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Isaiah 55-66
New Catholic Bible
Isaiah 55-66
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 55
An Everlasting Covenant
1 All you who are thirsty,
come to the water;
all you who have no money,
come forward, buy, and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk,
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money for that which is not bread,
your wages for that which fails to satisfy.
Listen carefully to me, and you will eat well
and delight in rich food.
3 Come to me and pay close attention;
listen so that you may have life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you
to love you with the faithful love promised to David.
4 I appointed him to be a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of nations.
5 You in turn will summon nations unknown to you,
and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6 Seek the Lord while he still may be found;
call to him when he is close at hand.
7 Let the wicked abandon their ways
and those who are evil their thoughts.
Let them return to the Lord
so that he may have mercy upon them;
and to our God,
for he is rich in forgiveness.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
9 As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.
10 For just as the rain and the snow
come down from the heavens
and do not return there
until they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed for the one who sows
and bread for those who eat,
11 so shall my word be
that issues forth from my mouth.
It will not return to me unfulfilled,
but it will accomplish my purpose
and achieve what I sent it forth to do.
12 Yes, you will go forth in joy,
and you will be led back in peace.
The mountains and hills before you
will burst forth into song,
and all the trees in the countryside
will clap their hands.
13 A cypress will grow in place of the thornbush,
and myrtles will come up instead of briars.
All this will increase the Lord’s renown,
an everlasting sign that will not be cut off.
Return of the First Captives[a]
Chapter 56
The Lord Welcomes All People
1 Thus says the Lord:
Maintain justice
and do what is right.
For my salvation is close at hand,
and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
2 Happy is the man who does this,
the one who holds fast to my instructions,
who observes the Sabbath without profaning it
and refrains from every evil deed.
3 Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”
Permit no eunuch[b] to believe,
“I am nothing but a dried-up tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord:
To the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths,
who choose to do my will
and hold fast to my covenant,
5 I will give in my house
and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters.
I will give them an everlasting name
that will never be effaced.
6 The foreigners who pledge their allegiance to the Lord,
who minister to him,
who love the name of the Lord
and become his servants,
who keep the Sabbath and do not profane
and who hold fast to my covenant:
7 all these I will bring to my holy mountain
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar,
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.
8 Thus says the Lord God
who gathers the exiles of Israel:
There are others whom I will call forth
besides those who have already been gathered.
Wicked Rulers
9 All you wild beasts of the fields and of the forest,
come forth and gorge yourselves.
10 Israel’s watchmen are all blind;
they perceive absolutely nothing.
They are all dumb watchdogs
that are unable to bark,
dreaming as they lie there,
loving the opportunity to sleep.
11 The dogs have a ravenous appetite;
meanwhile the shepherds are never satisfied.
They comprehend nothing;
each of them goes his own way,
all of them interested solely in their own gain.
12 “Come,” says each one, “I will fetch some wine,
and we will fill ourselves with strong drink.
And tomorrow will be like today,
or perhaps even better.”
Chapter 57
1 Those who are righteous perish,
but no one takes it to heart.
Those who are devout are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.
2 Those who have walked uprightly
enter into peace;
they find rest as they lie in death.
The Unrighteous
3 But as for you, come here,
you children of a sorceress,
you offspring of an adulterer and a harlot!
4 Whom are you mocking?
At whom do you open your mouths
and stick out your tongues?
Are you not a rebellious brood,
the offspring of liars?
5 You burn with lust among the oaks
and under every spreading tree,
sacrificing your children in the ravines
and under the clefts in the rocks.[c]
6 The smooth stones of the ravines will be your portion;
these are your lot.
To them you poured out libations
and brought forth your cereal offerings.
Should such acts appease me?
7 Upon a high and lofty mountain
you have placed your bed,
and there you went up to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the door and the doorpost
you have displayed your pagan symbols.
Forsaking me, you have uncovered your bed;
you climbed into it and opened it wide.
You struck a profitable bargain
with those whose beds you love,
and you gazed endlessly at their nakedness.
9 You approached the king with oil,
having lavished your body with perfumes.
You sent forth your procurers far and wide,
even to the depths of Sheol.[d]
10 Although exhausted by your endless travels,
you never said, “It is useless.”
You realized that your desire had been rekindled,
and so you never gave up.
11 Whom did you so greatly dread and fear
that you betrayed me
and no longer remembered me
or gave me any thought?
Is it because I was silent for so long a time
that you do not fear me?
12 Now I will expose your conduct
that you regard as so righteous.
13 When you cry out for help,
your collection of idols will not save you.
The wind will carry off all of them;
a gentle breeze will bear them away.
But whoever makes me his refuge
will possess the land
and inherit my holy mountain.
Compassion for the Afflicted
14 Then the Lord will say:
Build up, build up! Prepare the way!
Remove every obstruction from my people’s path.
15 For thus says the One who is high and exalted,
who lives eternally
and whose name is holy:
I dwell in a high and holy place
but I am with the contrite and the humble,
to revive the spirit of the humble
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 I will not accuse forever,
nor will I always be angry.
For then the spirits of the souls that I have made
would grow faint because of me.
17 Because of their wicked avarice I was angry,
and I struck them, keeping myself hidden,
but they continued on their rebellious path.
18 I saw how they behaved, but I will heal them;
I will lead them and fill them with consolation,
both them and those who mourn for them.
19 Peace, peace to all, both far and near,
and I will heal them, says the Lord.
20 But the wicked are like the restless sea that cannot be still;
its waters cast up mud and dirt.
21 There is no peace for the wicked,
says my God.
Chapter 58
Proper Fasting
1 Shout loudly, without holding back.
Lift up your voice like a trumpet.
Proclaim to my people their wicked deeds,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they search for me day after day
in their desire to know my ways,
as if they are a nation that adheres to righteousness
and has not abandoned the law of their God.
They request that I make righteous judgments,
and they long to be near God.
3 They ask, “Why should we fast
when you do not even notice?
Why should we mortify ourselves
when you pay no heed?”
The truth is that on your fast days
you serve your own interests
and oppress all your workers.
4 Your fasting only leads to quarrels and fights
and lashing out with vicious blows.
Such fasting as you currently practice
will not make your voice heard on high.
5 Is this the type of fast that pleases me,
a day for a man to humble himself,
to bow his head like a reed
and lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Is this what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 This rather is the type of fast that I wish:
to loosen the fetters of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to set free those who are oppressed
and to break every yoke,
7 to share your bread with the hungry
and to offer shelter to the homeless poor,
to clothe the naked when you behold them
and not turn your back on your own kin.
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your wound will quickly be healed;
your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then, when you call, the Lord will answer;
you will cry out for help,
and he will say, “Here I am.”
If you cease to tolerate the yoke of oppression,
the pointing of fingers[e] and malicious words,
10 if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like midday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your needs in the barren desert.
He will strengthen your limbs,
and you will be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never run dry.
12 Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt,
constructed on foundations from generations past.
You will be called the rebuilder of broken walls
and the restorer of ruined streets and dwellings.
13 If you refrain from traveling on the Sabbath
and from engaging in your own interests on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a day of joy
and regard the Lord’s holy day as honorable,
if you honor it by not going your own way,
serving your own interests,
or attending to your own affairs;
14 then you will find true happiness in the Lord,
and I will enable you to ride
upon the heights of the earth.
I will nourish you with the heritage of your father Jacob,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Chapter 59
Sin and Repentance
1 Truly the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor is his ear too dull to hear.
2 Rather, it is your iniquities that have been barriers
between you and your God.
Your sins have caused him to hide his face
so that he does not hear you.
3 For your hands are stained with blood
and your fingers with guilt.
Your lips utter lies
and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4 No one brings a suit justly
or pleads honestly in court.
They all rely on empty words and utter lies;
they conceive mischief and bring forth evil.
5 They hatch adders’ eggs
and weave the spider’s web;
whoever eats their eggs will die;
crush one and a viper emerges.
6 Their webs are useless for clothing;
what they make cannot serve to cover them.
Their works are deeds of evil,
and acts of violence flow from their hands.
7 Their feet rush headlong to do evil,
and they do not hesitate to shed innocent blood.
Their thoughts are those of iniquity;
their paths are marked by havoc and ruin.
8 They do not know the way of peace,
and justice is not seen along their paths.
The roads they follow are crooked,
and no one who travels on them knows any peace.
9 Therefore, justice is far removed from us,
and righteousness is far beyond our reach.
We look for light but behold only darkness,
for brightness but we walk in gloom.
10 Like blind men we grope along a wall,
feeling our way like those bereft of eyes.
We stumble at noon as if it were twilight;
in the midst of the strong we are like the dead.
11 All of us growl like bears;
like doves we continue to moan mournfully.
We wait for justice but receive none,
for deliverance but it is far from us.
12 For our transgressions against you are numerous,
and our sins bear witness against us.
We are unable to forget our offenses,
and we are well aware of our iniquities:
13 our rebellion and our denial of the Lord
and our turning away from following him,
threatening acts of oppression and revolt,
and uttering lies conceived in our hearts.
14 Justice has been rebuffed
and righteousness stands at a distance.
For truth stumbles in the public square
and uprightness cannot enter.
15 Truth has disappeared,
and those who turn from evil are terrorized.
Zion’s Redeemer Comes
When the Lord witnessed this, he was displeased
that justice had ceased to exist.
16 He saw that no help was in sight,
and he was outraged that no one sought to intervene.
Therefore, his own arm effected the victory,
with his righteousness as his support.
17 He put on justice like a breastplate
and a helmet of salvation on his head.
He clothed himself with garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in a cloak of zeal.
18 He will repay his enemies
according to their deeds:
wrath to his adversaries,
retribution to his enemies;
he will render requital
to the islands and the coastlands.
19 And so those in the west will fear the name of the Lord,
and those in the east his glory.
He will come like a pent-up stream
that is driven by the breath of the Lord.
20 He will come as a redeemer to Zion,
and to those in Jacob who cease to rebel.
This is the word of the Lord.
21 As for me, says the Lord,
this is my covenant with them:
my Spirit which rests upon you
and my words that I have put into your mouth
will not depart from your mouth
or out of the mouths of your children,
or out of the mouths of your children’s children,
says the Lord, from now on and forevermore.
Chapter 60
Zion’s Glory Dawns
1 [f]Arise and shine forth, for your light has come
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
2 Even though darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness enshrouds the peoples,
upon you the Lord will shine,
and over you his glory will appear.
3 Nations will be guided by your light
and kings by the brightness of your radiance.
4 Raise your eyes and look around;
they are all assembling and returning to you.
Your sons are coming from far away,
and your daughters will be carried
in the arms of their nurses.
5 [g]Then you will be radiant at what you behold,
and your hearts will throb and rejoice.
For the riches of the sea will be brought to you,
and the wealth of the nations will come to you.
6 Droves of camels will cover your land,
the young camels from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba will come,
laden with gold and frankincense,
while the people proclaim the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will serve your needs.
They will be acceptable offerings on my altar,
and I will enhance the splendor of my house.
8 Who are these that fly along like clouds
and like doves to their dovecotes?
9 All the vessels are assembled
from the seacoasts and the islands,
with the ships of Tarshish in the lead;
they are bringing your children from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to pay honor to the name of the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will be your servants.
Although I struck you down in my wrath,
now in my mercy I will show you my favor.
11 Your gates will always be open;
day and night they will never be shut,
so that the wealth of the nations may be brought to you,
led by their kings in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or the kingdom that refuses to serve you
will be totally destroyed
and suffer widespread devastation.
13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
the cypress, the plane tree, and the pine,
one and all,
to adorn my holy sanctuary
and to honor the place where I stand.[h]
14 The sons of those who oppressed you
will come forward and bend low before you,
and all those who despised you
will bow down at your feet;
they will call you “City of the Lord,”
“Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”
15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one traveling through you,
I will make you an object of everlasting pride
and a source of never-ending joy.
16 You will suck the milk of nations
and be nursed at royal breasts.
Then you will know
that I, the Lord, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,
instead of iron I will bring you silver;
instead of wood, bronze,
and instead of stone, iron.
I will ensure that you will be governed in peace
and be ruled with righteousness.
18 No longer will violence appear in your land,
nor will devastation and ruin occur within your borders.
You will call your walls “Salvation”
and your gates “Praise.”
19 The sun will no longer serve
as the source of your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon
afford light to you during the night.
Rather, the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your splendor.
20 Never again will your sun go down,
nor will your moon withdraw its light.
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning will be ended.
21 Your people will all be righteous
and possess the land forever.
They are the shoot that I have planted,
my handiwork to exhibit my glory.
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
and the weakest will become a mighty nation.
I am the Lord, and I will accomplish all this
at the appointed time.
Chapter 61
A Message of Consolation
1 [i]The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to announce good news to the oppressed,
to strengthen the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom to those held in captivity
and release to those who have been imprisoned,
2 to proclaim a year of the Lord’s favor
and a day of vengeance for our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 to give to all those who mourn in Zion
a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
a glorious mantle instead of a spirit of despair.
And they will be called oaks of righteousness
planted by the Lord to show forth his glory.
Israel’s Reward
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and raise up sites that have long been desolate.
They will restore the ruined cities
that for generations have been merely ravaged wastes.
5 Strangers will come forth to shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will farm your land and dress your vines.
6 But you will be called priests of the Lord;
and you will be named ministers of our God.
You will enjoy the wealth of the nations,
and their former glory will be yours.
7 Because you endured a double measure of shame
and were regarded as deserving of dishonor and disgrace,
you will receive a double portion,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice,
and I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will be faithful in rewarding such victims,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be renowned among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who behold them will acknowledge
that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I rejoice in the Lord with all my heart;
my soul exults in my God.
For he has clothed me in garments of salvation
and wrapped me in a robe of saving justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a garland
or a bride bedecked with her jewels.
11 As the earth puts forth its shoots
and a garden causes its seeds to sprout,
so the Lord God will cause his justice and praise
to spring up in the sight of all the nations.
Chapter 62
Jerusalem, the Lord’s Spouse
1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her vindication shines forth like the dawn
and her salvation like a burning torch.
2 The nations will see your vindication
and all the kings your glory.
You will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will reveal.
3 You will be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord,
a royal diadem held by your God.
4 No longer will you be called “Forsaken,”
nor will your land be known by the name “Desolate.”
Rather you will be called “My Delight Is in Her,”
and your land will be known as “Married.”
For the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be his spouse.
5 As a young man marries a virgin,
so will your builder marry you,
and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.
Zion Restored and Glorified
6 Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have stationed sentinels.
Neither by day nor by night
will they be silent.
You whose responsibility is to call upon the Lord,
give yourselves no rest,
7 and also give no rest to him
until he restores Jerusalem
and makes her renowned throughout the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
Never again will I give your grain
to serve as food for your enemies,
nor shall foreigners drink the wine
for which you have toiled.
9 However, those who harvest the grain will eat it
and give praise to the Lord,
while those who gather the grapes will drink the wine
within my sacred courts.
10 Pass through, pass through the gates,
and clear a path for my people.
Build up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones
and lift up a standard over the nations.
11 The Lord has made this proclamation
to the farthest bounds of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
“See, your Savior comes!
His reward is with him
and his recompense precedes him.”[j]
12 They will be called “The Holy People,”
“The Redeemed of the Lord.”
And you will be called “Sought After,”
“A City No Longer Forsaken.”
Chapter 63
God’s Judgment of Edom
1 [k]Who is this that comes from Edom,
from Bozrah in crimson garments?
Who is this so magnificently attired,
marching with his mighty strength?
“It is I, proclaiming victory,
I who possess the power to save.”
2 Why are your robes red,
like the garments of those
who tread the winepress?
3 “I have trodden the winepress alone;
not one of the nations came to my aid.
I trod the nations in my anger
and trampled them in my wrath.
Their blood spurted out all over my garments
and stained all my robes.
4 I resolved in my heart on a day of vengeance,
and my year for redeeming was at hand.
5 I looked all around, but there was no one to help;
I was outraged that no one offered any assistance.
Even so, my own arm brought me victory
and my wrath sustained me.
6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger;
I crushed them in my wrath
and sent their blood streaming forth over the ground.”
A Plea for Deliverance[l]
7 I will recount the favors of the Lord,
the glorious deeds of the Lord,
because of all that the Lord has done for us
and the great kindness he has shown
to the house of Israel.
He has favored us with his mercy
and the abundance of his steadfast love.
8 For he said, “These are indeed my people,
children who will not betray me,”
and he became their Savior.
9 In all their difficulties
it was no messenger or an angel
but he himself who saved them.
In his love and his pity he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
through all the days of old.
10 However, they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit.
Therefore, he became their enemy
and he himself fought against them.
11 Then they remembered the days of old
and Moses his servant.
Where is he who brought up from the water
the shepherd of his flock?
Where is he who put his Holy Spirit
in their midst,
12 whose glorious arm led them
to march at the right hand of Moses,
who divided the waters before them
to win for himself everlasting renown,
13 and who led them through the depths?
Like horses in open country,
they did not stumble.
14 Like cattle descending into a valley,
the Spirit of the Lord afforded them rest.
15 Look down from heaven and see,
from your holy and glorious dwelling.
Where are your zeal and your might,
your compassion and your tender mercy?
Do not withhold them from me.
16 For you are our Father.
Although Abraham does not know us
and Israel[m] does not acknowledge us,
you, O Lord, are our Father;
forever you have been called our Redeemer.
17 Why, O Lord, do you allow us
to wander from your ways,
and harden our hearts
so that we do not fear you?
Return for the sake of your servants,
for the tribes that are your heritage.
18 For a brief period of time
your people possessed your holy place,
but now your enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.
19 For far too long we have been
like those whom you do not rule,
like those who do not bear your name.
Chapter 64
1 Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down
so that the mountains would quake in your presence,
2 as when fire sets brushwood ablaze
or causes water to boil.
Thus your name would be known to your adversaries
and the nations would tremble at your presence.
3 When you descended to perform awesome deeds
that we did not anticipate,
the mountains quaked when you appeared.
4 Throughout the ages no ear has ever heard,
nor has any eye ever seen,
any other god except you
performing such deeds for those who trust him.
5 You welcome those who lead an upright life
and rejoice to imitate your ways.
When we sin, you become angry,
but when we follow your ways,
we know that we will be saved.
6 All of us have become unclean,
and all of our righteous deeds are like filthy rags
We all become withered like leaves,
and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.
7 There is no one who invokes your name
or attempts to hold fast to you.
For you have hidden your face from us
and have delivered us up because of our sins.
8 Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay and you are our potter;
all of us are the work of your hands.
9 Do not let your anger go to extremes, O Lord,
and do not remember our sinfulness forever.
Look upon us all,
for we are all your people.
10 Your holy cities have become a desert;
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolate waste.
11 Our holy and glorious temple
in which our ancestors praised you
has been burned to the ground,
and all that we treasured lies in ruins.
12 After all this, will you restrain yourself, O Lord?
Will you remain silent
and punish us beyond our endurance?
Chapter 65
Punishment of the Idolaters
1 I was eager to respond
to those who did not consult me.
I was anxious to be approached
by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am! Here I am!”
to a nation that did not summon me.
2 Throughout each day I held out my hands
and appealed to a rebellious people
who walk along evil paths
in pursuit of their own desires.
3 [n]These people provoke me to anger
continually, to my face,
offering sacrifices in gardens
and burning incense on bricks.
4 They live in the midst of tombs
and spend the night in secret places,
eating the flesh of pigs
and filling their plates with unclean food,
5 as they cry out, “Keep away!
Do not touch me,
for I am too sacred for you.”
Such people to me are like choking smoke,
a fire that smolders throughout the day.
6 Their deeds have been inscribed in my memory;
I will not remain silent until I have repaid in full
7 your iniquities and those of your ancestors,
says the Lord.
Since they burned incense on the mountains
and shamed me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
the full payment that their deeds deserve.
Fate of Israel’s Righteous and Unfaithful
8 Thus says the Lord:
As in the harvest of grapes
juice is often still found in the cluster,
and people say, “Do not discard them,
for some good still remains in them,”
so I will act for the sake of my servants
and not destroy them all.
9 From Jacob I will bring forth descendants,
and from Judah those who will inherit my mountains.
My chosen ones will take possession of the land,
and my servants will settle there.
10 Sharon will serve as a pasture for flocks
and the Valley of Achor will be
a resting place for cattle.
11 However, those of you who forsake the Lord
and forget my holy mountain,
who spread a table for Fortune[o]
and fill cups of mixed wine for Fate,
12 I will destine you for the sword,
and all of you will submit to the slaughter,
because, when I called, you did not respond,
and when I spoke, you refused to listen.
Rather, you did what was evil in my sight
and chose to do what displeases me.
13 Therefore, this is what I have decreed,
says the Lord God:
My servants will eat,
but you will go hungry;
my servants will drink,
but you will be thirsty;
my servants will rejoice,
but you will be put to shame;
14 with gladness in their hearts
my servants will sing for joy,
but you will cry out in heartfelt grief
and wail in your anguish of spirit.
15 The Lord God will strike you dead
and his chosen ones will use your name as a curse,
but he will call his servants by a different name.
16 Then anyone in the land who blesses himself
will bless himself by the God of truth,
and anyone who takes an oath in the land
will swear by the God of truth,
because the troubles of the past will be forgotten
and hidden from my sight.
A Renewed World[p]
17 For behold, I am about to create
new heavens and a new earth.
The past will not be remembered
or ever again called to mind.
18 Rather, rejoice and be filled with delight forever
at what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a delight
and her people as a cause of joy.
19 I will take delight in Jerusalem
and rejoice in my people.
No more will be heard there
the sound of weeping or the cries of distress.
20 Never again will an infant be there
who dies after a few days of life
or an old man who fails to live his allotted days.
For one who dies at the age of one hundred
will be regarded as a youth,
while one who fails to achieve a hundred years
will be considered accursed.[q]
21 They will live in the houses they have built;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build houses for others to dwell in
or plant for others to eat.
For the days of my people will be
like the days of a tree,
and my chosen ones will enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain
or bear children destined for calamity.
For they will be offspring blessed by the Lord,
as will their descendants after them.
24 Even before they call out to me,
I will answer;
while they are still speaking,
I will respond.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
but as for the serpent,
its food will be dust.
No harm or destruction will be done
on all my holy mountain,
says the Lord.
Chapter 66
True and False Worship
1 Thus says the Lord:
The heavens are my throne
and the earth is my footstool.
What house could you build for me?
What is to be my resting place?
2 All these things were made by me,
and so all these things are mine,
says the Lord.
The one for whom I have regard
is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.
3 Whoever slaughters an ox
is like one who kills a man;
whoever sacrifices a lamb
is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever presents an offering of grain
is like one who offers a swine’s blood;
whoever burns incense as a memorial
is like one who blesses an idol.
These people have chosen their own ways,
and they delight in their loathsome abominations.
4 I in turn will choose to punish them harshly
and bring upon them what they fear
because, when I called, no one answered,
and when I spoke, they refused to listen.
Rather, they did what was evil in my sight
and chose what displeased me.
5 Hear the word of the Lord,
you who tremble at his word.
Your brethren who hate you
and reject you because of my name, have said,
“Let the Lord be glorified
so that we may witness your joy”;
however, they themselves will be put to shame.
6 Listen! There is an uproar from the city,
a voice from the temple.
Such is the sound of the Lord
bringing retribution to his enemies.
Mother Zion
7 Before she entered into labor,
she gave birth.
Before she experienced the birth pains,
she delivered a son.
8 Who ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen anything like this?
Can a country be born in a single day?
Can a nation be delivered in a single moment?
Yet Zion was scarcely in labor
when she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I open the womb and not deliver?
says the Lord.
Shall I close the womb at the moment of delivery?
says your God.
10 Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love her.
Be joyful as you rejoice with her,
all you who mourned over her,
11 so that you may suck fully and be satisfied
from her consoling breast,
as you drink deeply with delight
at her abundant bosom.
12 For thus says the Lord:
I will make prosperity flow over her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations
like a turbulent overflowing stream.
You will be nursed and carried in her arms
and fondled in her lap.
13 As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
in Jerusalem you will find your comfort.
14 When you behold this, your heart will rejoice,
and your bodies will flourish like grass in spring.
The Lord will make his power known to his servants
but reveal his wrath to his enemies.
15 Behold the Lord as he comes in fire,
his chariots like the whirlwind,
to enact retribution with his furious anger
and his rebukes with fiery flames.
16 For the Lord will execute his judgment
on all mankind with fire and sword,
and many will be those slain by the Lord.
17 Those who sanctify and purify themselves to enter the groves and follow the one in the center, consuming the flesh of pigs, vermin, and rats—they will all perish together, says the Lord, along with their deeds and their thoughts.[r]
18 Glory among the Nations. I am coming to gather every nation and every language. They will come forth to behold my glory. 19 I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of their survivors to the nations: to Tarshish,[s] Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant coasts and islands that have never heard of me or seen my glory.
They will proclaim my glory among the nations, 20 and from all the nations they will bring all your kindred as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots, in carts and on mules and camels, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites themselves bring their grain offerings in clean vessels to the house of the Lord. 21 Some of these I will appoint as priests and Levites, says the Lord.
Eternal Reward and Punishment
22 As the new heavens and the new earth
that I am making
will endure before me, says the Lord,
so will your descendants and your name endure.
23 From new moon to new moon
and from one Sabbath to another,
all mankind will come to worship before me,
says the Lord.
24 And as they go out,
they will see the corpses
of those who rebelled against me.
For their worm will never die,
nor will their fire be quenched,
and they will be abhorrent to all humanity.[t]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 56:1 The oracles of the third part of the Book of Isaiah give us a glimpse chiefly of the difficulties faced by Judaism, which was born during the Exile. Most of the passages seem to come from the most difficult years, those following upon the return (530–510 B.C.). All are not the work of one and the same author. The oracles endeavor to lead believers to a surer, but also purer and more spiritual hope.
- Isaiah 56:3 Eunuch[s] were to be equal in every respect to the other members of the community of Israel (see Deut 23:2).
- Isaiah 57:5 The reference is to fertility cults.
- Isaiah 57:9 If there is a play on the Hebrew word melek, Molech is perhaps the king (see 2 Ki 23:10); the second part of the verse alludes to the worship of underworld divinities or of the dead.
- Isaiah 58:9 Pointing of fingers: as a sign of scorn or a curse.
- Isaiah 60:1 Neither the walls nor the temple of the holy city have yet been rebuilt. The repatriates are tired of waiting for the renewal whose coming is delayed. To encourage them, the poet repeats the promises made during the Exile (Isa 54) and expounds his grandiose vision of a Jerusalem restored and renewed by the Lord. For human beings who grope along, questing in darkness, this vision awaits a fulfillment that is beyond time; the Book of Revelation will repeat it (Rev 21).
- Isaiah 60:5 The sea symbolizes the maritime powers, among them Phoenicia and Greece. Midian, Ephah, and Sheba (see 1 Ki 10:1-13) are peoples of Arabia. Kedar and the Nabateans (Nebaioth) are nomadic tribes. The islands evoke distant lands. Tarshish was a trading center set up in Spain by the Phoenicians, whose ships were therefore equipped for lengthy journeys and used for trading with the western Mediterranean.
- Isaiah 60:13 The trees of Lebanon will serve in the rebuilding of Jerusalem as they did long ago for Solomon’s temple.
- Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord rests on human beings who are destined to bear witness to true salvation: for example, on the infant Messiah (Isa 11:2) and on the Servant (Isa 42:1). He also energizes a prophet who is witness to the difficult years of the return. In the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus will read this passage and declare that it is fulfilled in him (Lk 4:18-19).
- Isaiah 62:11 God buys his people and pays the price for it. This is the meaning of the image of “reward.”
- Isaiah 63:1 After songs of profound joy, a tragic theme returns. Once again, judgment looms on the horizon like an apocalypse; it brings out the dramatic aspect of human history. These oracles sing, in sometimes fierce language, a hymn to the greatness of God who, in the final analysis, decides the destinies of the human race.
- Isaiah 63:7 This moving prayer, a psalm of desolation, was uttered on the morrow of the collapse of 587 B.C. or, in any case, at the beginning of the Exile.
- Isaiah 63:16 Israel: that is, Jacob. Descent from the patriarchs did not provide the needed protection.
- Isaiah 65:3 Allusions to idolatrous practices. The night spent in secret places refers perhaps to the rite of incubation, during which people awaited revelations through dreams.
- Isaiah 65:11 Fortune: literally, “Gad,” the Aramean god of fortune. Fate: literally, “Meni,” another divinity.
- Isaiah 65:17 The oracle looks beyond a restored Jerusalem to a future time when the prosperity and harmony that marked the beginnings of humankind are to be restored; this prosperity and harmony are expressed in images of paradisal life that were familiar to the ancients. Amid oracles that strike terror, here is a song of indestructible hope: a renewed world is coming in which sin will no longer exist (see also Isa 11:6-9). The Church awaits this new world for all of humanity; the dawn of this world breaks on Easter morning (2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21).
- Isaiah 65:20 Since the prospect of resurrection is still unknown, longevity is seen as a special sign of divine protection.
- Isaiah 66:17 A condemnation of pagan mystery cults.
- Isaiah 66:19 Tarshish: a large island in the western Mediterranean or simply a faraway place.
- Isaiah 66:24 A reference to the Valley of Ben-hinnom (Gehenna) outside the walls of ancient Jerusalem. In Mk 9:48, the images of the worm and the fire are used to signify an eternal punishment.
Isaiah 55-66
New International Version
Isaiah 55-66
New International Version
Invitation to the Thirsty
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,(A)
come to the waters;(B)
and you who have no money,
come, buy(C) and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk(D)
without money and without cost.(E)
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?(F)
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,(G)
and you will delight in the richest(H) of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen,(I) that you may live.(J)
I will make an everlasting covenant(K) with you,
my faithful love(L) promised to David.(M)
4 See, I have made him a witness(N) to the peoples,
a ruler and commander(O) of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations(P) you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,(Q)
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One(R) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”(S)
6 Seek(T) the Lord while he may be found;(U)
call(V) on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake(W) their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.(X)
Let them turn(Y) to the Lord, and he will have mercy(Z) on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.(AA)
8 “For my thoughts(AB) are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”(AC)
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,(AD)
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.(AE)
10 As the rain(AF) and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,(AG)
so that it yields seed(AH) for the sower and bread for the eater,(AI)
11 so is my word(AJ) that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,(AK)
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose(AL) for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy(AM)
and be led forth in peace;(AN)
the mountains and hills
will burst into song(AO) before you,
and all the trees(AP) of the field
will clap their hands.(AQ)
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers(AR) the myrtle(AS) will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,(AT)
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
Salvation for Others
56 This is what the Lord says:
“Maintain justice(AU)
and do what is right,(AV)
for my salvation(AW) is close at hand
and my righteousness(AX) will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed(AY) is the one who does this—
the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath(AZ) without desecrating it,
and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”
3 Let no foreigner(BA) who is bound to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”(BB)
And let no eunuch(BC) complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs(BD) who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant(BE)—
5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls(BF)
a memorial(BG) and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name(BH)
that will endure forever.(BI)
6 And foreigners(BJ) who bind themselves to the Lord
to minister(BK) to him,
to love the name(BL) of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath(BM) without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain(BN)
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices(BO)
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.(BP)”(BQ)
8 The Sovereign Lord declares—
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather(BR) still others to them
besides those already gathered.”
God’s Accusation Against the Wicked
9 Come, all you beasts of the field,(BS)
come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
10 Israel’s watchmen(BT) are blind,
they all lack knowledge;(BU)
they are all mute dogs,
they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
they love to sleep.(BV)
11 They are dogs with mighty appetites;
they never have enough.
They are shepherds(BW) who lack understanding;(BX)
they all turn to their own way,(BY)
they seek their own gain.(BZ)
12 “Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!(CA)
Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
or even far better.”(CB)
57 The righteous perish,(CC)
and no one takes it to heart;(CD)
the devout are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.(CE)
2 Those who walk uprightly(CF)
enter into peace;
they find rest(CG) as they lie in death.
3 “But you—come here, you children of a sorceress,(CH)
you offspring of adulterers(CI) and prostitutes!(CJ)
4 Who are you mocking?
At whom do you sneer
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,(CK)
the offspring of liars?
5 You burn with lust among the oaks(CL)
and under every spreading tree;(CM)
you sacrifice your children(CN) in the ravines
and under the overhanging crags.
6 The idols(CO) among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;
indeed, they are your lot.
Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings(CP)
and offered grain offerings.
In view of all this, should I relent?(CQ)
7 You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;(CR)
there you went up to offer your sacrifices.(CS)
8 Behind your doors and your doorposts
you have put your pagan symbols.
Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed,
you climbed into it and opened it wide;
you made a pact with those whose beds you love,(CT)
and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.(CU)
9 You went to Molek[a](CV) with olive oil
and increased your perfumes.(CW)
You sent your ambassadors[b](CX) far away;
you descended to the very realm of the dead!(CY)
10 You wearied(CZ) yourself by such going about,
but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’(DA)
You found renewal of your strength,(DB)
and so you did not faint.
11 “Whom have you so dreaded and feared(DC)
that you have not been true to me,
and have neither remembered(DD) me
nor taken this to heart?(DE)
Is it not because I have long been silent(DF)
that you do not fear me?
12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,(DG)
and they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out(DH) for help,
let your collection of idols save(DI) you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a mere breath will blow(DJ) them away.
But whoever takes refuge(DK) in me
will inherit the land(DL)
and possess my holy mountain.”(DM)
Comfort for the Contrite
14 And it will be said:
“Build up, build up, prepare the road!(DN)
Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”(DO)
15 For this is what the high and exalted(DP) One says—
he who lives forever,(DQ) whose name is holy:
“I live in a high(DR) and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite(DS) and lowly in spirit,(DT)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.(DU)
16 I will not accuse(DV) them forever,
nor will I always be angry,(DW)
for then they would faint away because of me—
the very people(DX) I have created.
17 I was enraged by their sinful greed;(DY)
I punished them, and hid(DZ) my face in anger,
yet they kept on in their willful ways.(EA)
18 I have seen their ways, but I will heal(EB) them;
I will guide(EC) them and restore comfort(ED) to Israel’s mourners,
19 creating praise on their lips.(EE)
Peace, peace,(EF) to those far and near,”(EG)
says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
20 But the wicked(EH) are like the tossing sea,(EI)
which cannot rest,
whose waves cast up mire(EJ) and mud.
21 “There is no peace,”(EK) says my God, “for the wicked.”(EL)
True Fasting
58 “Shout it aloud,(EM) do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.(EN)
Declare to my people their rebellion(EO)
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.(EP)
2 For day after day they seek(EQ) me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken(ER) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near(ES) them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’(ET) they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled(EU) ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’(EV)
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please(EW)
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,(EX)
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard(EY) on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast(EZ) I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble(FA) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(FB)
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(FC)
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting(FD) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(FE)
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(FF) free
and break every yoke?(FG)
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry(FH)
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter(FI)—
when you see the naked, to clothe(FJ) them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?(FK)
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,(FL)
and your healing(FM) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[c](FN) will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.(FO)
9 Then you will call,(FP) and the Lord will answer;(FQ)
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger(FR) and malicious talk,(FS)
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,(FT)
then your light(FU) will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.(FV)
11 The Lord will guide(FW) you always;
he will satisfy your needs(FX) in a sun-scorched land(FY)
and will strengthen(FZ) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,(GA)
like a spring(GB) whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins(GC)
and will raise up the age-old foundations;(GD)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,(GE)
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath(GF)
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight(GG)
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,(GH)
14 then you will find your joy(GI) in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights(GJ) of the land
and to feast on the inheritance(GK) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(GL)
Sin, Confession and Redemption
59 Surely the arm(GM) of the Lord is not too short(GN) to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.(GO)
2 But your iniquities have separated(GP)
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.(GQ)
3 For your hands are stained with blood,(GR)
your fingers with guilt.(GS)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(GT)
and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4 No one calls for justice;(GU)
no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(GV) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(GW)
they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(GX)
5 They hatch the eggs of vipers(GY)
and spin a spider’s web.(GZ)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(HA)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
and acts of violence(HB) are in their hands.
7 Their feet rush into sin;
they are swift to shed innocent blood.(HC)
They pursue evil schemes;(HD)
acts of violence mark their ways.(HE)
8 The way of peace they do not know;(HF)
there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(HG)
no one who walks along them will know peace.(HH)
9 So justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(HI)
for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(HJ) we grope along the wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(HK) as if it were twilight;
among the strong, we are like the dead.(HL)
11 We all growl like bears;
we moan mournfully like doves.(HM)
We look for justice, but find none;
for deliverance, but it is far away.
12 For our offenses(HN) are many in your sight,
and our sins testify(HO) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:(HP)
13 rebellion(HQ) and treachery against the Lord,
turning our backs(HR) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(HS)
uttering lies(HT) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(HU) is driven back,
and righteousness(HV) stands at a distance;
truth(HW) has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(HX) is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.(HY)
16 He saw that there was no one,(HZ)
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(IA)
so his own arm achieved salvation(IB) for him,
and his own righteousness(IC) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(ID)
and the helmet(IE) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(IF) of vengeance(IG)
and wrapped himself in zeal(IH) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
so will he repay(II)
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands(IJ) their due.
19 From the west,(IK) people will fear the name of the Lord,
and from the rising of the sun,(IL) they will revere his glory.(IM)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath(IN) of the Lord drives along.[d]
20 “The Redeemer(IO) will come to Zion,(IP)
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”(IQ)
declares the Lord.
21 “As for me, this is my covenant(IR) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,(IS) who is on you, will not depart from you,(IT) and my words that I have put in your mouth(IU) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
The Glory of Zion
60 “Arise,(IV) shine, for your light(IW) has come,
and the glory(IX) of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness(IY) covers the earth
and thick darkness(IZ) is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations(JA) will come to your light,(JB)
and kings(JC) to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble(JD) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,(JE)
and your daughters(JF) are carried on the hip.(JG)
5 Then you will look and be radiant,(JH)
your heart will throb and swell with joy;(JI)
the wealth(JJ) on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels(JK) will cover your land,
young camels of Midian(JL) and Ephah.(JM)
And all from Sheba(JN) will come,
bearing gold and incense(JO)
and proclaiming the praise(JP) of the Lord.
7 All Kedar’s(JQ) flocks will be gathered to you,
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings(JR) on my altar,(JS)
and I will adorn my glorious temple.(JT)
8 “Who are these(JU) that fly along like clouds,(JV)
like doves to their nests?
9 Surely the islands(JW) look to me;
in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,[e](JX)
bringing(JY) your children from afar,
with their silver and gold,(JZ)
to the honor(KA) of the Lord your God,
the Holy One(KB) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.(KC)
10 “Foreigners(KD) will rebuild your walls,
and their kings(KE) will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
in favor(KF) I will show you compassion.(KG)
11 Your gates(KH) will always stand open,
they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations(KI)—
their kings(KJ) led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve(KK) you will perish;
it will be utterly ruined.(KL)
13 “The glory of Lebanon(KM) will come to you,
the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,(KN)
to adorn my sanctuary;(KO)
and I will glorify the place for my feet.(KP)
14 The children of your oppressors(KQ) will come bowing before you;
all who despise you will bow down(KR) at your feet
and will call you the City(KS) of the Lord,
Zion(KT) of the Holy One(KU) of Israel.
15 “Although you have been forsaken(KV) and hated,
with no one traveling(KW) through,
I will make you the everlasting pride(KX)
and the joy(KY) of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
and be nursed(KZ) at royal breasts.
Then you will know(LA) that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(LB)
your Redeemer,(LC) the Mighty One of Jacob.(LD)
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,(LE)
and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace(LF) your governor
and well-being your ruler.(LG)
18 No longer will violence(LH) be heard in your land,
nor ruin or destruction(LI) within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation(LJ)
and your gates Praise.(LK)
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,(LL)
and your God will be your glory.(LM)
20 Your sun(LN) will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow(LO) will end.
21 Then all your people will be righteous(LP)
and they will possess(LQ) the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,(LR)
the work of my hands,(LS)
for the display of my splendor.(LT)
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.(LU)
I am the Lord;
in its time I will do this swiftly.”(LV)
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
61 The Spirit(LW) of the Sovereign Lord(LX) is on me,
because the Lord has anointed(LY) me
to proclaim good news(LZ) to the poor.(MA)
He has sent me to bind up(MB) the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom(MC) for the captives(MD)
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[f]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor(ME)
and the day of vengeance(MF) of our God,
to comfort(MG) all who mourn,(MH)
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown(MI) of beauty
instead of ashes,(MJ)
the oil(MK) of joy
instead of mourning,(ML)
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting(MM) of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.(MN)
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins(MO)
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers(MP) will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests(MQ) of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth(MR) of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame(MS)
you will receive a double(MT) portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit(MU) a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy(MV) will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;(MW)
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant(MX) with them.
9 Their descendants(MY) will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”(MZ)
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices(NA) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,(NB)
as a bridegroom adorns his head(NC) like a priest,
and as a bride(ND) adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden(NE) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness(NF)
and praise spring up before all nations.
Zion’s New Name
62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,(NG)
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication(NH) shines out like the dawn,(NI)
her salvation(NJ) like a blazing torch.
2 The nations(NK) will see your vindication,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name(NL)
that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
3 You will be a crown(NM) of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,(NN)
or name your land Desolate.(NO)
But you will be called Hephzibah,[g](NP)
and your land Beulah[h];
for the Lord will take delight(NQ) in you,
and your land will be married.(NR)
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom(NS) rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice(NT) over you.
6 I have posted watchmen(NU) on your walls, Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
give yourselves no rest,(NV)
7 and give him no rest(NW) till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise(NX) of the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn(NY) by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain(NZ)
as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
for which you have toiled;
9 but those who harvest it will eat(OA) it
and praise the Lord,(OB)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”(OC)
10 Pass through, pass through the gates!(OD)
Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!(OE)
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner(OF) for the nations.
11 The Lord has made proclamation
to the ends of the earth:(OG)
“Say to Daughter Zion,(OH)
‘See, your Savior comes!(OI)
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.’”(OJ)
12 They will be called(OK) the Holy People,(OL)
the Redeemed(OM) of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
the City No Longer Deserted.(ON)
God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption
63 Who is this coming from Edom,(OO)
from Bozrah,(OP) with his garments stained crimson?(OQ)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(OR)
“It is I, proclaiming victory,
mighty to save.”(OS)
2 Why are your garments red,
like those of one treading the winepress?(OT)
3 “I have trodden the winepress(OU) alone;
from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(OV) them in my anger
and trod them down in my wrath;(OW)
their blood spattered my garments,(OX)
and I stained all my clothing.
4 It was for me the day of vengeance;(OY)
the year for me to redeem had come.
5 I looked, but there was no one(OZ) to help,
I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(PA) achieved salvation for me,
and my own wrath sustained me.(PB)
6 I trampled(PC) the nations in my anger;
in my wrath I made them drunk(PD)
and poured their blood(PE) on the ground.”
Praise and Prayer
7 I will tell of the kindnesses(PF) of the Lord,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things(PG)
he has done for Israel,
according to his compassion(PH) and many kindnesses.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people,(PI)
children who will be true to me”;
and so he became their Savior.(PJ)
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel(PK) of his presence(PL) saved them.[i]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(PM) them;
he lifted them up and carried(PN) them
all the days of old.(PO)
10 Yet they rebelled(PP)
and grieved his Holy Spirit.(PQ)
So he turned and became their enemy(PR)
and he himself fought(PS) against them.
11 Then his people recalled[j] the days of old,
the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(PT)
with the shepherd of his flock?(PU)
Where is he who set
his Holy Spirit(PV) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(PW) of power
to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters(PX) before them,
to gain for himself everlasting renown,(PY)
13 who led(PZ) them through the depths?(QA)
Like a horse in open country,
they did not stumble;(QB)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
they were given rest(QC) by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is how you guided your people
to make for yourself a glorious name.
15 Look down from heaven(QD) and see,
from your lofty throne,(QE) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(QF) and your might?
Your tenderness and compassion(QG) are withheld(QH) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(QI)
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge(QJ) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
our Redeemer(QK) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(QL) from your ways
and harden our hearts(QM) so we do not revere(QN) you?
Return(QO) for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.(QP)
18 For a little while(QQ) your people possessed your holy place,
but now our enemies have trampled(QR) down your sanctuary.(QS)
19 We are yours from of old;
but you have not ruled over them,
they have not been called[k] by your name.(QT)
64 [l]Oh, that you would rend the heavens(QU) and come down,(QV)
that the mountains(QW) would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name(QX) known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake(QY) before you!
3 For when you did awesome(QZ) things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled(RA) before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,(RB)
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.(RC)
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(RD)
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.(RE)
How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,(RF)
and all our righteous(RG) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,(RH)
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.(RI)
7 No one(RJ) calls on your name(RK)
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden(RL) your face from us
and have given us over(RM) to[m] our sins.
8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father.(RN)
We are the clay, you are the potter;(RO)
we are all the work of your hand.(RP)
9 Do not be angry(RQ) beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins(RR) forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
for we are all your people.(RS)
10 Your sacred cities(RT) have become a wasteland;
even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.(RU)
11 Our holy and glorious temple,(RV) where our ancestors praised you,
has been burned with fire,
and all that we treasured(RW) lies in ruins.
12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back?(RX)
Will you keep silent(RY) and punish us beyond measure?
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.(RZ)
To a nation(SA) that did not call on my name,(SB)
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
2 All day long I have held out my hands
to an obstinate people,(SC)
who walk in ways not good,
pursuing their own imaginations(SD)—
3 a people who continually provoke me
to my very face,(SE)
offering sacrifices in gardens(SF)
and burning incense(SG) on altars of brick;
4 who sit among the graves(SH)
and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,(SI)
and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
for I am too sacred(SJ) for you!’
Such people are smoke(SK) in my nostrils,
a fire that keeps burning all day.
6 “See, it stands written before me:
I will not keep silent(SL) but will pay back(SM) in full;
I will pay it back into their laps(SN)—
7 both your sins(SO) and the sins of your ancestors,”(SP)
says the Lord.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
and defied me on the hills,(SQ)
I will measure into their laps
the full payment(SR) for their former deeds.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes(SS)
and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,
there is still a blessing in it,’
so will I do in behalf of my servants;(ST)
I will not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants(SU) from Jacob,
and from Judah those who will possess(SV) my mountains;
my chosen(SW) people will inherit them,
and there will my servants live.(SX)
10 Sharon(SY) will become a pasture for flocks,(SZ)
and the Valley of Achor(TA) a resting place for herds,
for my people who seek(TB) me.
11 “But as for you who forsake(TC) the Lord
and forget my holy mountain,(TD)
who spread a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine(TE) for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword,(TF)
and all of you will fall in the slaughter;(TG)
for I called but you did not answer,(TH)
I spoke but you did not listen.(TI)
You did evil in my sight
and chose what displeases me.”(TJ)
13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“My servants will eat,(TK)
but you will go hungry;(TL)
my servants will drink,(TM)
but you will go thirsty;(TN)
my servants will rejoice,(TO)
but you will be put to shame.(TP)
14 My servants will sing(TQ)
out of the joy of their hearts,
but you will cry out(TR)
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;(TS)
the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,
but to his servants he will give another name.(TT)
16 Whoever invokes a blessing(TU) in the land
will do so by the one true God;(TV)
whoever takes an oath in the land
will swear(TW) by the one true God.
For the past troubles(TX) 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.(TY)
The former things will not be remembered,(TZ)
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice(UA) forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem(UB) to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice(UC) over Jerusalem
and take delight(UD) in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying(UE)
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant(UF) who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;(UG)
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[n] a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses(UH) and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.(UI)
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,(UJ)
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,(UK)
so will be the days(UL) of my people;
my chosen(UM) ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,(UN)
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;(UO)
for they will be a people blessed(UP) by the Lord,
they and their descendants(UQ) with them.
24 Before they call(UR) I will answer;(US)
while they are still speaking(UT) I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb(UU) will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,(UV)
and dust will be the serpent’s(UW) food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”(UX)
says the Lord.
Judgment and Hope
66 This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne,(UY)
and the earth is my footstool.(UZ)
Where is the house(VA) you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things,(VB)
and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,(VC)
and who tremble at my word.(VD)
3 But whoever sacrifices a bull(VE)
is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
is like one who presents pig’s(VF) blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense(VG)
is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,(VH)
and they delight in their abominations;(VI)
4 so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and will bring on them what they dread.(VJ)
For when I called, no one answered,(VK)
when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil(VL) in my sight
and chose what displeases me.”(VM)
5 Hear the word of the Lord,
you who tremble at his word:(VN)
“Your own people who hate(VO) you,
and exclude you because of my name, have said,
‘Let the Lord be glorified,
that we may see your joy!’
Yet they will be put to shame.(VP)
6 Hear that uproar from the city,
hear that noise from the temple!
It is the sound(VQ) of the Lord
repaying(VR) his enemies all they deserve.
7 “Before she goes into labor,(VS)
she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
she delivers a son.(VT)
8 Who has ever heard of such things?
Who has ever seen(VU) things like this?
Can a country be born in a day(VV)
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children.(VW)
9 Do I bring to the moment of birth(VX)
and not give delivery?” says the Lord.
“Do I close up the womb
when I bring to delivery?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice(VY) with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love(VZ) her;
rejoice greatly with her,
all you who mourn(WA) over her.
11 For you will nurse(WB) and be satisfied
at her comforting breasts;(WC)
you will drink deeply
and delight in her overflowing abundance.”(WD)
12 For this is what the Lord says:
“I will extend peace(WE) to her like a river,(WF)
and the wealth(WG) of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried(WH) on her arm
and dandled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child,(WI)
so will I comfort(WJ) you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice(WK)
and you will flourish(WL) like grass;
the hand(WM) of the Lord will be made known to his servants,(WN)
but his fury(WO) will be shown to his foes.
15 See, the Lord is coming with fire,(WP)
and his chariots(WQ) are like a whirlwind;(WR)
he will bring down his anger with fury,
and his rebuke(WS) with flames of fire.
16 For with fire(WT) and with his sword(WU)
the Lord will execute judgment(WV) on all people,
and many will be those slain(WW) by the Lord.
17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens,(WX) following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs,(WY) rats(WZ) and other unclean things—they will meet their end(XA) together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.
18 “And I, because of what they have planned and done,(XB) am about to come[o] and gather the people of all nations(XC) and languages, and they will come and see my glory.(XD)
19 “I will set a sign(XE) among them, and I will send some of those who survive(XF) to the nations—to Tarshish,(XG) to the Libyans[p] and Lydians(XH) (famous as archers), to Tubal(XI) and Greece,(XJ) and to the distant islands(XK) that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.(XL) They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring(XM) all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain(XN) in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,”(XO) says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.(XP) 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests(XQ) and Levites,” says the Lord.
22 “As the new heavens and the new earth(XR) that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.(XS) 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath(XT) to another, all mankind will come and bow down(XU) before me,” says the Lord. 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies(XV) of those who rebelled(XW) against me; the worms(XX) that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched,(XY) and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:9 Or to the king
- Isaiah 57:9 Or idols
- Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
- Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
- Isaiah 60:9 Or the trading ships
- Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind
- Isaiah 62:4 Hephzibah means my delight is in her.
- Isaiah 62:4 Beulah means married.
- Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior 9 in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
- Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
- Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called
- Isaiah 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1 is numbered 63:19b, and 64:2-12 is numbered 64:1-11.
- Isaiah 64:7 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew have made us melt because of
- Isaiah 65:20 Or the sinner who reaches
- Isaiah 66:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Isaiah 66:19 Some Septuagint manuscripts Put (Libyans); Hebrew Pul
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