Esaias 1:7-24

⁷Your land is desolate, your cities burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is made desolate, overthrown by strange nations.

⁸The daughter of Sion shall be deserted as a tent in a vineyard, and as a storehouse of fruits in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

⁹And if the Lord of Sabaoth had not left us a seed, we should have been as Sodoma, and we should have been made like to Gomorrha.

¹⁰Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodoma; attend to the law of God, thou people of Gomorrha.

¹¹Of what value to me is the abundance of your sacrifices? saith the Lord: I am full of whole-burnt-offerings of rams; and I delight not in the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats:

¹²neither shall ye come with these to appear before me; for who has required these things at your hands? Ye shall no more tread my court.

¹³Though ye bring fine flour, it is vain; incense is an abomination to me; I cannot bear your new moons, and your sabbaths, and the great day;

¹⁴your fasting, and rest from work, your new moons also, and your feasts my soul hates: ye have become loathsome to me; I will no more pardon your sins.

¹⁵When ye stretch forth your hands, I will turn away mine eyes from you: and though ye make many supplications, I will not hearken to you; for your hands are full of blood.

¹⁶Wash you, be clean; remove your iniquities from your souls before mine eyes; cease from your iniquities;

¹⁷learn to do well; diligently seek judgment, deliver him that is suffering wrong, plead for the orphan, and obtain justice for the widow.

¹⁸And come, let us reason together, saith the Lord: and though your sins be as purple, I will make them white as snow; and though they be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool.

¹⁹And if ye be willing, and hearken to me, ye shall eat the good of the land:

²⁰but if ye be not willing, nor hearken to me, a sword shall devour you: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken this.

²¹How has the faithful city Sion, once full of judgment, become a harlot! wherein righteousness lodged, but now murderers.

²²Your silver is worthless, thy wine merchants mix the wine with water.

²³Thy princes are rebellious, companions of thieves, loving bribes, seeking after rewards; not pleading for orphans, and not heeding the cause of widows.

²⁴Therefore thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Woe to the mighty men of Israel; for my wrath shall not cease against mine adversaries, and I will execute judgment on mine enemies.