< 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.
They have sought me that before asked not for me, they have found me that sought me not. I said: Behold me, behold me, to a nation that did not call upon 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 spread forth my hands all the day to an unbelieving people, who walk in a way that is not good after their own thoughts.
3 a people who provoke me to my face continually as they sacrifice in gardens and burn incense on bricks;
A people that continually provoke me to anger before my face: that immolate in gardens, and sacrifice upon 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;
That dwell in sepulchres, and sleep in the temple of idols: that eat swine’s flesh, and profane broth 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.
That say: Depart from me, come not near me, because thou art unclean: these shall be smoke in my anger, a fire burning all the day.
6 "Look, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, yes, I will recompense into their bosom,
Behold it is written before me: I will not be silent, but I will render and repay into their bosom.
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, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, who have sacrificed upon the mountains, and have reproached me upon the hills; and I will measure back their first work in their bosom.
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 saith the Lord: As if a grain be found in a cluster, and it be said: Destroy it not, because it is a blessing: so will I do for the sake of my servants, 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 bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Juda a possessor of my mountains: and my elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell 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 plains shall be turned to folds of hocks, and the valley of Achor into a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that 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, that have forsaken the Lord, that have forgotten my holy mount, that set a table for fortune, and offer libations upon it,
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 in the sword, and you shall all fall by slaughter: because I called and you did not answer: I spoke, and you did not hear: and you did evil in my eyes, and you have chosen the things that displease me.
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;
Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold my servants shall eat, and you shall be hungry: behold my servants shall drink, and you shall 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 shall rejoice, and you shall be confounded: behold my servants shall praise for joyfulness of heart, and you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for grief 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 shall leave your name for an execration to my elect: and the Lord God shall slay thee, and 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.
In which he that is blessed upon the earth, shall be blessed in God, amen: and he that sweareth in the earth, shall swear by God, amen: because the former distresses are forgotten, and because they are hid 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 new heavens, and a new earth: and the former things shall not be in remembrance, and they shell not come upon 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 shall be glad and rejoice for ever in these things, which I create: for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and the people thereof 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 rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people, and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
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 shall no more be an infant of days there, nor an old man that shall not fill up his days: for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruits of them.
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 shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of my people, and the works of their hands shall be of long continuance.
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 shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth in trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their posterity with them.
24 It shall happen that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will hear; as they are yet 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 shall feed together; the lion and the ox shall eat straw; and dust shall be the serpent’s food: they shall not hurt nor kill in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.