Isaiah 56
1 This is what Yahweh says, “Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is near, and my righteousness is about to be revealed.
Yahweh says [to all the people of Judah], “Do the things that are fair and just, because I will soon come to rescue [DOU] you.
2 Blessed is the man that does this, and who holds it tightly. He observes the Sabbath, not defiling it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
I will bless those who faithfully obey my laws about the Sabbath/rest days. I will bless those who (keep sacred/honor) my Sabbath/rest days, and who do not do any work on those days, and who refrain from [MTY] doing anything that is evil.
3 Let no foreigner who has become a follower of Yahweh say, “Yahweh will certainly exclude me from his people.” The eunuch should not say, “See, I am a dry tree.”
And foreigners who have believed in me should not say, ‘Yahweh will surely not allow me to belong to his people.’ And eunuchs should not say, ‘[Because I am unable to have children, I cannot belong to Yahweh]; I am like [MET] a tree that has completely withered.’
4 For this is what Yahweh says, “To the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths and choose what pleases me, and hold fast my covenant,
They should not say that, because [I], Yahweh, say this to the eunuchs who obey my laws about the Sabbath, and who choose to do the things that please me, and who obey all [the other laws of] the agreement that I [made with the Israeli people]:
5 to them I will set up in my house and within my walls a monument that is better than having sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting monument that will never be cut off.
I will cause to be put inside the walls of my temple a monument [DOU] to them; because of that monument, they will be honored more than they would have if they had children; they will be honored forever.
6 Also foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh— to serve him, and who love the name of Yahweh, to worship him, every one who observes the Sabbath and who keeps from defiling it, and who holds fast my covenant
I will also bless those who are not Israelis, who (join themselves to/believe in) me, and who serve me and worship and love me, and who obey my laws about the Sabbath, and who faithfully obey [all the other laws of] the agreement that I [made with the Israeli people].
7 —I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar. For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,
I will bring them to my sacred hill [in Jerusalem], I will cause them to be [very] joyful in my temple where people pray to me, and I will accept the sacrifices that they completely burn [on my altar] and other sacrifices that they offer. I will do those things for them because I want my temple to be a building where people of all nations pray to me.
8 this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh, who gathers the outcasts of Israel— I will still gather others in addition to them.”
[I], Yahweh, the Lord, the one who will bring back the people of Israel who have been (forced to go/exiled) to other countries, say this: 'I will bring [from other countries] many more people to join those Israelis whom I have brought back.'”
9 All you wild beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts in the forest!
“You [surrounding nations have armies that are like] [MET] animals in the forest; come and attack/destroy [Israel]!
10 All their watchmen are blind, they do not understand. They are all silent dogs who cannot bark. They dream, and lying down they love to sleep.
The Israeli leaders [should be like] watchdogs to protect the people, but [it is as though] they are blind. They are stupid. They are all [like] [MET] dogs that cannot bark. [Good watchdogs bark when strangers approach], [but the Israeli leaders do not warn the people that their enemies are coming]. Instead, they just want to lie down and sleep and dream.
11 The dogs have big appetites; they can never get enough; they are shepherds without discernment; they have all turned to their own way, each one covetous for unjust gain.
[And they are like] greedy dogs; they never get all that they want. They are [supposed to lead the people, like good] shepherds [lead their flocks], but they are ignorant, and they each do whatever they want to do.
12 “Come,” they say, “let us drink wine and liquor. Tomorrow will be like today, a day great beyond measure.”
They say to each other, ‘Come, let’s go and get some wine and [other] alcoholic/strong drinks, and let’s become drunk! And tomorrow we will enjoy drinking even more!’”
