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65 ¶ I was sought of those that did not ask for me; I was found of those that did not seek me; I said, Here I am, Here I am, unto a people that did not invoke my name.

I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, who walk in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;

a people that provokes me to anger continually to my face; that sacrifices in gardens, and burns incense upon altars of brick;

who remain asleep among the graves, and lodge in the deserts, who eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

who say, Stand by thyself, do not come near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all the day.

Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,

For your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, who have burned incense upon the mountains and blasphemed me upon the hills; therefore, I will measure their former work into their bosom.

¶ Thus has the LORD said, As when one has found new wine in a cluster and says, Do not destroy it; for a blessing is in it; so will I do for my slaves’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all.

And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my elect shall possess the land for an inheritance, and my slaves shall dwell there.

10 And Sharon shall be for a fold of flocks and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.

11 ¶ But ye that forsake the LORD, that forget the mountain of my holiness, that prepare a table unto fortune, and that furnish the drink offering for destiny;

12 I also will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter because when I called, ye did not respond; I spoke, and ye did not hear, but did evil before my eyes and did choose that which displeased me.

13 Therefore thus has the Lord GOD said, Behold, my slaves shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold, my slaves shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; behold, my slaves shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:

14 Behold, my slaves shall rejoice by the joy of their heart, but ye shall cry for the sorrow of your heart and shall howl for the destruction of spirit.

15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen; for the Lord GOD shall slay thee and call his slaves by another name.

16 He who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth because the former troubles shall be forgotten and shall be covered from my eyes.

17 ¶ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

18 But ye shall be glad and rejoice from age to age in the things which I shall create; for, behold, I create joy unto Jerusalem and unto her people joy.

19 And I will be glad with Jerusalem and rejoice with my people: and the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

20 There shall no longer be there an infant of days, nor an old man that has not filled his days, for the child shall die one hundred years old; and he who sins at one hundred years of age shall be accursed.

21 And they shall build houses and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.

22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of the trees shall be the days of my people, and my elect shall perpetuate the work of their hands.

23 They shall not labour in vain, nor give birth with fear; for their births are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring shall be with them.

24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb shall be fed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not afflict nor do evil in all my holy mountain, said the LORD.

Judgment and Salvation

65 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
    I was found by those who did not seek me.(A)
To a nation(B) that did not call on my name,(C)
    I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
All day long I have held out my hands
    to an obstinate people,(D)
who walk in ways not good,
    pursuing their own imaginations(E)
a people who continually provoke me
    to my very face,(F)
offering sacrifices in gardens(G)
    and burning incense(H) on altars of brick;
who sit among the graves(I)
    and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,(J)
    and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
    for I am too sacred(K) for you!’
Such people are smoke(L) in my nostrils,
    a fire that keeps burning all day.

“See, it stands written before me:
    I will not keep silent(M) but will pay back(N) in full;
    I will pay it back into their laps(O)
both your sins(P) and the sins of your ancestors,”(Q)
    says the Lord.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
    and defied me on the hills,(R)
I will measure into their laps
    the full payment(S) for their former deeds.”

This is what the Lord says:

“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes(T)
    and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,
    there is still a blessing in it,’
so will I do in behalf of my servants;(U)
    I will not destroy them all.
I will bring forth descendants(V) from Jacob,
    and from Judah those who will possess(W) my mountains;
my chosen(X) people will inherit them,
    and there will my servants live.(Y)
10 Sharon(Z) will become a pasture for flocks,(AA)
    and the Valley of Achor(AB) a resting place for herds,
    for my people who seek(AC) me.

11 “But as for you who forsake(AD) the Lord
    and forget my holy mountain,(AE)
who spread a table for Fortune
    and fill bowls of mixed wine(AF) for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword,(AG)
    and all of you will fall in the slaughter;(AH)
for I called but you did not answer,(AI)
    I spoke but you did not listen.(AJ)
You did evil in my sight
    and chose what displeases me.”(AK)

13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“My servants will eat,(AL)
    but you will go hungry;(AM)
my servants will drink,(AN)
    but you will go thirsty;(AO)
my servants will rejoice,(AP)
    but you will be put to shame.(AQ)
14 My servants will sing(AR)
    out of the joy of their hearts,
but you will cry out(AS)
    from anguish of heart
    and wail in brokenness of spirit.
15 You will leave your name
    for my chosen ones to use in their curses;(AT)
the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,
    but to his servants he will give another name.(AU)
16 Whoever invokes a blessing(AV) in the land
    will do so by the one true God;(AW)
whoever takes an oath in the land
    will swear(AX) by the one true God.
For the past troubles(AY) will be forgotten
    and hidden from my eyes.

New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.(AZ)
The former things will not be remembered,(BA)
    nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice(BB) forever
    in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem(BC) to be a delight
    and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice(BD) over Jerusalem
    and take delight(BE) in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying(BF)
    will be heard in it no more.

20 “Never again will there be in it
    an infant(BG) who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not live out his years;(BH)
the one who dies at a hundred
    will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
    will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses(BI) and dwell in them;
    they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.(BJ)
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,(BK)
    or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,(BL)
    so will be the days(BM) of my people;
my chosen(BN) ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,(BO)
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;(BP)
for they will be a people blessed(BQ) by the Lord,
    they and their descendants(BR) with them.
24 Before they call(BS) I will answer;(BT)
    while they are still speaking(BU) I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb(BV) will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,(BW)
    and dust will be the serpent’s(BX) food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,”(BY)
says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 65:20 Or the sinner who reaches