Isaiah 65
1 "I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me. I was found by those who did not seek me. I said, 'Here I am. Here I am.' to a nation that did not call on my name.
Those who before were not asking for me have sought me. Those who have not sought me have found me. I said, “Behold, it is I! Behold, it is I!” to a nation which was not invoking my name.
2 All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own thoughts;
I have extended my hands all day long to an unbelieving people, who advance along a way that is not good, following their own thoughts,
3 a people who provoke me to my face continually as they sacrifice in gardens and burn incense on bricks;
to a people who provoke me to anger before my face continually, who immolate in the gardens, and who sacrifice upon the bricks.
4 who sit among the graves, and lodge in the secret places; who eat pig's flesh, and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
They live in sepulchers, and they sleep in the shrines of idols. They eat the flesh of swine, and a profane elixir is in their vessels.
5 who say, 'Keep your distance, do not come near to me, for I am holier than you.' These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all the day.
They say: “Depart from me! Do not approach me, for you are unclean!” Such as these will be the smoke in my fury, a fire burning all day long.
6 "Look, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, yes, I will recompense into their bosom,
Behold, it has been written in my sight; I will not be silent. Instead, I will render retribution into their sinews.
7 your own iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together," says the LORD, "who have burned incense on the mountains, and blasphemed me on the hills; therefore I will first measure their work into their bosom."
Your iniquities are joined with the iniquities of your fathers, says the Lord. For they have sacrificed upon the mountains, and they have offended me upon the hills. And so, I will measure back to them, from their first work, into their sinews.
8 Thus says the LORD, "As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, 'Do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it:' so will I do for my servants' sake, that I may not destroy them all.
Thus says the Lord: In the same way as it is said about a grain found in a cluster, “Do not destroy it, because it is a blessing,” so will I act for the sake of my servants, so that I may not destroy the whole.
9 And I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah they shall inherit my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
And I will lead forth an offspring from Jacob, and a possessor of my mountains from Judah. And my elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall live there.
10 Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in, for my people who have sought me.
And the open plains will become sheepfolds for the flocks, and the valley of Achor will become a domicile for the herds, for my people who have sought me.
11 "But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune, and who fill up mixed wine to Destiny;
And you who have forsaken the Lord, who have forgotten my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune, and who offer libations concerning her:
12 I will destine you to the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen; but you did that which was evil in my eyes, and chose that in which I did not delight."
I will number you with the sword, and you will all fall by slaughter. For I called and you did not respond; I spoke, and you did not listen. And you did what is evil in my eyes; and what I did not will, you have chosen.
13 Therefore thus says the LORD, "Look, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; look, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; look, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be disappointed;
Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Behold, my servants will eat, and you will be hungry. Behold, my servants will drink, and you will be thirsty.
14 look, my servants shall sing in gladness of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for anguish of spirit.
Behold, my servants will rejoice, and you will be confounded. Behold, my servants will give praise in exultation of heart, and you will cry out in sorrow of heart, and you will wail in contrition of spirit.
15 You shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen; and the LORD will kill you; but he will call his servants by another name:
And you will leave behind your name to my elect as a curse. And the Lord God will put you to death, and he will call his servants by another name.
16 so that he who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he who swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from my eyes.
By that name, whoever is blessed on earth, will be blessed in God. Amen! And whoever swears on earth, will swear by God. Amen! For the past anguishes have been delivered into oblivion, and they have been hidden from my eyes.
17 "For, look, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
For behold, I create the new heavens and the new earth. And the former things will not be in memory and will not enter into the heart.
18 But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, look, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
But you will be glad and exult, even forever, in these things that I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem as an exultation, and its people as a joy.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying.
And I will exult in Jerusalem, and I will rejoice in my people. And neither a voice of weeping, nor a voice of outcry, will be heard in her anymore.
20 "There shall be no more there an infant of days, nor an old man who has not filled his days; for the child shall die one hundred years old, and the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
There will no longer be an infant of only a few days there, nor an elder who does not complete his days. For a mere child dies at a hundred years of age, and a sinner of a hundred years will be accursed.
21 They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
And they will build houses, and will inhabit them. And they will plant vineyards, and will eat their fruits.
22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They will not build, so that another may inhabit. They will not plant, so that another may eat. For according to the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people. And the works of their hands will be long-standing.
23 They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for calamity; for they are the descendants of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
My elect will not labor in vain, and they will not bring forth in disorder. For they are the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their posterity are with them.
24 It shall happen that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
And this shall be: before they call out, I will perceive; while they are still speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain," says the LORD.
The wolf and the lamb will pasture together. The lion and the ox will eat hay. And dust will be the food of the serpent. They will not harm, and they will not kill, on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
