Isaiah 1:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city."

NIV: I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City."

NASB: Then I will restore your judges as at first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city.'

CSB: I will restore your judges to what they were at first, and your advisers to what they were at the start. Afterward you will be called the Righteous City, a Faithful Town."

NLT: Then I will give you good judges again and wise counselors like you used to have. Then Jerusalem will again be called the Home of Justice and the Faithful City.'

KJV: And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

NKJV: I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”

In Isaiah's time, Jerusalem and Judah have fallen into a sinful state, though the people do not recognize their wickedness. Nor do they sense the approaching disaster of God's judgment (Isaiah 1:3,5). Corruption runs rampant among the leadership, and justice is denied to the poor and powerless (Isaiah 1:23). God has announced His plan to restore the city and His people. He will use judgment to burn off all who are unfaithful to Him (Isaiah 1:25) and then rebuild and restore His people.

When they are restored, the Lord will put in place judges and counselors like the ones that occupied those seats during the times of David and Solomon. A time when Jerusalem was famous for its justice. Then, Jerusalem will once again be known as a faithful city.

Isaiah 1:21–31 focuses on the city of Jerusalem as representative of the people of Judah in Israel. Once faithful to God and known for justice, the city has become a prostitute and a town in which murderers walk free and leaders are friends with thieves. The Lord declares that He will purify the corruption from the city and return it to a place of justice. Those who repent will be redeemed. Those who don't will be broken and consumed. Those who have worshipped false gods will be embarrassed and then destroyed.

After identifying himself as the son of Amoz, Isaiah begins his vision from the Lord with the introduction of God's lawsuit against the people of Israel. His children are living in rebellion against Him. They are saturated in sin and have forsaken the Lord. Their spiritual sickness will lead to their destruction, though a few will be saved. Their offerings are meaningless because of their sinful lifestyles. If they repent now, they will be redeemed. If not, they will be destroyed. The Lord will restore justice to once righteous Jerusalem. All who do not repent will be consumed.

Isaiah 1 begins Isaiah's massive book of prophecy with the Lord presenting a lawsuit against His people Israel in Judah for breach of covenant. They live in rebellion against Him and are saturated in sin. They refuse to treat their spiritual illness and will be decimated by their enemies. Their offerings are meaningless. They must stop doing evil and start doing what is good. The Lord will burn off the corrupt from Jerusalem and return it to a place of justice and righteousness. Those who refuse to repent will be broken and destroyed.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).