Isaiah 65
1 [This is what Yahweh said]: “I was ready to reply [to my people], but no one requested me [to help them]. I was ready to help [even] those who did not call out to me. I continued to say, ‘I am here [to help you]!’
I have let myself be consulted by them who had not asked, I have suffered myself to be found by them who had not sought me, —I have said, Here I am! Here I am! Unto a nation that had not been called by my name,
2 [It is as though] I have continually held out my arms [to show that I am ready to help] my people who rebel [against me], and who [continually] do the evil things that they want to do.
I have spread out my hands all the day, Unto a rebellious people, —Who walk In the way that is not good, After their own devices.
3 They boldly continue to do things that cause me to be angry: They offer sacrifices [to their idols] in their gardens, and they burn incense [to them] on [altars made of] bricks.
The people who are provoking me to anger to my face continually, —Sacrificing in gardens, and Burning incense upon bricks;
4 They secretly remain awake at night in burial caves, [talking with the spirits of] ([dead people/their ancestors]). They eat the meat of pigs, and their pots are full of [other] meat that is [also] unacceptable to me.
Who tarry among graves, And in the secret places, do lodge, Who eat the flesh of swine, And the broth of refuse things is in their vessels, —
5 [Then] they say [to others], ‘Stay away from me; do not come near me, because I am very holy, [with the result that you should not touch me].’ People like that are [like] [MET] smoke in my nose [from] a fire that burns continually.
Who say—Draw near by thyself, Do not approach with me, For I am holier than thou! These, are A smoke in my nostrils, A fire, burning all the day.
6 I have written [a record of all the evil things that they have done]. And I will not do nothing about all those things; I will certainly punish them
Lo! it is written before me, —I will not keep silence, But I have recompensed, and will recompense into their bosom:
7 for the sins that they and their ancestors have committed. They have mocked/insulted me by burning incense [to their idols] on the hilltops. So I will punish them like they deserve for doing those things.”
Your own iniquities, And the, iniquities of your fathers together, Saith Yahweh, Who have burned incense upon the mountains, And upon the hills, have reproached me, —Therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.
8 This is [also] what Yahweh said: “When there is a cluster of nice grapes on a vine, people do not throw them away, because they know that there is good juice in those grapes. Similarly, because there are some people [in Judah] who faithfully serve/worship me, I will not get rid of all of them.
Thus, saith Yahweh—As, new wine, is found, in the cluster, And one saith, Do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it, So, will I do for the sake of my servants, That I may not destroy the whole [nation];
9 I will spare some of the descendants of Jacob who are living on the hills of Judah. I have chosen them, and they will possess that land; they will worship/serve me, and they will live there.
Therefore will I bring forth Out of Jacob, a seed, and Out of Judah, an inheritor of my mountains, That my chosen ones may inherit it, And, my servants, dwell there;
10 [Then all the land from the] Sharon [Plain near the Mediterranean Sea] and [as far east as] Achor Valley [near Jericho] will become pastureland where their cattle and sheep will rest.
Then shall, Sharon, become, a fold for flocks, And the vale of Achor for the lying down of herds, —For my people who have sought me.
11 But [it will be different] for you who have abandoned me, you who do not worship me on [Zion], my sacred hill, you who worship Gad and Meni, [the gods who you think will bring you] good luck and good fortune.
But, ye are they—Who forsake Yahweh Who forget my holy mountain—Who prepare, for Fortune, a table and Who fill for Destiny, mixed wine;
12 [It is I, not Meni, who will decide/say what will happen to you]; you will all [be slaughtered by] swords. [That will happen] because you did not answer when I called out to you. I spoke to you, but you did not pay attention. Instead, you did things that I said are evil; you chose to do things that do not please me.
Therefore will I destine you to the sword, And, ye all, to the slaughter, shall bow down. Because I called and ye answered not, I spake, and ye hearkened not, —But did that which was wicked in mine eyes, And of that wherein I delighted not, ye made choice,
13 I, Yahweh the Lord, will give to those who worship and obey me things to eat and drink, and they will be happy; but [all] you evil people will be hungry and thirsty, and you will be [sad and] disgraced.
Therefore, Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, —Lo! my servants, shall eat but, ye, shall be famished, Lo! my servants, shall drink but, ye shall be thirsty, —Lo! my servants, shall rejoice but ye, shall turn pale;
14 Those who worship and obey me will sing joyfully, but you [evil people] will wail loudly because you will be suffering in your inner beings.
Lo! my servants, shall shout in triumph for mirth of heart But, ye, shall make outcry, for pain of heart, And for a breaking of spirit, shall ye howl.
15 Those whom I have chosen will use your names when they curse people; [I], Yahweh the Lord, will get rid of you. But I will give to those who worship and obey me a new name [that they will use when they bless people].
So shall ye leave your name for an oath, to my chosen ones, —So then My Lord Yahweh, will slay thee, —And his servants, will he, call by another name:
16 The people in this land have had many troubles, but I will cause those troubles to occur no more. Therefore those who ask me to bless them and those who solemnly promise to do something should never forget that I am God, who faithfully [do what I promise to do].”
So that he who blesseth himself in the earth, Will bless himself in the God of faithfulness, And he who sweareth in the earth Will swear by the God of faithfulness—Because the former troubles have been forgotten, and Because they are hid from mine eyes.
17 “Note this: [Some day] I will create a new heaven and a new earth. [They will be very wonderful, with the result that] you will no longer think about all [the troubles] you had previously.
For, behold me! Creating new heavens, and a new earth, —And the former shall not be mentioned, neither shall they come up on the heart,
18 Be glad and always rejoice because of what I will do: Jerusalem will be a place where [people] rejoice; the people who live there will always be happy.
But joy ye and exult, perpetually, in what I am about to create, —For, behold me! Creating Jerusalem an exultation and Her People a joy;
19 I will rejoice about Jerusalem, and I will be delighted with my people. [People] will no longer weep or cry because of being distressed.
Therefore will I Exult in Jerusalem, and Joy in my People, —And there shall be heard in her, no more The sound of weeping, or the sound of a cry:
20 No child will die when it is still an infant; all people will live until they are very old. [People will consider that] anyone who is 100 years old is still young; [they will consider that] anyone who dies who is younger than that has been cursed.
There shall be thenceforward, no more, A suckling of a few days, or an elder Who filleth not up his days, —But, a youth a hundred years old, may die, Yea a sinner a hundred years old, shall be accursed,
21 My people will build houses and [then] live in them. They will plant vineyards and then eat grapes from those vineyards.
Then shall they build houses and dwell in them, —And plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them;
22 As for the houses that they build, no one will [take those houses away from them and] live in them. No one will take a vineyard away from its owner. My chosen people will live a long time, like trees do, and they will enjoy what they have accomplished— [the houses that they have built and the crops that they have planted].
They shall not build, and another, dwell, They shall not plant, and, another, eat, —For as the days of a tree, shall be the days of my people, And, the work of their own hands, shall my chosen ones, use to the full:
23 They will not work hard in vain, and their children will not die from some (calamity/terrible thing happening to them). I will [certainly] bless their children and their grandchildren.
They shall not labour in vain, Nor have children for terror, —For the seed of the blessed ones of Yahweh, shall they be, And their offspring, with them.
24 Before they call to me [to help them], I will answer; I will answer their prayers while they are still praying [for me to do something for them].
And it shall come to pass—That before they call, I, will answer, And while yet they are speaking, I, will hear.
25 No one will be harmed or injured anywhere on [Zion], my sacred hill: Wolves and lambs will eat grass together [peacefully]; lions will eat hay like oxen do, [and they will not attack people]. Snakes will [not hurt anyone; they will lie on the ground and] eat [only] dirt. [That is surely what it will be like because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
The wolf and the lamb, shall feed, in unity, And, the lion, as an ox, shall eat straw; But as for the serpent, dust, shall be his food: They shall not harm—Nor shall they destroy, In all my holy mountain, saith Yahweh.
