Isaiah 1

Isaiah · Chapter 1

Isaiah 1:4

1The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.2Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.3The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.4Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.5Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.6From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.7Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.8And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.9Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.10Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.11To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.12When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?13Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.15And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.16Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;17Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.18Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.19If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:20But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.21How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.22Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:23Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.24Therefore saith the LORD, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:25And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:26And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.27Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.28And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.29For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.30For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.31And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
4Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children of depravity! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly! they have forsaken Jehovah, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are estranged and gone backward.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
woe to!ה֣וֹי׀HoH1945
woe!

הוֹי (hoy) ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe!

a nationגּ֣וֹיGoyH1471A
nation

גּוֹי (goy) 1) nation, people 1a) nation, people 1a1) usually of non-Hebrew people 1a2) of descendants of Abraham 1a3) of Israel 1b) of swarm of locusts, other animals (fig.)

[which] sinsחֹטֵ֗אcho-TE'H2398
to sin

חָטָא (cha.ta) 1) to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to miss 1a2) to sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty 1a3) to incur guilt, incur penalty by sin, forfeit 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to bear loss 1b2) to make a sin-offering 1b3) to purify from sin 1b4) to purify from uncleanness 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to miss the mark 1c2) to induce to sin, cause to sin 1c3) to bring into guilt or condemnation or punishment 1d) (Hithpael) 1d1) to miss oneself, lose oneself, wander from the way 1d2) to purify oneself from uncleanness

a peopleעַ֚ם'amH5971A
people

עַם (am) : people/nation 1) nation, people 1a) people, nation 1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

heavy ofכֶּ֣בֶדKE-vedH3515
heavy

כָּבֵד (ka.ved) 1) heavy, great 1a) heavy 1b) massive, abundant, numerous 1c) heavy, dull 1d) hard, difficult, burdensome 1e) very oppressive, numerous, rich

iniquity ofעָוֹ֔ן'a-VONH5771G
iniquity: crime

עָוֺן (a.van) : crime 1) perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity 1a) iniquity 1b) guilt of iniquity, guilt (as great), guilt (of condition) 1c) consequence of or punishment for iniquity

springזֶ֣רַעZE-ra'H2233H
seed

זֶ֫רַע (ze.ra) : seed/sowing 1) seed, sowing, offspring 1a) a sowing 1b) seed 1c) semen virile 1d) offspring, descendants, posterity, children 1e) of moral quality 1e1) a practitioner of righteousness (fig.) 1f) sowing time (by meton)

[who] do evilמְרֵעִ֔יםme-re-'IMH7489A
be evil

רָעַע (ra.a) 1) to be bad, be evil 1a)(Qal) 1a1) to be displeasing 1a2) to be sad 1a3) to be injurious, be evil 1a4) to be wicked, be evil (ethically) 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to do an injury or hurt 1b2) to do evil or wickedly 1b3) mischief (participle)

childrenבָּנִ֖יםba-NIMH1121A
son: child

בֵּן (ben) : child/son

[who] behave corruptlyמַשְׁחִיתִ֑יםmash-chi-TIMH7843
to ruin

שָׁחַת (sha.chat) 1) to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay 1a) (Niphal) to be marred, be spoiled, be corrupted, be corrupt, be injured, be ruined, be rotted 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to spoil, ruin 1b2) to pervert, corrupt, deal corruptly (morally) 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to spoil, ruin, destroy 1c2) to pervert, corrupt (morally) 1c3) destroyer (participle) 1d) (Hophal) spoiled, ruined (participle) Aramaic equivalent: she.chat (שְׁחַת "to corrupt" H7844)

they have forsakenעָזְב֣וּ'a-ze-VUH5800A
to leave: forsake

עָזַב (a.zav) 1) to leave, loose, forsake 1a) (Qal) to leave 1a1) to depart from, leave behind, leave, let alone 1a2) to leave, abandon, forsake, neglect, apostatise 1a3) to let loose, set free, let go, free 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be left to 1b2) to be forsaken 1c) (Pual) to be deserted

Yahwehיְהוָ֗הYAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

they have spurnedנִֽאֲצ֛וּni-'a-TZUH5006
to spurn

נָאַץ (na.ats) 1) to spurn, contemn, despise, abhor 1a) (Qal) to spurn, contemn 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to spurn 1b2) to cause to contemn 1c) (Hiphil) to spurn 1d) (Hithpolel) to be contemned

[the] holy [one] ofקְד֥וֹשׁke-DO-oshH6918G
holy

קָדוֹשׁ (qa.dosh) : holy sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart

Israelיִשְׂרָאֵ֖לYIS-ra-'ELH3478
Jacob

יַעֲקֹב (ya.a.qov) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26; son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259); brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A); father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently Another name of yis.ra.el (יִשְׂרָאֵל "Israel" H3478) § Jacob = "heel holder" or "supplanter" …

they have become estrangedנָזֹ֥רוּna-ZO-ruH2114A
be a stranger

זוּר (zur) 1) to be strange, be a stranger 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to become estranged 1a2) strange, another, stranger, foreigner, an enemy (participle) 1a3) strange woman, prostitute, harlot (meton) 1b) (Niphal) to be estranged 1c) (Hophal) to be a stranger, be one alienated

back partאָחֽוֹר׃'a-CHORH0268
back

אָחוֹר (a.chor) 1) the back side, the rear 1a) backwards 1b) hereafter (of time) 1c) behind

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.