Study Desk

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning ^(C1)Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the ^(F1)reigns of ^(C2)Uzziah, ^(C3)Jotham, ^(C4)Ahaz, and ^(C5)Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

^(C1)Listen, heavens, and hear, ^(C2)earth; For the LORD has spoken: "^(C3)Sons I have raised and brought up, But they have ^(C4)revolted against Me.

-"An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master's manger, But Israel ^(C1)does not know, My people ^(C2)do not understand."

Oh, sinful nation, People weighed down with guilt, ^(F1)(C1)Offspring of evildoers, Sons who ^(C2)act corruptly! They have ^(C3)abandoned the LORD, They have ^(C4)despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away ^(F2)from Him.

Where will you be stricken again, As you ^(C1)continue in your rebellion? The entire head is ^(C2)sick And the entire heart is faint.

^(C1)From the sole of the foot even to the head There is ^(C2)nothing healthy in it, Only bruises, slashes, and raw wounds; ^(C3)Not pressed out nor bandaged, Nor softened with oil.

Your ^(C1)land is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; As for your fields, strangers are devouring them in front of you; It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.

The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchman's hut in a cucumber field, like a city under watch.

^(C1)If the LORD of armies Had not left us a few ^(C2)survivors, We would be like ^(C3)Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.

Hear ^(C1)the word of the LORD, You rulers of ^(C2)Sodom; Listen to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah!

"^(C1)What are your many sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. "I ^(F1)have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fattened cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.

-"When you come ^(C1)to appear before Me, Who requires ^(F1)of you this trampling of My courtyards?

-"Do not go on bringing your worthless offerings, ^(C1)Incense is an abomination to Me. ^(C2)New moon and Sabbath, the ^(C3)proclamation of an assembly— I cannot ^(C4)endure wrongdoing and the festive assembly.

-"^(F1)I hate your new moon festivals and your ^(C1)appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am ^(C2)tired of bearing them.

-"So when you ^(C1)spread out your hands in prayer, ^(C2)I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you ^(C3)offer many prayers, I will not be listening. ^(C4)Your hands are ^(F1)covered with blood.

"^(C1)Wash yourselves, ^(C2)make yourselves clean; ^(C3)Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. ^(C4)Stop doing evil,

Learn to do good; ^(C1)Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor, ^(C2)Obtain justice for the orphan, Plead for the widow's case.

"Come now, and ^(C1)let us ^(F1)debate your case," Says the LORD, "^(C2)Though your sins are as scarlet, They shall become as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be like wool.

-"^(C1)If you are willing and obedient, You will ^(C2)eat the best of the land;

But if you refuse and rebel, You will be ^(C1)devoured by the sword." For ^(C2)the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

How the faithful city has become a ^(C1)prostitute, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once dwelt in her, But now murderers.

Your silver has become ^(F1)waste matter, Your drink diluted with water.

Your ^(C1)rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone ^(C2)loves a bribe And chases after gifts. They ^(C3)do not obtain justice for the ^(F1)orphan, Nor does the widow's case come before them.

Therefore the Lord ^(F1)GOD of armies, The ^(C1)Mighty One of Israel, declares, "Ah, I will have satisfaction against My adversaries, And ^(C2)avenge Myself on My enemies.

-"I will also turn My hand against you, And ^(C1)smelt away your impurities as with lye; And I will remove all your slag.

-"Then I will restore your ^(C1)judges as at first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the ^(C2)city of righteousness, A faithful city."

Zion will be ^(C1)redeemed with justice And her ^(F1)repentant ones with righteousness.

But ^(F1)wrongdoers and sinners together will be ^(C1)broken, And those who abandon the LORD will come to an end.

^(F1)You certainly will be ashamed of the ^(F2)(C1)oaks which you have desired, And you will be embarrassed by the ^(C2)gardens which you have chosen.

For you will be like an ^(F1)oak whose ^(C1)leaf withers away, Or like a garden that has no water.

The strong man will become like ^(F1)flax fiber, And his work a spark. So they shall both ^(C1)burn together And there will be ^(C2)no one to extinguish them.

The word which ^(C1)Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

Now it will come about that ^(C1)In the last days The ^(C2)mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established ^(F1)as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And ^(C3)all the nations will stream to it.

And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let's go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; So that He may teach us ^(F1)about His ways, And that we may walk in His paths." For ^(F2)the law will go out ^(C1)from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And He will judge between the nations, And will mediate for many peoples; And ^(C1)they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. ^(C2)Nation will not lift up a sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

Come, ^(C1)house of Jacob, and let's walk in the ^(C2)light of the LORD.

For You have ^(C1)abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers ^(C2)like the Philistines. They also ^(F1)(C3)strike bargains with the children of foreigners.

Their land has also been filled with silver and gold And there is no end to their treasures; Their land has also been filled with ^(C1)horses, And there is no end to their chariots.

Their land has also been ^(C1)filled with idols; They worship the ^(C2)work of their hands, That which their fingers have made.

So ^(C1)the common person has been humbled And the person of importance has been brought low, But ^(C2)do not forgive them.

^(C1)Enter the rocky place and hide in the dust ^(C2)From the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty.

The ^(F1)(C1)proud look of humanity will be brought low, And the ^(C2)arrogance of people will be humbled; And the LORD alone will be exalted on that day.

For the LORD of armies will have a day of reckoning Against ^(C1)everyone who is arrogant and haughty, And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be brought low.

And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the ^(C1)oaks of Bashan,

Against all the ^(C1)lofty mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up,

Against every ^(C1)high tower, Against every fortified wall,

Against all the ^(C1)ships of Tarshish And against all the delightful ships.

And the pride of humanity will be humbled And the arrogance of people will be brought low; And the LORD alone will be exalted on that day,

And the ^(C1)idols will completely vanish.

People will ^(C1)go into caves of the rocks And into holes in the ^(F1)ground Away from the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises ^(C2)to terrify the earth.

On that day people will ^(C1)throw away to the moles and the ^(C2)bats Their idols of silver and their idols of gold, Which they made for themselves to worship,

In order to ^(C1)go into the clefts of the rocks and the crannies of the cliffs Before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to terrify the earth.

^(F1)(C1)Take no account of man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For ^(F2)(C2)why should he be esteemed?

For behold, the Lord ^(F1)GOD of armies ^(C1)is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah Both supply and support, the entire supply of bread And the entire supply of water;

^(C1)The mighty man and the warrior, The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder,

The captain of fifty and the esteemed person, The counselor and the expert artisan, And the skillful enchanter.

And I will make mere ^(C1)boys their leaders, And ^(F1)mischievous children will rule over them,

And the people will be ^(C1)oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his ^(C2)neighbor; The youth will assault the elder, And the contemptible person will assault the one honored.

When a man ^(C1)lays hold of his brother in his father's house, saying, "You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler! And these ruins will be under your ^(F1)authority,"

He will ^(F1)protest on that day, saying, "I will not be your ^(F2)(C1)healer, For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; You should not appoint me ruler of the people."

For ^(C1)Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their ^(F1)(C2)speech and their actions are against the LORD, To ^(C3)rebel against ^(F2)His glorious presence.

^(F1)The expression of their faces testifies against them, And they ^(F2)display their sin like ^(C1)Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to ^(F3)them! For they have ^(C2)done evil to themselves.

Say to the ^(C1)righteous that it will go well for them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions.

Woe to the wicked! It will go badly for him, For ^(F1)(C1)what he deserves will be done to him.

My people! Their oppressors ^(C1)treat them violently, And women rule over them. My people! ^(C2)Those who guide you lead you astray And confuse the direction of your paths.

^(C1)The LORD arises to contend, And stands to judge the people.

The LORD ^(C1)enters into judgment with the elders and leaders of His people, "It is you who have ^(F1)(C2)devoured the vineyard; The ^(C3)goods stolen from the poor are in your houses.

-"What do you mean by ^(C1)crushing My people And ^(F1)oppressing the face of the poor?" Declares the Lord ^(F2)GOD of armies.

Moreover, the LORD said, "Because the ^(C1)daughters of Zion are haughty And walk with ^(F1)heads held high and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps And jingle the anklets on their feet,

The Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, And the LORD will make their foreheads bare."

On that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, ^(C1)crescent ornaments,

dangling earrings, bracelets, veils,

^(C1)headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets,

^(F1)finger rings, ^(C1)nose rings,

festive robes, outer garments, shawls, purses,

papyrus garments, undergarments, headbands, and veils.

Now it will come about that instead of ^(C1)balsam oil there will be a stench; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of ^(C2)well-set hair, a ^(C3)plucked-out scalp; Instead of fine clothes, a ^(C4)robe of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty.

Your men will ^(C1)fall by the sword And your ^(F1)mighty ones in battle.

And her ^(F1)(C1)gates will lament and mourn, And she will ^(C2)sit deserted on the ground.

For seven women will take hold of ^(C1)one man on that day, saying, "We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; ^(C2)take away our disgrace!"

On that day the ^(C1)Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the ^(C2)fruit of the earth will be the pride and the beauty of the ^(C3)survivors of Israel.

And it will come about that the one who is ^(C1)left in Zion and remains behind in Jerusalem will be called ^(C2)holy—everyone who is ^(C3)recorded for life in Jerusalem.

When the Lord has washed away the filth of the ^(C1)daughters of Zion and ^(F1)purged the ^(C2)bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the ^(C3)spirit of judgment and the ^(C4)spirit of ^(F2)burning,

then the LORD will create over the entire area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies ^(C1)a cloud by day, and smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the ^(C2)glory will be a canopy.

And there will be a ^(C1)shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and ^(F1)protection from the storm and the rain.

Let me sing now for my beloved A song of my beloved about His vineyard. My beloved had a ^(C1)vineyard on ^(F1)a fertile hill.

He dug it all around, cleared it of stones, And planted it with ^(F1)the ^(C1)choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it, And also carved out a ^(F2)wine vat in it; Then He ^(C2)expected it to produce good grapes, But it produced only ^(F3)worthless ones.

"And now, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, ^(C1)Judge between Me and My vineyard.

-"^(C1)What more was there to do for My vineyard ^(F1)that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce ^(F2)worthless ones?

-"So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will ^(C1)remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will ^(C2)break down its wall and it will become ^(C3)trampled ground.

-"I will ^(C1)lay it waste; It will not be pruned nor hoed, But briars and thorns will come up. I will also command the clouds not to ^(C2)rain on it."

For the ^(C1)vineyard of the LORD of armies is the house of Israel, And the people of Judah are His delightful plant. So He waited for justice, but behold, there was ^(C2)bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.

Woe to those who ^(C1)attach house to house and join field to field, Until there is no more room, And you alone are a landowner in the midst of the land!

In my ears the LORD of armies has sworn, "^(C1)Many houses shall certainly become ^(C2)desolate, Even great and fine ones, without occupants.

-"For ^(C1)ten acres of vineyard will yield only one ^(F1)bath of wine, And a ^(F2)(C2)homer of seed will yield only an ^(F3)ephah of grain."

Woe to those who rise early in the morning so that they may pursue ^(C1)intoxicating drink, Who stay up late in the evening so that wine may inflame them!

Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and ^(C1)harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine; But they ^(C2)do not pay attention to the deeds of the LORD, Nor do they consider the work of His hands.

Therefore My people go into exile for their ^(C1)lack of knowledge; And their ^(F1)(C2)nobles are famished, And their multitude is parched with thirst.

Therefore ^(C1)Sheol has enlarged its ^(F1)throat and opened its mouth beyond measure; And ^(F2)Jerusalem's splendor, her multitude, her noise of revelry, and the jubilant within her, descend into it.

So the common people will be humbled and the person of importance brought low, ^(C1)The eyes of the haughty also will be brought low.

But the ^(C1)LORD of armies will be ^(C2)exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself ^(C3)holy in righteousness.

^(C1)Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, And strangers will eat in the ruins of the ^(F1)wealthy.

Woe to those who drag ^(C1)wrongdoing with the cords of ^(F1)deceit, And sin as if with cart ropes;

^(C1)Who say, "Let Him hurry, let Him do His work quickly, so that we may see it; And let the plan of the Holy One of Israel approach And come to pass, so that we may know it!"

Woe to those who ^(C1)call evil good, and good evil; Who ^(F1)(C2)substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who ^(F1)substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Woe to those who are ^(C1)wise in their own eyes And ^(F1)clever in their own sight!

^(C1)Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, And valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink,

^(C1)Who declare the wicked innocent for a bribe, And ^(C2)take away the ^(F1)rights of the ones who are in the right!

Therefore, ^(C1)as a tongue of fire consumes stubble, And dry grass collapses in the flame, So their ^(C2)root will become ^(C3)like rot, and their blossom ^(F1)blow away like dust; For they have ^(C4)rejected the Law of the LORD of armies, And discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel.

For this reason the ^(C1)anger of the LORD has burned against His people, And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them. And the ^(C2)mountains quaked, and their ^(C3)corpses ^(F1)lay like refuse in the middle of the streets. ^(C4)Despite all this, His anger ^(F2)is not spent, But His ^(C5)hand is still stretched out.

He will also lift up a ^(C1)flag to the distant ^(F1)nation, And ^(C2)whistle for it ^(C3)from the ends of the earth; And behold, it will ^(C4)come with speed swiftly.

^(C1)No one in it is tired or stumbles, No one slumbers or sleeps; Nor is the ^(C2)undergarment at his waist loosened, Nor his sandal strap broken.

^(F1)(C1)Its arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent; The hoofs of its horses ^(F2)seem like flint, and its chariot ^(C2)wheels like a storm wind.

Its ^(C1)roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions; It growls as it ^(C2)seizes the prey And carries it off with ^(C3)no one to save it.

And it will ^(C1)roar against it on that day like the roaring of the sea. If one ^(C2)looks across to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds.

In the year of ^(C1)King Uzziah's death ^(C2)I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

Seraphim were standing above Him, ^(C1)each having six wings: with two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew.

And one called out to another and said, "^(C1)Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of armies. The ^(F1)(C2)whole earth is full of His glory."

And the ^(F1)foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the ^(F2)(C1)temple was filling with smoke.

Then I said, "^(C1)Woe to me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of ^(C2)unclean lips, And I live among a ^(C3)people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the ^(C4)King, the LORD of armies."

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the ^(C1)altar with tongs.

He ^(C1)touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and ^(C2)your guilt is taken away and atonement is made for your sin."

Then I heard the ^(C1)voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then ^(C2)I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on ^(C1)listening, but do not understand; And keep on looking, but do not gain knowledge.'

-"^(C1)Make the hearts of this people ^(F1)(C2)insensitive, Their ears ^(F2)dull, And their eyes ^(F3)blind, ^(C3)So that they will not see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed."

Then I said, "Lord, ^(C1)how long?" And He answered, "Until ^(C2)cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate,

The LORD has ^(C1)completely removed people, And there ^(F1)are many ^(C2)forsaken places in the midst of the land.

-"Yet there will still be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an ^(C1)oak Whose stump remains when it is cut down. The ^(C2)holy seed is its stump."