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?

Yahweh [also] said this: “[All of] heaven is [like] my throne, and the whole earth is [like] my footstool. So you could certainly not [RHQ] build a house [that would be adequate] for me to live in and 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 [MTY] have created everything; all things exist because I made them. [That is true because I], Yahweh, have said it. The people I am [most] pleased with are those who are humble, who [patiently endure it when they] (suffer/are afflicted), and who tremble when they hear me [rebuking them].

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.

You have enjoyed [continually] doing the things that you want to do: [Some of] you slaughter oxen [to sacrifice them to me], but you also bring human sacrifices [to your idols]! You sacrifice lambs [to me], but you kill dogs [to offer them to your gods]. You offer grain to me, but you also bring pigs’ blood [to your idols]. You burn incense [to me], but you also praise your idols. You enjoy doing those 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.”

When I called [out to you], you did not answer. When I spoke, you did not pay attention. You did [many] things that I say are evil; you chose [to do] things that I did not like. So [now] I will punish you by causing you to experience the things that you are [very] afraid of.”

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.”

But you people who tremble when you hear what Yahweh says, listen to what he says [now]: “Some of your people hate you and reject you because you belong to me. They make fun of you, and they say, ‘Yahweh should show his glorious power! We want to see him [do something to cause] you to be truly happy.’ But [some day] those people will be [very] disgraced.”

6 A voice of noise from the city, A voice from the temple, The voice of YHWH, Giving repayment to His enemies.

[At that time], you will listen to the noise in the city. You will hear the shouting in the temple. It will be the sound of Yahweh shouting while he is punishing his enemies!

7 “Before she is pained she has brought forth, Before a pang comes to her, She has delivered a male.

No one [RHQ] ever heard that a woman gave birth to a baby when she was just starting to have birth pains.

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.

Certainly no one [RHQ] ever heard about such a thing happening, and no one has ever seen it happen. [Similarly], no one ever [RHQ] heard that a nation was created in one instant, not even in one day. But Jerusalem is like [MET] [a woman who] gives birth to children as soon as she starts to have birth pains.

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.

Women certainly do not [RHQ] bring infants to the time when they are ready to be born and then do not allow them to be born. [Similarly, he will do for Jerusalem] [MET] [what he has promised to do]: [He will cause Jerusalem to be full of people again]. [That will happen because] Yahweh has said it.

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,

You people in [APO] Jerusalem, rejoice! And all you people who love Jerusalem should also be happy. You people who were sad because of [what happened to Jerusalem], you should now be glad.

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.”

[You people in Jerusalem] will [have everything that you need] like [MET] a baby that gets all it needs from its mother’s breasts. You will enjoy all the abundant and glorious things [MET] in the city.

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.

Yahweh has promised, “I will cause Jerusalem to be full of valuable things that come from other nations; those things will pour into Jerusalem; it will be like [SIM] a big flood. I will take care of the people of Jerusalem like women care for the babies that they nurse.

13 As one whom his mother comforts, so do I comfort you, Indeed, you are comforted in Jerusalem.”

I will comfort you people in Jerusalem like [MET] mothers comfort their children.”

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 [those things happen], you [SYN] will rejoice. Your [old] bones will become strong [again] like [SIM] grass [that grows quickly/well in the springtime]. [When that happens, everyone] will know that Yahweh has power [MTY] to help those who worship and obey him, but that he is angry with 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.

Yahweh will come down with flames of fire, and his chariots [will come down] like [SIM] a whirlwind; he will be extremely angry, and he will punish [his enemies] by burning them in a fire.

16 For by fire and by His sword, YHWH does judgment with all flesh. And many have been YHWH’s pierced ones.

[It is as though] [MET] Yahweh has a [big] sword, and he will judge and execute many people.

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.

Yahweh says, “Some of you people purify/bathe yourselves and [then] go to a garden to worship your gods. You eat the meat of pigs and lizards and mice, [and other things that I have forbidden you to eat]. So I will get rid of you [for doing that].

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 [all] the [evil] things that you think and do. [It is now time] for me to gather together the people who live in all nations and who speak all languages, and to show them that I am very great.

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 put a mark on them, and those whom I have spared will go to various [distant] countries: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal, Javan, and to distant islands. I will send them to proclaim to nations that have never heard about me that I am very great and glorious.

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.

Then they will bring back here your relatives [who have been (exiled/forced to go to other countries)], to be like [SIM] an offering to me. They will come on horses, in chariots, on mules, and on camels. They will come to [Zion, ] my sacred hill in Jerusalem. That will be like [SIM] the offerings that [my] Israeli people used to bring in the correct manner to the temple.

21 And I also take of them for priests, For Levites,” said YHWH.

[I solemnly promise that] I will appoint some of them to be priests, and others to do other work in my temple. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.

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.

I [also] promise that just like the new heaven and the new earth will last forever, you will always have descendants, and you [MTY] will always be honored.

23 And it has been from month to month, And from Sabbath to Sabbath, All flesh come to bow themselves before Me,” said YHWH.

At every festival to celebrate the Sabbath [each week] and the new moon [each month], everyone will [come and] worship me. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.

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!”

Then they will go out [of Jerusalem] and look at the corpses of those who rebelled against me. The maggots in those corpses will never die, the fire will never stop burning them, and everyone [who sees their corpses] will detest them.”