חֲזוֹן יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן אָמוֹץ אֲשֶׁר חָזָה עַל יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִָם בִּימֵי עֻזִּיָּהוּ יוֹתָם אָחָז יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה

The vision of Isaiah son of Amotz that he envisioned mainly concerning Judah and Jerusalem, although his prophecies also addressed the independent Kingdom of Israel, as well as other nations, near and far. Isaiah received his prophecies in the days of Uziyahu, Yotam, Ahaz, and Hizkiyahu, who were kings of Judah. Vision is a synonym for prophecy; it expresses the prophet’s ability to see hidden matters.

שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמַיִם וְהַאֲזִינִי אֶרֶץ כִּי ה' דִּבֵּר בָּנִים גִּדַּלְתִּי וְרוֹמַמְתִּי וְהֵם פָּשְׁעוּ בִי

Hear, heavens, and listen, earth, as the Lord has spoken: I have reared children, the nation of Israel, and raised them up, and they have rebelled against Me.

יָדַע שׁוֹר קֹנֵהוּ וַחֲמוֹר אֵבוּס בְּעָלָיו יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יָדַע עַמִּי לֹא הִתְבּוֹנָן

Even an ox, which is not a particularly perceptive creature, knows the identity of its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s trough. Not only is the animal aware that the object is a trough, but it thereby realizes that it has a master. Conversely, Israel does not know; My people does not perceive. They pay no attention to the fact that God is their Master.

הוֹי גּוֹי חֹטֵא עַם כֶּבֶד עָוֹן זֶרַע מְרֵעִים בָּנִים מַשְׁחִיתִים עָזְבוּ אֶת ה' נִאֲצוּ אֶת קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל נָזֹרוּ אָחוֹר

The prophet proceeds to describe Israel in a far more severe manner: Woe! Sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, whose sins are heavy, villainous descendants, who perform evil, corrupting children. They forsook the Lord, they scorned God, the Holy One of Israel; they have turned backward. They do not merely fall back; they actively withdraw from God, the source of their sanctity.

עַל מֶה תֻכּוּ עוֹד תּוֹסִיפוּ סָרָה כָּל רֹאשׁ לָחֳלִי וְכָל לֵבָב דַּוָּי

For what reason will you be struck, that you continue straying still? The more you are afflicted, the more you rebel. Each head is ill and every heart suffers.

מִכַּף רֶגֶל וְעַד רֹאשׁ אֵין בּוֹ מְתֹם פֶּצַע וְחַבּוּרָה וּמַכָּה טְרִיָּה לֹא זֹרוּ וְלֹא חֻבָּשׁוּ וְלֹא רֻכְּכָה בַּשָּׁמֶן

From foot to head, there is nothing whole in it, any person of Israel; a bleeding wound, and bruise, and fresh blow have not been treated and healed, or bandaged or softened with oil for relief. Israel is depicted here as a body that is wholly stricken, wounded, and neglected.

אַרְצְכֶם שְׁמָמָה עָרֵיכֶם שְׂרֻפוֹת אֵשׁ אַדְמַתְכֶם לְנֶגְדְּכֶם זָרִים אֹכְלִים אֹתָהּ ושְׁמָמָה כְּמַהְפֵּכַת זָרִים

The depiction of the land is correspondingly bleak: Your land is desolation, your cities are burned in fire; as to your land, strangers devour it, its produce, in your presence, before your own eyes, and it itself is desolation like an upheaval by strangers. The invasion of foreigners leads not only to theft and damage, but also to the general disturbance of order and the loss of security and peace of mind, a familiar experience to those whose houses have been burglarized.

וְנוֹתְרָה בַת צִיּוֹן כְּסֻכָּה בְכָרֶם כִּמְלוּנָה בְמִקְשָׁה כְּעִיר נְצוּרָה

The daughter of Zion, the people of Israel, remains neglected, like a guard’s booth in a plundered vineyard, like a shed in a field of gourds, in which a guard lodges, and like a besieged city, where no one enters or exits. Some explain that this means a destroyed city (see 49:6, 65:4).

לוּלֵי ה' צְבָאוֹת הוֹתִיר לָנוּ שָׂרִיד כִּמְעָט כִּסְדֹם הָיִינוּ לַעֲמֹרָה דָּמִינוּ

The people of Israel state: Had not the Lord of hosts left for us a miniscule remnant of survivors, we would have been like Sodom, we would have been comparable to Gomorrah, two cities that were entirely overthrown and which became symbols of devastation and destruction.

שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר ה' קְצִינֵי סְדֹם הַאֲזִינוּ תּוֹרַת אֱלֹהֵינוּ עַם עֲמֹרָה

The prophet addresses his people with the same terms they used to describe themselves in the previous verse: Hear the word of the Lord, leaders of Sodom! Listen to the Torah of our God, people of Gomorrah! The city of Sodom is used as a symbol for two different concepts: as a place that was completely destroyed, and a wholly wicked city. After the people describe their land as almost as desolate as Sodom, the prophet castigates them by saying that their behavior is likewise similar to that of Sodom. The lives of the inhabitants of Judah at that time, presumably in the early years of Hizkiyahu’s reign, were focused on the Temple, as it was a period of religious awakening. The sacrificial rites were performed properly, and there was little worship of idols. Consequently, the people were satisfied with their own behavior and religious situation. It can be assumed that this feeling was strengthened by a comparison with their neighbors in the Kingdom of Israel, who did not participate in the Temple rites. This is the background to the prophet’s reproof.

לָמָּה לִּי רֹב זִבְחֵיכֶם יֹאמַר ה'; שָׂבַעְתִּי עֹלוֹת אֵילִים וְחֵלֶב מְרִיאִים וְדַם פָּרִים וּכְבָשִׂים וְעַתּוּדִים לֹא חָפָצְתִּי

Why do I need the multitude of your offerings, says the Lord; I am sated with burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened bulls and I do not desire the blood of bulls and sheep and goats. You bring more and more offerings, and feel elevated and content with yourselves. Do you imagine that I need your gifts?

כִּי תָבֹאוּ לֵרָאוֹת פָּנָי מִי בִקֵּשׁ זֹאת מִיֶּדְכֶם רְמֹס חֲצֵרָי

When you come to the Temple to appear before Me during your festival pilgrimages, pilgrimages that are described as the duty “to appear before the Lord your God,” who sought this from your hand, trampling My courtyards? For what purpose do you tread in the courtyard of God and trample its stones?

לֹא תוֹסִיפוּ הָבִיא מִנְחַת שָׁוְא קְטֹרֶת תּוֹעֵבָה הִיא לִי חֹדֶשׁ וְשַׁבָּת קְרֹא מִקְרָא לֹא אוּכַל אָוֶן ועֲצָרָה

Do not continue bringing a vain meal offering. Your meal offering is an empty gift, devoid of content and proper intention. There is no meaning behind it. Likewise, instead of being accepted by Me with favor, the incense that you bring is an abomination to Me. Furthermore, on the days of the New Moon and Sabbath, and on the days of convoking convocations, I cannot abide evil and the gathering of the assembly for public prayer. The blending of evil with a religious assembly is intolerable. Like the offerings, the prayers are recited in accordance with all the formal laws, but this very insistence on the rules of the ritual, when little attention is paid to the duty that lies beyond, is an abomination.

חָדְשֵׁיכֶם וּמוֹעֲדֵיכֶם שָׂנְאָה נַפְשִׁי הָיוּ עָלַי לָטֹרַח נִלְאֵיתִי נְשֹׂא

My soul loathes your New Moons and your festivals, days of assembly and celebration, when it was customary to visit the Temple or important personages, such as prophets and Sages; they are a burden for Me and I have wearied of forbearance. You observe all the ceremonies and rituals in a superficial manner, without any effect on your daily lives.

וּבְפָרִשְׂכֶם כַּפֵּיכֶם אַעְלִים עֵינַי מִכֶּם גַּם כִּי תַרְבּוּ תְפִלָּה — אֵינֶנִּי שֹׁמֵעַ יְדֵיכֶם דָּמִים מָלֵאוּ

And when you spread your hands upward in prayer, I will avert My eyes from you; even when you increase prayer, I do not listen, I do not respond to it, as your hands that are stretched out to Me pleadingly are full of blood. This does not necessarily refer to actual bloodshed, as in Isaiah’s time murder was not particularly common in Judah, but rather to injustice, extortion, and the abuse of unfortunates.

רַחֲצוּ הִזַּכּוּ הָסִירוּ רֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶם מִנֶּגֶד עֵינָי חִדְלוּ הָרֵעַ

The prophet calls upon the people: Instead of your current behavior, wash your hands that are full of blood, purify yourselves from wrongdoing, and remove the evil of your actions, which I see continuously, from before My eyes; cease doing evil.

לִמְדוּ הֵיטֵב דִּרְשׁוּ מִשְׁפָּט אַשְּׁרוּ חָמוֹץ שִׁפְטוּ יָתוֹם רִיבוּ אַלְמָנָה

Learn well the way of truth. Alternatively, this means: Learn how to act well with others. Seek justice, bolster the oppressed; adjudicate for the orphan, champion the widow. Perhaps the legal system has not rotted to the core, but it does not give a chance to such people, who are most in need of its assistance and protection.

לְכוּ נָא וְנִוָּכְחָה יֹאמַר ה'אִם יִהְיוּ חֲטָאֵיכֶם כַּשָּׁנִים כַּשֶּׁלֶג יַלְבִּינוּ אִם יַאְדִּימוּ כַתּוֹלָע כַּצֶּמֶר יִהְיוּ

Let us go now and reason and debate together, says the Lord. God is not simply accusing you; He has suggestions for a remedy as well: If your sins are like scarlet, they will, if you so choose, be whitened as snow. They can be amended by repenting. Similarly, if they are reddened like crimson, they will be like white wool, if you repent.

אִם תֹּאבוּ וּשְׁמַעְתֶּם טוּב הָאָרֶץ תֹּאכֵלוּ

If you are willing, and you heed the word of God, the goodness of the land you will eat.

וְאִם תְּמָאֲנוּ וּמְרִיתֶם — חֶרֶב תְּאֻכְּלוּ כִּי פִּי ה' דִּבֵּר

But if you refuse and are defiant, you will be devoured, destroyed, by the sword, as the mouth of the Lord has spoken. This is God’s side of the debate: He has specified these conditions and you should choose to fulfill them.

אֵיכָה הָיְתָה לְזוֹנָה קִרְיָה נֶאֱמָנָה מְלֵאֲתִי מִשְׁפָּט צֶדֶק יָלִין בָּהּ וְעַתָּה מְרַצְּחִים

Due to the classical style of this prophecy, the beauty of its phrases, the perfection of its images, and the magnificence of its parallels, one does not always notice its scathing content: How did it become a harlot, the faithful city? Jerusalem, which should be God’s loyal city, has become a metaphorical harlot. The city was once filled with principle, and justice would abide in it, but now its residents are murderers.

כַּסְפֵּךְ הָיָה לְסִיגִים סָבְאֵךְ מָהוּל בַּמָּיִם

Your silver has become pieces of dross, non-precious metal. During the regular process of refining silver, the dross is the waste product, extracted so that the remainder is pure silver. In your case the opposite occurs: Your silver turns into dross, and this is true not only of the financial system. Your liquor, such as wine, is diluted with water. As well as serving as practical examples, the compromised silver and diluted wine are also general metaphors for widespread cheating and corruption.

שָׂרַיִךְ סוֹרְרִים וְחַבְרֵי גַּנָּבִים כֻּלּוֹ אֹהֵב שֹׁחַד וְרֹדֵף שַׁלְמֹנִים יָתוֹם לֹא יִשְׁפֹּטוּ וְרִיב אַלְמָנָה לֹא יָבוֹא אֲלֵיהֶם

Your princes are wayward, undisciplined and unfair, and they are cohorts of thieves. They quietly collaborate with robbers. Each member of the ruling class and the judiciary loves bribery and pursues graft. Consequently, they do not provide justice for an orphan, who is unable to pay them, and the cause of a widow does not come to them. If the widow or the orphan complain of harassment, the princes will not bring their cases to the light of justice.

לָכֵן נְאֻם הָאָדוֹן ה' צְבָאוֹת אֲבִיר יִשְׂרָאֵל הוֹי אֶנָּחֵם מִצָּרַי וְאִנָּקְמָה מֵאוֹיְבָי

Therefore – the utterance of the Master, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel– Woe! I will be mollified of My adversaries. Once I have punished them I will be able to relax, as it were. And I will be avenged on My enemies. These sinners are considered God’s adversaries and enemies.

וְאָשִׁיבָה יָדִי עָלַיִךְ וְאֶצְרֹף כַּבֹּר סִיגָיִךְ וְאָסִירָה כָּל בְּדִילָיִךְ

I will turn My hand against you to deal with you, and I will refine your pieces of dross as with lye, a caustic cleansing substance, and I will remove all your slag [bedilayikh], which is the common waste matter within silver ore. It was called this perhaps because it was separated [nivdal] from the more valuable metal during the refinement.

וְאָשִׁיבָה שֹׁפְטַיִךְ כְּבָרִאשֹׁנָה וְיֹעֲצַיִךְ כְּבַתְּחִלָּה אַחֲרֵי כֵן יִקָּרֵא לָךְ עִיר הַצֶּדֶק קִרְיָה נֶאֱמָנָה

I will restore your judges to as they were at first, and your counselors, who fulfilled various leadership roles, to as they were at the beginning. Thereafter, you, Jerusalem, will be called the city of righteousness, just like when justice abided in it, and you will again be termed the faithful city, as in the past.

צִיּוֹן בּמִשְׁפָּט תִּפָּדֶה וְשָׁבֶיהָ בצְדָקָה

Zion will be redeemed with the performance of justice, and its returnees will come back to rebuild it with righteousness.

וְשֶׁבֶר פֹּשְׁעִים וְחַטָּאִים יַחְדָּו ועֹזְבֵי ה'יִכְלוּ

And there will be breaking of transgressors and sinners together, and those others who forsake the Lord will perish with them,

כִּי יֵבֹשׁוּ מֵאֵילִים אֲשֶׁר חֲמַדְתֶּם וְתַחְפְּרוּ מֵהַגַּנּוֹת אֲשֶׁר בְּחַרְתֶּם

for they, these sinners, will be ashamed of the terebinths used for idolatrous purposes, or of the powerful individuals that you, the people, coveted, and you will be disgraced because of the gardens, used for foreign rituals, or because of the pleasures that you chose. The idea that the world of sin is based on luxuries and worthless matters appears in several places in this book (see, e.g., 5:11–12, 22:13).

כִּי תִהְיוּ כְּאֵלָה נֹבֶלֶת עָלֶהָ וכְגַנָּה אֲשֶׁר מַיִם אֵין לָהּ

For you will be like a terebinth whose leaves are withered. The terebinth is a large, splendid tree which blossoms impressively; however, when it is bare in the winter, having shed its leaves, it looks wretched. This image is repeated elsewhere in the book of Isaiah (see 34:4, 40:7, 64:5). And you will be like a garden that has no water, all of whose growths wither away.

וְהָיָה הֶחָסֹן לִנְעֹרֶת וּפֹעֲלוֹ לְנִיצוֹץ וּבָעֲרוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם יַחְדָּו וְאֵין מְכַבֶּה

The prophet uses another analogy for the wicked and their deeds: The tough stalks of flax will be tow, thin chaff that falls off the stalks of combed flax. Some make bulbs from this chaff, whose only practical use is for burning. And its maker, the one who works the flax, will be a spark; and since tow is highly flammable, the two of them, the tough stalks and tow, will burn together, and none extinguishes them. In fact, both the tough stalks and the tow catch fire easily, but the phrase “the tough will be tow” further alludes to the subjugation of the hard and powerful.