Isaiah 56
New Life Version
All Nations Can Be Saved
56 The Lord says, “Hold on to what is right and fair. Do what is right and good. My saving power will soon come, and I will show what is right. 2 How happy is the man who does this, and the son of man who takes hold of it! How happy is he who keeps the Day of Rest holy, and keeps his hand from doing wrong.” 3 Let not the man from a strange land who has joined the Lord say, “For sure the Lord will keep me away from His people.” Let not the man who had been made so that he could not have children say, “See, I am a dry tree.” 4 To these the Lord says, “If these servants keep My Days of Rest and choose what pleases Me, and hold on to My agreement, 5 I will give them something in My house and within My walls to be remembered. I will give them a name better than that of sons and daughters, a name that will be forever and never be cut off.
6 “And those from a strange land who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him and to love His name, to be His servants, and keep the Day of Rest holy, and keep My agreement, 7 even those I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and gifts will be received on My altar. For My house will be called a house of prayer for all people.” 8 The Lord God Who gathers the people of Israel from other lands says, “I will gather yet others to them, besides those already gathered.”
Israel’s Sinful Leaders
9 All you animals of the field, all you animals among the trees, come to eat. 10 The men of Israel who keep watch are blind to trouble. They know very little. They are all dogs that cannot make noise. They dream and lie down, and love to sleep. 11 The dogs are hungry and never have enough. The shepherds have no understanding. They have all turned to their own way, each one wanting to get things for himself that are not his. 12 “Come,” they say, “let us get wine. Let us drink much strong drink. And tomorrow will be even better than today.”
Isaiah 56
New Living Translation
Blessings for All Nations
56 This is what the Lord says:
“Be just and fair to all.
Do what is right and good,
for I am coming soon to rescue you
and to display my righteousness among you.
2 Blessed are all those
who are careful to do this.
Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest
and keep themselves from doing wrong.
3 “Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say,
‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’
And don’t let the eunuchs say,
‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’
4 For this is what the Lord says:
I will bless those eunuchs
who keep my Sabbath days holy
and who choose to do what pleases me
and commit their lives to me.
5 I will give them—within the walls of my house—
a memorial and a name
far greater than sons and daughters could give.
For the name I give them is an everlasting one.
It will never disappear!
6 “I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord,
who serve him and love his name,
who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest,
and who hold fast to my covenant.
7 I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem
and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer.
I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices,
because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
8 For the Sovereign Lord,
who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says:
I will bring others, too,
besides my people Israel.”
Sinful Leaders Condemned
9 Come, wild animals of the field!
Come, wild animals of the forest!
Come and devour my people!
10 For the leaders of my people—
the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds—
are blind and ignorant.
They are like silent watchdogs
that give no warning when danger comes.
They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.
11 Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied.
They are ignorant shepherds,
all following their own path
and intent on personal gain.
12 “Come,” they say, “let’s get some wine and have a party.
Let’s all get drunk.
Then tomorrow we’ll do it again
and have an even bigger party!”
Isaiah 56
The Voice
The triumph of God over Israel’s enemies is certain. Filled with joy and expectation, God’s covenant people leave behind a strange country and begin the long, dangerous journey back to the promised land. But instead of fear and trepidation at the potential perils ahead, they are overwhelmed with a sense of peace and joy. Instead of holding dangers around every turn, the land and creation itself join in the celebration to welcome the exiles home. There is no need to worry about long, hard climbs or treacherous descents, for the mountains and the hills cheer them on. There’s no need to fret about shade from the sun’s blazing heat, for majestic trees grow up to cast their long, cooling shadows across the desert’s arid land. The prophet’s vision of the journey home is nearly complete.
56 Eternal One: Take care that you do what is right and fair,
because before you know it, I will come to save you;
Soon you will see how I rescue.
2 God’s favor rests on those who attend to justice,
who devote themselves to doing what is right,
Who keep the Sabbath and don’t disregard or belittle it,
who keep from doing what is wrong: destructive, deceitful, or violent.
3 No stranger who has put trust in the Eternal should ever say,
“I don’t count. I’m not part of Eternal’s chosen people.”
And no eunuch should ever say,
“I am all dried up, worthless and empty.”
4 For this is what the Eternal has to say:
Eternal One: The eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
make good choices, and follow the terms of My covenant
will blossom with My blessing.
5 I will give them, within My house, an enduring memorial
and a name better than if they had sons and daughters—
A name that will never be forgotten and will continue to inspire
and encourage forever.
6 And of those strangers who are not among the chosen people Israel
yet have bound themselves to the Eternal,
Attend to God, and love all that the Eternal is and does;
if they serve Him, keep the Sabbath, make good choices, and cling to the terms of the covenant,
7 I will bring them into My holy mountain where no foreigner is allowed
and give them a joyful welcome within My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will find acceptance on My altar
because My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.[a]
These words must have come as a surprise to the Hebrews. They were the called-out ones and had been commanded to keep themselves separate from their pagan neighbors. Now they hear these words of inclusion. They are told it doesn’t matter who they are or where they’ve come from or what “imperfections” they might have. Any who have bound themselves to Israel’s God—even if they’re not Israel, even if they are not “whole”—belong to Him and will enjoy all the wonders that He has in store for them. One day it will be clear that they are a sign of God’s goodness and mercy, that God’s justice is on display through their lives. They are to live as the light of God to the neighboring countries.
8 And the One who brings all Israel together, the Lord, the Eternal, declares:
Eternal One: I am not done yet. I will still gather more to this community.
9 Bring in the ravenous, vicious beasts from forests and fields;
bring them in to pillage Jerusalem to rip and eat!
10 Those who should be guarding and directing the people
are blind and ignorant at best.
They are no better than hounds who can’t be bothered to bark at trouble;
they lie around, lost in their dreams, loving their sleep.
11 But these dogs sure love to eat.
They can’t get enough, greedily devouring Judah.
They are shepherds with no understanding,
guides with no sense of direction.
So they’ve all scattered, each out for himself,
trying to figure out how best to gain advantage.
12 “Come on!” they say, “I’ll get the wine; we’ll get our fill of booze.
Day after day, it just keeps getting better!”[b]
Footnotes
- 56:7 Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46
- 56:12 Greek manuscripts omit this verse.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.