And the very land has been polluted under its inhabitants, for they have bypassed the laws, changed the regulation, broken the indefinitely lasting covenant.

7. How would the Law covenant be a blessing for the Israelites?

⁷ Some 800 years before Isaiah’s day, the Israelites willingly entered into a covenant relationship with Jehovah and agreed to abide by it. (Exodus 24:3-8) The terms of that Law covenant stipulated that if they obeyed Jehovah’s commandments, they would experience his rich blessing but if they violated the covenant, they would lose his blessing and be taken captive by their enemies. (Exodus 19:5, 6; Deuteronomy 28:1-68) This Law covenant, given through Moses, was to remain in force for an indefinite, unspecified time. It would safeguard the Israelites until the appearance of the Messiah.​—Galatians 3:19, 24.

8. (a) How have the people “bypassed the laws” and “changed the regulation”? (b) In what ways are “the high ones” the first to ‘wither’?

⁸ But the people have “broken the indefinitely lasting covenant.” They have bypassed the divinely given laws, ignoring them. They have “changed the regulation,” following legal practices different from those that Jehovah gave. (Exodus 22:25; Ezekiel 22:12)