Isaiah 66
1 Thus said YHWH: “The heavens [are] My throne, And the earth My footstool, Where [is] this—the house that you build for Me? And where [is] this—the place—My rest?
This is what the Lord says: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is where I place my feet. So where will this house be that you're going to build for me? Where will I lie down to rest?
2 And My hand has made all these, And all these things are,” A declaration of YHWH! “And to this one I look attentively, To the humble and bruised in spirit, And who is trembling at My word.
I made everything; that's how it all came into existence, says the Lord. Those I look favorably on are humble and repentant, and they tremble when I speak.
3 Whoever slaughters the ox strikes a man, Whoever sacrifices the lamb beheads a dog, Whoever is bringing up a present—The blood of a sow, Whoever is making mention of frankincense, Is blessing iniquity. Indeed, they have fixed on their own ways, And their soul has delighted in their abominations.
When someone sacrifices a bull it's like human sacrifice, and when someone sacrifices a lamb, it's like breaking the neck of a dog. When they present a grain offering it's like presenting pig's blood, and when they burn incense it's like worshiping an idol. Since they have chosen to act like this and to love such disgusting things,
4 I also—I fix on their distress, And I bring in their fears to them, Because I have called, and there is none answering, I spoke, and they have not listened, And they do evil in My eyes, And on that which I did not desire—fixed.”
I will also choose to punish them severely and to terrify them, because I called out to them but no one answered; I spoke to them, but no one listened. Instead they did what's evil in my sight, choosing to do what I hate.
5 Hear a word of YHWH, You who are trembling at His word: “Your brothers who are hating you, Who are driving you out for My Name’s sake, have said, YHWH is honored, and we look on your joy, But they are ashamed.”
Listen to what the Lord has to say, those of you who tremble when he speaks. This is what some of your people who hate you and throw you out have said, “Let the Lord be glorified, so we can see how happy you are!” but it's them who are going to be humiliated.
6 A voice of noise from the city, A voice from the temple, The voice of YHWH, Giving repayment to His enemies.
Hear all the shouting from the city! Hear all the noise from the Temple! It's the sound of the Lord giving his enemies back what they deserve.
7 “Before she is pained she has brought forth, Before a pang comes to her, She has delivered a male.
She gave birth before she went into labor, she delivered a boy before the pains came.
8 Who has heard anything like this? Who has seen anything like these? Is earth caused to bring forth in one day? Is a nation born at once? For she has been pained, Zion has also borne her sons.
Who has ever heard of anything like this? Who has seen this kind of thing before? Can a country be delivered in a day, can a nation be born in a moment? Yet as soon as Zion went into labor, she gave birth to her children.
9 Do I bring to the birth, And not cause to bring forth?” says YHWH, “Am I not He who is causing to beget? I have also restrained,” said your God.
Would I bring a baby to the point of birth and then not deliver it? the Lord asks. Would I who deliver the baby stop it from being born? the Lord asks again.
10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad in her, all you loving her, Rejoice with her for joy, All you who are mourning for her,
Celebrate with Jerusalem and be happy for her, everyone who loves her; celebrate with her and sing for joy, everyone who mourns over her.
11 So that you suckle, and have been satisfied, From the breast of her consolations, So that you wring out, and have delighted yourselves From the abundance of her glory.”
Like a baby you can nurse at her breasts that bring comfort, drinking deeply and being satisfied by all she has to give.
12 For thus said YHWH: “Behold, I am stretching out to her peace as a river, And the glory of nations as an overflowing stream, And you have sucked, You are carried on the side, And you are dandled on the knees.
This is what the Lord says: Watch! I'm going to give her peace and prosperity like a flowing river, the wealth of nations like an overflowing stream. You will nurse and be carried on her hip and played with on her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts, so do I comfort you, Indeed, you are comforted in Jerusalem.”
Like a mother comforting her child, I will comfort you. You will be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 And you have seen, and your heart has rejoiced, And your bones flourish as tender grass, And the hand of YHWH has been known to His servants, And He has been indignant with His enemies.
When you see this happening, you'll be happy deep inside, and you'll prosper like growing grass. The Lord's power will be recognized as blessing his servants and cursing his enemies.
15 For behold, YHWH comes in fire, And His chariots as a windstorm, To refresh His anger in fury, And His rebuke in flames of fire.
Look! The Lord is coming surrounded by fire, his chariots whirling like the wind, to express his anger with fury, to give his reprimand in flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by His sword, YHWH does judgment with all flesh. And many have been YHWH’s pierced ones.
The Lord will execute judgment on everyone by fire and by his sword. There will be many killed by the Lord.
17 “Those sanctifying and cleansing themselves [to go] to the gardens, One after another in the midst, Eating flesh of the sow, And of the abomination, and of the muroid, Are consumed together,” A declaration of YHWH.
Those who dedicate themselves and make themselves pure in order to enter the sacred gardens, to worship the idol placed in the center, and to eat pork and vermin and rats and other disgusting things—they will all die together, says the Lord.
18 “And I—their works and their thoughts, I come to gather all the nations and tongues, And they have come and seen My glory.
I know what they're doing and what they're thinking. I will soon come to gather all nations and peoples of different languages. They will come and see my glory.
19 And I have set a sign among them, And have sent out of them those escaping to the nations (Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, drawing bow, Tubal and Javan, the islands that are far off), Who have not heard My fame, nor seen My glory, And they have declared My glory among nations.
I will give them a sign, and I will send some who survive to the nations. They will go to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (who are famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant lands that haven't heard about me or seen my glory. They will announce my glory among the nations.
20 And they have brought all your brothers out of all the nations, A present to YHWH, On horses, and on chariot, and on litters, And on mules, and on dromedaries, To My holy mountain Jerusalem,” said YHWH, “As the sons of Israel bring the present in a clean vessel, Into the house of YHWH.
They will bring back all your people from every nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord. They will come on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels, says the Lord. They will bring them in the same way the Israelites bring their grain offerings to the Lord's Temple using vessels that are ceremonially clean.
21 And I also take of them for priests, For Levites,” said YHWH.
I will choose some of them as priests and Levites, says the Lord.
22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making, Are standing before Me,” A declaration of YHWH, “So your seed and your name remain.
As the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, will last forever, so your descendants and your reputation will also last forever, says the Lord.
23 And it has been from month to month, And from Sabbath to Sabbath, All flesh come to bow themselves before Me,” said YHWH.
Everyone will come and worship me, from one New Moon to the next, and from one Sabbath to the next, says the Lord.
24 “And they have gone forth, And looked on the carcasses of the men Who are transgressing against Me, For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched, And they have been an abhorrence to all flesh!”
They will go out and see the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me. The worms that eat them won't die, the fire that burns them won't go out, and everyone who sees them will be horrified.
