Isaiah 1:1-13 ▼

1 This is the vision that Amoz's son Isaiah had about Judah and Jerusalem during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 Listen, you heavens, and let the earth pay attention, because the LORD has spoken: |I reared children and brought them to adulthood, but then they rebelled against me.

3 The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's feeding trough, but Israel doesn't know, and my people don't understand.

4 |Oh, you sinful nation! You people burdened down by iniquity! You offspring of those who keep practicing what is evil! You corrupt children! |They've abandoned the LORD; they've despised the Holy One of Israel; in their estrangement, they've walked away from me.

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

6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there's no soundness evident — only bruises, sores, and festering wounds that haven't been cleaned out, bandaged, or treated with oil.|

7 |Your country lies desolate; your cities have been incinerated. Before your very eyes, foreigners are devouring your land— they've brought devastation on it, while the land is overthrown by foreigners.

8 |The daughter of Zion is left abandoned, like a booth in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field, or like a city under siege.

9 If the Lord of the Heavenly Armies hadn't left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom; we would be like Gomorrah.

10 |Listen to what the LORD says, you rulers of Sodom, and pay attention to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

11 |How do your voluminous sacrifices benefit me?| the LORD is asking. |I've had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts. I don't enjoy the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.

12 |When you come to present yourselves in my presence, who has required you to trample on my courts?

13 Stop bringing useless offerings! Incense is detestable to me, as are your New Moons, Sabbaths, and calling of convocations. I cannot stand iniquity within a solemn assembly.