Online Bible

Judah, a Sinful Nation

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning ^aJudah and Jerusalem, which he beheld in the days of ^bUzziah, ^cJotham, ^dAhaz, and ^eHezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 ^aHear, O heavens, and give ear, O ^bearth;For ¹Yahweh speaks,“^cSons I have reared and raised up,But they have ^dtransgressed against Me.3 “An ox knows its owner,And a donkey its master’s manger,But Israel ^adoes not know;My people ^bdo not perceive.”

4 Alas, sinful nation,People heavy with iniquity,^aSeed of evildoers,Sons who ^bact corruptly!They have ^cforsaken Yahweh;They have ^dspurned the Holy One of Israel;They have ¹become estranged ²from Him.

5 Where will you be stricken again,As you ^acontinue in your rebellion?The whole head is ^bsick,And the whole heart is faint.6 ^aFrom the sole of the foot even to the headThere is ^bnothing sound in it,Only bruises, wounds, and raw wounds,^cNot pressed out, not bandaged,Not softened with oil.

7 Your ^aland is desolate;Your cities are burned with fire;Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence;It is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.9 ^aUnless Yahweh of hostsHad left us a few ^bsurvivors,We would be like ^cSodom,We would be like Gomorrah.

10 Hear ^athe word of Yahweh,You rulers of ^bSodom;Give ear to the law of our God,You people of Gomorrah.11 “^aWhat are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”Says Yahweh.“I ¹have had enough of burnt offerings of ramsAnd the fat of fed cattle;And in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats ²I take no pleasure.12 “When you come ^ato appear before Me,Who requires ¹of you this trampling of My courts?13 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer,^aIncense is an abomination to Me.^bNew moon and sabbath, the ^ccalling of convocation—I cannot ^dendure wickedness and the solemn assembly.14 “My soul hates your new moon festivals and your ^aappointed times,They have become a burden to Me;I am ^bweary of bearing them.15 “So when you ^aspread out your hands in prayer,^bI will hide My eyes from you;Indeed, even though you ^cmultiply prayers,I will not listen.^dYour hands are full of blood.

16 “^aWash yourselves, ^bpurify yourselves;^cRemove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes.^dCease to do evil,17 Learn to do good;^aSeek justice,Reprove the ruthless,^bExecute justice for the ¹orphan,Plead for the widow.

18 “Come now, and ^alet us reason together,”Says Yahweh,“^bThough your sins are as scarlet,They will be as white as snow;Though they are red like crimson,They will be like wool.19 “^aIf you are willing and obey,You will ^beat the best of the land;20 But if you refuse and rebel,You will be ^aeaten by the sword.”For ^bthe mouth of Yahweh has spoken.

Zion Will Be Redeemed with Justice

21 How the faithful city has become a ^aharlot,She who was full of justice!Righteousness once lodged in her,But now murderers.22 Your silver has become dross,Your drink diluted with water.23 Your ^arulers are rebelsAnd companions of thieves;Everyone ^bloves a bribeAnd pursues rewards.They ^cdo not execute justice for the ¹orphan,Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.

24 Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of hosts,The ^aMighty One of Israel, declares,“Ah, I will be comforted concerning My adversaries,And I will ^bavenge Myself on My enemies.25 “I will also turn My hand against you,And will ^asmelt away your dross as with lyeAnd will remove all your alloy.26 “Then I will have your ^ajudges return as at the first,And your counselors as at the beginning;Afterwards you will be called the ^bcity of righteousness,A faithful town.”

27 Zion will be ^aredeemed with justiceAnd her ¹repentant ones with righteousness.28 But ¹transgressors and sinners will be ^abroken together,And those who forsake Yahweh will come to an end.29 For ¹you will be ashamed of the ²^aoaks which you have desired,And you will be humiliated because of the ^bgardens which you have chosen.30 For you will be like ¹an oak whose ^aleaf withers awayOr as a garden that has no water.31 And the strong man will become tinder,His work also a spark.Thus they shall both ^aburn together,And there will be ^bnone to quench them.

Rebellion of God’s People

The vision of the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning the kingdom of ^aJudah and its capital Jerusalem, which he saw as revealed by God during the reigns of ^bUzziah, ^cJotham, ^dAhaz, and ^eHezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 ^aHear, O heavens, and listen, O ^bearth;For the LORD has spoken:“I have reared and brought up ^csons,But they have ^drebelled against Me and have broken away.3 “The ox instinctively knows its owner,And the donkey its master’s feeding trough,But Israel ^adoes not know Me as LORD,My people ^bdo not understand.”

4 Ah, sinful nation,A people loaded down with wickedness with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing,^aOffspring of evildoers,Sons who ^bbehave corruptly!They have ^cabandoned (rejected) the LORD,They have ^ddespised the Holy One of Israel provoking Him to anger,They have turned away from Him.

5 Why should you be stricken and punished again since no change results from it?You only ^acontinue to rebel.The whole head is ^bsickAnd the whole heart is faint and sick.6 ^aFrom the sole of the foot even to the headThere is ^bnothing healthy in the nation’s body,Only bruises, welts, and raw wounds,^cNot pressed out or bandaged,Nor softened with oil as a remedy.

7 Your ^aland lies desolate because of your disobedience,Your cities are burned with fire,Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your very presence;It is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.8 The Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem) is left like a deserted shelter in a vineyard,Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city isolated, surrounded by devastation.9 ^aIf the LORD of hostsHad not left us a few ^bsurvivors,We would be like ^cSodom,We would be like Gomorrah. Gen 19:24, 25; Rom 9:29

God Has Had Enough

10 Hear ^athe word of the LORD rulers of Jerusalem,You rulers of another ^bSodom,Listen to the law and instruction of our God,You people of another Gomorrah.11 “^aWhat are your multiplied sacrifices to Me without your repentance?”Says the LORD.“I have had enough of your burnt offerings of ramsAnd the fat of well-fed cattle without your obedience;And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls or lambs or goats offered without repentance.12 “When you come to ^aappear before Me,Who requires this of you, this trampling of My temple courts by your sinful feet?13 “Do not bring worthless offerings again,Your ^aincense is repulsive to Me;Your ^bNew Moon and Sabbath observances, the ^ccalling of assemblies—I cannot ^dendure wickedness your sin, your injustice, your wrongdoing and the squalor of the festive assembly.14 “I hate the hypocrisy of your New Moon festivals and your ^aappointed feasts.They have become a burden to Me;I am ^bweary of bearing them.15 “So when you ^aspread out your hands in prayer, pleading for My help,^bI will hide My eyes from you;Yes, even though you offer ^cmany prayers,I will not be listening.^dYour hands are full of blood!

16 “^aWash yourselves, ^bmake yourselves clean;^cGet your evil deeds out of My sight.^dStop doing evil,17 Learn to do good.^aSeek justice,Rebuke the ruthless,^bDefend the fatherless,Plead for the rights of the widow in court.

“Let Us Reason”

18 “Come now, and ^alet us reason together,”Says the LORD.“¹^bThough your sins are like scarlet,They shall be as white as snow;Though they are red like crimson,They shall be like wool.19 “^aIf you are willing and obedient,You shall ^beat the best of the land;20 But if you refuse and rebel,You shall be ^adevoured by the sword.”For ^bthe mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Zion Corrupted, to Be Redeemed

21 How the faithful city has become ^aa prostitute idolatrous, despicable,She who was full of justice!Right standing with God once lodged in her,But now murderers.22 Your silver has turned to ¹lead,Your wine is diluted with water.23 Your ^arulers are rebelsAnd companions of thieves;Everyone ^bloves bribesAnd chases after gifts.They ^cdo not defend the fatherless,Nor does the widow’s cause come before them instead they delay or turn a deaf ear.

24 Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts,The ^aMighty One of Israel, declares:“Ah, I will be freed of My adversariesAnd ^bavenge Myself on My enemies.25 “And I will turn My hand against you,And will thoroughly ^apurge away your dross as with lyeAnd remove all your tin (impurity) .26 “Then I will restore your ^ajudges as at the first,And your counselors as at the beginning;Afterward you will be called the ^bcity of righteousness,The faithful city.”

27 Zion will be ^aredeemed with justiceAnd her repentant ones with righteousness.28 But rebels and sinners will be ^acrushed and destroyed together,And those who abandon (turn away from) the LORD will be consumed (perish) .29 For you will be ashamed of the degradation of the ^aoaks in which you took idolatrous pleasure,And you will be ashamed of the ^bgardens of passion which you have chosen for pagan worship.30 For you will be like an oak whose ^aleaf withers and diesAnd like a garden that has no water.31 The strong man will become tinder,And his work a spark.So both will ^aburn togetherAnd there will be ^bnone to quench them.