Isaiah 1:13 (WEB)

Passage

Bring no more vain offerings. Incense is an abomination to me; new moons, Sabbaths, and convocations: I can’t stand evil assemblies.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:11 “What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?”, says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed animals. I don’t delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats.

Isaiah 1:12 When you come to appear before me, who has required this at your hand, to trample my courts?

Isaiah 1:13 Bring no more vain offerings. Incense is an abomination to me; new moons, Sabbaths, and convocations: I can’t stand evil assemblies.

Isaiah 1:14 My soul hates your New Moons and your appointed feasts. They are a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them.

Isaiah 1:15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bring", "vain", "offerings", "incense", "abomination", "moons", "sabbaths", and "convocations". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bring" and "vain", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "When you come to appear before me..." into verse 14's "My soul hates your New Moons and...", so "bring" and "vain" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "bring" and "vain" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.