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Rebellion of God’s People

The vision of [the prophet] Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning [the kingdom of] Judah and [its capital] Jerusalem, which he saw [as revealed by God] during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.


Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth;
For the Lord has spoken:
“I have reared and brought up sons,
But they have rebelled against Me and have broken away.

“The ox [instinctively] knows its owner,
And the donkey its master’s feeding trough,
But Israel does not know [Me as Lord],
My people do not understand.”


Ah, sinful nation,
A people loaded down with wickedness [with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing],
Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who behave corruptly!
They have abandoned (rejected) the Lord,
They have despised the Holy One of Israel [provoking Him to anger],
They have turned away from Him.


Why should you be stricken and punished again [since no change results from it]?
You [only] continue to rebel.
The whole head is sick
And the whole heart is faint and sick.

From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is nothing healthy in the nation’s body,
Only bruises, welts, and raw wounds,
Not pressed out or bandaged,
Nor softened with oil [as a remedy].


Your land lies desolate [because of your disobedience],
Your cities are burned with fire,
Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your very presence;
It is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

The Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem) is left like a [deserted] shelter in a vineyard,
Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city [isolated, surrounded by devastation].

If the Lord of hosts
Had not left us a few survivors,
We would be like Sodom,
We would be like Gomorrah.(A)

God Has Had Enough

10 
Hear the word of the Lord [rulers of Jerusalem],
You rulers of [another] Sodom,
Listen to the law and instruction of our God,
You people of [another] Gomorrah.
11 
“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me [without your repentance]?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of [your] burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of well-fed cattle [without your obedience];
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls or lambs or goats [offered without repentance].
12 
“When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires this of you, this trampling of My [temple] courts [by your sinful feet]?
13 
“Do not bring worthless offerings again,
[Your] incense is repulsive to Me;
[Your] New Moon and Sabbath [observances], the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure wickedness [your sin, your injustice, your wrongdoing] and [the squalor of] the festive assembly.
14 
“I hate [the hypocrisy of] your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts.
They have become a burden to Me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 
“So when you spread out your hands [in prayer, pleading for My help],
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you offer many prayers,
I will not be listening.
Your hands are full of blood!

16 
“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Get your evil deeds out of My sight.
Stop doing evil,
17 
Learn to do good.
Seek justice,
Rebuke the ruthless,
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the [rights of the] widow [in court].

“Let Us Reason”

18 
“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord.
[a]Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be like wool.
19 
“If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the best of the land;
20 
But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Zion Corrupted, to Be Redeemed

21 
How the faithful city has become a prostitute [idolatrous, despicable],
She who was full of justice!
Right standing with God once lodged in her,
But now murderers.
22 
Your silver has turned to [b]lead,
Your wine is diluted with water.
23 
Your rulers are rebels
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves bribes
And chases after gifts.
They do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the widow’s cause come before them [instead they delay or turn a deaf ear].

24 
Therefore the Lord God of hosts,
The Mighty One of Israel, declares:
“Ah, I will be freed of My adversaries
And avenge Myself on My enemies.
25 
“And I will turn My hand against you,
And will [thoroughly] purge away your dross as with lye
And remove all your tin (impurity).
26 
“Then I will restore your judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning;
Afterward you will be called the city of righteousness,
The faithful city.”

27 
Zion will be redeemed with justice
And her repentant ones with righteousness.
28 
But rebels and sinners will be crushed and destroyed together,
And those who abandon (turn away from) the Lord will be consumed (perish).
29 
For you will be ashamed [of the degradation] of the oaks in which you took [idolatrous] pleasure,
And you will be ashamed of the gardens [of passion] which you have chosen [for pagan worship].
30 
For you will be like an oak whose leaf withers and dies
And like a garden that has no water.
31 
The strong man will become tinder,
And his work a spark.
So both will burn together
And there will be none to quench them.

God’s Universal Reign

The word [from God] which Isaiah son of Amoz saw [in a vision] concerning [the nation of] Judah and [its capital city] Jerusalem.


Now it will come to pass that
In the last days
The mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be [firmly] established as the [c]highest of the mountains,
And will be exalted above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.

And many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house (temple) of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go out from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

And He will judge between the nations,
And will mediate [disputes] for many peoples;
And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up the sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.(B)


O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Most certainly [Lord] You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with influences from the east,
And they are soothsayers [who foretell] like the Philistines;
Also they strike bargains with the children of foreigners (pagans).(C)

Their land has also been filled with silver and gold
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land has also been filled with horses
And there is no end to their chariots.(D)

Their land has also been filled with idols;
They worship the work of their hands,
That which their own fingers have made.

So the common man has been humbled [before idols]
And the man of importance has been degraded,
Therefore do not forgive them [O Lord].
10 
Go among the rocks and hide in the dust
From the terror of the Lord and from the splendor of His majesty.
11 
The proud look of man will be degraded
And the arrogance of men will be humbled,
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

A Day of Reckoning Coming

12 
For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning
Against all who are proud and arrogant
And against all who are lifted up,
That they may be degraded.(E)
13 
And the wrath of God will be against all the cedars of Lebanon [west of the Jordan] that are high and lifted up,
Against all the oaks of Bashan [east of the Jordan],
14 
Against all the high mountains,
Against all the hills that are lifted up,
15 
Against every high tower,
Against every fortified wall,
16 
Against all the ships of Tarshish
And against all the beautiful craft.
17 
Then the pride of man will be humbled
And the arrogance of men will be degraded;
The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,
18 
And the idols will completely vanish (be abolished).
19 
They [the stricken, deprived of all in which they had trusted] will go into the caves of the rocks
And into the holes of the ground [fleeing]
From the terror and dread of the Lord
And from the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to terrify the earth.(F)
20 
In that day men will throw away to the moles and to the bats
Their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
Which they made for themselves [as objects] to worship,
21 
To go into the caverns of the rocks and into the clefts of the [ragged] cliffs [as they flee]
From the terror and dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to terrify the earth.
22 
Stop regarding man, whose breath [of life] is in his nostrils [for so little time];
For why should he be esteemed?

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:18 There was a legend among the rabbis that on the Day of Atonement a scarlet woolen thread was tied to the door of the temple, and when the scapegoat reached the wilderness (Lev 16:10), if the sins of Israel were forgiven the thread would miraculously turn white.
  2. Isaiah 1:22 Lit galena.
  3. Isaiah 2:2 Or chief; lit head.

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

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.
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)

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.

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)
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)

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)
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.
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)

Your hands(BK) are full of blood!(BL)

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)

The Mountain of the Lord(DF)

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:(DG)

In the last days(DH)

the mountain(DI) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;(DJ)
it will be exalted(DK) above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.(DL)

Many peoples(DM) will come and say,

“Come, let us go(DN) up to the mountain(DO) of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(DP) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.(DQ)
He will judge(DR) between the nations
    and will settle disputes(DS) for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.(DT)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,(DU)
    nor will they train for war anymore.

Come, descendants of Jacob,(DV)
    let us walk in the light(DW) of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord

You, Lord, have abandoned(DX) your people,
    the descendants of Jacob.(DY)
They are full of superstitions from the East;
    they practice divination(DZ) like the Philistines(EA)
    and embrace(EB) pagan customs.(EC)
Their land is full of silver and gold;(ED)
    there is no end to their treasures.(EE)
Their land is full of horses;(EF)
    there is no end to their chariots.(EG)
Their land is full of idols;(EH)
    they bow down(EI) to the work of their hands,(EJ)
    to what their fingers(EK) have made.
So people will be brought low(EL)
    and everyone humbled(EM)
    do not forgive them.[c](EN)

10 Go into the rocks, hide(EO) in the ground
    from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty!(EP)
11 The eyes of the arrogant(EQ) will be humbled(ER)
    and human pride(ES) brought low;(ET)
the Lord alone will be exalted(EU) in that day.(EV)

12 The Lord Almighty has a day(EW) in store
    for all the proud(EX) and lofty,(EY)
for all that is exalted(EZ)
    (and they will be humbled),(FA)
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,(FB) tall and lofty,(FC)
    and all the oaks of Bashan,(FD)
14 for all the towering mountains
    and all the high hills,(FE)
15 for every lofty tower(FF)
    and every fortified wall,(FG)
16 for every trading ship[d](FH)
    and every stately vessel.
17 The arrogance of man will be brought low(FI)
    and human pride humbled;(FJ)
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,(FK)
18     and the idols(FL) will totally disappear.(FM)

19 People will flee to caves(FN) in the rocks
    and to holes in the ground(FO)
from the fearful presence(FP) of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,(FQ)
    when he rises to shake the earth.(FR)
20 In that day(FS) people will throw away
    to the moles and bats(FT)
their idols of silver and idols of gold,(FU)
    which they made to worship.(FV)
21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks(FW)
    and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,(FX)
    when he rises(FY) to shake the earth.(FZ)

22 Stop trusting in mere humans,(GA)
    who have but a breath(GB) in their nostrils.
    Why hold them in esteem?(GC)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:17 Or justice. / Correct the oppressor
  2. Isaiah 1:25 That is, against Jerusalem
  3. Isaiah 2:9 Or not raise them up
  4. Isaiah 2:16 Hebrew every ship of Tarshish