< Isaiah 56 >
1 Thus said YHWH: “Keep judgment, and do righteousness, For My salvation [is] near to come, And My righteousness to be revealed.”
Thus says the Lord: Preserve judgment, and accomplish justice. For my salvation is close to its arrival, and my justice is close to being revealed.
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.
Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds to this, keeping the Sabbath and not profaning it, guarding his hands and not 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 son of the new arrival, who adheres to the Lord, speak, saying, “The Lord will divide and separate me from his people.” And let not the eunuch say, “Behold, 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 thus says the Lord to the eunuchs: They will keep my Sabbaths, and they will choose the things that I will, and they will hold to my covenant.
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 them a place in my house, within my walls, and a name better than sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name, which will never perish.
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 the sons of the new arrival, who adhere to the Lord so as to worship him and to love his name, shall be his servants: all who keep the Sabbath without profaning it, and who hold to my covenant.
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 lead them to my holy mountain, and I will gladden them in my house of prayer. Their holocausts and their victims will be pleasing to me upon my altar. For my house will be called the 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 gathers the dispersed of Israel, says: Even now, I will gather his congregation to him.
9 Every beast of the field, Come to devour, every beast in the forest.
All beasts of the field, all the beasts of the forest: approach and devour!
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 all blind. They are all ignorant. They are mute dogs without the ability to bark, seeing empty things, sleeping and loving dreams.
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:
And these very imprudent dogs have never known satisfaction. The shepherds themselves do not know understanding. All have turned aside in their own way, each one to his own avarice, from the highest even to the least:
12 “Come, I take wine, And we drink, gulp strong drink, And tomorrow has been as this day, Great—exceedingly abundant!”
“Come, let us take wine, and be filled by inebriation. And as it is today, so shall it be tomorrow and for a long time.”