God continues to speak to the people of Judah.

## Wash, cleanse yourselves ##

Here God compares  stopping sinning with becoming clean. This can be translated as: “Repent and wash the sin from your heart like you wash the dirt from your body.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

## remove the evil of your deeds from my sight ##

God was not telling them to do their evil deeds somewhere else, but to stop doing them. Alternate translation: "Stop doing the evil deeds that I see you doing."

## the oppressed ##

"people who are oppressed" or  "people who are treated cruelly"

## give justice to the fatherless ##

"be fair to the children who do not have fathers"

## defend the widow ##

"protect the women whose husbands have died"