Isaiah 1:18-31

The LORD says, “Come, let us talk about these things. Though your sins are like scarlet, they can be as white as snow. Though your sins are deep red, they can be white like wool. If you become willing and obey me, you will eat good crops from the land. But if you refuse to obey and if you turn against me, you will be destroyed by your enemies’ swords.” The LORD himself said these things. The city of Jerusalem once followed the LORD, but she is no longer loyal to him. She used to be filled with fairness; people there lived the way God wanted. But now, murderers live there. Jerusalem, you have become like the scum left when silver is purified; you are like wine mixed with water. Your rulers are rebels and friends of thieves. They all accept money for doing wrong, and they are paid to cheat people. They don’t seek justice for the orphans or listen to the widows’ needs. So the Lord GOD All-Powerful, the Mighty One of Israel, says: “You, my enemies, will not cause me any more trouble. I will pay you back for what you did. I will turn against you and clean away all your wrongs as if with soap; I will take all the worthless things out of you. I will bring back judges as you had long ago; your counselors will be like those you had in the beginning. Then you will be called the City That Is Right with God, the Loyal City.” By doing what is fair, Jerusalem will be free again. By doing what is right, her people who come back to the LORD will have freedom. But sinners and those who turn against him will be destroyed; those who have left the LORD will die. “You will be ashamed, because you have worshiped gods under the oak trees. You will be disgraced, because you have worshiped idols in your gardens. You will be like an oak whose leaves are dying or like a garden without water. Powerful people will be like small, dry pieces of wood, and their works will be like sparks. They will burn together, and no one will be able to put out that fire.”