Chapter 1

1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

A Rebellious Nation

2 Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!

For the Lord has spoken:

“I reared children and brought them up,

but they have rebelled against me.

3 The ox knows its master,

the donkey its owner’s manger,

but Israel does not know,

my people do not understand.”

4 Woe to the sinful nation,

a people whose guilt is great,

a brood of evildoers,

children given to corruption!

They have forsaken the Lord;

they have spurned the Holy One of Israel

and turned their backs on him.

5 Why should you be beaten anymore?

Why do you persist in rebellion?

Your whole head is injured,

your whole heart afflicted.

6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head

there is no soundness—

only wounds and welts

and open sores,

not cleansed or bandaged

or soothed with olive oil.

7 Your country is desolate,

your cities burned with fire;

your fields are being stripped by foreigners

right before you,

laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.

8 Daughter Zion is left

like a shelter in a vineyard,

like a hut in a cucumber field,

like a city under siege.

9 Unless the Lord Almighty

had left us some survivors,

we would have become like Sodom,

we would have been like Gomorrah.

10 Hear the word of the Lord,

you rulers of Sodom;

listen to the instruction of our God,

you people of Gomorrah!

11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—

what are they to me?” says the Lord.

“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,

of rams and the fat of fattened animals;

I have no pleasure

in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.

12 When you come to appear before me,

who has asked this of you,

this trampling of my courts?

13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!

Your incense is detestable to me.

New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—

I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.

14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals

I hate with all my being.

They have become a burden to me;

I am weary of bearing them.

15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,

I hide my eyes from you;

even when you offer many prayers,

I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood!

16 Wash and make yourselves clean.

Take your evil deeds out of my sight;

stop doing wrong.

17 Learn to do right; seek justice.

Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless;

plead the case of the widow.

18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”

says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

they shall be like wool.

19 If you are willing and obedient,

you will eat the good things of the land;

20 but if you resist and rebel,

you will be devoured by the sword.”

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

21 See how the faithful city

has become a prostitute!

She once was full of justice;

righteousness used to dwell in her—

but now murderers!

22 Your silver has become dross,

your choice wine is diluted with water.

23 Your rulers are rebels,

partners with thieves;

they all love bribes

and chase after gifts.

They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;

the widow’s case does not come before them.

24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,

the Mighty One of Israel, declares:

“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes

and avenge myself on my enemies.

25 I will turn my hand against you;

I will thoroughly purge away your dross

and remove all your impurities.

26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,

your rulers as at the beginning.

Afterward you will be called

the City of Righteousness,

the Faithful City.”

27 Zion will be delivered with justice,

her penitent ones with righteousness.

28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken,

and those who forsake the Lord will perish.

29 “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks

in which you have delighted;

you will be disgraced because of the gardens

that you have chosen.

30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves,

like a garden without water.

31 The mighty man will become tinder

and his work a spark;

both will burn together,

with no one to quench the fire.”

Chapter 2

The Mountain of the Lord

1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established

as the highest of the mountains;

it will be exalted above the hills,

and all nations will stream to it.

3 Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the temple of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways,

so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law will go out from Zion,

the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 He will judge between the nations

and will settle disputes for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

nor will they train for war anymore.

5 Come, descendants of Jacob,

let us walk in the light of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord

6 You, Lord, have abandoned your people,

the descendants of Jacob.

They are full of superstitions from the East;

they practice divination like the Philistines

and embrace pagan customs.

7 Their land is full of silver and gold;

there is no end to their treasures.

Their land is full of horses;

there is no end to their chariots.

8 Their land is full of idols;

they bow down to the work of their hands,

to what their fingers have made.

9 So people will be brought low

and everyone humbled—

do not forgive them.

10 Go into the rocks, hide in the ground

from the fearful presence of the Lord

and the splendor of his majesty!

11 The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled

and human pride brought low;

the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

12 The Lord Almighty has a day in store

for all the proud and lofty,

for all that is exalted

(and they will be humbled),

13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,

and all the oaks of Bashan,

14 for all the towering mountains

and all the high hills,

15 for every lofty tower

and every fortified wall,

16 for every trading ship

and every stately vessel.

17 The arrogance of man will be brought low

and human pride humbled;

the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,

18 and the idols will totally disappear.

19 People will flee to caves in the rocks

and to holes in the ground

from the fearful presence of the Lord

and the splendor of his majesty,

when he rises to shake the earth.

20 In that day people will throw away

to the moles and bats

their idols of silver and idols of gold,

which they made to worship.

21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks

and to the overhanging crags

from the fearful presence of the Lord

and the splendor of his majesty,

when he rises to shake the earth.

22 Stop trusting in mere humans,

who have but a breath in their nostrils.

Why hold them in esteem?

Chapter 3

Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

1 See now, the Lord,

the Lord Almighty,

is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah

both supply and support:

all supplies of food and all supplies of water,

2 the hero and the warrior,

the judge and the prophet,

the diviner and the elder,

3 the captain of fifty and the man of rank,

the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.

4 “I will make mere youths their officials;

children will rule over them.”

5 People will oppress each other—

man against man, neighbor against neighbor.

The young will rise up against the old,

the nobody against the honored.

6 A man will seize one of his brothers

in his father’s house, and say,

“You have a cloak, you be our leader;

take charge of this heap of ruins!”

7 But in that day he will cry out,

“I have no remedy.

I have no food or clothing in my house;

do not make me the leader of the people.”

8 Jerusalem staggers,

Judah is falling;

their words and deeds are against the Lord,

defying his glorious presence.

9 The look on their faces testifies against them;

they parade their sin like Sodom;

they do not hide it.

Woe to them!

They have brought disaster upon themselves.

10 Tell the righteous it will be well with them,

for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.

11 Woe to the wicked!

Disaster is upon them!

They will be paid back

for what their hands have done.

12 Youths oppress my people,

women rule over them.

My people, your guides lead you astray;

they turn you from the path.

13 The Lord takes his place in court;

he rises to judge the people.

14 The Lord enters into judgment

against the elders and leaders of his people:

“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;

the plunder from the poor is in your houses.

15 What do you mean by crushing my people

and grinding the faces of the poor?”

declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

16 The Lord says,

“The women of Zion are haughty,

walking along with outstretched necks,

flirting with their eyes,

strutting along with swaying hips,

with ornaments jingling on their ankles.

17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;

the Lord will make their scalps bald.”

18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.

24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench;

instead of a sash, a rope;

instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;

instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;

instead of beauty, branding.

25 Your men will fall by the sword,

your warriors in battle.

26The gates of Zion will lament and mourn;

destitute, she will sit on the ground.

Chapter 3

Saved in Order to Do Good

1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.

10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

Final Remarks

12 As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. 13 Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need. 14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.

15 Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with you all.