Isaiah 1:21-26
New American Standard Bible
Zion Corrupted; Will Be Redeemed
21 How the faithful city has become a (A)prostitute,
She who was full of justice!
Righteousness once dwelt in her,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become [a]waste matter,
Your drink diluted with water.
23 Your (B)rulers are rebels
And companions of thieves;
Everyone (C)loves a bribe
And chases after gifts.
They (D)do not obtain justice for the [b]orphan,
Nor does the widow’s case come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord [c]God of armies,
The (E)Mighty One of Israel, declares,
“Ah, I will have satisfaction against My adversaries,
And (F)avenge Myself on My enemies.
25 I will also turn My hand against you,
And (G)smelt away your impurities as with lye;
And I will remove all your slag.
26 Then I will restore your (H)judges as at first,
And your counselors as at the beginning;
After that you will be called the (I)city of righteousness,
A faithful city.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:22 Lit dross
- Isaiah 1:23 Or fatherless
- Isaiah 1:24 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
Isaiah 1:21-26
International Standard Version
Diagnosis and Judgment
21 “How the faithful city
has become a whore,
she who used to be filled with justice!
Righteousness used to reside within her,
but now only murderers live there.
22 Your silver has[a] become dross,
your best wine is diluted with water.
23 Your princes are rebels
and companions of thieves.
All of them are lovers of[b] bribes
and are runners[c] after gifts.
They don’t bring justice to orphans,[d]
and the widow’s case never comes up for review in their court.”[e]
Restoration and Redemption
24 Therefore this is what the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies,
the one who is Israel’s Mighty One, declares:
“Now I’ll get relief from his[f] enemies
and avenge myself on his[g] foes.
25 When I turn[h] my attention to you,[i]
I’ll refine your dross as in a furnace.[j]
I’ll remove[k] all your alloy.
26 Let me restore[l] your judges as at the first,
and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you’ll be called ‘The Righteous City’
and ‘The Faithful City of Zion’.[m]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:22 So MT; 1QIsaa reads have
- Isaiah 1:23 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads Everyone loves
- Isaiah 1:23 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads and run
- Isaiah 1:23 Or to the fatherless
- Isaiah 1:23 Lit. comes before them
- Isaiah 1:24 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsaf MT LXX Vulgate read my
- Isaiah 1:24 So 1QIsaa; LXX MT read my
- Isaiah 1:25 So 1QIsaa; LXX MT read And let me turn
- Isaiah 1:25 Lit. my hand against you
- Isaiah 1:25 1QIsaa lacks as in a furnace; MT reads as lye
- Isaiah 1:25 So 1QIsaa 4QIsaf; MT reads Let me remove
- Isaiah 1:26 1QIsaa MT; 4QIsaf reads I will restore
- Isaiah 1:26 So LXX; the Heb. lacks Zion
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