The Daily Audio Bible

1 ^(A)This book contains the messages about Judah and Jerusalem which God revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

God Reprimands His People

² The Lord said, “Earth and sky, listen to what I am saying! The children I brought up have rebelled against me. ³ Cattle know who owns them, and donkeys know where their master feeds them. But that is more than my people Israel know. They don't understand at all.”

⁴ You are doomed, you sinful nation, you corrupt and evil people! Your sins drag you down! You have rejected the Lord, the holy God of Israel, and have turned your backs on him. ⁵ Why do you keep on rebelling? Do you want to be punished even more? Israel, your head is already covered with wounds, and your heart and mind are sick. ⁶ From head to foot there is not a healthy spot on your body. You are covered with bruises and sores and open wounds. Your wounds have not been cleaned or bandaged. No medicine has been put on them.

⁷ Your country has been devastated, and your cities have been burned to the ground. While you look on, foreigners take over your land and bring everything to ruin. ⁸ Jerusalem alone is left, a city under siege—as defenseless as a guard's hut in a vineyard or a shed in a cucumber field. ^9 (B)If the Lord Almighty had not let some of the people survive, Jerusalem would have been totally destroyed, just as Sodom and Gomorrah were.

¹⁰ Jerusalem, your rulers and your people are like those of Sodom and Gomorrah. Listen to what the Lord is saying to you. Pay attention to what our God is teaching you. ^11 (C)He says, “Do you think I want all these sacrifices you keep offering to me? I have had more than enough of the sheep you burn as sacrifices and of the fat of your fine animals. I am tired of the blood of bulls and sheep and goats. ¹² Who asked you to bring me all this when you come to worship me? Who asked you to do all this tramping around in my Temple? ¹³ It's useless to bring your offerings. I am disgusted with the smell of the incense you burn. I cannot stand your New Moon Festivals, your Sabbaths, and your religious gatherings; they are all corrupted by your sins. ¹⁴ I hate your New Moon Festivals and holy days; they are a burden that I am tired of bearing.

¹⁵ “When you lift your hands in prayer, I will not look at you. No matter how much you pray, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with blood. ¹⁶ Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil ¹⁷ and learn to do right. See that justice is done—help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows.”

¹⁸ The Lord says, “Now, let's settle the matter. You are stained red with sin, but I will wash you as clean as snow.^[a] Although your stains are deep red, you will be as white as wool.^{[b] 19} If you will only obey me, you will eat the good things the land produces. ²⁰ But if you defy me, you are doomed to die. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The Sinful City

²¹ The city that once was faithful is behaving like a whore! At one time it was filled with righteous people, but now only murderers remain. ²² Jerusalem, you were once like silver, but now you are worthless; you were like good wine, but now you are only water. ²³ Your leaders are rebels and friends of thieves; they are always accepting gifts and bribes. They never defend orphans in court or listen when widows present their case.

²⁴ So now, listen to what the Lord Almighty, Israel's powerful God, is saying: “I will take revenge on you, my enemies, and you will cause me no more trouble. ²⁵ I will take action against you. I will purify you the way metal is refined, and will remove all your impurity. ²⁶ I will give you rulers and advisers like those you had long ago. Then Jerusalem will be called the righteous, faithful city.”

²⁷ Because the Lord is righteous, he will save Jerusalem and everyone there who repents. ²⁸ But he will crush everyone who sins and rebels against him; he will kill everyone who forsakes him.

²⁹ You will be sorry that you ever worshiped trees and planted sacred gardens.^{[c] 30} You will wither like a dying oak, like a garden that no one waters. ³¹ Just as straw is set on fire by a spark, so powerful people will be destroyed by their own evil deeds, and no one will be able to stop the destruction.

Everlasting Peace^(D)

2 Here is the message which God gave to Isaiah son of Amoz about Judah and Jerusalem:

⁵ Now, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light which the Lord gives us!

Arrogance Will Be Destroyed

⁶ O God, you have forsaken your people, the descendants of Jacob! The land is full of magic practices from the East and from Philistia.^[e] The people follow foreign customs. ⁷ Their land is full of silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses, and there is no end to their chariots. ⁸ Their land is full of idols, and they worship objects that they have made with their own hands.

⁹ Everyone will be humiliated and disgraced. Do not forgive them, Lord!

^10 (F)They will hide in caves in the rocky hills or dig holes in the ground to try to escape from the Lord's anger and to hide from his power and glory! ¹¹ A day is coming when human pride will be ended and human arrogance destroyed. Then the Lord alone will be exalted. ¹² On that day the Lord Almighty will humble everyone who is powerful, everyone who is proud and conceited. ¹³ He will destroy the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the oaks in the land of Bashan. ¹⁴ He will level the high mountains and hills, ¹⁵ every high tower, and the walls of every fortress. ¹⁶ He will sink even the largest and most beautiful ships. ^17-18 Human pride will be ended, and human arrogance will be destroyed. Idols will completely disappear, and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.

¹⁹ People will hide in caves in the rocky hills or dig holes in the ground to try to escape from the Lord's anger and to hide from his power and glory, when he comes to shake the earth. ²⁰ When that day comes, they will throw away the gold and silver idols they have made, and abandon them to the moles and the bats. ²¹ When the Lord comes to shake the earth, people will hide in holes and caves in the rocky hills to try to escape from his anger and to hide from his power and glory.

²² Put no more confidence in mortals. What are they worth?

Paul Defends His Ministry

10 I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you—I who am said to be meek and mild when I am with you, but harsh with you when I am away. By the gentleness and kindness of Christ ² I beg you not to force me to be harsh when I come; for I am sure I can deal harshly with those who say that we act from worldly motives. ³ It is true that we live in the world, but we do not fight from worldly motives. ⁴ The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; ⁵ we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ. ⁶ And after you have proved your complete loyalty, we will be ready to punish any act of disloyalty.

⁷ You are looking at the outward appearance of things. Are there some there who reckon themselves to belong to Christ? Well, let them think again about themselves, because we belong to Christ just as much as they do. ⁸ For I am not ashamed, even if I have boasted somewhat too much about the authority that the Lord has given us—authority to build you up, not to tear you down. ⁹ I do not want it to appear that I am trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰ Someone will say, “Paul's letters are severe and strong, but when he is with us in person, he is weak, and his words are nothing!” ¹¹ Such a person must understand that there is no difference between what we write in our letters when we are away and what we will do when we are there with you.

¹² Of course we would not dare classify ourselves or compare ourselves with those who rate themselves so highly. How stupid they are! They make up their own standards to measure themselves by, and they judge themselves by their own standards! ¹³ As for us, however, our boasting will not go beyond certain limits; it will stay within the limits of the work which God has set for us, and this includes our work among you. ¹⁴ And since you are within those limits, we were not going beyond them when we came to you, bringing the Good News about Christ. ¹⁵ So we do not boast about the work that others have done beyond the limits God set for us. Instead, we hope that your faith may grow and that we may be able to do a much greater work among you, always within the limits that God has set. ¹⁶ Then we can preach the Good News in other countries beyond you and shall not have to boast about work already done in someone else's field.

^17 (A)But as the scripture says, “Whoever wants to boast must boast about what the Lord has done.” ¹⁸ For it is when the Lord thinks well of us that we are really approved, and not when we think well of ourselves.

^(A)God's Judgment and Grace^[a]

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²⁶ Don't promise to be responsible for someone else's debts. ²⁷ If you should be unable to pay, they will take away even your bed.