without water. 31 Powerful people will be like small, dry pieces of wood, and what they did will be like the sparks that start a fire. These people and their works will both burn up, and no one will be able to put out that fire.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:4 They … children Or “They are destructive children of evil parents.”
- Isaiah 1:5 Your whole … aching Or “Every head and heart is already sick and aching.”
- Isaiah 1:7 It looks … destroyed it Or “It looks like the land of the foreigners that was destroyed.” This might refer to civil war in Israel or to some time when God destroyed foreign nations, such as Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Isaiah 1:8 city of Jerusalem Literally, “daughter Zion.” See “Zion” in the Word List.
- Isaiah 1:10 officers of Sodom … Gomorrah Here, this refers to leaders and people from Judah.
- Isaiah 1:29 special gardens Gardens where people worshiped false gods.
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2001 by Terence P. Noble
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