Font Size
Isaiah 56
New American Standard Bible
Isaiah 56
New American Standard Bible
Rewards for Obedience to God
56 This is what the Lord says:
“(A)Guard justice and do righteousness,
For My (B)salvation is about to come
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 (C)Blessed is a man who does this,
And a son of man who (D)takes hold of it;
Who (E)keeps from profaning the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Let not the (F)foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will certainly separate me from His people.”
Nor let the (G)eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs who (H)keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And (I)hold firmly to My covenant,
5 To them I will give in My (J)house and within My (K)walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give [a]them an everlasting (L)name which (M)will not be eliminated.
6 “Also the (N)foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
To attend to His service and to love the name of the Lord,
To be His servants, every one who (O)keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it,
And holds firmly to My covenant;
7 Even (P)those I will bring to My (Q)holy mountain,
And (R)make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on (S)My altar;
For (T)My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
8 The Lord [b]God, who (U)gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares,
“I will yet gather (V)others to [c]them, to those already gathered.”
9 All you [d](W)wild animals,
All you animals in the forest,
Come to eat.
10 His (X)watchmen are (Y)blind,
All of them know nothing.
All of them are mute dogs unable to bark,
Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
11 And the dogs are [e](Z)greedy, they [f]are never satisfied.
And they are shepherds who have (AA)no understanding;
They have all (AB)turned to their own way,
Each one to his unjust gain, [g]without exception.
12 “Come,” they say, “[h]let’s get (AC)wine, and let’s drink heavily of intoxicating drink;
And (AD)tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 56:5 As in DSS; MT him
- Isaiah 56:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 56:8 Lit him
- Isaiah 56:9 Lit animals of the field
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit strong of soul/appetite
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit do not know satisfaction
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit from his end
- Isaiah 56:12 As in DSS and some ancient versions; MT I will
Isaiah 56
New English Translation
Isaiah 56
New English Translation
The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter
56 This is what the Lord says,
“Promote[a] justice! Do what is right!
For I am ready to deliver you;
I am ready to vindicate you openly.[b]
2 The people who do this will be blessed,[c]
the people who commit themselves to obedience,[d]
who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,
who refrain from doing anything that is wrong.[e]
3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of[f] the Lord should say,
‘The Lord will certainly[g] exclude me from his people.’
The eunuch should not say,
‘Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths
and choose what pleases me
and are faithful to[h] my covenant,
5 I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument[i]
that will be better than sons and daughters.
I will set up a permanent monument[j] for them that will remain.
6 As for foreigners who become followers of[k] the Lord and serve him,
who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants—
all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,
and who are faithful to[l] my covenant—
7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;
I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me.[m]
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,
for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.”[n]
8 The Sovereign Lord says this,
the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel:
“I will still gather them up.”[o]
The Lord Denounces Israel’s Paganism
9 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour,
all you wild animals in the forest!
10 All their watchmen[p] are blind,
they are unaware.[q]
All of them are like mute dogs,
unable to bark.
They pant,[r] lie down,
and love to snooze.
11 The dogs have big appetites;
they are never full.[s]
They are shepherds who have no understanding;
they all go their own way,
each one looking for monetary gain.[t]
12 Each one says,[u]
‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!
Let’s guzzle some beer!
Tomorrow will be just like today!
We’ll have everything we want!’[v]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 56:1 tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.”
- Isaiah 56:1 tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.”
- Isaiah 56:2 tn Heb “blessed is the man who does this.”
- Isaiah 56:2 tn Heb “the son of mankind who takes hold of it.”
- Isaiah 56:2 tn Heb and who keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
- Isaiah 56:3 tn Heb “who attaches himself to.”
- Isaiah 56:3 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
- Isaiah 56:4 tn Heb “and take hold of” (so KJV); NASB “hold fast.”
- Isaiah 56:5 tn Heb “a hand and a name.” For other examples where יָד (yad) refers to a monument, see HALOT 388 s.v.
- Isaiah 56:5 tn Heb “name” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 56:6 tn Heb “who attach themselves to.”
- Isaiah 56:6 tn Heb “and take hold of”; NAB “hold to”; NIV, NRSV “hold fast.”
- Isaiah 56:7 tn Heb “in the house of my prayer.”
- Isaiah 56:7 tn Heb “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”
- Isaiah 56:8 tn The meaning of the statement is unclear. The text reads literally, “Still I will gather upon him to his gathered ones.” Perhaps the preposition ל (lamed) before “gathered ones” introduces the object of the verb, as in Jer 49:5. The third masculine singular suffix on both עָלָיו (ʿalayv) and נִקְבָּצָיו (niqbatsayv) probably refers to “Israel.” In this case one can translate literally, “Still I will gather to him his gathered ones.”
- Isaiah 56:10 sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.
- Isaiah 56:10 tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”
- Isaiah 56:10 tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.
- Isaiah 56:11 sn The phrase never full alludes to the greed of the leaders.
- Isaiah 56:11 tn Heb “for his gain from his end.”
- Isaiah 56:12 tn The words “each one says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Isaiah 56:12 tn Heb “great, [in] abundance, very much,” i.e., “very great indeed.” See HALOT 452 s.v. יֶתֶר.
Isaiah 56
New Living Translation
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
English Standard Version
Isaiah 56
English Standard Version
Salvation for Foreigners
56 Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
(A)for soon my salvation will come,
and my righteousness be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast,
(B)who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Let not (C)the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am (D)a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs (E)who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
5 (F)I will give in my house and within my walls
a (G)monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
(H)I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
6 “And (I)the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
everyone (J)who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
7 (K)these I will bring to (L)my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
(M)their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for (N)my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
8 The Lord God,
(O)who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
(P)“I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered.”
Israel's Irresponsible Leaders
9 (Q)All you beasts of the field, come to devour—
all you beasts in the forest.
10 (R)His watchmen are blind;
they are all without knowledge;
they are all silent (S)dogs;
they cannot bark,
dreaming, lying down,
loving to slumber.
11 (T)The dogs have a mighty appetite;
they never have enough.
But (U)they are shepherds who have no understanding;
they have all turned to their own way,
(V)each to his own gain, one and all.
12 (W)“Come,” they say, “let me get wine;
let us fill ourselves with strong drink;
(X)and tomorrow will be like this day,
great beyond measure.”
Isaiah 56
New International Version
Isaiah 56
New International Version
Salvation for Others
56 This is what the Lord says:
“Maintain justice(A)
and do what is right,(B)
for my salvation(C) is close at hand
and my righteousness(D) will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed(E) is the one who does this—
the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath(F) without desecrating it,
and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”
3 Let no foreigner(G) who is bound to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”(H)
And let no eunuch(I) complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs(J) who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant(K)—
5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls(L)
a memorial(M) and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name(N)
that will endure forever.(O)
6 And foreigners(P) who bind themselves to the Lord
to minister(Q) to him,
to love the name(R) of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath(S) without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain(T)
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices(U)
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.(V)”(W)
8 The Sovereign Lord declares—
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather(X) still others to them
besides those already gathered.”
God’s Accusation Against the Wicked
9 Come, all you beasts of the field,(Y)
come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
10 Israel’s watchmen(Z) are blind,
they all lack knowledge;(AA)
they are all mute dogs,
they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
they love to sleep.(AB)
11 They are dogs with mighty appetites;
they never have enough.
They are shepherds(AC) who lack understanding;(AD)
they all turn to their own way,(AE)
they seek their own gain.(AF)
12 “Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!(AG)
Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
or even far better.”(AH)
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
New Living Translation (NLT)
.png)
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.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.