ISAIAH 1
The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem seen by Isaiah, son of Amoz, during the time that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah:
2 Listen up, heavens, and pay attention, earth, because Yahweh has spoken!
“I brought up sons and exalted them, but they rebelled against me! 3 An ox recognises its owner, and a donkey knows the stable its master provides, but Israel doesn’t! My people don’t get it!” 4 Oh sinful nation, a people heavy with guilt – the seed of sinners, sons of corrupters! They have abandoned Yahweh. They have ridiculed the Holy One of Israel. They have turned their back and are alienated. 5 Why continue being clobbered? You are storing up apostasy! Every head is sick and every heart faints. 6 There is no health from the sole of his foot to his head. His cuts, bruises and open wounds have not been closed up nor bandaged nor soothed with olive oil. 7 Your land is desolate; your cities are pits of fire. Foreigners are devouring your land right in front of you; there is destruction as if foreigners are taking over! 8 The daughter of Zion is left over like a lean-to in a vineyard, like a hut in a field of cucumbers, like a city under observation. 9 If Yahweh of Warriors hadn’t spared us a remnant we would have become as scarce a Sodom; we’d have been just like Gomorrah. 10 Listen to Yahweh’s word, leaders of Sodom! Pay attention to the law of our Godhead, people of Gomorrah! 11 “What good to me are your countless sacrifices?” says Yahweh. “I’ve had enough of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of your pudgiest cattle, and I don’t take pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats. 12 For when you come in to be seen by my face, who would want to accept from your hands this trampling of my courts? 13 Stop bringing in more and more empty gifts! Your incense is despicable to me. New Moon and Sabbath, when you call a get-together… I can’t take wickedness and sacred assembly! 14 My soul hates your New Moon assemblies and your appointed festivals. They have become a burden I’m tired of carrying. 15 When you raise your hands I will shield my eyes from you; even though you will make lots of prayers no part of me is paying attention – your hands are covered with blood! 16 Wash! Clean yourselves! Get your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop being evil, 17 learn to do right! Seek out justice! Straighten out the oppressor! Defend the orphan! Fight for the widow!”
18 “Come on now, let’s weigh it up,” says Yahweh. “Even though your sins may be like scarlet, they can be made as white as snow; though they may be as red as crimson, they can be white like wool. 19 If you are willing and listen you will eat the good things of the land, 20 but if you refuse and rebel you will be devoured by a sword.” Indeed the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.
21 How has the faithful city become a prostitute? She was full of justice, and righteousness lived in her – but now there are murderers! 22 Your silver is just dross and your alcohol is watered down. 23 Your leaders are rebellious and in partnership with thieves. Each one loves a bribe and looks for kickbacks. They don’t stand up for the orphan and the trouble of a widow doesn’t bother them. 24 So here is the word of the Lord, Yahweh of Warriors, the Mighty One of Israel: “Right! I will relieve myself from my irritators and take revenge against my enemies. 25 I will place my hand back on you and purify your dross like the refiner. I will smelt away all your impurities. 26 I will re-establish your judges like in your early days and your advisors like in the beginning. Then you will be called ‘The Righteous City, a faithful town.’”
27 Zion will be ransomed in judgement, and her repentant in righteousness. 28 (Rebels and sinners will be crushed as one, and those who abandon Yahweh will be finished.) 29 Indeed they will be ashamed of the sacred trees you desire; you will be disparaged because of the gardens you have chosen. 30 For you will be like a sacred tree whose leaves are withering, and like a garden without water. 31 The affluent one will be like a strand of yarn and his work like a spark; both will burn together with no one putting them out.
2 Listen up, heavens, and pay attention, earth, because Yahweh has spoken!
“I brought up sons and exalted them, but they rebelled against me! 3 An ox recognises its owner, and a donkey knows the stable its master provides, but Israel doesn’t! My people don’t get it!” 4 Oh sinful nation, a people heavy with guilt – the seed of sinners, sons of corrupters! They have abandoned Yahweh. They have ridiculed the Holy One of Israel. They have turned their back and are alienated. 5 Why continue being clobbered? You are storing up apostasy! Every head is sick and every heart faints. 6 There is no health from the sole of his foot to his head. His cuts, bruises and open wounds have not been closed up nor bandaged nor soothed with olive oil. 7 Your land is desolate; your cities are pits of fire. Foreigners are devouring your land right in front of you; there is destruction as if foreigners are taking over! 8 The daughter of Zion is left over like a lean-to in a vineyard, like a hut in a field of cucumbers, like a city under observation. 9 If Yahweh of Warriors hadn’t spared us a remnant we would have become as scarce a Sodom; we’d have been just like Gomorrah. 10 Listen to Yahweh’s word, leaders of Sodom! Pay attention to the law of our Godhead, people of Gomorrah! 11 “What good to me are your countless sacrifices?” says Yahweh. “I’ve had enough of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of your pudgiest cattle, and I don’t take pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats. 12 For when you come in to be seen by my face, who would want to accept from your hands this trampling of my courts? 13 Stop bringing in more and more empty gifts! Your incense is despicable to me. New Moon and Sabbath, when you call a get-together… I can’t take wickedness and sacred assembly! 14 My soul hates your New Moon assemblies and your appointed festivals. They have become a burden I’m tired of carrying. 15 When you raise your hands I will shield my eyes from you; even though you will make lots of prayers no part of me is paying attention – your hands are covered with blood! 16 Wash! Clean yourselves! Get your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop being evil, 17 learn to do right! Seek out justice! Straighten out the oppressor! Defend the orphan! Fight for the widow!”
18 “Come on now, let’s weigh it up,” says Yahweh. “Even though your sins may be like scarlet, they can be made as white as snow; though they may be as red as crimson, they can be white like wool. 19 If you are willing and listen you will eat the good things of the land, 20 but if you refuse and rebel you will be devoured by a sword.” Indeed the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.
21 How has the faithful city become a prostitute? She was full of justice, and righteousness lived in her – but now there are murderers! 22 Your silver is just dross and your alcohol is watered down. 23 Your leaders are rebellious and in partnership with thieves. Each one loves a bribe and looks for kickbacks. They don’t stand up for the orphan and the trouble of a widow doesn’t bother them. 24 So here is the word of the Lord, Yahweh of Warriors, the Mighty One of Israel: “Right! I will relieve myself from my irritators and take revenge against my enemies. 25 I will place my hand back on you and purify your dross like the refiner. I will smelt away all your impurities. 26 I will re-establish your judges like in your early days and your advisors like in the beginning. Then you will be called ‘The Righteous City, a faithful town.’”
27 Zion will be ransomed in judgement, and her repentant in righteousness. 28 (Rebels and sinners will be crushed as one, and those who abandon Yahweh will be finished.) 29 Indeed they will be ashamed of the sacred trees you desire; you will be disparaged because of the gardens you have chosen. 30 For you will be like a sacred tree whose leaves are withering, and like a garden without water. 31 The affluent one will be like a strand of yarn and his work like a spark; both will burn together with no one putting them out.
Book of Isaiah)
Written to the Southern Kingdom (Judah) around about 700 BC, soon after the fall of the Northern Kingdom (Israel, or Samaria), to the Assyrians. Judah is heading down a similar path of apostasy and God is warning them, which is pretty clear from the get-go. Despite current scholarship, it is one book by one man, Isaiah, who's name means "Yahweh saves" (i.e. it's much the same as Yeshua/Joshua).
10)
Godhead. Explanation here
18)
though your sins may be like scarlet, they can be made as white as snow... God's first ray of hope so far but there are far brighter moments coming later in the book!
24-31)
Certainly the eventual fall of Judah to the Babylonians between about 605-586 BC was part of what God is talking about here, but it isn't enough (e.g. Jerusalem has not yet ever received the title of Righteous City). The greatest fulfillment of this will be in the Tribulation when God indeed smelts the impurities out of his people Israel through the fire of those trials.
29)
they...you...you...you Scholars get confused by the switching pronouns and mess around with their translations as a result, but I'll give explaining it a go - there are really two main options:
1) (Assumes the context is the Tribulation) In the statement 'they will be ashamed of the sacred trees you desire,' 'they' are the Jews of that far future Tribulation, and/or post-Tribulation, age (the 'repentant in righteousness' of v27. Thus v28 is parenthetical, just a descriptive comment, because otherwise the antecedent for the 'they' would be the more recently mentioned 'rebels and sinners'), whilst 'you' (plural) are Isaiah's contemporary Jews who are enamoured with their sacred high places and trees of pagan worship. If this is right, then 'you will be disparaged because of the gardens you have chosen' would refer to the righteous ones' opinions of their worship practices.
2) The nearest antecedent to the first 'they' are the 'rebels and sinners' (assuming no parentheses), so this would mean that even those folks, as bad as they are, would be ashamed of how badly Israel is behaving. In this case you would really need to put it, "Indeed even they would be ashamed..." If this is the case, then 'you will be disparaged because of the gardens you have chosen' would refer to the rebels' opinions of their worship practices instead. This seems the far less likely interpretation, though.
Written to the Southern Kingdom (Judah) around about 700 BC, soon after the fall of the Northern Kingdom (Israel, or Samaria), to the Assyrians. Judah is heading down a similar path of apostasy and God is warning them, which is pretty clear from the get-go. Despite current scholarship, it is one book by one man, Isaiah, who's name means "Yahweh saves" (i.e. it's much the same as Yeshua/Joshua).
10)
Godhead. Explanation here
18)
though your sins may be like scarlet, they can be made as white as snow... God's first ray of hope so far but there are far brighter moments coming later in the book!
24-31)
Certainly the eventual fall of Judah to the Babylonians between about 605-586 BC was part of what God is talking about here, but it isn't enough (e.g. Jerusalem has not yet ever received the title of Righteous City). The greatest fulfillment of this will be in the Tribulation when God indeed smelts the impurities out of his people Israel through the fire of those trials.
29)
they...you...you...you Scholars get confused by the switching pronouns and mess around with their translations as a result, but I'll give explaining it a go - there are really two main options:
1) (Assumes the context is the Tribulation) In the statement 'they will be ashamed of the sacred trees you desire,' 'they' are the Jews of that far future Tribulation, and/or post-Tribulation, age (the 'repentant in righteousness' of v27. Thus v28 is parenthetical, just a descriptive comment, because otherwise the antecedent for the 'they' would be the more recently mentioned 'rebels and sinners'), whilst 'you' (plural) are Isaiah's contemporary Jews who are enamoured with their sacred high places and trees of pagan worship. If this is right, then 'you will be disparaged because of the gardens you have chosen' would refer to the righteous ones' opinions of their worship practices.
2) The nearest antecedent to the first 'they' are the 'rebels and sinners' (assuming no parentheses), so this would mean that even those folks, as bad as they are, would be ashamed of how badly Israel is behaving. In this case you would really need to put it, "Indeed even they would be ashamed..." If this is the case, then 'you will be disparaged because of the gardens you have chosen' would refer to the rebels' opinions of their worship practices instead. This seems the far less likely interpretation, though.