Isaiah 1
1
God’s Message in Troubled Times
1This is the vision Isaiah son of Amoz saw. God showed Isaiah what would happen to Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah saw these things while Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.
God Finds Fault with His People
2Heaven and earth, listen,
because the Lord is speaking:
“I raised my children and helped them grow.
But they have turned against me.
3An ox knows its master.
And a donkey knows where its owner feeds it.
But the people of Israel do not know me.
My people do not understand.”
4Terrible times are coming for Israel, a nation of sin.
The people are loaded down with guilt.
They are like a group of children doing evil.
They are full of evil.
They have left the Lord.
They hate God, the Holy One of Israel.
They have turned away from him.
5Why should you continue to be punished?
Why do you continue to turn against him?
Your whole head is hurt.
And your whole heart is sick.
6There is no healthy spot
from the bottom of your foot to the top of your head.
You are covered with wounds, hurts and open sores.
Your wounds are not cleaned and covered.
No medicine takes away the pain.
7Your land is ruined.
Your cities have been burned with fire.
While you watch,
your enemies are stealing everything from your land.
Your land is ruined like a country destroyed by enemies.
8Jerusalem is left alone
like an empty shelter in a vineyard.
It is like a hut left in a field of melons.
It is like a city surrounded by enemies.
9The Lord of heaven’s armies
allowed a few of our people to live.
Otherwise we would have been completely destroyed
like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
10Jerusalem, your rulers are like those of Sodom.
Your people are like those of Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the Lord.
Listen to the teachings of our God!
11The Lord says,
“I do not want all these sacrifices you give me.
I have had enough of your sacrifices
of male sheep and fat from fine animals.
I am not pleased
by the blood of bulls, sheep and goats.
12You come to meet with me.
But who asked you to do
all this running in and out?
13Don’t continue bringing me worthless sacrifices!
I hate the incense you burn.
I can’t stand your New Moons, Sabbaths and other feast days.
I can’t stand the evil you do in holding your holy meetings.
14I hate your New Moon feasts
and your other yearly feasts.
They have become like heavy weights on me.
I am tired of carrying them.
15You will raise your arms in prayer to me.
But I will refuse to look at you.
Even if you say many prayers,
I will not listen to you.
It’s because your hands are full of blood.
16Wash yourselves and make yourselves clean.
Stop doing the evil things I see you do.
Stop doing wrong!
17Learn to do good.
Be fair to other people.
Punish those who hurt others.
Help the orphans.
Stand up for the rights of widows.”
18The Lord says,
“Come, we will talk these things over.
Your sins are red like deep red cloth.
But they can be as white as snow.
Your sins are bright red.
But you can be white like wool.
19If you will obey me,
you will eat good crops from the land.
20But if you refuse to obey and if you turn against me,
you will be destroyed by your enemies’ swords.”
The Lord himself said these things.
Jerusalem Is Not Loyal to God
21The city of Jerusalem once followed the Lord.
But she is no longer loyal to the Lord.
She used to be filled with fairness.
People there lived the way God wanted.
But now, murderers live there.
22Jerusalem, you have become like the scum left when silver is purified.
You are like wine mixed with water.
23Your rulers are rebels.
They are friends of thieves.
They all accept money for doing wrong things.
They are paid to cheat people.
They don’t try to help the orphans.
And they don’t listen to the widows’ needs.
24The Master, the Lord of heaven’s armies,
the Mighty One of Israel, says:
“You, my enemies, will not cause me any more trouble.
I will pay you back for what you did.
25I will turn against you.
I will clean away all your wrongs as if with soap.
I will take all the worthless things out of you.
26I will bring back judges as you had long ago.
Your counselors will be like the ones you had in the beginning.
Then you will be called the City That Is Right with God.
You will be called the Loyal City.”
27Because the Lord does what is fair,
he will rescue Jerusalem.
Because the Lord does what is right,
he will save her people who come back to him.
28But sinners and those who turn against him will be destroyed.
Those who have left the Lord will die.
29“You will be ashamed
because you have worshiped false gods under the oak trees.
You will be disgraced
because you have worshiped idols in your gardens.
30You will be like an oak whose leaves are dying.
You will be like a garden without water.
31Powerful people will be like small, dry pieces of wood.
And what they do will be like sparks.
The people and what they do will burn together.
And no one will be able to stop that fire.”
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Isaiah 1: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.