Isaiah 1

The Wickedness of Judah

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

2 g Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O h earth;
for the Lord has spoken:
"Children 1 i have I reared and brought up,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox j knows its owner,
and the donkey its master's crib,
but Israel does j not know,
my people do not understand."

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

5 Why will you still be o struck down?
Why will you p continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
and the whole heart faint.
6 q From the sole of the foot even to the head,
there is no soundness in it,
but bruises and sores
and raw wounds;
they are r not pressed out or bound up
or softened with oil.

7 s Your country lies desolate;
your cities are burned with fire;
in your very presence
foreigners devour your land;
it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.
8 And t the daughter of Zion is left
like a u booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field,
like a besieged city.

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

10 Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of y z Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching 2 of our God,
you people of z Gomorrah!
11 a "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.

12 "When you come to b appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
c New moon and Sabbath and the d calling of convocations -
I cannot endure e iniquity and f solemn assembly.
14 Your c new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you g spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
h even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
i your hands are full of blood.
16 j Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
k cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
l seek justice,
correct oppression;
m bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow's cause.

18 "Come now, n let us reason 3 together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as o white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 p If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
q for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

The Unfaithful City

21 How the faithful city
r has become a whore, 4
s she who was full of justice!
Righteousness lodged in her,
but now murderers.
22 t Your silver has become dross,
your best wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebels
and companions of thieves.
Everyone u loves a bribe
and runs after gifts.
v They do not bring justice to the fatherless,
and the widow's cause does not come to them.

24 Therefore the w Lord declares,
the Lord of hosts,
the x Mighty One of Israel:
"Ah, I will get relief from my enemies
y and avenge myself on my foes.
25 z I will turn my hand against you
and will smelt away your a dross as with lye
and remove all your alloy.
26 And I will restore your judges b as at the first,
and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward c you shall be called the city of righteousness,
the faithful city."

27 d Zion shall be redeemed by justice,
and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
28 e But rebels and sinners shall be broken together,
and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
29 f For they 5 shall be ashamed of g the oaks
that you desired;
and you shall blush for h the gardens
that you have chosen.
30 For you shall be i like an oak
whose leaf withers,
and like a garden without water.
31 And the strong shall become j tinder,
and his work a spark,
and both of them shall burn together,
with k none to quench them.

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 6:1
    In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
  2. Cross References
    Hosea 1:1
    The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
    Micah 1:1
    The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
  3. Cross References
    2 Kings 15:1
    In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign.
    2 Kings 15:7
    And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son reigned in his place.
    2 Chronicles 26:1
    And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.
  4. Cross References
    2 Kings 15:32 - 38
    In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.
    2 Chronicles 27:1
    Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 7:1
    In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of U...
    Isaiah 7:3
    And the Lord said to Isaiah, "Go out to meet Ah...
    Isaiah 7:10
    Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz.
    Isaiah 7:12
    But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not ...
    Isaiah 14:28
    In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle:
    2 Kings 16:1
    In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Rem...
    2 Chronicles 28:1
    Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reig...
  6. Cross References
    Isaiah 37:2 - 39:8
    And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz.
    2 Kings 18:1 - 20:1
    In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.
    2 Chronicles 29:1 - 32:1
    Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah.
  7. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:1
    Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
    Deuteronomy 4:26
    I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed.
  8. Cross References
    Micah 1:2
    Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
    Micah 6:2
    Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the Lord has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel.
  9. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:6
    Do you thus repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?
    Deuteronomy 32:10
    He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
    Deuteronomy 32:15
    But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.
  10. Cross References
    Jeremiah 8:7
    Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the Lord.
  11. Cross References
    Jeremiah 8:7
    Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the Lord.
  12. Cross References
    Matthew 3:7
    But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 5:24
    Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
  14. Cross References
    Isaiah 31:1
    Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!
  15. Cross References
    Ezekiel 14:5
    That I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.
  16. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:3
    O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.
    Isaiah 9:13
    The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.
  17. Cross References
    Isaiah 31:6
    Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel.
  18. Cross References
    Psalms 38:3
    There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.
  19. Cross References
    Jeremiah 8:22
    Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?
  20. Cross References
    Isaiah 5:5
    And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
    Isaiah 6:11 - 12
    Then I said, "How long, O Lord?" And he said: "Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste.
    Deuteronomy 28:51 - 52
    It shall eat the offspring of your cattle and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; it also shall not leave you grain, wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.
  21. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:32
    This very day he will halt at Nob; he will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
    Isaiah 37:22
    This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him: "'She despises you, she scorns you - the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you - the daughter of Jerusalem.
    Zechariah 2:10
    Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord.
    Zechariah 9:9
    Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
  22. Cross References
    Job 27:18
    He builds his house like a moth's, like a booth that a watchman makes.
  23. Cross References
    Lamentations 3:22
    The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.
  24. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:21 - 22
    A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
    Romans 9:29
    And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.
  25. Cross References
    Isaiah 13:19
    And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
    Genesis 19:24 - 25
    Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
  26. Cross References
    Isaiah 13:19
    And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
    Genesis 19:24 - 25
    Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
  27. Cross References
    Ezekiel 16:46
    And your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters.
    Ezekiel 16:48 - 49
    As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.
    Ezekiel 16:55
    As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, and you and your daughters shall return to your former state.
    Isaiah 3:9
    For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.
    Revelation 11:8
    And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
  28. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:32
    For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter.
  29. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:32
    For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter.
  30. Cross References
    Proverbs 15:8
    The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
    Jeremiah 6:20
    What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba, or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.
    Malachi 1:10
    Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.
    Isaiah 66:3
    He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations.
    1 Samuel 15:22
    And Samuel said, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
  31. Cross References
    Exodus 23:17
    Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.
    Exodus 34:23
    Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.
  32. Cross References
    Numbers 28:11
    At the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord : two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish.
    1 Chronicles 23:31
    And whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord.
  33. Cross References
    Exodus 12:16
    On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you.
    Leviticus 23:36
    For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.
  34. Cross References
    Jeremiah 7:9 - 10
    Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known.
  35. Cross References
    Joel 2:15 - 17
    Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly.
  36. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:13
    Bring 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.
  37. Cross References
    1 Kings 8:22
    Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.
  38. Cross References
    Proverbs 1:28
    Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
    Micah 3:4
    Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil.
  39. Cross References
    Isaiah 59:3
    For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness.
  40. Cross References
    Jeremiah 2:22
    Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord God.
  41. Cross References
    1 Peter 3:11
    Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.
  42. Cross References
    Jeremiah 22:3
    Thus says the Lord : Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.
  43. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:23
    Your 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.
    James 1:27
    Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
  44. Cross References
    Micah 6:2
    Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the Lord has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel.
    Isaiah 43:26
    Put me in remembrance; let us argue together; set forth your case, that you may be proved right.
  45. Cross References
    Psalms 51:7
    Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
    Revelation 7:14
    I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
  46. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 30:15 - 16
    See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.
  47. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:2
    Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the...
    Isaiah 24:3
    The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly pl...
    Isaiah 40:5
    And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, an...
    Isaiah 58:14
    Then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I ...
    Micah 4:4
    But they shall sit every man under his vine and...
    Numbers 23:19
    God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of...
  48. Cross References
    Jeremiah 2:20
    For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, 'I will not serve.' Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.
    Exodus 34:15
    Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice.
  49. Cross References
    Jeremiah 31:23
    Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes: "'The Lord bless you, O habitation of righteousness, O holy hill!
  50. Cross References
    Jeremiah 6:30
    Rejected silver they are called, for the Lord has rejected them.
    Ezekiel 22:18
    Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are dross of silver.
  51. Cross References
    Micah 7:3
    Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.
    Exodus 23:8
    And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
  52. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:28
    They have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy.
    Zechariah 7:10
    Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.
    Isaiah 1:17
    Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.
  53. Cross References
    Isaiah 3:1
    For behold, the Lord God of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water.
    Isaiah 10:33
    Behold, the Lord God of hosts will lop the boughs with terrifying power; the great in height will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low.
  54. Cross References
    Psalms 132:2
    How he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.
  55. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:41
    If I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me.
  56. Cross References
    Psalms 81:14
    I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.
    Amos 1:8
    I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish," says the Lord God.
    Isaiah 5:25
    Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
  57. Cross References
    Ezekiel 22:20
    As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you.
    Malachi 3:3
    He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.
  58. Cross References
    Jeremiah 33:7
    I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first.
    Jeremiah 33:11
    The voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord : "'Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!' For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord.
  59. Cross References
    Zechariah 8:3
    Thus says the Lord : I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.
  60. Cross References
    Jeremiah 22:3 - 4
    Thus says the Lord : Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.
  61. Cross References
    Job 31:3
    Is not calamity for the unrighteous, and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
    Psalms 1:6
    For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
  62. Cross References
    Hosea 4:19
    A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
  63. Cross References
    Isaiah 57:5
    You who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
    Hosea 4:13
    They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery.
  64. Cross References
    Isaiah 65:3
    A people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks.
    Isaiah 66:17
    Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig's flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord.
  65. Cross References
    Jeremiah 17:8
    He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.
  66. Cross References
    Judges 16:9
    Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.
  67. Cross References
    Isaiah 66:24
    "And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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