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 asked not, I have been found by those who sought Me not, I have said, 'Behold Me, behold Me,' Unto a nation not calling in 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 Unto an apostate people, Who are going in the way 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 provoking Me to anger, To My face continually, Sacrificing in gardens, and making perfume 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 sepulchres, And lodge in reserved places, Who are eating flesh of the sow, And a piece of abominable things — 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 thyself, come not nigh to me, For I have declared thee unholy.' These [are] a smoke in Mine 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,
Lo, it is written before Me: 'I am not silent, but have recompensed; And I have recompensed 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 Jehovah, Who have made perfume on the mountains, And on the heights have reproached Me, 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 Jehovah: As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one hath said, 'Destroy it not 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 from Jacob a seed, And from Judah a possessor of My mount, And possess it do My chosen ones, And My servants do 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 hath 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 ye [are] those forsaking Jehovah, Who are forgetting My holy mountain, Who are setting in array for Gad a table, And who are filling for Meni a mixture.
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 for slaughter bow down, Because I called, and ye have not answered, I have spoken, and ye have not hearkened, And ye do the evil thing in Mine eyes, And on that which I desired not — 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 the Lord Jehovah: Lo, My servants do eat, and ye do hunger, Lo, My servants do drink, and ye do thirst, Lo, My servants rejoice, and ye 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.
Lo, My servants sing from joy of heart, And ye cry from pain of heart, And from breaking of spirit ye do howl.
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 ye have left your name For an oath for My chosen ones, And the Lord Jehovah hath put thee to death, And to His servants He giveth another name.
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, Doth bless himself In the God of faithfulness, And he who is swearing in the earth, Doth swear by the God of faithfulness, Because the former distresses have been forgotten, And because they have been hid from Mine 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, lo, 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 joy ye, and rejoice for ever, that I [am] Creator, For, lo, I am creating Jerusalem 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 joyed in My people, And not heard in her any more Is the voice of weeping, 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 thence any more a suckling of days, And an aged man who doth not complete his days, For the youth a hundred years old dieth, And the sinner, a 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 the work of their hands wear out do My chosen ones.
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 labour not for a vain thing, Nor do they bring forth for trouble, For the seed of the blessed of Jehovah [are] they, And their offspring with them.
24 Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
And it hath 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 do feed as one, And a lion as an ox eateth straw, As to the serpent — dust [is] its food, They do no evil, nor destroy, In all My holy mountain, said Jehovah!
