The Wickedness of Judah

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

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

Why will you still be (J)struck down?
    Why will you (K)continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
    and the whole heart faint.
(L)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 (M)not pressed out or bound up
    or softened with oil.

(N)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 (O)the daughter of Zion is left
    like a (P)booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field,
    like a besieged city.

(Q)If the Lord of hosts
    had not left us (R)a few survivors,
we should have been like (S)Sodom,
    and become like (T)Gomorrah.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:2 Or Sons; also verse 4

Rebellious Judah

Hear, heavens,
    and listen, earth,
        for Yahweh has spoken:
“I reared children
    and I brought them up,
        but they rebelled against me.
An ox knows its owner
    and a donkey the manger of its master.
Israel does not know;
    my people do not understand.
Ah, sinful nation,
    a people heavy with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
    children who deal corruptly.
They have forsaken Yahweh;
    they have despised the holy one of Israel.
        They are estranged and gone backward.
Why do you want to be beaten again?
    You continue in rebellion.
The whole of the head is sick,
    and the whole of the heart is faint.
From the sole of the foot and up to the head
    there is no health in it;
bruise and sore and bleeding wound have not been cleansed,
    and they have not been bound up
    and not softened with the oil.
Your country is desolate,
    your cities are burned with fire;
As for your land, aliens are devouring it in your presence,
    and it is desolate, like devastation by foreigners.
And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard,
    like a shelter in a cucumber field,
    like a city that is besieged.[a]
If Yahweh of hosts had not left us survivors,[b]
    we would have been as few as Sodom,
    we would have become like Gomorrah.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:8 Or “preserved”
  2. Isaiah 1:9 Hebrew “survivor”