v1 Messages about Judah and *Jerusalem that God gave to Isaiah son of Amoz. This was during the period when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

v2 Listen, heaven and earth! God is speaking. The children that I brought up have turned against me. v3 Even a farmer’s animals know who owns them. And they know who feeds them. But my special people called Israel do not recognise me. Nor do they appreciate me. v4 Oh, what a wicked nation you are! Your evil deeds are like a great weight upon your back. You learn to copy each other’s wicked actions. You have turned from God, the Holy God of Israel. v5 Do not continue to suffer any more punishment. Obey me! You are like somebody who has bruises all over his head. v6 From the top of your head to underneath your feet no part of you is healthy. There are only bruises and sore places that are bleeding.

Nobody has washed the injuries or used cream to cure them.

v7 Foreign enemies have ruined your country. They have burned your towns. They have *seized and emptied your fields. And you can only watch what is happening. v8 *Jerusalem has no defence. It looks like an empty hut alone in a field. Enemies are all round you. v9 But God has kept alive some people in *Jerusalem. Otherwise the city’s fate would have been like the end of Sodom and Gomorrah.

v10 Listen, you rulers of *Jerusalem! You are like the rulers of Sodom. Listen, you people in *Jerusalem! You are like the people in Gomorrah. Listen very carefully to what God is saying to you. v11 I have no use for the many animals that you kill to offer to me. I have had more than enough of their blood. It gives me no pleasure whatever. v12 Nobody asked you to bring all these gifts every time you come to *worship me. Keep back from my holy *Temple! v13-14 And stop bringing other gifts that really mean nothing to you. I hate the *incense that you burn for its sweet smell. You have special monthly meetings when the moon is new. You have special weekly meetings on the Sabbath (7th day). You have special meetings on many other occasions as well. But your religion is making no difference to your evil lives. I hate all these activities. They only make me angry. v15 So I shall not notice when you pray. Even if you pray many prayers, I shall not listen. It is as if your evil lives have stained you with blood. v16 Clean yourselves! Your wicked lives fill me with disgust. Stop your evil behaviour! v17 Learn to live good lives. Deal fairly with other people. Defend widows. Look after the rights of children who have no parents. Help poor people.

v18 Come, let us discuss this matter together. It is as if your evil life has stained you a deep red. But I can remove the stain completely. I can make you as clean as new snow. Even if your stain is of the deepest red, I can make you as white as wool. v19 Let me help you. If you are willing to obey me, you will eat all the crops of the land. v20 But if you refuse to obey me, your enemies will *destroy you. I am the *Lord. I have spoken.

v21 People in *Jerusalem, you are like a wife who is no longer true to her husband. Once your judges gave fair judgements and your citizens lived good lives. Now you have a city whose inhabitants are cruel. v22 People in *Jerusalem, once you were like pure silver. Now you have no value. Your *wine was the very best. Now it has water in it. v23 Your rulers have turned against me. They prefer the company of thieves. Your rulers expect presents and secret gifts. They refuse to look after the rights of children who have lost both parents. They will not defend widows.

v24 Now listen to the judgement by the *Lord, Israel’s all-powerful God. I shall pour out my great anger on you, my enemies. You will cause me no more trouble. v25 I shall punish you severely. I shall burn with fierce fire all that makes you unholy. That is, all that makes you unfit to give me honour.

v26 I shall give you fair judges and wise advisers, like those that you had in former days. *Jerusalem will be called ‘the city that takes care of its citizens’. And ‘the city where you can trust people’. v27 The *Lord is true and fair. So he will save *Jerusalem and everyone there who turns back to him.

v28 But he will *destroy all who have turned against him. And those who continue with their evil practices. v29 You will be ashamed because you considered sacred trees and sacred gardens to be your gods. v30 You will become like a dead tree and like a garden without water. v31 The strongest among you will disappear like straw in a fire. Your evil deeds started that fire. And nobody will be able to put it out.

v1 A special message about Judah and *Jerusalem that God gave to Isaiah. v2 God’s *Temple stands on a mountain now. But the day is coming when that mountain will be the greatest of all mountains. And the *Temple will attract every nation to come to it. v3 Many peoples will come. Everyone will be saying, ‘Let us go to the *Lord’s mountain and *worship in his *Temple there. And we will obey his instructions.’ In those days God will rule all the nations from *Jerusalem. v4 The *Lord will settle arguments between nations. People will change swords into ploughs, and all tools for war into tools for peace. Nations will not attack each other any more. Nor will they train for war. v5 People in Israel, let us live in the way that the *Lord shows us.

v6 But the *Lord no longer wants his special people. This is because they gladly accept foreigners from the east who practise magic like the *Philistines. v7 The people in Israel own masses of silver and gold. Nobody can count the number of horses and carriages for war. v8 Everywhere there are images of false gods. People have made them with their own hands. But then they persuade themselves that their images are their gods! v9 The people in Israel are so proud of themselves. Their *Lord can never forgive such an attitude.

v10 People will be in terror. They will hide themselves in caves or in holes in the ground. They will try to escape from the *Lord’s anger. They will be desperate to hide from God’s terrible power and fierce light. v11 A day is coming when all who are proud will suffer complete shame. The *Lord alone will have the right to the highest honour. v12 On that day the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) will attack all that are proud. He will bring them to the dust. v13 The huge and famous trees in Lebanon and in Bashan will fall with a great crash. v14-16 The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) will reduce to dust every high mountain and hill. He will cause every high *tower and every high wall to fall. And every proud ship will sink. v17 All who are proud will suffer complete shame. The *Lord alone will have the right to the highest honour. v18 And all images of false gods will completely disappear.

v19 People will be in terror. They will run to caves or to holes in the ground. They will be desperate to hide from the *Lord’s terrible power and fierce light when he rises to shake the earth. v20 In that day everybody will throw their images of gold and silver to the wild animals. v21 When the *Lord shakes the earth powerfully, people will be in terror. They will run to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground. They will be desperate to escape from the *Lord’s anger. They will try to hide from his terrible power and fierce light. v22 Put no more trust in weak human beings (people)! They are of no use.

v1 See what the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) will do to *Jerusalem and to Judah. He will cut off supplies of food and water. v2-3 He will take away every sort of leader in authority – military officers, judges, ministers and officials in government, and wise advisers. And even people who say that they can see the future. v4 Mere youths without experience will become officials and leaders. v5 Families will quarrel. Neighbours will fight each other. Youths will insult old people. And nobody will respect those who deserve honour. v6 A man will seize one of his brothers and say to him: ‘You still have a coat. You be our leader. Take up responsibility for this heap of stones.’ v7 But the brother will refuse. ‘I have no solution to our troubles. I have no food or clothes at home. Do not make me the leader.’

v8 Both national and local government have completely broken down. This is because people’s evil words and actions have made the *Lord their enemy. v9 But they talk proudly about their wicked lives, as the inhabitants of Sodom used to do. Such people bring great trouble upon themselves. v10 Some people obey God and live good lives. Tell those people that God will reward them. v11 But some people do not obey God. Tell those people that they will suffer. What they have done to other people, other people will do to them. v12 My people! Your leaders are fools. They are as weak as women. They are as silly as children. Your leaders are taking you away from God.

v13 As if he were standing in court, the *Lord is ready to accuse his people. v14 He declares that the leaders are worse than thieves. The leaders have filled their own houses with the property of poor people.

v15 You have no authority whatever to take unfair advantage of those who are unable to defend themselves. That is the *Lord’s message.

v16 Look at those women in *Jerusalem! They walk about so proudly. In the street they try to attract men to have sex with them. The women have no shame. They wear tiny bells on their ankles to attract attention as they walk. v17 But I will make their heads sore and make their bodies naked. v18-23 I will strip these women of all their dresses and the precious things that they wear. From every part of their body they will lose everything, from ear-rings to ankle chains. Every one of their aids to beauty will disappear. So will every luxury. v24 Instead of sweet cream, a bad smell. Instead of a lovely belt, a *rope. Instead of beautiful hair, a bald head. Instead of the latest fashion, rough cloth. Instead of beauty, shame. v25 The women will even lose their husbands, because the men will die in battle. v26 The entrances to *Jerusalem will be mere holes in the wall. The gates will be missing. The women will sit on the ground and cry in despair.

v1 In that day, seven women will seize some man who remains. The women will promise to get their own food and clothes. ‘Marry us and take away our shame!’

v2 The day will come when the *Lord’s judgement is complete. Then what he causes to grow will be beautiful and plentiful. What the land produces will be the delight of the few remaining people in Israel. v3 God has chosen those few people to remain alive in *Jerusalem. Because God has chosen them, they will be called ‘holy’. v4 The *Lord’s *fiery judgement will have completely removed the effects of the evil lives of *Jerusalem’s former inhabitants. v5-6 God’s glory (magnificent appearance) will be over all who gather in *Jerusalem to give him honour. The *Lord will create a thick cloud during the day and a bright fire by night. The cloud will be like a tent that will provide shade from the sun’s heat and a shelter from storm and rain.

v1 I shall sing a song about my friend’s *vineyard. My friend had a *vineyard on a hill where plants grew extremely well. v2 My friend dug the soil and he cleared out the stones. Then he planted the ground with the best *vines. He created a *look-out for a guard. He made a *winepress in the rock. He expected a harvest of good *grapes. But it produced bad *grapes.

v3 Now, inhabitants of *Jerusalem and people in Judah, give judgement between me and my *vineyard. v4 I did all that I could to benefit my *vineyard. I expected a harvest of good *grapes. But it has produced only bad *grapes. v5 I shall tell you what I shall do to my *vineyard. I shall remove its hedges. I shall break up its wall. I shall let animals walk upon the *vineyard and ruin it. v6 I shall make my *vineyard waste ground. Nobody will look after it. It will be full of weeds. I shall command the clouds not to rain on it.

v7 The nation called Israel is like the *vineyard of the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies). The people in Judah are like the *vines that he looked after. The *Lord expected right behaviour. Instead there was murder. He expected his people to deal fairly. Instead there were cries of poor people who suffered.

v8 *Woe to you who build more and more houses and buy more and more fields! No room will remain for anybody else because you will possess the whole land for yourselves. v9 Then Isaiah heard the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) make a serious promise. He will ruin many houses and he will empty large and beautiful homes. v10 Ten fields of *vines will yield only one barrel of juice. And whatever quantity of seed that the farmer sows will produce only one tenth of the quantity of grain. v11 *Woe to those who get up early in the morning in a hurry to drink beer! And then they continue to drink until late at night. By then they have become drunks. v12 They are so concentrating on their drinks and musical entertainment that their understanding (mind) is dull (unaware). They do not care about the *Lord. So they do not realise what he is doing.

v13 Therefore, enemies will take away many of my people to be prisoners in a foreign country. This is because my people have no knowledge of God. Their leaders will die because they have no food. Crowds will die because they have no water. v14 *Sheol is like an animal that opens wide its mouth. It is eagerly waiting to swallow the noble leaders of *Jerusalem and its noisy crowds. v15 Human beings (people) will discover that they have no strength. Noble and powerful men will suddenly become unimportant. Proud men and women will know shame. v16 The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) will show how truly great and holy he is by his perfectly fair judgements. v17 Young sheep and young goats will continue to find food to eat in their fields of grass. But also in the towns that enemies have ruined.

v18 People are unable to free themselves from their wicked practices. v19 They even insult the Holy God of Israel and invite him to punish them. ‘Be quick and punish us! We want to see what you can do!’ v20 *Woe to those people! They say that evil things are good. And they say that good things are evil. They say that black is white. And they say that white is black. They say that bitter things are sweet. And they say that sweet things are bitter. v21 *Woe to people who consider that they themselves are so wise. They believe themselves to be so clever. v22 *Woe to people who are so great – so great to be able to drink much alcohol. And so brave – so brave to mix strong drinks. v23 They free a guilty man because of a secret gift. But they send an innocent man to prison.

v24 Therefore wicked people will disappear like straw on fire. They will vanish like flowers that die. Dead flowers will turn into dust that the wind carries off. This is because such people have refused to obey the instruction of the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies). And they do not respect the word of the Holy God of Israel. v25 That is why the *Lord became extremely angry. He struck his people with great force. Even the mountains shook. Dead bodies lay in the streets like so much rubbish. But the *Lord’s great anger is still ready to strike again. v26 God will signal to a distant nation and he will call it from the ends of the earth. Its army will arrive with great speed. v27 Not a soldier tires or trips. None rests or sleeps. Not a belt or shoe needs attention. v28 Their arrows are sharp. Their bows are ready. Their horses’ feet are like iron. The wheels of their carriages for war spin like the wind. v29 Their soldiers roar like lions. The soldiers *seize God’s people and carry them off. And nobody can save them. v30 When that day comes, enemies will roar over God’s people. The sound will be like the roar of the sea. Look at Israel’s land! Despair is everywhere. Black clouds even cover the sky.

v1 In the year when King Uzziah died, I saw the *Lord. He was sitting on a royal seat. His robe (royal dress) filled the *Temple. v2 Above the *Lord were two *fiery *angels. They were ready to serve him. Each *fiery *angel had six wings. Two wings covered their faces. Two wings covered their feet. With two wings they flew. v3 The *fiery *angels were calling to each other, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies)! The whole earth is full of his *glory!’ v4 The sound of the *fiery *angels’ voices shook the *Temple. And the building filled with smoke.

v5 Then I cried, ‘I shall die! Every word that I speak is wicked. So are the words of all the people round me. But I have looked on the King, the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies)!’ v6 Then one of the *fiery *angels flew to me. He was holding a hot coal that he had taken off the *altar. v7 He touched my mouth with the hot coal. And he said, ‘This has touched your lips. You are no longer a guilty man. God has forgiven you.’

v8 Then I heard the *Lord ask, ‘Is there anybody that I can send? Will someone go for us?’ ‘I will go’, I answered. ‘Send me.’ v9 Then the *Lord gave me this message to speak to the people: ‘You will listen constantly, but you will never understand. You will look constantly, but you will never see. v10 Make this people unable to understand. Make their ears deaf and close their eyes. So that they may not see or hear or understand. Otherwise they may confess their wicked ways and then I would cure them.’

v11-12 Then I said, ‘For how long, *Lord?’ God said, ‘Until enemies have broken up cities. Until houses have no inhabitants. Until enemies have ruined the entire country. Until the *Lord has removed the people to a distant country. Until the people’s own land is empty. v13 Even if a tenth of the people remain, enemies will burn their land too. The land will be like a great tree that men have cut down. Only a small part of the tree remains in the ground. But that small part is a sign of a new beginning for Israel.’

v1 Ahaz was the son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah. While Ahaz was king of Judah, Rezin and Pekah attacked *Jerusalem. But they could not overcome it. Rezin was the king of Syria. Pekah (the son of Remaliah) was the king of Israel. v2 Syria and Israel had agreed to attack Judah together. When the king of Judah and his people heard the news, they all trembled. They trembled like the trees of the forest shake in the wind. v3 Then the *Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go with your son, called Shear-jashub, to meet Ahaz. The king will be at the end of the ditch. That ditch brings water from the upper pool on the road. And it continues to the Laundry Field. v4 Tell Ahaz to keep calm. He is not to be afraid of Rezin and Pekah. They are very angry. But they are both only like a fire that is nearly out. v5 Syria and Ephraim (Israel) have made an evil plot against you. v6 They are saying, “Let us march against Judah and overcome it. Let us *seize it and make the son of Tabeal the king there.” v7 The *Lord declares that the plot will not succeed. It will not happen. v8-9 Damascus is just the capital of Syria. King Rezin rules only in Syria. Samaria is just the capital of Israel. King Pekah rules only in Samaria. But in less than 65 years, Israel will no longer exist. And if Ahaz and his officials do not believe me, they too will suffer defeat.’

v10-11 The *Lord again spoke to Ahaz, ‘Ask me to prove my promise. Ask for something to happen deep in the world of dead people. Or something to happen high in heaven above.’ v12 But Ahaz refused. ‘I will not ask for any sign. I will not test the *Lord like that.’ v13 Isaiah said, ‘Then listen, you king of David’s family! It is bad enough that you wear out the patience of human beings (people). Now you are wearing out my God’s patience also. v14 Since you refuse to ask, the *Lord himself will give you a sign anyway. A young woman, who is not married, will have a baby. The baby will be a boy and she will name him Immanuel. v15-16 Before the boy is old enough to know how to choose between right and wrong behaviour, he will eat curds (sour milk) and honey. By then, enemies will have destroyed the countries of the two kings that are causing you terror. v17 The *Lord will bring about days of terrible trouble for you and for your people and for your family. It will be far worse than when Ephraim (Israel) broke away from Judah. The *Lord will command the king of Assyria to attack Judah.’

v18 When the time comes for God to act, he will give a signal. Then armies will arrive from Egypt, like so many flies. And from Assyria, like so many bees (insects that make honey). The armies will come in immense numbers. v19 They will spread everywhere, like insects – in deep valleys, among rocks, on all bushes, and wherever there is water. They will occupy the whole land. v20 When the time comes for God to act, he will hire the king of Assyria. And the king will behave like a barber. The king will shave all the hair from your heads and bodies. And he will cut off your beards. Both you and your land will be naked. You will lose all *self-respect. v21-22 At that time, a man will do well to possess just a young cow and a couple of sheep. At least they will provide milk. So he will have curds (sour milk) and wild honey to eat, like the other few people who remain in the land. v23 At that time, every place that used to have 1000 *vines, worth 1000 silver pieces, will be full of *thorn-bushes and weeds. v24 The whole land will be full of *thorn-bushes. So men will take bows and arrows when they go there. v25 You will not walk on any of the hills that farmers used to cultivate, because of the *thorn-bushes. Cows and sheep will wander there for food.

v1 The *Lord sent me another message. He told me to take a large board and to write on it in large capital letters

FOR MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ

v2 Then I appointed two honest men to be my witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah. v3 Some time later, my wife and I had a son. The *Lord told me to name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. v4 Before the child can say Daddy or Mummy, the king of Assyria will carry off the wealth of Damascus and the rich possessions of Samaria.

v5-6 The *Lord again spoke to me to tell me this message. This nation is proposing to refuse the water that flows gently from Shiloah. The people expect that they will get much more help from the forces of Rezin and Pekah. v7-8 But the huge army of the king of Assyria will be like the vast waters of the river Euphrates. The *Assyrians will attack. Then it will seem as if the Euphrates itself is flooding the whole land of Judah. The waters will cover everything, up to people’s necks. Immanuel, the streams of water will spread over the whole of your land! v9 Even if you people in Israel make a military agreement with the king of Syria, you will still suffer defeat. Listen, all you distant countries. Collect your arms, but you will suffer defeat. v10 Form plans, but they will fail. Have discussions, but good decisions will be out of reach. This is because God is with us and not with you.

v11 The *Lord spoke with his strong hand upon me: ‘Do not under any circumstances agree to Judah’s plans to give in to Syria and Israel. v12 Do not join in the schemes of the peoples. Do not be afraid of the things that frighten them. v13 It is the most holy *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) who should frighten you. If you greatly respect him, you need have no fear of anything or anybody. v14 The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) is like a place to hide in. But Israel and Judah have refused his care. So the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) will be like a stone that causes Israel and Judah to trip. v15 Many will trip and fall. They will hurt themselves. A trap will seize them.’

v16 You, my disciples (pupils), are to guard and to preserve the messages that God has given to me. v17 I shall wait for the *Lord, who intends to hide himself from his people. I shall wait for him with patience and with hope. v18 I and the children that the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) has given me have special names. The names are signs to warn his people about the future. The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) governs the affairs of the world from *Jerusalem, where his *Temple is.

v19 Somebody may tell you to get messages from people who make strange noises. Such people claim to be able to see future events. Or they claim to get messages from persons who have died. No! Ask God! You are not to ask dead people on behalf of people who are still alive. v20 You are to tell people who want messages that they must turn to God. Listen to what the *Lord is teaching you. Do not listen to these people. They imagine that they have secret knowledge. Such people will bring no benefit whatever to you.

v21-22 People will wander about the land. They are hopeless and hungry. Because they are so hungry, they will curse (insult) their king and their God. The people will stare at the sky. They will stare at the ground. They will see nothing anywhere except great trouble ahead. It is as if terrible darkness surrounds them. They are greatly afraid.

v1 But soon, those who have suffered so greatly will have no more pain. Earlier, God had caused other people not to respect the inhabitants of the territories called Zebulun and Naphtali in Galilee. But the day will come when God will bring special honour to all the inhabitants of these places. And he will give honour to foreigners along the coast and across the river Jordan. v2 The people had been feeling so miserable and hopeless. It was as if they were in deep darkness. Then something happened. It was then as if they had suddenly seen a bright light.

v3 *Lord, you have made your people so very glad. You have filled them with great joy. They are like happy workers who collect the harvest. Or like soldiers when they share the goods that they have *seized from their enemies. v4 *Lord, you have broken the power of those who made your people to be slaves. Just as you once saved your people from Midian. v5 You have thrown the enemy’s boots and uniforms into the fire.

v6 A child has been born for us. God has given a son to us and this son will be our ruler. His names will be ‘Wonderful Adviser’ and ‘All-Powerful God’. And ‘Father Always’ and ‘Commander-Who-Brings-Peace’. v7 His authority will be great. And the peace that he establishes will never end. He will rule David’s land for always on the principles of honesty and fair practice. The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) will cause all this to happen.

v8 The *Lord has pronounced judgement against Israel, that is, against the family of Jacob. v9 All the people in Israel, and all the inhabitants of Samaria the capital, know what the *Lord has done. But they are not worried. They are much too proud. v10 They declare, ‘If houses of bricks of mud fall down, we will rebuild them with stones. If enemies destroy our forests, we will plant even better trees.’

v11 So the *Lord called enemies to attack Israel. v12 *Syrians arrived from the east and *Philistines arrived from the west. They soon overcame Israel. But the *Lord was still very angry. He decided to punish the people even more severely. He lifted his hand. He was ready to strike again.

v13 But the people still refused to obey God. They still would not return to the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies). v14 Therefore, in a single day the *Lord will punish all Israel’s leaders and other well-known men. He will remove them, head and tail. v15 The head means the old and honourable men. The tail means those who have been teaching lies. v16 Those *liars have led people away from God, because *liars completely confuse people. v17 Therefore the *Lord will let none of the young men escape. He will not pity the widows and the children who have no parents. None of them cares about God. They are all wicked. And all that they say is evil. But the *Lord is still very angry. He has decided to punish the people even more severely. He lifts his hand. He is ready to strike again. v18 The wicked character of the people acts like a fierce fire that destroys *thorn-bushes. And even the great trees in a forest are soon only a column of smoke. v19 Because of the great anger of the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies), the whole land is on fire. The wicked people themselves have become fuel for the fire. Nobody has pity for anyone else, not even for his own brother. Every man looks after himself. v20 Everywhere in the country people seize any bit of food that they can find. They even eat their own children! But they are still hungry. v21 The people from Manasseh and the people from Ephraim attack each other. Then together they attack Judah. Even so, the *Lord is still very angry. He lifts his hand. He is ready to strike again.