top Isaiah ch 1
Greek: Septuagint (LXX)
English: John Barach
Chapter 1
The Superscription and the Divine Complaint
1 Ὅρασις, ἣν εἶδεν Ἠσαίας υἱὸς Ἀμώς, ἣν εἶδεν κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ κατὰ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν βασιλείᾳ Ὀζίου καὶ Ἰωαθὰμ καὶ Ἀχὰζ καὶ Ἐζεκίου, οἳ ἐβασίλευσαν τῆς Ἰουδαίας. 1 The vision which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw, which he saw against Judea and against Jerusalem in the reign of Uzziah and Jotham and Ahaz and Hezekiah, who reigned over Judea.
2 ἄκουε, οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ, ὅτι κύριος ἐλάλησεν· υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα, αὐτοὶ δέ με ἠθέτησαν. 3 ἔγνω βοῦς τὸν κτησάμενον καὶ ὄνος τὴν φάτνην τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ· Ἰσραὴλ δέ με οὐκ ἔγνω, καὶ ὁ λαός με οὐ συνῆκεν. 2 Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken: "Sons I have begotten and raised up, but they have rejected (ēthetēsan) me. 3 The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s manger (phatnēn); but Israel does not know me, and the people have not understood me."
4 οὐαὶ ἔθνος ἁμαρτωλόν, λαὸς πλήρης ἁμαρτιῶν, σπέρμα πονηρόν, υἱοὶ ἄνομοι· ἐγκατελίπατε τὸν κύριον καὶ παρωργίσατε τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. 5 τί ἔτι πληγῆτε προστιθέντες ἀνομίαν; πᾶσα κεφαλὴ εἰς πόνον καὶ πᾶσα καρδία εἰς λύπην. 6 ἀπὸ ποδῶν ἕως κεφαλῆς οὔτε τραῦμα οὔτε μώλωψ οὔτε πληγὴ φλεγμαίνουσα, οὐκ ἔστιν μάλαγμα ἐπιθεῖναι οὔτε ἔλαιον οὔτε καταδέσμους. 4 Woe, sinful nation, a people full of sins, an evil seed, lawless sons! You have forsaken the Lord and provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger. 5 Why should you be struck any further, adding to your lawlessness? Every head is in pain and every heart in grief. 6 From feet to head there is no soundness—neither wound, nor bruise, nor festering stripe; there is no ointment to apply, nor oil, nor bandages.
7 ἡ γῆ ὑμῶν ἔρημος, αἱ πόλεις ὑμῶν πυρίκαυστοι· τὴν χώραν ὑμῶν ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν ἀλλότριοι κατεσθίουσιν αὐτήν, καὶ ἠρήμωται κατεστραμμένη ὑπὸ λαῶν ἀλλοτρίων. 8 ἐγκαταλειφθήσεται ἡ θυγάτηρ Σιὼν ὡς σκηνὴ ἐν ἀμπελῶνι καὶ ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἐν σικυηράτῳ, ὡς πόλις πολιορκουμένη· 9 καὶ εἰ μὴ κύριος σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἄν ἐγενήθημεν καὶ ὡς Γόμορρα ἄν ὡμοιώθημεν. 7 Your land is a desert, your cities burned with fire; strangers devour your country before your very eyes, and it has been made desolate, overthrown by foreign peoples. 8 The daughter of Zion shall be left behind like a tent (skēnē) in a vineyard, and like a watchman's hut in a cucumber field, like a city under siege. 9 And if the Lord of Hosts (Sabaōth) had not left a seed for us, we would have become like Sodom and we would have been made like Gomorrah.
The Futility of Empty Ritual
10 ἀκούσατε λόγον κυρίου, ἄρχοντες Σοδόμων· προσέχετε νόμον θεοῦ, λαὸς Γομόρρας. 11 τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν; λέγει κύριος· πλήρης εἰμὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων κριῶν καὶ στέαρ ἀρνῶν καὶ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων οὐ βούλομαι, 12 οὐδ' ἐὰν ἔρχησθε ὀφθῆναί μοι. τίς γὰρ ἐξεζήτησεν ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν; πατεῖν τὴν αὐλήν μου 13 οὐ προσθήσεσθε· ἐὰν φέρητε σεμίδαλιν, μάταιον· θυμίαμα βδέλυγμά μοί ἐστιν· τὰς νουμηνίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ σάββατα καὶ ἡμέραν μεγάλην οὐκ ἀνέχομαι· νηστείαν καὶ ἀργίαν 14 καὶ τὰς νουμηνίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰς ἑορτὰς ὑμῶν μισεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου· ἐγενήθητέ μοι εἰς πλησμονήν, οὐκέτι ἀνήσω τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν. 10 Hear the word of the Lord, rulers of Sodom; attend to the law of God, people of Gomorrah. 11 "What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me?" says the Lord. "I am full of whole burnt offerings of rams, and I do not want the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls and goats, 12 not even if you come to appear before me. For who has required these things from your hands? 13 You shall no longer trample my court. If you bring fine flour, it is vain; incense is an abomination (bdelygma) to me. Your new moons and Sabbaths and the great day I cannot endure; [your] fasting and idleness 14 and your new moons and your feasts my soul hates. You have become a surfeit to me; I will no longer let your sins pass.
15 ὅταν τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνητε πρός με, ἀποστρέψω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου ἀφ' ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐὰν πληθύνητε τὴν δέησιν, οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι ὑμῶν· αἱ γὰρ χεῖρες ὑμῶν αἵματος πλήρεις. 15 When you stretch out your hands toward me, I will turn my eyes away from you; and even if you multiply your prayer, I will not listen to you; for your hands are full of blood."
The Call to Repentance and Reason
16 λούσασθε, καθαροὶ γένεσθε, ἀφέλετε τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου, παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν, 17 μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν, ἐκζητήσατε κρίσιν, ῥύσασθε ἀδικούμενον, κρίνατε ὀρφανῷ καὶ δικαιώσατε χήραν· 16 "Wash yourselves, become clean, remove the wickednesses from your souls from before my eyes; cease from your wickednesses. 17 Learn to do good, seek out judgment, rescue the wronged, give judgment for the orphan and do justice for the widow.
"Let Us Reason"
18 καὶ δεῦτε καὶ διελεγχθῶμεν, λέγει κύριος, καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ, ἐὰν δὲ ὦσιν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡς ἔριον λευκανῶ. 19 καὶ ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε· 20 ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται· τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησεν ταῦτα. 18 And come now, and let us reason together (dielegchthōmen)," says the Lord. "And though your sins be as crimson, I will make them white as snow; and though they be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool. 19 And if you are willing and listen to me, you shall eat the good things of the land; 20 but if you are not willing and do not listen to me, a sword shall devour you. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things."
The Corruption of the City and Its Refining
21 πῶς ἐγένετο πόρνη πόλις πιστὴ Σιών, πλήρης κρίσεως, ἐν ᾗ δικαιοσύνη ἐκοιμήθη ἐν αὐτῇ, νῦν δὲ φονευταί. 22 τὸ ἀργύριον ὑμῶν ἀδόκιμον· οἱ κάπηλοί σου μίσγουσι τὸν οἶνον ὕδατι· 23 οἱ ἄρχοντές σου ἀπειθοῦσιν, κοινωνοὶ κλεπτῶν, ἀγαπῶντες δῶρα, διώκοντες ἀνταπόδομα, ὀρφανοῖς οὐ κρίνοντες καὶ κρίσιν χηρῶν οὐ προσέχοντες. 21 How the faithful city Zion has become a harlot! She who was full of judgment, in whom righteousness used to sleep—but now, murderers. 22 Your silver is dross (adokimon); your vintners mix the wine with water. 23 Your rulers are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving bribes, pursuing rewards, not giving judgment for orphans and not attending to the cause of widows.
24 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει ὁ δεσπότης κύριος σαβαὼθ οὐαὶ οἱ ἰσχύοντες Ἰσραήλ· οὐ παύσεται γάρ μου ὁ θυμὸς ἐν τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις, καὶ κρίσιν ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου ποιήσω. 25 καὶ ἐπάξω τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ πυρώσω σὲ εἰς καθαρόν, τοὺς δὲ ἀπειθοῦντας ἀπολέσω καὶ ἀφελῶ πάντας ἀνόμους ἀπὸ σου καὶ πάντας ὑπερηφάνους ταπεινώσω. 24 Therefore, thus says the Sovereign Lord of Hosts: "Woe to the mighty ones of Israel! For my anger shall not cease against my adversaries, and I will execute judgment on my enemies. 25 And I will bring my hand upon you and burn you into purity (eis katharon), and I will destroy the disobedient and remove all the lawless from you, and I will humble all the proud.
26 καὶ ἐπιστήσω τοὺς κριτάς σου ὡς τὸ πρότερον καὶ τοὺς συμβούλους σου ὡς τὸ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα κληθήσῃ πόλις δικαιοσύνης, μητρόπολις πιστὴ Σιών. 27 μετὰ γὰρ κρίματος σωθήσεται ἡ αἰχμαλωσία αὐτῆς καὶ μετὰ ἐλεημοσύνης· 28 καὶ συντριβήσονται οἱ ἄνομοι καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἅμα, καὶ οἱ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὸν κύριον συντελεσθήσονται. 26 And I will establish your judges as before and your counselors as at the beginning; and after these things you shall be called a City of Righteousness, a Faithful Mother-city, Zion. 27 For her captivity shall be saved with judgment and with mercy (eleēmosynēs). 28 And the lawless and the sinners shall be crushed together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
29 διότι αἰσχυνθήσονται ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν, ἃ αὐτοὶ ἠβούλοντο, καὶ ἐπῃσχύνθησαν ἐπὶ τοῖς κήποις αὐτῶν, ἃ ἐπεθύμησαν· 30 ἔσονται γὰρ ὡς τερέβινθος ἀποβεβληκυῖα τὰ φύλλα καὶ ὡς παράδεισος ὕδωρ μὴ ἔχων· 31 καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτῶν ὡς καλάμη στιππύου καὶ αἱ ἐργασίαι αὐτῶν ὡς σπινθῆρες πυρός, καὶ κατακαυθήσονται οἱ ἄνομοι καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἅμα, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ σβέσων. 29 For they shall be ashamed of their idols, which they themselves desired, and they were disgraced by their gardens, which they lusted after. 30 For they shall be as a terebinth (terebinthos) that has cast off its leaves, and as a garden that has no water. 31 And their strength shall be as a strand of tow (stippyou), and their works as sparks of fire; and the lawless and the sinners shall be burned up together, and there shall be no one to quench them."