1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz which he beheld concerning Judea and Jerusalem during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah:
2 Hear, O heavens! Give heed, O earth!
Jehovah has spoken:I have reared sons, brought them up,
but they have revolted against me. 3 The ox knows its owner,
the ass its master’s stall, but Israel does not know;
my people are insensible. 4 Alas, a nation astray,
a people weighed down by sin, the offspring of wrongdoers,
perverse children: they have forsaken Jehovah,
they have spurned the Holy One of Israel, they have lapsed into apostasy.
5 Why be smitten further
by adding to your waywardness?The whole head is sick,
the whole heart diseased.6 From the soles of the feet even to the head
there is nothing sound,only wounds and bruises and festering sores;
they have not been pressed out or bound up,nor soothed with ointment.7 Your land is ruined,your cities burned with fire;your native soil is devoured by aliens in your presence,laid waste at its takeover by foreigners.8 The Daughter of Zion is leftlike a shelter in a vineyard,a hut in a melon field,a city under siege.9 Had not Jehovah of Hosts left us a few survivors,we should have been as Sodom,or become like Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of Jehovah,O leaders of Sodom;give heed to the law of our God,you people of Gomorrah!11 For what purpose are your abundantsacrifices to me? says Jehovah.I have had my fill of offerings of ramsand fat of fatted beasts;the blood of bulls and sheep and he-goatsI do not want.12 When you come to see me,who requires you to trample my courts so?13 Bring no more worthless offerings;they are as a loathsome incense to me.As for convening meetings at the New Monthand on the Sabbath,wickedness with the solemn gatheringI cannot approve.14 Your monthly and regular meetingsmy soul detests.They have become a burden on me;I am weary of putting up with them.15 When you spread forth your hands,I will conceal my eyes from you;though you pray at length, I will not hear—your hands are filled with blood.
16 Wash yourselves clean:remove your wicked deedsfrom before my eyes;cease to do evil.17 Learn to do good: demand justice,stand up for the oppressed;plead the cause of the fatherless,appeal on behalf of the widow.18 Come now, let us put it to the test,says Jehovah:though your sins are as scarlet,they can be made white as snow;though they have reddened as crimson,they may become white as wool.19 If you are willing and obey,you shall eat the good of the land.20 But if you are unwilling and disobey,you shall be eaten by the sword.By his mouth Jehovah has spoken it.
21 How the faithful cityhas become a harlot!She was filled with justice;righteousness made its abode in her,but now murderers.22 Your silver has become dross,your wine diluted with water.23 Your rulers are renegades,accomplices of robbers:with one accord they love bribesand run after rewards;they do not dispense justice to the fatherless,nor does the widow’s case come before them.24 Therefore the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts,the Valiant One of Israel, declares,Woe to them! I will relieve meof my adversaries,avenge me of my enemies.
25 I will restore my hand over youand smelt away your dross as in a crucible,and remove all your alloy.26 I will restore your judges as at the first,and your counsellors as in the beginning.After this you shall be calledthe City of Righteousness, a faithful city.27 For Zion shall be ransomed by justice,those of her who repent by righteousness.28 But criminals and sinnersshall be altogether shatteredwhen those who forsake Jehovah are annihilated.
29 And you will be ashamed of the oaks you cherishedand blush for the parks you were fond of;30 you shall become like an oak whose leaves wither,and as a garden that has no water.31 The mighty shall be as refuse,and their works a spark;both shall burn up alike,and there shall be none to extinguish.
2.1 A prophecy concerning Judea and Jerusalem which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw in vision:
2 In the latter daysthe mountain of Jehovah’s houseshall become establishedas the head of the mountains;it shall be preeminent among the hills,and all nations will flow to it.3 Many peoples shall go, saying,Come, let us go upto the mountain of Jehovah,to the house of the God of Jacob,that he may instruct us in his ways,that we may follow in his paths.For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and from Jerusalem the word of Jehovah.4 He will judge between the nationsand arbitrate for many peoples.They will beat their swords into plowshares,their spears into pruning hooks:nation will not lift the sword against nation,nor will they learn warfare any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come,let us follow the light of Jehovah.6 For you, O Jehovah, have forsaken your people,the house of Jacob, because,like the Philistines,they provide themselves withmystics from the Eastand are content with the infantile heathen.
7 Their land is full of silver and goldand there is no end to their wealth;their land is full of horsesand there is no end to their chariots.8 Their land is full of idols:they adore the works of their hands,things their own fingers have made.
9 Mankind is brought lowwhen men thus debase themselves.Forbear them not!
10 Go into the rocks; hide in the dustfrom the awesome presence of Jehovahand from the brightness of his glory.11 The haughty eyes of men shall be loweredand man’s pride abased;Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 Jehovah of Hosts has a day in storefor all the proud and arrogantand for all who are exalted,that they may be brought low.13 It shall come against all the loftycedars of Lebanon that lift themselves up high,and against all the oaks of Bashan,14 against all high mountains and elevated hills,15 against every tall tower and reinforced wall,16 against [all vessels at sea,]both merchant ships and pleasure craft.17 The haughtiness of men shall be abased,and man’s pride brought low;Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.
18 He will utterly supplant the false gods.
19 Men will go into caves in the rocksand holes in the ground,from the awesome presence of Jehovahand from the brightness of his glory,when he arises and strikes terror on earth.20 In that day men will throw awayto the moles and to the batstheir idols of silver and gods of goldwhich they have made for themselvesto adore.21 Men will go into crevices in the rocksand fissures in the cliffs,from the awesome presence of Jehovahand from the brightness of his glory,when he arises and strikes terror on earth.
22 Desist from the things of man,in whose nostrils is but breath!For of what consideration is he?
3.1 Even now, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts,deprives Judea and Jerusalemof both staff and crutch —all food supply and water supply,2 the valiant man and soldier,the magistrate and prophet, the augur and elder,3 the officer and dignitary,advisers, skilled craftsmen, and orators.4 I, Jehovah, will make adolescents their rulers;delinquents will lord it over them.5 People will oppress one another,every man his neighbor.The young will be insolent to the elderly,the vile to the honorable.
6 Then will a man apprehend a kinsmanof his father’s house, and say,You have a tunic: be our leaderand take charge of this ruination!7 But he will raise his hand in that dayand swear, I am no physician.There is neither food nor clothing in my house;you cannot make me a leader of the people.
8 Jerusalem will falter and Judea fallbecause their tongue and their actionsare contrary to Jehovah,an affront to his glory before his very eyes.9 The look on their faces betrays them:they flaunt their sin like Sodom;they cannot hide it.
Woe to their souls;they have brought disaster upon themselves!10 Tell the righteous it shall be well with them;they shall eat the fruits of their own labors.11 But woe to the wickedwhen calamity overtakes them:they shall be paid backfor the deeds they have done!
12 As for my people, babes subject them;women wield authority over them.O my people, your leaders mislead you,abolishing your traditional ways.13 Jehovah will take a stand and contend with them;he has arisen to judge the nations.14 He will bring to trial the elders of his peopleand their rulers, and say to them,It is you who have devoured the vineyard;you fill your houses by depriving the needy.15 What do you mean by oppressing my people,humbling the faces of the poor?says Jehovah of Hosts.
16 Jehovah says, moreover,Because the women of Zion are haughtyand put on airs, painting their eyes,ever flirting when they walkand clacking with their feet,17 my Lord will afflict the scalpsof the women of Zion with baldness;Jehovah will expose their private parts.
18 In that day my Lord will strip away their finery — the anklets, head ornaments and crescents, 19 the pendants, chains and scarves, 20 tiaras, bracelets and ribbons, zodiac signs and charm amulets, 21 the rings, the noselets, 22 the elegant dress, the shawl, the kerchief and the purse, 23 hosiery, sheer linen, millinery, and cloaks.
24 And instead of perfume there shall be a stench,instead of the girdle, a piece of twine,instead of the coiffure, baldness,instead of the festive dress, a loincloth of burlap;for in place of beauty
there shall be ignominy.25 Your men shall be felled by the sword,your might overthrown in war.26 Her gateways shall lie bereaved and forlorn;she shall sit on the ground destitute.
4.1 Seven women will take hold of one manin that day, and say,We will eat our own food,wear our own clothes,only let us be called by your name —take away our reproach!
2 In that day the plant of Jehovah shall be beautiful and glorious, and the earth’s fruit the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. 3 Then shall they who are left in Zion and they who remain in Jerusalem be called holy — all who were inscribed to be among the living at Jerusalem.
4 This shall be when my Lord has washed away the excrement of the women of Zion and cleansed Jerusalem of its bloodshed, in the spirit of justice, by a burning wind.
5 Over the whole site of Mount Zion, and over its solemn assembly, Jehovah will form a cloud by day and a mist glowing with fire by night: above all that is glorious shall be a canopy. 6 It shall be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, a secret refuge from the downpour and from rain.
5.1 Let me sing for my Beloveda love song about his vineyard:My Beloved had a vineyardon the fertile brow of a hill.2 He cultivated it, clearing it of stones,and planted it with choice vines.He built a watchtower in its midstand hewed for it a winepress as well.Then he expected it to yield grapes,but it produced wild grapes.3 Now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and you men of Judea,please judge between me and my vineyard!4 What more could have been donefor my vineyard than I have done for it?When I expected it to yield grapes,why did it produce wild grapes?5 Let me now inform youwhat I will do to my vineyard:I will have its hedge removedand let it be burned;I will have its wall broken throughand let it be trampled.6 I will make it a desolation:it shall neither be pruned nor hoed,but briars and thorns shall overgrow it.Moreover, I will forbid the rainclouds to rain on it.7 The vineyard of Jehovah of Hosts is the house of Israeland the people of Judah his cherished grove.He expected justice,but there was injustice;he expected righteousness,but there was an outcry.
8 Woe to those who join house to houseand link field to field till no place is left,and you are restricted to dwellin the centers of the land!9 Jehovah of Hosts spoke this in my hearing:Surely many buildings shall lie desolate,large and fine houses unoccupied.10 A ten-acre vineyard shall yield but one bath,a homer of seed but an ephah.11 Woe to those who go after liquoras soon as they arise in the morning,who linger at night parties, inflamed by wine!
12 There are harps and lyres,drums, flutes, and wine at their banquets,
but they regard not what Jehovah does,nor perceive his hands at work.13 Therefore are my people exiledwithout knowing why;their best men die of famine,their masses perish with thirst.14 Sheol becomes ravenous,opening its mouth insatiably;into it descend their elite with the masses,their boisterous ones and revelers.
15 Mankind is brought lowwhen men debase themselves,causing the eyes of the high-minded to be downcast.16 But Jehovah of Hosts will be exaltedby a just judgment,the holy God show himself holyby his righteousness.17 Then shall his sheep feed in their pasture,and proselytes eat in the ruins of the affluent.
18 Woe to those drawn to sin by vain attachments,hitched to transgression like a trailer,19 who think, Let him quickly speed up his workso we may see it!Let the plan of the Holy One of Israelsoon come to pass, and we will know!20 Woe to those who suppose what is evil to be goodand what is good, evil!They put darkness for lightand light for darkness;they make bitterness sweet and the sweet bitter.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyesand clever in their own view!22 Woe to those who are valiant at drinking wineand champions at mixing liquor!
23 Woe to those who acquit the guilty for a bribebut deny justice to the innocent!24 As a blazing fire consumes stubble,and as dry weeds wane before the flame,so shall their roots decay awayand their blossoms fly up like dust.For they have despised the law of Jehovah of Hostsand reviled the words of the Holy One of Israel.25 Therefore the anger of Jehovah is kindledagainst his people:he draws back his hand against themand strikes them;the mountains quake, and their corpseslie like litter about the streets.Yet for all this his anger is not abated;his hand is upraised still.26 He raises an ensign to distant nationsand summons them from beyond the horizon.Forthwith they come, swiftly and speedily.
27 Not one of them grows weary,nor does any stumble;they do not drowse or fall asleep.Their waist-belts come not loosenor their sandal thongs undone.28 Their arrows are sharp;all their bows are strung.The tread of their warhorses resembles flint;their chariot wheels revolve like a whirlwind.29 They have the roar of a lion;they are aroused like young lions:growling, they seize the prey, and escape,and none comes to the rescue.30 He shall be stirred up against them in that day,even as the Sea is stirred up.And should one look to the land,there too shall be a distressing gloom,for the daylight shall be darkenedby an overhanging mist.
6.1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw my Lord seated on a throne, highly exalted, the skirt of his robe filling the sanctuary. 2 Seraphs stood by him overhead, each having six wings — with two they could veil their presence, with two conceal their location, and with two fly about. 3 They called out to one another, and said,
Most holy is Jehovah of Hosts;the consummation of all the earth is his glory!
4 The threshold shook to its foundation at the sound of those who called and a mist filled the temple.
5 Then I thought, Woe is me: I have been struck dumb, for I am a man of unclean speech, and I live among a people of unclean speech: I have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts, with my own eyes!
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me carrying an ember which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 Touching it to my mouth, he said, See, this has touched your lips: your sins are taken away, your transgressions atoned for.
8 Then I heard the voice of my Lord saying, Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? And I replied, Here am I; send me!
9 And he said, Go, and say to these people,
Go on hearing, but not understanding;Go on seeing, but not perceiving.10 Make the heart of these people grow fat;dull their ears and shut their eyes,lest they see with their eyesand hear with their ears,understand in their heart,and repent, and be healed.
11 And I replied, For how long, my Lord? And he said,
Until the cities lie desolateand without inhabitant,the houses without a man,and the land ravaged to ruin.12 For Jehovah will drive men away,and great shall be the exodusfrom the centers of the land.13 And while yet a tenth of the peopleremain in it, or return,they shall be burned.But like the terebinth or the oakwhen it is felled, whose stump remains alive,so shall the holy offspring be what is left standing.