Isaiah 1

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

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

³ An ox knows its owner,
and a donkey its master's feeding-trough—
but Israel does not know,
my people do not consider.

⁴ Ah, sinful nation,
a people heavy with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the LORD,
spurned the Holy One of Israel,
turned themselves backward.

⁵ Why will you still be struck?
Why do you continue to rebel?
Every head is sick,
and every heart is faint.

⁶ From the sole of the foot to the head
there is no soundness in it—
only bruises and welts
and raw, open wounds;
they have not been pressed out or bound up
or softened with oil.

⁷ Your land is a desolation,
your cities burned with fire;
your soil—before your eyes
strangers devour it,
a desolation like the overthrow of strangers.

⁸ And Daughter Zion is left
like a booth in a vineyard,
like a hut in a cucumber field,
like a city besieged.

⁹ If the LORD of Hosts
had not left us a few survivors,
we would have been like Sodom,
we would have resembled Gomorrah.

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

¹¹ What to me is the abundance of your sacrifices?
says the LORD.
I am sated with burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of fattened beasts;
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats
I take no delight.

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

¹³ Bring no more worthless offerings;
incense—it is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure wickedness with solemn gathering.

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

¹⁵ When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you multiply prayer,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood.

¹⁶ Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds
from before my eyes.
Cease doing evil,

¹⁷ learn to do good;
seek justice,
set right the oppressor,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.

¹⁸ Come now, let us argue the matter together,
says the LORD.
If your sins are like scarlet,
they can become white as snow;
if they are red as crimson,
they can become like wool.

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

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

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

²² Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine diluted with water.

²³ Your princes are rebels
and companions of thieves.
Every one of them loves a bribe
and chases after payments.
They do not defend the orphan,
and the widow's cause does not reach them.

²⁴ Therefore—utterance of the Lord,
the LORD of Hosts,
the Mighty One of Israel:
Ah, I will get relief from my adversaries
and avenge myself on my enemies.

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

²⁶ And 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.

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

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

²⁹ For they shall be ashamed of the oaks
that you desired,
and you shall be disgraced by the gardens
that you chose.

³⁰ For you shall be like an oak
whose leaf withers,
and like a garden
that has no water.

³¹ The strong shall become tinder,
and his work a spark;
and both of them shall burn together,
with no one to quench.