Isaiah 1
1
1The #ch. 6:1 vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem #Hos. 1:1; Mic. 1:1 in the days of #[2 Kgs. 15:1, 7]; See 2 Chr. 26 Uzziah, #See 2 Kgs. 15:32-38; 2 Chr. 27 Jotham, #ch. 7:1, 3, 10, 12; 14:28; See 2 Kgs. 16; 2 Chr. 28 Ahaz, and #See ch. 37:2–39:8; 2 Kgs. 18-20; 2 Chr. 29–32Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
The Wickedness of Judah
2 #
Deut. 32:1; [Deut. 4:26] Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O #Mic. 1:2; 6:2 earth;
for the Lord has spoken:
“Children#1:2 Or Sons; also verse 4 #[Deut. 32:6, 10, 15]have I reared and brought up,
but they have rebelled against me.
3The ox #[Jer. 8:7]knows its owner,
and the donkey its master’s crib,
but Israel does #[Jer. 8:7]not know,
my people do not understand.”
4Ah, sinful nation,
a people laden with iniquity,
# [Matt. 3:7] offspring of evildoers,
children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the Lord,
they have #ch. 5:24 despised #See ch. 31:1 the Holy One of Israel,
they are utterly #Ezek. 14:5estranged.
5Why will you still be #Jer. 5:3; [ch. 9:13] struck down?
Why will you #ch. 31:6continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
and the whole heart faint.
6 #
Ps. 38:3 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 #[Jer. 8:22]not pressed out or bound up
or softened with oil.
7 # ch. 5:5; 6:11, 12; Deut. 28:51, 52 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.
8And #ch. 10:32; 37:22; Zech. 2:10; 9:9 the daughter of Zion is left
like a #Job 27:18booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field,
like a besieged city.
9 #
Lam. 3:22 If the Lord of hosts
had not left us #ch. 10:21, 22; Cited Rom. 9:29 a few survivors,
we should have been like #ch. 13:19; Gen. 19:24, 25Sodom,
and become like #ch. 13:19; Gen. 19:24, 25Gomorrah.
10Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of #Ezek. 16:46, 48, 49, 55; [ch. 3:9; Rev. 11:8] #[Deut. 32:32]Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching#1:10 Or law of our God,
you people of #[Deut. 32:32]Gomorrah!
11 #
Prov. 15:8; Jer. 6:20; Mal. 1:10; [ch. 66:3]; See 1 Sam. 15:22 “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 #Ex. 23:17; 34:23appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?
13Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
#
Num. 28:11; 1 Chr. 23:31 New moon and Sabbath and the #Ex. 12:16; Lev. 23:36 calling of convocations—
I cannot endure #[Jer. 7:9, 10] iniquity and #See Joel 2:15-17solemn assembly.
14Your #[See ver. 13 above]new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15When you #1 Kgs. 8:22 spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
#
Prov. 1:28; Mic. 3:4 even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
# ch. 59:3 your hands are full of blood.
16 # [Jer. 2:22] Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
# [1 Pet. 3:11] cease to do evil,
17learn to do good;
#
Jer. 22:3 seek justice,
correct oppression;
# [ver. 23; James 1:27] bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.
18“Come now, #Mic. 6:2; [ch. 43:26] let us reason#1:18 Or dispute together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as #Ps. 51:7; [Rev. 7:14]white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 #
Deut. 30:15, 16 If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
20but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
# ver. 2; ch. 24:3; 40:5; 58:14; Mic. 4:4; [Num. 23:19] for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Unfaithful City
21How the faithful city
#
Jer. 2:20; [Ex. 34:15] has become a whore,#1:21 Or become unchaste
# [Jer. 31:23] she who was full of justice!
Righteousness lodged in her,
but now murderers.
22 # [Jer. 6:30; Ezek. 22:18] Your silver has become dross,
your best wine mixed with water.
23Your princes are rebels
and companions of thieves.
Everyone #Mic. 7:3; [Ex. 23:8] loves a bribe
and runs after gifts.
#
Jer. 5:28; Zech. 7:10; [ver. 17] They do not bring justice to the fatherless,
and the widow’s cause does not come to them.
24Therefore the #ch. 3:1; 10:33 Lord declares,
the Lord of hosts,
the #Ps. 132:2 Mighty One of Israel:
“Ah, I will get relief from my enemies
# [Deut. 32:41] and avenge myself on my foes.
25 #
Ps. 81:14; Amos 1:8; [ch. 5:25] I will turn my hand against you
and will smelt away your #[Ezek. 22:20; Mal. 3:3]dross as with lye
and remove all your alloy.
26And I will restore your judges #Jer. 33:7, 11 as at the first,
and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward #[Zech. 8:3]you shall be called the city of righteousness,
the faithful city.”
27 #
Jer. 22:3, 4 Zion shall be redeemed by justice,
and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
28 #
Job 31:3; Ps. 1:6 But rebels and sinners shall be broken together,
and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
29 #
Hos. 4:19 For they#1:29 Some Hebrew manuscripts you shall be ashamed of #ch. 57:5; Hos. 4:13 the oaks
that you desired;
and you shall blush for #ch. 65:3; 66:17the gardens
that you have chosen.
30For you shall be #[Jer. 17:8]like an oak
whose leaf withers,
and like a garden without water.
31And the strong shall become #Judg. 16:9 tinder,
and his work a spark,
and both of them shall burn together,
with #ch. 66:24none to quench them.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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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.
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