Isaiah 66
1 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!
| כה אמר יהוה השמים כסאי והארץ הדם רגלי אי זה בית אשר תבנו לי ואי זה מקום מנוחתי׃ |
2 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].
| ואת כל אלה ידי עשתה ויהיו כל אלה נאם יהוה ואל זה אביט אל עני ונכה רוח וחרד על דברי׃ |
3 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.
| שוחט השור מכה איש זובח השה ערף כלב מעלה מנחה דם חזיר מזכיר לבנה מברך און גם המה בחרו בדרכיהם ובשקוציהם נפשם חפצה׃ |
4 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.”
| גם אני אבחר בתעלליהם ומגורתם אביא להם יען קראתי ואין עונה דברתי ולא שמעו ויעשו הרע בעיני ובאשר לא חפצתי בחרו׃ |
5 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.”
| שמעו דבר יהוה החרדים אל דברו אמרו אחיכם שנאיכם מנדיכם למען שמי יכבד יהוה ונראה בשמחתכם והם יבשו׃ |
6 [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!
| קול שאון מעיר קול מהיכל קול יהוה משלם גמול לאיביו׃ |
7 No one [RHQ] ever heard that a woman gave birth to a baby when she was just starting to have birth pains.
| בטרם תחיל ילדה בטרם יבוא חבל לה והמליטה זכר׃ |
8 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.
| מי שמע כזאת מי ראה כאלה היוחל ארץ ביום אחד אם יולד גוי פעם אחת כי חלה גם ילדה ציון את בניה׃ |
9 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.
| האני אשביר ולא אוליד יאמר יהוה אם אני המוליד ועצרתי אמר אלהיך׃ |
10 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.
| שמחו את ירושלם וגילו בה כל אהביה שישו אתה משוש כל המתאבלים עליה׃ |
11 [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.
| למען תינקו ושבעתם משד תנחמיה למען תמצו והתענגתם מזיז כבודה׃ |
12 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.
| כי כה אמר יהוה הנני נטה אליה כנהר שלום וכנחל שוטף כבוד גוים וינקתם על צד תנשאו ועל ברכים תשעשעו׃ |
13 I will comfort you people in Jerusalem like [MET] mothers comfort their children.”
| כאיש אשר אמו תנחמנו כן אנכי אנחמכם ובירושלם תנחמו׃ |
14 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.
| וראיתם ושש לבכם ועצמותיכם כדשא תפרחנה ונודעה יד יהוה את עבדיו וזעם את איביו׃ |
15 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.
| כי הנה יהוה באש יבוא וכסופה מרכבתיו להשיב בחמה אפו וגערתו בלהבי אש׃ |
16 [It is as though] [MET] Yahweh has a [big] sword, and he will judge and execute many people.
| כי באש יהוה נשפט ובחרבו את כל בשר ורבו חללי יהוה׃ |
17 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].
| המתקדשים והמטהרים אל הגנות אחר אחד בתוך אכלי בשר החזיר והשקץ והעכבר יחדו יספו נאם יהוה׃ |
18 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.
| ואנכי מעשיהם ומחשבתיהם באה לקבץ את כל הגוים והלשנות ובאו וראו את כבודי׃ |
19 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.
| ושמתי בהם אות ושלחתי מהם פליטים אל הגוים תרשיש פול ולוד משכי קשת תבל ויון האיים הרחקים אשר לא שמעו את שמעי ולא ראו את כבודי והגידו את כבודי בגוים׃ |
20 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.
| והביאו את כל אחיכם מכל הגוים מנחה ליהוה בסוסים וברכב ובצבים ובפרדים ובכרכרות על הר קדשי ירושלם אמר יהוה כאשר יביאו בני ישראל את המנחה בכלי טהור בית יהוה׃ |
21 [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.
| וגם מהם אקח לכהנים ללוים אמר יהוה׃ |
22 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.
| כי כאשר השמים החדשים והארץ החדשה אשר אני עשה עמדים לפני נאם יהוה כן יעמד זרעכם ושמכם׃ |
23 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.
| והיה מדי חדש בחדשו ומדי שבת בשבתו יבוא כל בשר להשתחות לפני אמר יהוה׃ |
24 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.”
| ויצאו וראו בפגרי האנשים הפשעים בי כי תולעתם לא תמות ואשם לא תכבה והיו דראון לכל בשר׃ |
