Isaiah 1:5-26

⁵Why do you RHQ continue to do things for which you should be punished? Why do you continue to rebel against Yahweh? You are like MET someone whose head is badly injured and whose mind is sick/corrupt.

⁶It is as though MET from the soles/bottoms of your feet to the tops of your heads nothing is healthy; there are only open wounds and cuts and sores that have not been cleaned or bandaged, and no olive oil has been put on them to heal them.

⁷It is as though your country is ruined/desolate; your towns have been burned. Foreigners plunder/steal the crops in your fields while you watch; they destroy everything that they see.

⁸The city of Jerusalem has already been abandoned, it is like SIM a shelter in a vineyard that has been abandoned by the watchmen; it is like SIM a watchman's hut in a field of melons that has been deserted. It is a city surrounded by its enemies who are waiting to attack it.

⁹If the Commander of the armies of angels had not allowed a few of us his people to ◄survive/remain alive►, we would have all been destroyed, like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.

¹⁰You leaders of Judah are as wicked as the rulers of Sodom were, and you other people in Jerusalem areas are as wicked as the people in Gomorrah were. Listen to this message from Yahweh, all of you!

¹¹He says, “You continue to bring many sacrifices to me, but I do not RHQ want them because you do not worship me sincerely! You bring me many offerings to be completely burned on the altar, but I ◄am tired/do not want anymore► of your burning all those offerings, the burning rams and the fat from fat cattle. I am not pleased with the blood of bulls and lambs and goats that the priest pours against the altar.

¹²When you come to my temple to worship me, no one RHQ told you to trample on my courtyard while you perform all those rituals.

¹³Stop bringing to me those offerings, because they are useless to me; I am disgusted with the incense that the priests burn. And your feasts to celebrate the new moon each month and your ◄Sabbath days/days of rest► and your other festivals— I detest them because of the wicked things that you do.

¹⁴I SYN hate all your celebrations of each new moon and the other festivals that you celebrate each year. They are like MET a heavy burden that I am tired of carrying.

¹⁵So, when you lift up your hands when you pray to me, I will not even look at you. Even if you pray to me very frequently, I will not listen to you, because it is as though your hands are covered with the blood of people whom you have killed.

¹⁶Cleanse your inner beings, and become spiritually clean! Stop your evil behavior! Stop doing things that are wrong!

¹⁷Learn to do things that are good! Try to cause people to do what is just. Help people who are ◄oppressed/treated cruelly►. Defend orphans and widows when people take them to court.”

¹⁸Yahweh says, “You need to think about the results of what you do. Even though the guilt of your sins be as evident and as difficult to get rid of as SIM red stains on a white garment DOU, I will get rid of them completely like someone who can make that stained garment become as white as snow or wool DOU.

¹⁹If you are willing to obey me, I will enable you to have plenty to eat.

²⁰But, if you turn away from me and rebel against me, you will be killed by your enemies' swords. That will surely happen, because I, Yahweh, have said it.”

²¹“ You people of Jerusalem previously faithfully worshiped only me, but now you have become like MET prostitutes who are not faithful to any husband. Previously, people there always acted justly/fairly and righteously, but now your city is full of murderers.

²²Previously, you were like MET pure silver, but now you have become like MET the scum that is left when silver is purified. Previously you were like pure wine, but you have become like MET wine that has a lot of water mixed with it.

²³Your leaders are rebels; they spend time with thieves. They all want to get bribes and force others to give them gifts in order that they do good things for them. They do not defend orphans in court, and they do not do all they can to enable widows to get what they should receive.

²⁴Therefore I, the Commander of the armies of angels, the mighty God of Israel, say to my enemies, 'I will get revenge on you; you will not cause me any more trouble. And I will pay you back for the evil things that you did.

²⁵I will raise my fist to strike you. I will punish you severely MET, as though MET you were silver and I needed to heat you very greatly to melt you and get rid of the impurities.

²⁶After that happens, I will give you good judges like you had previously; you will have wise counselors like you had long ago. Then people will call your city ‘a city where people act righteously,’ a city where people are loyal to me.' ”