Isaiah 1
1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw, concerning Judah and Jerusalem, —in the days of Uzziah Jotham Ahaz Hezekiah—kings of Judah.
The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Joatham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Hear O heavens, And give ear, O earth, for Yahweh, hath spoken: —Sons, have I brought up, and advanced, And, they, have rebelled against me.
Listen, O heavens, and pay attention, O earth, for the Lord has spoken. I have nurtured and raised children, but they have spurned me.
3 An ox knoweth, his owner, And an ass his masters crib, —Israel, doth not know, My people doth not consider.
An ox knows his owner, and a donkey knows the manger of his lord, but Israel has not known me, and my people have not understood.
4 Alas! a nation—committing sin, a people—burdened with iniquity, a seed—practising wickedness, sons—acting corruptly. They have forsaken Yahweh despised the Holy One of Israel, —Are estranged and gone back.
Woe to a sinful nation, a people burdened by iniquity, a wicked offspring, accursed children. They have abandoned the Lord. They have blasphemed the Holy One of Israel. They been taken away backwards.
5 Why should ye be smitten any more? Ye would again turn aside! The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faint:
For what reason shall I continue to strike you, as you increase transgressions? The entire head is feeble, and the entire heart is grieving.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head, there is in it no soundness, Bruise and stripe and newly-made wound, —They have not been pressed out, nor bound up, nor soothed with oil.
From the sole of the foot, even to the top of the head, there is no soundness within. Wounds and bruises and swelling sores: these are not bandaged, nor treated with medicine, nor soothed with oil.
7 Your country—is a desolation, Your cities—are consumed with fire, —Your soil—right before your eyes, foreigners are devouring it, And it is a desolation a very overthrow by foreigners;
Your land is desolate. Your cities have been set ablaze. Foreigners devour your countryside in your sight, and it will become desolate, as if devastated by enemies.
8 And left is the Daughter of Zion, Like a hut in a vineyard, —Like a lodge in a gourd-plot Like a city besieged.
And the daughter of Zion will be left behind, like an arbor in a vineyard, and like a shelter in a cucumber field, and like a city being laid to waste.
9 If, Yahweh of hosts, had not left us a very small remnant, Like Sodom, had we become, Gomorrah, had we resembled.
If the Lord of hosts had not bequeathed us offspring, we would have been like Sodom, and we would have been comparable to Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of Yahweh, ye rulers of Sodom, —Give ear to the instruction of our God, ye people of Gomorrah: —
Listen to the Word of the Lord, you leaders of the people of Sodom. Listen closely to the law of our God, O people of Gomorrah.
11 Of what use to me, is your multitude of sacrifices: Saith Yahweh: I am sated with ascending-offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts, —In the blood of bulls and young rams and he-goats, have I no pleasure.
The multitude of your sacrifices, what is that to me, says the Lord? I am full. I do not desire holocausts of rams, nor the fat of fatlings, nor the blood of calves and of lambs and of he-goats.
12 When ye enter to see my face, Who hath required this at your hand trampling my courts?
When you approach before my sight, who is it that requires these things from your hands, so that you would walk in my courts?
13 Ye shall not again bring in an empty, present, Incense, an abomination, is that unto me! New moon, and sabbath calling an assembly—I cannot endure, iniquity and sacred festival!
You should no longer offer sacrifice in vain. Incense is an abomination to me. The new moons and the Sabbaths and the other feast days, I will not receive. Your gatherings are iniquitous.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts, my soul, hateth, —They have become unto me a burden I am too weary to bear:
My soul hates your days of proclamation and your solemnities. They have become bothersome to me. I labor to endure them.
15 Even when ye spread forth your open palms, I hide mine eyes from you; Yea, though ye multiply prayers, I am not hearkening, —Your hands, with deeds of blood, are filled.
And so, when you extend your hands, I will avert my eyes from you. And when you multiply your prayers, I will not heed you. For your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash you make you clean, Put away the wickedness of your doings from before mine eyes, —Cease to do evil.
Wash, become clean, take away the evil of your intentions from my eyes. Cease to act perversely.
17 Learn to do well—Seek justice, Correct the oppressor, —Vindicate the fatherless, Plead the cause of the widow,
Learn to do good. Seek judgment, support the oppressed, judge for the orphan, defend the widow.
18 Come, I pray you, and let us settle the dispute Saith Yahweh, —Though your sins be found like scarlet, As snow, shall they be made white, Though they appear red like crimson, As wool, shall they become.
And then approach and accuse me, says the Lord. Then, if your sins are like scarlet, they shall be made white like snow; and if they are red like vermillion, they shall become white like wool.
19 If ye be willing—and hearken Of the good of the land, shall ye eat;
If you are willing, and you listen to me, then you will eat the good things of the land.
20 But, if ye refuse and rebel, With the sword, shall ye be devoured, For, the mouth of Yahweh, hath spoken it.
But if you are not willing, and you provoke me to anger, then the sword will devour you. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
21 How hath she become unchaste!—The city that was Faithful, —Full of justice, Righteousness lodged in her, But, now, murderers!
How has the faithful city, full of judgment, become a harlot? Justice lived in her, but now murderers.
22 Thy silver, hath become dross, —Thy wine, weakened with water;
Your silver has turned into dross. Your wine has been mixed with water.
23 Thy rulers, are unruly, and companions of thieves, Every one of the people, loveth a bribe, and runneth after rewards, —The fatherless, they do not vindicate, And, the plea of the widow, reacheth them not.
Your leaders are unfaithful, the associates of thieves. They all love gifts; they pursue rewards. They do not judge for orphans, and the widow’s case is not brought before them.
24 Therefore, Declareth the Lord Yahweh of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, —Alas! I must appease me on mine adversaries, I must avenge me on mine enemies
Because of this, the Lord God of hosts, the Strength of Israel, says: Ah! I will be consoled over my enemies, and I will be vindicated from my adversaries.
25 That I may turn my hand against thee, And smelt away, as with potash, thy dross, And remove all thine alloy;
And I will turn my hand to you. And I will temper your dross unto purity, and I will take away all your tin.
26 That I may restore thy Judges as at the first, and thy Counsellors as at the beginning, —After that, shalt thou be called Righteous citadel, Trusty city, —
And I will restore your judges, so that they will be as before, and your counselors as in times long past. After this, you shall be called the City of the Just, the Faithful City.
27 Zion, with justice shall be redeemed, —And her returning ones, with righteousness;
Zion will be redeemed in judgment, and they will lead her back to justice.
28 And the downfall of transgressors and sinners, shall be, together, —And, they who forsake Yahweh, shall be brought to an end;
And he shall crush the accursed and sinners together. And those who have abandoned the Lord will be consumed.
29 For they shall turn pale on account of the oaks which ye desired, —And ye shall blush on account of the gardens which ye had chosen;
For they shall be confounded because of the idols, to which they have sacrificed. And you shall be ashamed over the gardens that you chose,
30 For ye shall be as an oak with its leaf faded, And as a garden that hath no, water;
when you were like an oak with falling leaves, and like a garden without water.
31 Then shall the strong one become tow, And his work a spark, —And they shall both blaze together And there be none to quench the fire.
And your strength will be like the embers from stubble, and your work will be like a spark, and both will burn together, and there will be no one to extinguish it.
