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Judgment and Salvation

65 I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;
    I was found of those who did not seek Me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
    to a nation that did not call on My name.
I have spread out My hands all day
    to a rebellious people
who walk in a way that was not good,
    after their own thoughts;
a people who provoke Me continually
    to My face,
presenting sacrifices in gardens
    and burning incense on altars of brick;
who sit among the graves
    and lodge in the monuments;
who eat swine’s flesh,
    and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
who say, “Stand by yourself; do not come near to me,
    for I am holier than you!”
These are smoke in My nose,
    a fire that burns all day.

See, it is written before Me:
    I will not keep silent, but I will recompense,
    even recompense into their bosom,
your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together,
    says the Lord;
because they have burned incense on the mountains
    and blasphemed Me on the hills,
therefore, I will measure their former work
    into their bosom.

Thus says the Lord:

As the new wine is found in the cluster,
    and one says, “Do not destroy it
    for a blessing is in it,”
so I will do for the sake of My servants
    that I may not destroy them all.
I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
    and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains;
and My chosen ones shall inherit it,
    and My servants shall dwell there.
10 Sharon shall be a fold of flocks,
    and the Valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in,
    for My people who seek Me.

11 But you are those who forsake the Lord,
    who forget My holy mountain,
who prepare a table for Fortune,
    and who furnish the drink offering for Destiny.
12 I will destine you for the sword,
    and you all shall bow down to the slaughter;
because when I called, you did not answer;
    when I spoke, you did not hear
but did evil before My eyes
    and chose that in which I did not delight.

13 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:

My servants shall eat,
    but you shall be hungry;
My servants shall drink,
    but you shall be thirsty;
My servants shall rejoice,
    but you shall be ashamed;
14 My servants shall sing for joy
    with a glad heart,
but you shall cry
    with a heavy heart
    and shall wail with grief of spirit.
15 You shall leave your name
    for a curse to My chosen ones;
for the Lord God shall slay you,
    but My servants shall be called by another name;
16 because he who is blessed in the earth
    shall bless himself in the God of truth;
and he who swears in the earth
    shall swear by the God of truth;
because the former troubles are forgotten
    and because they are hidden from My eyes.

The New Creation

17 For I create
    new heavens and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
    or come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
    in that which I create;
for I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
    and her people for joy.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem
    and be glad in 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
    an infant who lives only a few days
    nor an old man who has not filled out his days.
For the child shall die
    a hundred years old,
but the sinner being a hundred years old
    shall be accursed.
21 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 a tree
    are the days of My people,
and My chosen ones shall long enjoy
    the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain
    nor bring forth children for trouble;
for they are the descendants of the blessed of the Lord
    and their offspring with them.
24 Before they call, I will answer;
    and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
    and the lion shall eat straw like the bull,
    and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy
    in all My holy mountain,
    says 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