Isaiah 1:21-26
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
The Purification of Jerusalem
21 How she has become a prostitute,
the faithful city,[a] so upright!
Justice used to lodge within her,
but now, murderers.(A)
22 Your silver is turned to dross,
your wine is mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebels
and comrades of thieves;
Each one of them loves a bribe
and looks for gifts.
The fatherless they do not defend,
the widow’s plea does not reach them.(B)
24 Now, therefore, says the Lord,
the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel:
Ah! I will take vengeance on my foes
and fully repay my enemies!(C)
25 I will turn my hand against you,
and refine your dross in the furnace,
removing all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges[b] as at first,
and your counselors as in the beginning;
After that you shall be called
city of justice, faithful city.(D)
Footnotes
- 1:21–28 Faithful city: the phrase, found in v. 21 and v. 28, forms an inclusio which marks off the passage and also suggests three chronological periods: the city’s former ideal state, its present wicked condition (described in vv. 21b–23), and the future ideal conditions intended by God. This will be brought about by a purging judgment directed primarily against the leaders (“judges…counselors”).
- 1:26 Judges: the reference must be to royal judges appointed by David and his successors, not to the tribal judges of the Book of Judges, since the “beginning” of Jerusalem as an Israelite city dates only to the time of David. The Davidic era is idealized here; obtaining justice in the historical Jerusalem of David’s time was more problematic (see 2 Sm 15:1–6).
Isaiah 1:21-26
New International Version
21 See how the faithful city
has become a prostitute!(A)
She once was full of justice;
righteousness(B) used to dwell in her—
but now murderers!(C)
22 Your silver has become dross,(D)
your choice wine is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,(E)
partners with thieves;(F)
they all love bribes(G)
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them.(H)
24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
the Mighty One(I) of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
and avenge(J) myself on my enemies.(K)
25 I will turn my hand against you;[a](L)
I will thoroughly purge(M) away your dross(N)
and remove all your impurities.(O)
26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,(P)
your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called(Q)
the City of Righteousness,(R)
the Faithful City.(S)”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:25 That is, against Jerusalem
Isaiah 48:10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
10 See, I refined you, but not like silver;
I tested you in the furnace of affliction.(A)
Isaiah 48:10
New International Version
Jeremiah 6:27-30
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
27 [a]A tester for my people I have appointed you,
to search and test their way.(A)
28 Arch-rebels are they all,
dealers in slander,
bronze and iron, all of them,
destroyers they are.
29 The bellows are scorched,
the lead is consumed by the fire;
In vain has the refiner refined,
the wicked are not drawn off.
30 “Silver rejected” they shall be called,
for the Lord has rejected them.
Footnotes
- 6:27–30 God appoints Jeremiah to be a “tester” of his people. The passage uses the metaphor of the refining of silver: the silver was extracted from lead ore, but the process in ancient times was inexact, so that sometimes all that was left was a scummy mess, to be thrown out.
Jeremiah 6:27-30
New International Version
27 “I have made you a tester(A) of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,(B)
going about to slander.(C)
They are bronze and iron;(D)
they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining(E) goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,(F)
because the Lord has rejected them.”(G)
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