Isaiah 65

1 “I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek. I said, 'Here I am! Here I am!' to a nation that did not call on my name.

“I have been inquired of by those who did not ask, I have been found by those who did not seek Me, I have said, Behold Me, behold Me, To a nation not calling on My Name.

2 I have spread out my hands all day to a stubborn people, who walk in a way that is not good, who have walked after their own thoughts and plans!

I have spread out My hands all the day To an apostate people, Who are going in the way [that is] not good, After their own thoughts.

3 They are a people who continually offend me, offering sacrifices in gardens, and burning incense on brick tiles.

The people who are continually provoking Me to anger, To My face, Sacrificing in gardens, and making incense on the bricks:

4 They sit among the graves and keep watch all night, and eat pork with the broth of foul meat in their dishes.

Who are dwelling among tombs, And lodge in reserved places, Who are eating flesh of the sow, And a piece of abominations—their vessels.

5 They say, 'Stand away, do not come near to me, for I am holier than you.' These things are smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all day long.

Who are saying, Keep to yourself, do not come near to me, For I have declared you unholy. These [are] smoke in My anger, A fire burning all the day.

6 Look, it is written before me: I will not keep quiet, for I will pay them back; I will repay them into their laps,

Behold, it is written before Me: I am not silent, but have repaid; And I have repaid into their bosom,

7 for their sins and the sins of their fathers together,” says Yahweh. “I will repay them for burning incense on the mountains and for mocking me on the hills. I will therefore measure out their past deeds into their laps.”

Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together,” said YHWH, “Who have made incense on the mountains, And have reproached Me on the heights, And I have measured their former work into their bosom.”

8 This is what Yahweh says, “As when juice is found in a cluster of grapes, when one says, 'Do not ruin it, for there is good in it,' this is what I will do for my servants' sake: I will not ruin them all.

Thus said YHWH: “As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one has said, Do not destroy it for a blessing [is] in it, So I do for My servants’ sake, Not to destroy the whole.

9 I will bring descendants from Jacob, and from Judah ones who will possess my mountains. My chosen ones will possess the land, and my servants will live there.

And I have brought out a Seed from Jacob, And from Judah a Possessor of My mountain, And My chosen ones possess it, And My servants dwell there.

10 Sharon will become a pasture for the flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me.

And Sharon has been for the habitation of a flock, And the Valley of Achor for the lying down of a herd, For My people who have sought Me.

11 But you who abandon Yahweh, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune, and fill wine glasses of mixed wine for Destiny.

And you [are] those forsaking YHWH, Who are forgetting My holy mountain, Who are setting a table in array for Gad, And who are filling a mixture for Meni.

12 I will appoint you for the sword, and you will all bow down to the slaughter, because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen. But you did what was evil in my sight and and chose to do what displeases me.”

And I have numbered you for the sword, And all of you bow down for slaughter, Because I called, and you have not answered, I have spoken, and you have not listened, And you do evil in My eyes, And on that which I did not desire—fixed.”

13 This is what the Lord Yahweh says, “Look, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry; look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty; look, my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: “Behold, My servants eat, and you hunger, Behold, My servants drink, and you thirst, Behold, My servants rejoice, and you are ashamed,

14 Look, my servants will shout with joy because of gladness of heart, but you will cry because of the pain of the heart, and will wail because of the crushing of the spirit.

Behold, My servants sing from joy of heart, And you cry from pain of heart, And you howl from breaking of spirit.

15 You will leave behind your name as a curse for my chosen ones to speak; I, the Lord Yahweh, will kill you; I will call my servants by another name.

And you have left your name For an oath for My chosen ones, And Lord YHWH has put you to death, And He gives another name to His servants;

16 Whoever pronounces a blessing on the earth will be blessed by me, the God of truth. Whoever takes an oath on the earth will swear by me, the God of truth, because the former troubles will be forgotten, for they will be hidden from my eyes.

So that he who is blessing himself in the earth, Blesses himself in the God of faithfulness, And he who is swearing in the earth, Swears by the God of faithfulness, Because the former distresses have been forgotten, And because they have been hid from My eyes.

17 For see, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or be brought to mind.

For behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth, And the former things are not remembered, Nor do they ascend on the heart.

18 But you will be glad and rejoice forever in what I am about to create. See, I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and her people as a delight.

But rejoice, and rejoice forever, that I [am] Creator, For behold, I am creating Jerusalem [to be] a rejoicing, And her people a joy.

19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and be glad over my people; weeping and cries of distress will no longer be heard in her.

And I have rejoiced in Jerusalem, And have rejoiced in My people, And the voice of weeping is not heard in her anymore, and the voice of crying.

20 Never again will an infant live there only a few days; nor will an old man die before his time. One who dies at one hundred years old will be considered a young person. Anyone who fails to reach the age of one hundred years old will be considered cursed.

There is not a suckling of [mere] days there anymore, And an aged man who does not complete his days, For the youth dies one hundred years old, And the sinner, one hundred years old, is lightly esteemed.

21 They will build houses and inhabit them, and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

And they have built houses, and inhabited, And planted vineyards, and eaten their fruit.

22 No longer will they build a house and another live in it; they will not plant, and another eat; for as the days of trees will be the days of my people. My chosen will fully outlive the work of their hands.

They do not build, and another inhabit, They do not plant, and another eat, For as the days of a tree [are] the days of My people, And My chosen wear out the work of their hands.

23 They will not labor in vain, nor give birth to dismay. For they are the children of those blessed by Yahweh, and their descendants with them.

They do not labor for a vain thing, Nor do they bring forth for trouble, For they [are] the seed of the blessed of YHWH, And their offspring with them.

24 Before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

And it has come to pass, They do not yet call, and I answer, They are yet speaking, and I hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; but dust will be the serpent's food. They will no longer hurt nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says Yahweh.

Wolf and lamb feed as one, And a lion eats straw as an ox, As for the serpent—its food [is] dust, They do no evil, nor destroy, In all My holy mountain,” said YHWH!