“O!
Sinful nation!
People laden with iniquity!
Offspring who do evil!
Children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken Yahweh.
They have despised the Holy One of Israel.
They are utterly estranged!”
Yahweh in his oracle, as pronounced by Isaiah, calls out the Israelites. He calls them a sinful nation of people who are criminals. Their children do evil things and act perversely. They have forsaken the Lord, Yahweh. They have despised the Holy One of Israel, God. They have utterly estranged themselves from Yahweh. Once again, it is not clear whether this oracle is against just the northern Israelites or also includes the people of Judah. Sometimes the term “Israel” is used for both and sometimes just for the northern Israelites.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 