New Living Translation NLT
Common English Bible CEB
1 These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.
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The vision about Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah, Amoz's son, saw in the days of Judah's kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
2 Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the LORD says: “The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.
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Hear you heavens, and listen earth, for the LORD has spoken: I reared children; I raised them, and they turned against me!
3 Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care— but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.”
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An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master's feeding trough. But Israel doesn't know; my people don't behave intelligently.
4 Oh, what a sinful nation they are— loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the LORD . They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.
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Doom! Sinful nation, people weighed down with crimes, evildoing offspring, corrupt children! They have abandoned the LORD, despised the holy one of Israel; they turned their backs on God.
5 Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick.
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Why do you invite further beatings? Why continue to rebel? Everyone's head throbs, and everyone's heart fails.
6 You are battered from head to foot— covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds— without any soothing ointments or bandages.
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From head to toe, none are well— only bruises, cuts, and raw wounds, not treated, not bandaged, not soothed with oil.
7 Your country lies in ruins, and your towns are burned. Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes and destroy everything they see.
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Your country is deserted, your cities burned with fire; your land—strangers are devouring it in plain sight. It's a wasteland, as when foreigners raid.
8 Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard, like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest, like a helpless city under siege.
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Daughter Zion is left like a small shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field, like a city besieged.
9 If the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of us, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.
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If the LORD of heavenly forces had not spared a few of us, we would be like Sodom; we would resemble Gomorrah.
10 Listen to the LORD, you leaders of “Sodom.” Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.”
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Hear the LORD's word, you leaders of Sodom. Listen to our God's teaching, people of Gomorrah!
11 “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the LORD . “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
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What should I think about all your sacrifices? says the LORD. I'm fed up with entirely burned offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts. I don't want the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats.
12 When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?
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When you come to appear before me, who asked this from you, this trampling of my temple's courts?
13 Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting— they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings.
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Stop bringing worthless offerings. Your incense repulses me. New moon, sabbath, and the calling of an assembly— I can't stand wickedness with celebration!
14 I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!
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I hate your new moons and your festivals. They've become a burden that I'm tired of bearing.
15 When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.
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When you extend your hands, I'll hide my eyes from you. Even when you pray for a long time, I won't listen. Your hands are stained with blood.
16 Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.
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Wash! Be clean! Remove your ugly deeds from my sight. Put an end to such evil;
17 Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.
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learn to do good. Seek justice: help the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.
18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD . “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
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Come now, and let's settle this, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. If they are red as crimson, they will become like wool.
19 If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat.
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If you agree and obey, you will eat the best food of the land.
20 But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
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But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. The LORD has said this.
21 See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute. Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers.
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This faithful town has become a prostitute! She was full of justice; righteousness lived in her— but now murderers.
22 Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag. Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine.
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Your silver has become impure; your beer is diluted with water.
23 Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows.
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Your princes are rebels, companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and pursues gifts. They don't defend the orphan, and the widow's cause never reaches them.
24 Therefore, the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, says, “I will take revenge on my enemies and pay back my foes!
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Therefore, says the LORD God of heavenly forces, the mighty one of Israel: Doom! I will vent my anger against my foes; I will take it out on my enemies,
25 I will raise my fist against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove all your impurities.
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and I will turn my hand against you. I will refine your impurities as with lye, and remove all your cinders.
26 Then I will give you good judges again and wise counselors like you used to have. Then Jerusalem will again be called the Home of Justice and the Faithful City.”
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Then I will restore your judges as in earlier times, and your counselors as at the beginning. After this you will be called Righteous City, Faithful Town.
27 Zion will be restored by justice; those who repent will be revived by righteousness.
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Zion will be redeemed by justice, and those who change their lives by righteousness.
28 But rebels and sinners will be completely destroyed, and those who desert the LORD will be consumed.
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But God will shatter rebels and sinners alike; those who abandon the LORD will be finished.
29 You will be ashamed of your idol worship in groves of sacred oaks. You will blush because you worshiped in gardens dedicated to idols.
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You will be ashamed of the oaks you once desired, and embarrassed by the gardens you once chose.
30 You will be like a great tree with withered leaves, like a garden without water.
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You will be like an oak with withering leaves, like a garden without water.
31 The strongest among you will disappear like straw; their evil deeds will be the spark that sets it on fire. They and their evil works will burn up together, and no one will be able to put out the fire.
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The strong will be like dry twigs, their deeds like sparks; the two will burn together, with no one to extinguish them.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible