¹This is the vision of Yesha‘yahu the son of Amotz, which he saw concerning Y’hudah and Yerushalayim during the days of ‘Uziyahu, Yotam, Achaz and Y’chizkiyahu, kings of Y’hudah:

²“Hear, heaven! Listen, earth!

For Adonai is speaking.

“I raised and brought up children,

but they rebelled against me.

³An ox knows its owner

and a donkey its master’s stall,

but Isra’el does not know,

my people do not reflect.

⁴“Oh, sinful nation,

a people weighed down by iniquity,

descendants of evildoers,

immoral children!

They have abandoned Adonai ,

spurned the Holy One of Isra’el,

turned their backs on him!

⁵“Where should I strike you next,

as you persist in rebelling?

The whole head is sick,

the whole heart diseased.

⁶From the sole of the foot to the head

there is nothing healthy,

only wounds, bruises and festering sores

that haven’t been dressed or bandaged

or softened up with oil.

⁷“Your land is desolate,

your cities are burned to the ground;

foreigners devour your land in your presence;

it’s as desolate as if overwhelmed by floods.

⁸The daughter of Tziyon is left

like a shack in a vineyard,

like a shed in a cucumber field,

like a city under siege.”

⁹If Adonai -Tzva’ot had not left us

a tiny, tiny remnant,

we would have become like S’dom,

we would have resembled ‘Amora.

¹⁰Hear what Adonai says,

you rulers of S’dom!

Listen to God’s Torah ,

you people of ‘Amora!

¹¹“Why are all those sacrifices

offered to me?” asks Adonai .

“I’m fed up with burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of fattened animals!

I get no pleasure from the blood

of bulls, lambs and goats!

¹²Yes, you come to appear in my presence;

but who asked you to do this,

to trample through my courtyards?

¹³Stop bringing worthless grain offerings!

They are like disgusting incense to me!

Rosh-Hodesh , Shabbat , calling convocations —

I can’t stand evil together with your assemblies!

¹⁴Everything in me hates your Rosh-Hodesh

and your festivals;

they are a burden to me —

I’m tired of putting up with them!

¹⁵“When you spread out your hands,

I will hide my eyes from you;

no matter how much you pray,

I won’t be listening;

because your hands are covered with blood.

¹⁶“Wash yourselves clean!

Get your evil deeds out of my sight!

Stop doing evil,

¹⁷learn to do good!

Seek justice, relieve the oppressed,

defend orphans, plead for the widow.

¹⁸“Come now,” says Adonai ,

“let’s talk this over together.

Even if your sins are like scarlet,

they will be white as snow;

even if they are red as crimson,

they will be like wool.

¹⁹If you are willing and obedient,

you will eat the good of the land;

²⁰but if you refuse and rebel,

you will be eaten by the sword”;

for the mouth of Adonai has spoken.

²¹How the faithful city has become a whore!

Once she was filled with justice,

righteousness lodged in her;

but now murderers!

²²Your silver is no longer pure,

your wine is watered down.

²³Your leaders are rebels, friends of thieves.

They all love bribes and run after gifts.

They give no justice to orphans,

the widow’s complaint doesn’t catch their attention.

²⁴“Therefore,” says the Lord, Adonai -Tzva’ot ,

the Mighty One of Isra’el,

“I will free myself of my adversaries,

I will take vengeance on my enemies.

²⁵But I will also turn my hand against you!

I will cleanse your impurities as with lye

and remove all your alloyed base metal.

²⁶I will restore your judges as at first

and your advisers as at the beginning.

After that, you will be called

the City of Righteousness, Faithful City.

²⁷Tziyon will be redeemed by justice;

and those in her who repent, by righteousness.

²⁸“Rebels and sinners together will be broken

and those who abandon Adonai be consumed.

²⁹You will be ashamed of the sacred oaks you desired,

you will blush at the gardens you chose;

³⁰for you will be like an oak whose leaf fades,

like a garden without any water.

³¹The strong will be like tinder

and [the idol’s] maker like a spark;

both will burn together,

and no one will put them out.”