Isaiah 1
1
1The vision # Pr 29:18; Dn 8:1; Ob 1; Nah 1:1; Hab 2:2-3 concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah # Is 2:1; 13:1 son of Amoz saw during the reigns # Lit saw in the days # ca 792–686 b.c. of Uzziah, # 2Ch 26:3-5 Jotham, # 2Kg 15:32-38 Ahaz, # 2Kg 16:1-4 and Hezekiah, # 2Kg 18:1-8 kings of Judah. # Hs 1:1; Mc 1:1
Judah on Trial
2Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth, # Dt 4:26; 32:1; Is 30:1; Mc 1:2
for the Lord has spoken:
“I have raised children # Or sons and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against Me. # Is 30:1
3The ox knows its owner,
and the donkey its master’s feeding trough,
but Israel does not know;
My people do not understand.” # Jr 8:7
4Oh sinful nation,
people weighed down with iniquity, # Is 13:11
brood of evildoers, # Is 14:20; Mt 3:7
depraved children! # Or sons
They have abandoned # Dt 4:31 the Lord;
they have despised # Nm 14:11; Dt 31:20; Pr 5:12; Is 5:24 the Holy One of Israel; # Is 5:19,24; 10:20; 12:6; 29:19; 30:11-15
they have turned their backs on Him.
5Why do you want more beatings?
Why do you keep on rebelling?
The whole head is hurt,
and the whole heart is sick.
6From the sole of the foot even to the head, # Jb 2:7
no spot is uninjured # Ps 38:3 —
wounds, welts, and festering sores
not cleansed, bandaged,
or soothed with oil.
7Your land is desolate,
your cities burned with fire; # Lv 26:33; Dt 28:51-52; Is 6:11-12; Jr 44:6
foreigners devour your fields
before your very eyes —
a desolation demolished by foreigners.
8Daughter Zion # Is 10:32; 37:22; Zch 2:10; 9:9 is abandoned
like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a shack in a cucumber field,
like a besieged city.
9If the Lord of Hosts # 1Sm 17:45
had not left us a few survivors, # Is 10:21-22
we would be like Sodom,
we would resemble Gomorrah. # Gn 19:24-25; Is 3:9; 13:19; Rm 9:29
10Hear the word of the Lord, # Is 28:14
you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
you people of Gomorrah! # Is 3:9; Ezk 16:46-49,55; Rv 11:8
11“What are all your sacrifices to Me? ”
asks the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams
and the fat of well-fed cattle;
I have no desire for the blood of bulls,
lambs, or male goats. # 1Sm 15:22; Jr 6:20; Hs 6:6; Am 5:21-24; Mt 23:23; Mk 12:33
12When you come to appear before Me,
who requires this from you —
this trampling of My courts?
13Stop bringing useless offerings. # Mal 1:10
Your incense is detestable to Me.
New Moons and Sabbaths, # Nm 28:11; 1Ch 23:31
and the calling of solemn assemblies # Ex 12:16; Lv 23:36 —
I cannot stand iniquity # Is 13:11 with a festival.
14I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals.
They have become a burden to Me;
I am tired of putting up with them.
15When you lift up your hands in prayer, # 1Kg 8:22
I will refuse to look at you;
even if you offer countless prayers,
I will not listen. # Is 59:2; Jr 7:16; Ezk 8:18; Am 5:23; Hab 1:2; Zch 7:13
Your hands are covered with blood. # Pr 1:28; Is 59:1-3; Mc 3:4
Purification of Jerusalem
16“Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. # Ps 26:6; Is 4:4; 52:11
Remove your evil deeds from My sight.
Stop doing evil. # Jr 25:5
17Learn to do what is good.
Seek justice. # Dt 16:20; 1Kg 3:11; Ps 89:14; Is 10:2; 11:4; Am 5:15; Zch 7:9
Correct the oppressor. # Or Aid the oppressed
Defend the rights of the fatherless.
Plead the widow’s cause.
18“Come, let us discuss this,” # Is 41:1,21; 43:26; Mc 6:2
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they will be as white as snow; # Ps 51:7; Is 43:25; 44:22; Rv 7:14
though they are as red as crimson,
they will be like wool.
19If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land. # Dt 30:15-20
20But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.” # Jr 12:12
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. # Is 24:3; 40:5; 58:14; Mc 4:4
21The faithful city —
what an adulteress # Or prostitute she has become!
She was once full of justice.
Righteousness once dwelt in her —
but now, murderers!
22Your silver has become dross, # Or burnished lead
your beer # Or wine is diluted with water.
23Your rulers are rebels,
friends of thieves. # Hs 5:10
They all love graft
and chase after bribes. # Ex 23:8; Mc 7:2-6
They do not defend the rights of the fatherless,
and the widow’s case never comes before them. # Ex 22:22; Dt 24:17; Is 10:2; Jr 5:28; Ezk 22:7; Zch 7:10
24Therefore the Lord God of Hosts,
the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
“Ah, I will gain satisfaction from My foes;
I will take revenge against My enemies. # Is 35:4; 59:18; Jr 46:10
25I will turn My hand against you # Ps 81:14; Is 5:25; Am 1:8
and will burn away your dross # Or burnished lead completely; # Lit dross as with lye
I will remove all your impurities. # Ezk 22:20; Mal 3:3
26I will restore your judges # Is 60:17; Mt 19:28 to what they once were, # Lit judges as at the first
and your advisers to their former state. # Lit advisers as at the beginning
Afterward you will be called the Righteous City, # Is 33:5; 60:14; 62:1-2; Zch 8:3
a Faithful City.”
27Zion will be redeemed by justice,
her repentant ones by righteousness. # Rm 3:26
28But both rebels and sinners will be destroyed,
and those who abandon the Lord will perish.
29Indeed, they # Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, Tg read you will be ashamed of the sacred trees
you desired, # Is 2:8; 57:5; Hs 4:13
and you will be embarrassed because of the gardens
you have chosen. # Is 65:3; 66:17
30For you will become like an oak
whose leaves are withered,
and like a garden without water. # Ps 1:3; Is 64:6
31The strong one will become tinder,
and his work a spark;
both will burn together, # Is 5:24; 9:19; 26:11; 33:11-14
with no one to quench the flames. # Is 66:24; Mt 3:12; Mk 9:43
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Isaiah 1: HCSB
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© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 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.
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