Isaiah 1
English Standard Version
1 The (A)vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem (B)in the days of (C)Uzziah, (D)Jotham, (E)Ahaz, and (F)Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
The Wickedness of Judah
2 (G)Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O (H)earth;
for the Lord has spoken:
“Children[a] (I)have I reared and brought up,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox (J)knows its owner,
and the donkey its master's crib,
but Israel does (K)not know,
my people do not understand.”
4 Ah, sinful nation,
a people laden with iniquity,
(L)offspring of evildoers,
children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the Lord,
they have (M)despised (N)the Holy One of Israel,
they are utterly (O)estranged.
5 Why will you still be (P)struck down?
Why will you (Q)continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
and the whole heart faint.
6 (R)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 (S)not pressed out or bound up
or softened with oil.
7 (T)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.
8 And (U)the daughter of Zion is left
like a (V)booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field,
like a besieged city.
9 (W)If the Lord of hosts
had not left us (X)a few survivors,
we should have been like (Y)Sodom,
and become like (Z)Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of (AA)(AB)Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching[b] of our God,
you people of (AC)Gomorrah!
11 (AD)“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
12 “When you come to (AE)appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
(AF)New moon and Sabbath and the (AG)calling of convocations—
I cannot endure (AH)iniquity and (AI)solemn assembly.
14 Your (AJ)new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you (AK)spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
(AL)even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
(AM)your hands are full of blood.
16 (AN)Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
(AO)cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
(AP)seek justice,
correct oppression;
(AQ)bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow's cause.
18 “Come now, (AR)let us reason[c] together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as (AS)white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 (AT)If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
(AU)for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Unfaithful City
21 How the faithful city
(AV)has become a whore,[d]
(AW)she who was full of justice!
Righteousness lodged in her,
but now murderers.
22 (AX)Your silver has become dross,
your best wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebels
and companions of thieves.
Everyone (AY)loves a bribe
and runs after gifts.
(AZ)They do not bring justice to the fatherless,
and the widow's cause does not come to them.
24 Therefore the (BA)Lord declares,
the Lord of hosts,
the (BB)Mighty One of Israel:
“Ah, I will get relief from my enemies
(BC)and avenge myself on my foes.
25 (BD)I will turn my hand against you
and will smelt away your (BE)dross as with lye
and remove all your alloy.
26 And I will restore your judges (BF)as at the first,
and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward (BG)you shall be called the city of righteousness,
the faithful city.”
27 (BH)Zion shall be redeemed by justice,
and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
28 (BI)But rebels and sinners shall be broken together,
and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
29 (BJ)For they[e] shall be ashamed of (BK)the oaks
that you desired;
and you shall blush for (BL)the gardens
that you have chosen.
30 For you shall be (BM)like an oak
whose leaf withers,
and like a garden without water.
31 And the strong shall become (BN)tinder,
and his work a spark,
and both of them shall burn together,
with (BO)none to quench them.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:2 Or Sons; also verse 4
- Isaiah 1:10 Or law
- Isaiah 1:18 Or dispute
- Isaiah 1:21 Or become unchaste
- Isaiah 1:29 Some Hebrew manuscripts you
Isaiah 1
New Living Translation
1 These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.[a]
A Message for Rebellious Judah
2 Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth!
This is what the Lord says:
“The children I raised and cared for
have rebelled against me.
3 Even an ox knows its owner,
and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—
but Israel doesn’t know its master.
My people don’t recognize my care for them.”
4 Oh, what a sinful nation they are—
loaded down with a burden of guilt.
They are evil people,
corrupt children who have rejected the Lord.
They have despised the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.
5 Why do you continue to invite punishment?
Must you rebel forever?
Your head is injured,
and your heart is sick.
6 You are battered from head to foot—
covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds—
without any soothing ointments or bandages.
7 Your country lies in ruins,
and your towns are burned.
Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes
and destroy everything they see.
8 Beautiful Jerusalem[b] stands abandoned
like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard,
like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest,
like a helpless city under siege.
9 If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
had not spared a few of us,[c]
we would have been wiped out like Sodom,
destroyed like Gomorrah.
10 Listen to the Lord, you leaders of “Sodom.”
Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.”
11 “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?”
says the Lord.
“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of fattened cattle.
I get no pleasure from the blood
of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to worship me,
who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?
13 Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;
the incense of your offerings disgusts me!
As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath
and your special days for fasting—
they are all sinful and false.
I want no more of your pious meetings.
14 I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals.
They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!
15 When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.
Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,
for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.
16 Wash yourselves and be clean!
Get your sins out of my sight.
Give up your evil ways.
17 Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.
18 “Come now, let’s settle this,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson,
I will make them as white as wool.
19 If you will only obey me,
you will have plenty to eat.
20 But if you turn away and refuse to listen,
you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Unfaithful Jerusalem
21 See how Jerusalem, once so faithful,
has become a prostitute.
Once the home of justice and righteousness,
she is now filled with murderers.
22 Once like pure silver,
you have become like worthless slag.
Once so pure,
you are now like watered-down wine.
23 Your leaders are rebels,
the companions of thieves.
All of them love bribes
and demand payoffs,
but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans
or fight for the rights of widows.
24 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
the Mighty One of Israel, says,
“I will take revenge on my enemies
and pay back my foes!
25 I will raise my fist against you.
I will melt you down and skim off your slag.
I will remove all your impurities.
26 Then I will give you good judges again
and wise counselors like you used to have.
Then Jerusalem will again be called the Home of Justice
and the Faithful City.”
27 Zion will be restored by justice;
those who repent will be revived by righteousness.
28 But rebels and sinners will be completely destroyed,
and those who desert the Lord will be consumed.
29 You will be ashamed of your idol worship
in groves of sacred oaks.
You will blush because you worshiped
in gardens dedicated to idols.
30 You will be like a great tree with withered leaves,
like a garden without water.
31 The strongest among you will disappear like straw;
their evil deeds will be the spark that sets it on fire.
They and their evil works will burn up together,
and no one will be able to put out the fire.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
