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 heard those that made no supplication; I have been found by those who sought me not; I said, Here I am, here I am, To a people that called not upon 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 a rebellious people, That walketh in an evil way, According to their own devices;

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

To a people that provoke me to my face continually; That sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense on tiles;

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

That sit in sepulchres, And lodge in caverns; That eat swine's flesh, And have broth of unclean things in 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 yet say: Stand by thyself! come not near to me, For I am holier than thou! These are a smoke in my nose, A fire that burneth continually.

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 stands recorded before me; I will not keep silence, but will requite; I will requite it into their bosoms;

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, saith Jehovah, Who burnt incense on the mountains, And dishonored me on the hills, I will pour the full recompense of their former deeds 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 saith Jehovah: As when juice is found in a cluster, Men say, “Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it”; So will I do, for the sake of my servants, and will not 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.

I will cause a stem to spring forth from Jacob, And from Judah a possessor of my mountains; My chosen shall possess the land, And my servants shall 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 shall be a fold for flocks, And the valley of Achor a resting-place for herds, For my people that 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.

But ye, who have forsaken Jehovah, And have forgotten my holy mountain, That prepare a table for Fortune, And fill the cup for Destiny,

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.”

Yourselves do I destine to the sword, And all of you shall bow down before the slaughter; Because I called, and ye answered not, I spake, and ye would not hear, But did that which is evil in my sight, And chose that in which I had no delight.

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 saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, my servants shall eat, and ye shall be hungry; Behold, my servants shall drink, and ye shall be thirsty; Behold, my servants shall rejoice, and ye shall be confounded;

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 shall sing for gladness of heart, But ye shall shriek for sorrow of heart, And howl for anguish 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 ye shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen, And the Lord Jehovah shall slay you; But his servants will he call by another name.

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.

Whoso blesseth himself in the land Shall bless by the true God; And he that sweareth in the land shall swear by the true God; For the former troubles are forgotten, And they are hid from mine 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 create new heavens, and a new earth; The former ones shall not be remembered, Nor shall they be brought to mind any more.

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 ye shall be glad and exult forever In that which I create; For behold! I create Jerusalem 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 will exult in Jerusalem, And rejoice in my people; No more shall be heard therein The voice of weeping and the cry of distress.

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 shall not be there an infant child, nor an old man, That hath not filled the measure of his years; For he that dieth a hundred years old shall die a youth, And the sinner dying a hundred years old shall be held accursed.

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

They shall build houses, and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them;

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 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, Yea, long shall my chosen enjoy 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 shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for early death; For they are a race blessed by Jehovah, And their offspring shall remain to them.

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

Before they call, I will answer; And while they are yet speaking, I will 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.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, And the lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the food of the serpent. They shall not hurt, nor destroy, in all my holy mountain, Saith Jehovah.