New Living Translation

English Standard Version

1These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. A Message for Rebellious Judah

1The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the LORD says: “The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.

2Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.

3Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care— but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.”

3The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”

4Oh, what a sinful nation they are— loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the LORD. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.

4Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.

5Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick.

5Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

6You are battered from head to foot— covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds— without any soothing ointments or bandages.

6From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil.

7Your country lies in ruins, and your towns are burned. Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes and destroy everything they see.

7Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.

8Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard, like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest, like a helpless city under siege.

8And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.

9If the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of us, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.

9If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.

10Listen to the LORD, you leaders of “Sodom.” Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.”

10Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

11“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.

11“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.

12When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?

12“When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?

13Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting— they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings.

13Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

14I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!

14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.

15When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

15When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

16Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.

16Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,

17Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

17learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

18“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.

18“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

19If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat.

19If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

20But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken!” Unfaithful Jerusalem

20but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

21See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute. Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers.

21How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

22Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag. Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine.

22Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water.

23Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows.

23Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them.

24Therefore, the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, says, “I will take revenge on my enemies and pay back my foes!

24Therefore the Lord declares, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: “Ah, I will get relief from my enemies and avenge myself on my foes.

25I will raise my fist against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove all your impurities.

25I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy.

26Then I will give you good judges again and wise counselors like you used to have. Then Jerusalem will again be called the Home of Justice and the Faithful City.”

26And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”

27Zion will be restored by justice; those who repent will be revived by righteousness.

27Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness.

28But rebels and sinners will be completely destroyed, and those who desert the LORD will be consumed.

28But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

29You will be ashamed of your idol worship in groves of sacred oaks. You will blush because you worshiped in gardens dedicated to idols.

29For they shall be ashamed of the oaks that you desired; and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen.

30You will be like a great tree with withered leaves, like a garden without water.

30For you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers, and like a garden without water.

31The strongest among you will disappear like straw; their evil deeds will be the spark that sets it on fire. They and their evil works will burn up together, and no one will be able to put out the fire.

31And the strong shall become tinder, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.