Isaiah 65

1 “I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’

“I have been inquired of by those who did not ask, I have been found by those who did not seek Me, I have said, Behold Me, behold Me, To a nation not calling on My Name.

2 All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations,

I have spread out My hands all the day To an apostate people, Who are going in the way [that is] not good, After their own thoughts.

3 to a people who continually provoke Me to My face, sacrificing in the gardens and burning incense on altars of brick,

The people who are continually provoking Me to anger, To My face, Sacrificing in gardens, and making incense on the bricks:

4 sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, eating the meat of pigs and polluted broth from their bowls.

Who are dwelling among tombs, And lodge in reserved places, Who are eating flesh of the sow, And a piece of abominations—their vessels.

5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.

Who are saying, Keep to yourself, do not come near to me, For I have declared you unholy. These [are] smoke in My anger, A fire burning all the day.

6 Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will pay it back into their laps,

Behold, it is written before Me: I am not silent, but have repaid; And I have repaid into their bosom,

7 both for your iniquities and for those of your fathers,” says the LORD. “Because they burned incense on the mountains and scorned Me on the hills, I will measure into their laps full payment for their former deeds.”

Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together,” said YHWH, “Who have made incense on the mountains, And have reproached Me on the heights, And I have measured their former work into their bosom.”

8 This is what the LORD says: “As the new wine is found in a cluster of grapes, and men say, ‘Do not destroy it, for it contains a blessing,’ so I will act on behalf of My servants; I will not destroy them all.

Thus said YHWH: “As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one has said, Do not destroy it for a blessing [is] in it, So I do for My servants’ sake, Not to destroy the whole.

9 And I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and heirs from Judah; My elect will possess My mountains, and My servants will dwell there.

And I have brought out a Seed from Jacob, And from Judah a Possessor of My mountain, And My chosen ones possess it, And My servants dwell there.

10 Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for My people who seek Me.

And Sharon has been for the habitation of a flock, And the Valley of Achor for the lying down of a herd, For My people who have sought Me.

11 But you who forsake the LORD, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,

And you [are] those forsaking YHWH, Who are forgetting My holy mountain, Who are setting a table in array for Gad, And who are filling a mixture for Meni.

12 I will destine you for the sword, and you will all kneel down to be slaughtered, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not listen; you did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.”

And I have numbered you for the sword, And all of you bow down for slaughter, Because I called, and you have not answered, I have spoken, and you have not listened, And you do evil in My eyes, And on that which I did not desire—fixed.”

13 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; My servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: “Behold, My servants eat, and you hunger, Behold, My servants drink, and you thirst, Behold, My servants rejoice, and you are ashamed,

14 My servants will shout for joy with a glad heart, but you will cry out with a heavy heart and wail with a broken spirit.

Behold, My servants sing from joy of heart, And you cry from pain of heart, And you howl from breaking of spirit.

15 You will leave behind your name as a curse for My chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will slay you; but to His servants He will give another name.

And you have left your name For an oath for My chosen ones, And Lord YHWH has put you to death, And He gives another name to His servants;

16 Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth, and whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the former troubles will be forgotten and hidden from My sight.

So that he who is blessing himself in the earth, Blesses himself in the God of faithfulness, And he who is swearing in the earth, Swears by the God of faithfulness, Because the former distresses have been forgotten, And because they have been hid from My eyes.

17 For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

For behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth, And the former things are not remembered, Nor do they ascend on the heart.

18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight.

But rejoice, and rejoice forever, that I [am] Creator, For behold, I am creating Jerusalem [to be] a rejoicing, And her people a joy.

19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and take delight in My people. The sounds of weeping and crying will no longer be heard in her.

And I have rejoiced in Jerusalem, And have rejoiced in My people, And the voice of weeping is not heard in her anymore, and the voice of crying.

20 No longer will a nursing infant live but a few days, or an old man fail to live out his years. For the youth will die at a hundred years, and he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.

There is not a suckling of [mere] days there anymore, And an aged man who does not complete his days, For the youth dies one hundred years old, And the sinner, one hundred years old, is lightly esteemed.

21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

And they have built houses, and inhabited, And planted vineyards, and eaten their fruit.

22 No longer will they build houses for others to inhabit, nor plant for others to eat. For as is the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, and My chosen ones will fully enjoy the work of their hands.

They do not build, and another inhabit, They do not plant, and another eat, For as the days of a tree [are] the days of My people, And My chosen wear out the work of their hands.

23 They will not labor in vain or bear children doomed to disaster; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD— they and their descendants with them.

They do not labor for a vain thing, Nor do they bring forth for trouble, For they [are] the seed of the blessed of YHWH, And their offspring with them.

24 Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

And it has come to pass, They do not yet call, and I answer, They are yet speaking, and I hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but the food of the serpent will be dust. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain,”

Wolf and lamb feed as one, And a lion eats straw as an ox, As for the serpent—its food [is] dust, They do no evil, nor destroy, In all My holy mountain,” said YHWH!