Isaiah 1:18–20
God invites them to reason: willing and listening, or refusing and rebelling
Study it word by word18Come now, and let us argue it out, says YHWH. If your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow; if they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.
19If you are willing and listen, you will eat the good of the land;
20but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword, for the mouth of YHWH has spoken.
In its context
16Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; stop doing evil.
17Learn to do good; seek justice; set right the oppressor; judge the case of the orphan; plead the cause of the widow.
…
21How the faithful city has become a prostitute! Full of justice, righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.
22Your silver has become dross, your liquor diluted with water.
Its words in the original
- לְכוּlechu· go, walk
Go, walk, depart; in the causative form, lead or bring.
- נִוָּכְחָהnivachcha· reprove, decide
Decide who is right; reprove, correct, rebuke; also argue a case. In the passive, be shown to be in the right.
- יֹאמַרyomar· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- יִהְיוּyihyu· be, become, happen
Be, exist; also "become" or "happen". It is the verb of "there was", "it was" and "it came to pass".
- חֲטָאֵיchatae· offense, sin
Offense, sin; its penalty.
- שָּׁנִיםshanim· scarlet
Scarlet, crimson; thread dyed that color.
- שֶּׁלֶגsheleg· snow
Snow.
- יַלְבִּינוּyalbinu· make bricks
Make bricks. Another form of the same root means be white.
- יַאְדִּימוּyadimu· be red
Be red, turn red; of rams' skins, dyed red.
- תּוֹלָעtola· worm, scarlet
Worm. The same word names the scarlet dye taken from an insect, and cloth dyed with it.
- צֶּמֶרtsemer· wool
Wool.
- תֹּאבוּtovu· be willing, consent
Be willing, consent, agree to something; with "not", refuse.
- שְׁמַעְתֶּםshematem· hear, listen, obey
Hear, listen. In the Bible listening truly includes paying heed; so it often means "obey". In the causative form, make heard, proclaim.
- טוּבtuv· goodness, good things
The good, the best of something; goods; also goodness, beauty.
- אָרֶץarets· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- תֹּאכֵלוּtochelu· eat
Eat; also consume, devour (said of fire or the sword).
- תְּמָאֲנוּtemaanu· refuse
Refuse, be unwilling.
- מְרִיתֶםmeritem· rebel
Rebel, resist what is commanded.
- חֶרֶבcherev· sword
Sword; also any tool with an edge, like a knife or a chisel.
- פִּיpi· mouth
Mouth. Also what someone says or commands ("by the mouth of" = by the word of); the edge of a sword; "according to".
- דִּבֵּרdiber· speak
Speak, talk, say; also promise or command.