Isaiah 56

1 Thus said YHWH: “Keep judgment, and do righteousness, For My salvation [is] near to come, And My righteousness to be revealed.”

The Lord says, Let your way of life be upright, and let your behaviour be rightly ordered: for my salvation is near, and my righteousness will quickly be seen.

2 O the blessedness of a man who does this, And of a son of man who keeps hold on it, Keeping the Sabbath from defiling it, And keeping his hand from doing any evil.

Happy is the man who does this, and the son of man whose behaviour is so ordered; who keeps the Sabbath holy, and his hand from doing any evil.

3 Do not let a son of the stranger speak, Who is joined to YHWH, saying, “YHWH certainly separates me from His people.” Nor let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dried up tree,”

And let not the man from a strange country, who has been joined to the Lord, say, The Lord will certainly put a division between me and his people: and let not the unsexed man say, See, I am a dry tree.

4 For thus said YHWH: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And have fixed on that which I desired, And are keeping hold on My covenant:

For the Lord says, As for the unsexed who keep my Sabbaths, and give their hearts to pleasing me, and keep their agreement with me:

5 I have given to them in My house, And within My walls a station and a name, Better than sons and than daughters, I give a continuous name to him That is not cut off.

I will give to them in my house, and inside my walls, a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an eternal name which will not be cut off.

6 And sons of the stranger, who are joined to YHWH, To serve Him, and to love the Name of YHWH, To be for servants to Him, All keeping from defiling the Sabbath, And those keeping hold on My covenant,

And as for those from a strange country, who are joined to the Lord, to give worship to him and honour to his name, to be his servants, even everyone who keeps the Sabbath holy, and keeps his agreement with me:

7 I have brought them to My holy mountain, And caused them to rejoice in My house of prayer, Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices [Are] for a pleasing thing on My altar, For My house is called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

I will make them come to my holy mountain, and will give them joy in my house of prayer; I will take pleasure in the burned offerings which they make on my altar: for my house will be named a house of prayer for all peoples.

8 A declaration of Lord YHWH, Who is gathering the outcasts of Israel: “Again I gather to him—to his gathered ones.”

The Lord God, who gets together the wandering ones of Israel, says, I will get together others in addition to those of Israel who have come back.

9 Every beast of the field, Come to devour, every beast in the forest.

All you beasts of the field, come together for your meat, even all you beasts of the wood.

10 His watchmen [are] blind—all of them, They have not known, All of them [are] mute dogs, they are not able to bark, Dozing, lying down, loving to slumber.

His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dogs without tongues, unable to make a sound; stretched out dreaming, loving sleep.

11 And the dogs [are] strong of desire, They have not known sufficiency, And they [are] shepherds! They have not known understanding, All of them turned to their own way, Each to his dishonest gain from his quarter:

Yes, the dogs are for ever looking for food; while these, the keepers of the sheep, are without wisdom: they have all gone after their pleasure, every one looking for profit; they are all the same.

12 “Come, I take wine, And we drink, gulp strong drink, And tomorrow has been as this day, Great—exceedingly abundant!”

Come, they say, I will get wine, and we will take strong drink in full measure; and tomorrow will be like today, full of pleasure.