Isaiah 1
1
1The #Num. 12:6vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the #2 Chr. 26—32days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
The Wickedness of Judah
2#Jer. 2:12Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children,
And they have rebelled against Me;
3#Jer. 8:7The ox knows its owner
And the donkey its master’s crib;
But Israel #Jer. 9:3, 6does not know,
My people do not consider.”
4Alas, sinful nation,
A people laden with iniquity,
#Is. 57:3, 4; Matt. 3:7A brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.
5#Jer. 5:3Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.
7#Deut. 28:51, 52; 2 Chr. 36:19Your country is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
Strangers devour your land in your presence;
And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8So the daughter of Zion is left #Job 27:18as a booth in a vineyard,
As a hut in a garden of cucumbers,
#Jer. 4:17As a besieged city.
9#2 Kin. 25:11, 22; Lam. 3:22Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left to us a very small remnant,
We would have become like #Gen. 19:24; Rom. 9:29Sodom,
We would have been made like Gomorrah.
10Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers #Deut. 32:32of Sodom;
Give ear to the law of our God,
You people of Gomorrah:
11“To what purpose is the multitude of your #(1 Sam. 15:22)sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.
12“When you come #Ex. 23:17to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
13Bring no more #Matt. 15:9futile sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and #Joel 1:14the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14Your #Num. 28:11New Moons and your #Lam. 2:6appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15#Prov. 1:28When you spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
#Ps. 66:18; Is. 59:1–3; Mic. 3:4Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood.
16“Wash#Jer. 4:14 yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
#Rom. 12:9Cease to do evil,
17Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
18“Come now, and let us #Is. 43:26; Mic. 6:2reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
#Ps. 51:7; (Is. 43:25); Rev. 7:14They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
#Is. 40:5; 58:14; Mic. 4:4; (Titus 1:2)For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
The Degenerate City
21#Is. 57:3–9; Jer. 2:20How the faithful city has become a harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now #Mic. 3:1–3murderers.
22#Jer. 6:28Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23#Hos. 9:15Your princes are rebellious,
And #Prov. 29:24companions of thieves;
#Jer. 22:17Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They #Is. 10:2; Jer. 5:28; Ezek. 22:7; Zech. 7:10do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
24Therefore the Lord says,
The Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,
“Ah, #Deut. 28:63I will rid Myself of My adversaries,
And take vengeance on My enemies.
25I will turn My hand against you,
And #Is. 48:10; Ezek. 22:19–22; Mal. 3:3thoroughly purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy.
26I will restore your judges #Jer. 33:7–11as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward #Is. 33:5; Zech. 8:3you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
27Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
And her penitents with righteousness.
28The #Job 31:3; Ps. 9:5; (Is. 66:24; 2 Thess. 1:8, 9)destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,
And those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
29For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees
Which you have desired;
And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens
Which you have chosen.
30For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades,
And as a garden that has no water.
31#Ezek. 32:21The strong shall be as tinder,
And the work of it as a spark;
Both will burn together,
And no one shall #Is. 66:24; Matt. 3:12; Mark 9:43quench them.
Currently Selected:
Isaiah 1: NKJV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 1
1
1This is the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz. God showed Isaiah what would happen to Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah saw this during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.
God’s Case Against Israel
2Heaven and earth, listen! This is what the Lord says:
“I raised my children and helped them grow up,
but they have turned against me.
3A bull knows its master,
and a donkey knows where its owner feeds it.
But Israel does not know me.
My people do not understand.”
4Oh, what a sinful nation! Their guilt is like a heavy weight that they must carry. They are evil, destructive children.#1:4 They … children Or “They are destructive children of evil parents.” They left the Lord and insulted the Holy One of Israel. They turned away and treated him like a stranger.
5What good will it do to keep punishing you? You will continue to rebel. Your whole head and heart are already sick and aching.#1:5 Your whole … aching Or “Every head and heart is already sick and aching.” 6From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head, every part of your body has wounds, cuts, and open sores. You have not taken care of them. Your wounds have not been cleaned and bandaged.
7Your land is in ruins, and your cities are in flames. Your enemies have taken your land, and foreigners are taking what it produces. It looks like some foreigners destroyed it.#1:7 It looks … destroyed it Or “It looks like the land of the foreigners that was destroyed.” This might refer to civil war in Israel or to some time when God destroyed foreign nations, such as Sodom and Gomorrah.
Warnings for Jerusalem
8The city of Jerusalem#1:8 city of Jerusalem Literally, “daughter Zion.” See “Zion” in the Word List. is now like an empty shed left in a vineyard. It is like an old straw hut abandoned in a field of cucumbers or like a city surrounded by enemies. 9If the Lord All-Powerful had not allowed a few people to live, we would have been destroyed completely like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And that almost happened!
10You officers of Sodom, listen to the Lord’s message. You people of Gomorrah,#1:10 officers of Sodom … Gomorrah Here, this refers to leaders and people from Judah. listen to God’s teaching. 11The Lord says, “Why do you continue giving me all these sacrifices? I have had enough of your sacrifices of rams and the fat from well-fed animals. I don’t want the blood of those bulls, sheep, and goats. 12When you people come to meet with me, you trample everything in my yard. Who told you to do this?
13“Don’t keep bringing me those worthless sacrifices. I hate the incense you give me. I cannot stand your festivals for the New Moon, the Sabbath, and other special meeting days. I hate the evil you do during those holy times together. 14I hate your monthly meetings and councils. They have become like heavy weights to me, and I am tired of carrying them.
15“When you raise your arms to pray to me, I will refuse to look at you. You will say more and more prayers, but I will refuse to listen because your hands are covered with blood.
16“Wash yourselves and make yourselves clean. Stop doing the evil things I see you do. Stop doing wrong. 17Learn to do good. Treat people fairly. Punish those who hurt others. Speak up for the widows and orphans. Argue their cases for them in court.
18“I, the Lord, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow.
19“If you listen to what I say, you will get the good things from this land. 20But if you refuse to listen and rebel against me, your enemies will destroy you.”
The Lord himself said this.
Unfaithful Jerusalem
21Look at Jerusalem. She was a faithful city. What made her become like a prostitute? In the past, Jerusalem was filled with justice, and goodness should live there now. Instead, there are murderers.
22Once you were like pure silver, but now you are like the impurities that people throw away when the silver is purified. You are like good wine that has been weakened with water. 23Your rulers are rebels and friends of thieves. They demand bribes and accept money for doing wrong. They take money to cheat people, and they don’t speak up for widows and orphans. They will not even listen to their cries for help.
24Because of this, the Lord GOD All-Powerful, the Mighty One of Israel, says, “Look, I will get relief from my enemies. You will not cause me any more trouble. 25People use lye to clean silver. In the same way, I will clean away all your wrongs. I will remove all the impurities from you. 26I will bring back the kind of judges you had in the beginning. Your counselors will be like those you had long ago. Then you will be called ‘The Good and Faithful City.’”
27God is good and does what is right, so he will rescue Zion and the people who come back to him. 28But all the criminals and sinners will be destroyed. Those who stopped following the Lord will be removed.
29In the future, you will be ashamed of the oak trees and special gardens#1:29 special gardens Gardens where people worshiped false gods. you chose to worship, 30because you will be like an oak tree whose leaves are dying. You will be like a garden dying without water. 31Powerful people will be like small, dry pieces of wood, and what they did will be like the sparks that start a fire. These people and their works will both burn up, and no one will be able to put out that fire.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International