1Visión que recibió Isaías, hijo de Amoz, acerca de Judá y Jerusalén, durante los reinados de Uzías, Jotán, Acaz y Ezequías, reyes de Judá.
Judá, nación rebelde
2¡Oigan, cielos! ¡Escucha, tierra!
Porque el Señor ha hablado:
«Yo crie hijos y los hice crecer,
pero ellos se rebelaron contra mí.
3El buey conoce a su dueño
y el asno el pesebre de su amo;
¡pero Israel no conoce,
mi pueblo no comprende!».
4¡Ay, nación pecadora,
pueblo cargado de culpa,
generación de malhechores,
hijos corruptos!
¡Han abandonado al Señor!
¡Han despreciado al Santo de Israel!
¡Le han dado la espalda!
5¿Por qué recibir más golpes?
¿Por qué insistir en la rebelión?
Toda su cabeza está herida,
todo su corazón está enfermo.
6Desde la planta del pie hasta la coronilla
no les queda nada sano:
todo en ellos es heridas, moretones
y llagas abiertas,
que no les han sido curadas, ni vendadas,
ni aliviadas con aceite.
7Su país está desolado,
sus ciudades son presa del fuego;
ante sus propios ojos
los extraños devoran sus campos;
su país está desolado, como si hubiera sido destruido por extranjeros.
8La hija Sión ha quedado
como cobertizo en un viñedo,
como choza en un huerto de pepinos,
como ciudad sitiada.
9Si el Señor de los Ejércitos
no nos hubiera dejado un remanente de sobrevivientes,
seríamos ya como Sodoma,
nos pareceríamos a Gomorra.
10¡Oigan la palabra del Señor,
gobernantes de Sodoma!
¡Escuchen la instrucción de nuestro Dios,
pueblo de Gomorra!
11«¿De qué me sirven sus muchos sacrificios?»,
dice el Señor.
«Harto estoy de holocaustos de carneros
y de la grasa de animales engordados;
la sangre de novillos, corderos y machos cabríos
no me complace.
12¿Por qué vienen a presentarse ante mí?
¿Quién les mandó traer animales
para que pisotearan mis atrios?
13No me sigan trayendo vanas ofrendas;
el incienso es para mí una abominación.
Luna nueva, día de reposo, asambleas convocadas;
¡no soporto sus asambleas que me ofenden!
14Yo aborrezco sus lunas nuevas y festividades;
se me han vuelto una carga
que estoy cansado de soportar.
15Cuando levantan sus manos,
yo aparto de ustedes mis ojos;
aunque multipliquen sus oraciones,
no las escucharé.
»¡Tienen las manos llenas de sangre!
16»¡Lávense, límpiense!
¡Aparten de mi vista sus obras malvadas!
¡Dejen de hacer el mal!
17¡Aprendan a hacer el bien!
¡Busquen la justicia y restituyan al oprimido!
¡Aboguen por el huérfano
y defiendan a la viuda!».
18«Vengan, pongamos las cosas en claro»,
dice el Señor.
«Aunque sus pecados sean como escarlata,
quedarán blancos como la nieve.
Aunque sean rojos como la púrpura,
quedarán como la lana.
19¿Están ustedes dispuestos a obedecer?
¡Comerán lo bueno de la tierra!
20¿Se niegan y se rebelan?
¡Serán devorados por la espada!».
El Señor mismo lo ha dicho.
21¡Cómo se ha prostituido la ciudad fiel!
Antes estaba llena de justicia.
La rectitud moraba en ella,
pero ahora solo quedan asesinos.
22Tu plata se ha convertido en escoria;
tu buen vino está mezclado con agua.
23Tus gobernantes son rebeldes,
cómplices de ladrones;
todos aman el soborno
y van detrás de las recompensas.
No abogan por el huérfano
ni se ocupan de la causa de la viuda.
24Por eso, afirma el Señor,
el Señor de los Ejércitos, el Poderoso de Israel:
«Me desquitaré de mis adversarios,
me vengaré de mis enemigos.
25Volveré mi mano contra ti,
limpiaré tus escorias con lejía
y quitaré todas tus impurezas.
26Restauraré a tus líderes como al principio
y a tus consejeros como al comienzo.
Entonces serás llamada
“Ciudad de justicia”,
“Ciudad fiel”».
27Con justicia Sión será redimida
y con rectitud, los que se arrepientan.
28Pero los rebeldes y pecadores a una serán quebrantados
y perecerán los que abandonan al Señor.
29«Se avergonzarán de las encinas
que ustedes tanto aman;
los jardines que eligieron
les serán una afrenta,
30como una encina con hojas marchitas,
como un jardín sin agua.
31El hombre fuerte se convertirá en estopa
y su trabajo, en chispa;
arderán los dos juntos
y no habrá quien los apague».
1Here is the vision about Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah saw. It came to him when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were ruling. They were kings of Judah. Isaiah was the son of Amoz.
The Nation Refuses to Obey the Lord
2Listen to me, you heavens! Pay attention to me, earth!
The Lord has said,
“I raised children. I brought them up.
But they have refused to obey me.
3The ox knows its master.
The donkey knows where its owner feeds it.
But Israel does not know me.
My people do not understand me.”
4How terrible it will be for this sinful nation!
They are loaded down with guilt.
They are people who do nothing but evil.
They are children who are always sinning.
They have deserted the Lord.
They have turned against the Holy One of Israel.
They have turned their backs on him.
5Israel, why do you want to be beaten all the time?
Why do you always refuse to obey the Lord?
Your head is covered with wounds.
Your whole heart is weak.
6There isn’t a healthy spot on your body.
You are not healthy from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head.
You have nothing but wounds, cuts
and open sores.
They haven’t been cleaned up or bandaged
or treated with olive oil.
7Your country has been deserted.
Your cities have been burned down.
The food from your fields is being eaten up by outsiders.
They are doing it right in front of you.
Your land has been completely destroyed.
It looks as if strangers have taken it over.
8The city of Zion is left like a shed
where someone stands guard in a vineyard.
It is left like a hut in a cucumber field.
It’s like a city being attacked.
9The Lord who rules over all
has let some people live through that time of trouble.
If he hadn’t, we would have become like Sodom.
We would have been like Gomorrah.
10Rulers of Sodom,
hear the Lord’s message.
People of Gomorrah,
listen to the instruction of our God.
11“Do you think I need any more of your sacrifices?”
asks the Lord.
“I have more than enough of your burnt offerings.
I have more than enough of rams
and the fat of your fattest animals.
I do not find any pleasure
in the blood of your bulls, lambs and goats.
12Who asked you to bring all these animals
when you come to worship me?
Who asked you and your animals
to walk all over my courtyards?
13Stop bringing offerings that do not mean anything to me!
I hate your incense.
I can’t stand your worthless gatherings.
I can’t stand the way you celebrate your New Moon feasts,
Sabbath days and special services.
14Your New Moon feasts and your other appointed feasts
I hate with my whole being.
They have become a heavy load to me.
I am tired of carrying it.
15You might spread out your hands toward me when you pray.
But I do not look at you.
You might even offer many prayers.
But I am not listening to them.
Your hands are covered with the blood of the people you have murdered.
16So wash and make yourselves clean.
Get your evil actions out of my sight!
Stop doing what is wrong!
17Learn to do what is right!
Treat people fairly.
Help those who are treated badly.
Stand up in court for children whose fathers have died.
And do the same thing for widows.
18“Come. Let us settle this matter,”
says the Lord.
“Even though your sins are bright red,
they will be as white as snow.
Even though they are deep red,
they will be white like wool.
19But you have to be willing to change and obey me.
If you are, you will eat the good things that grow on the land.
20But if you are not willing to obey me,
you will be killed by swords.”
The Lord has spoken.
21See how the faithful city of Jerusalem
has become like a prostitute!
Once it was full of people who treated others fairly.
Those who did what was right used to live in it.
But now murderers live there!
22Jerusalem, your silver isn’t pure anymore.
Your best wine has been made weak with water.
23Your rulers refuse to obey the Lord.
They join forces with robbers.
All of them love to accept money from those who want special favors.
They are always looking for gifts from other people.
They don’t stand up in court for children whose fathers have died.
They don’t do it for widows either.
24The Lord is the Mighty One of Israel.
The Lord who rules over all announces,
“Israel, you have become my enemies.
I will act against you in my anger.
I will pay you back for what you have done.
25I will turn my power against you.
I will make you completely ‘clean.’
I will remove everything that is not pure.
26I will give you leaders like the ones you had long ago.
I will give you rulers like those you had at the beginning.
Then you will be called
the City That Does What Is Right.
You will also be called the Faithful City.”
27Zion will be saved when justice is done.
Those who are sorry for their sins will be saved
when what is right is done.
28But sinners and those who refuse to obey the Lord will be destroyed.
And those who desert the Lord will die.
29“Israel, you take delight in worshiping among the sacred oak trees.
You will be full of shame for doing that.
You have chosen to worship in the sacred gardens.
You will be dishonored for doing that.
30You will be like an oak tree whose leaves are dying.
You will be like a garden that doesn’t have any water.
31Your strongest men will become like dry pieces of wood.
Their worship of other gods will be the spark that lights the fire.
Everything will be burned up.
No one will be there to put the fire out.”
