惩罚与拯救

65 耶和华说:“我向没有求问我的人显现,
让没有寻找我的人寻见,
对没有求告我的国家说,
‘我在这里,我在这里!’
我整天伸出双手招呼一群悖逆的百姓,
他们却任意妄为,
不走正路,
不断地当面惹我发怒。
他们在园中献祭,
在砖台上烧香,
坐在坟场里,
宿在隐秘处。
他们吃猪肉,
用不洁之物做汤,
还对人说,‘站远点,
别挨近我,因为我比你圣洁!’
我被这些人气得鼻孔冒烟,
整天怒火难息。
看啊,这些都记录在我面前,
我不会再保持缄默,
我要报应他们,
按他们和他们祖先的罪报应他们。
我必按他们的所作所为报应他们,
因为他们在山上烧香,
在丘陵上亵渎我。
这是耶和华说的。”

耶和华说:“人发现一串葡萄尚可酿造新酒时,
一定会说,‘不要毁坏它,
里面还有好葡萄。’
同样,因我仆人的缘故,
我也不会把他们全部毁灭。

“我必使雅各的后裔兴起,
使犹大人兴起,
继承我的群山。
我拣选的子民必拥有那片土地,
我的仆人必在那里安居。
10 沙仑必成为牧放羊群的草场,
亚割谷必成为牛群休憩的地方,
这些地方必属于寻求我的人。
11 但至于你们这些背弃我、
忘记我的圣山、
摆宴供奉幸运之神、
调酒祭奠命运之神的人,
12 我要使你们注定被杀,
丧身刀下。
因为我呼唤你们,你们不回应;
我讲话,你们不聆听。
你们做我视为恶的事,
专行令我不悦的事。”

13 所以主耶和华说:
“看啊,我的仆人必有吃有喝,
你们却要饥渴交加;
我的仆人必欢喜,
你们却要受羞辱;
14 我的仆人必欢喜快乐,
扬声歌唱,
你们却要伤心欲绝,
嚎啕大哭。
15 我的选民必用你们的名字作咒诅,
主耶和华必杀死你们,
给祂的仆人另起名字。
16 因此,在地上求福祉的人都必向信实的上帝祈求,
在地上起誓的人都必凭信实的上帝起誓。
因为过去的苦难已经被遗忘,
从我眼前消失了。

新天新地

17 “看啊,我要创造新天新地,
过去的一切都要被遗忘,
从记忆中消失。
18 你们要因我创造的一切而永远欢喜快乐。
看啊,我要创造一个充满喜乐的耶路撒冷,
其中的居民个个欢欣。
19 我必因耶路撒冷而欢喜,
因我的子民而快乐。
城里再听不见哭泣和哀号声。
20 再没有只活几天便夭折的婴儿,
也没有寿数未尽便死的老人,
因为满了百岁便死的人不过算是青年,
不足百岁便死的人被视为受了咒诅。
21 他们要建造房屋,安然居住,
栽种葡萄园,吃园中的果子。
22 他们建的房屋再不会被别人居住,
他们种的果实再不会被别人享用。
我的子民必像树木一样长寿,
我拣选的人必长享自己亲手劳碌的成果。
23 他们不会徒劳,
他们的孩子也不会遇到灾祸,
因为他们及其子孙是蒙上帝赐福的人。
24 他们还没有求告,
我就已经应允;
他们正要祷告,
我就已经垂听。
25 豺狼和绵羊必一起吃草,
狮子必像牛一样吃草,
蛇必以尘土为食。
在我的整个圣山上,
它们都不伤人,不害物。
这是耶和华说的。”

懲罰與拯救

65 耶和華說:「我向沒有求問我的人顯現,
讓沒有尋找我的人尋見,
對沒有求告我的國家說,
『我在這裡,我在這裡!』
我整天伸出雙手招呼一群悖逆的百姓,
他們卻任意妄為,
不走正路,
不斷地當面惹我發怒。
他們在園中獻祭,
在磚臺上燒香,
坐在墳場裡,
宿在隱秘處。
他們吃豬肉,
用不潔之物做湯,
還對人說,『站遠點,
別挨近我,因為我比你聖潔!』
我被這些人氣得鼻孔冒煙,
整天怒火難息。
看啊,這些都記錄在我面前,
我不會再保持緘默,
我要報應他們,
按他們和他們祖先的罪報應他們。
我必按他們的所作所為報應他們,
因為他們在山上燒香,
在丘陵上褻瀆我。
這是耶和華說的。」

耶和華說:「人發現一串葡萄尚可釀造新酒時,
一定會說,『不要毀壞它,
裡面還有好葡萄。』
同樣,因我僕人的緣故,
我也不會把他們全部毀滅。

「我必使雅各的後裔興起,
使猶大人興起,
繼承我的群山。
我揀選的子民必擁有那片土地,
我的僕人必在那裡安居。
10 沙崙必成為牧放羊群的草場,
亞割谷必成為牛群休憩的地方,
這些地方必屬於尋求我的人。
11 但至於你們這些背棄我、
忘記我的聖山、
擺宴供奉幸運之神、
調酒祭奠命運之神的人,
12 我要使你們註定被殺,
喪身刀下。
因為我呼喚你們,你們不回應;
我講話,你們不聆聽。
你們做我視為惡的事,
專行令我不悅的事。」

13 所以主耶和華說:
「看啊,我的僕人必有吃有喝,
你們卻要饑渴交加;
我的僕人必歡喜,
你們卻要受羞辱;
14 我的僕人必歡喜快樂,
揚聲歌唱,
你們卻要傷心欲絕,
嚎啕大哭。
15 我的選民必用你們的名字作咒詛,
主耶和華必殺死你們,
給祂的僕人另起名字。
16 因此,在地上求福祉的人都必向信實的上帝祈求,
在地上起誓的人都必憑信實的上帝起誓。
因為過去的苦難已經被遺忘,
從我眼前消失了。

新天新地

17 「看啊,我要創造新天新地,
過去的一切都要被遺忘,
從記憶中消失。
18 你們要因我創造的一切而永遠歡喜快樂。
看啊,我要創造一個充滿喜樂的耶路撒冷,
其中的居民個個歡欣。
19 我必因耶路撒冷而歡喜,
因我的子民而快樂。
城裡再聽不見哭泣和哀號聲。
20 再沒有只活幾天便夭折的嬰兒,
也沒有壽數未盡便死的老人,
因為滿了百歲便死的人不過算是青年,
不足百歲便死的人被視為受了咒詛。
21 他們要建造房屋,安然居住,
栽種葡萄園,吃園中的果子。
22 他們建的房屋再不會被別人居住,
他們種的果實再不會被別人享用。
我的子民必像樹木一樣長壽,
我揀選的人必長享自己親手勞碌的成果。
23 他們不會徒勞,
他們的孩子也不會遇到災禍,
因為他們及其子孫是蒙上帝賜福的人。
24 他們還沒有求告,
我就已經應允;
他們正要禱告,
我就已經垂聽。
25 豺狼和綿羊必一起吃草,
獅子必像牛一樣吃草,
蛇必以塵土為食。
在我的整個聖山上,
牠們都不傷人,不害物。
這是耶和華說的。」

The Righteousness of God’s Judgment

65 “I was (A)sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’
To a nation that (B)was not called by My name.
(C)I have stretched out My hands all day long to a (D)rebellious people,
Who (E)walk in a way that is not good,
According to their own thoughts;
A people (F)who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;
(G)Who sacrifice in gardens,
And burn incense on altars of brick;
(H)Who sit among the graves,
And spend the night in the tombs;
(I)Who eat swine’s flesh,
And the broth of [a]abominable things is in their vessels;
(J)Who say, ‘Keep to yourself,
Do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These [b]are smoke in My nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.

“Behold, (K)it is written before Me:
(L)I will not keep silence, (M)but will repay—
Even repay into their bosom—
Your iniquities and (N)the iniquities of your fathers together,”
Says the Lord,
(O)“Who have burned incense on the mountains
(P)And blasphemed Me on the hills;
Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.”

Thus says the Lord:

“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it,
For (Q)a blessing is in it,’
So will I do for My servants’ sake,
That I may not destroy them (R)all.
I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
And from Judah an heir of My mountains;
My (S)elect shall inherit it,
And My servants shall dwell there.
10 (T)Sharon shall be a fold of flocks,
And (U)the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,
For My people who have (V)sought Me.

11 “But you are those who forsake the Lord,
Who forget (W)My holy mountain,
Who prepare (X)a table for [c]Gad,
And who furnish a drink offering for [d]Meni.
12 Therefore I will number you for the sword,
And you shall all bow down to the slaughter;
(Y)Because, when I called, you did not answer;
When I spoke, you did not hear,
But did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight.”

13 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, My servants shall eat,
But you shall be hungry;
Behold, My servants shall drink,
But you shall be thirsty;
Behold, My servants shall rejoice,
But you shall be ashamed;
14 Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart,
But you shall cry for sorrow of heart,
And (Z)wail for [e]grief of spirit.
15 You shall leave your name (AA)as a curse to (AB)My chosen;
For the Lord God will slay you,
And (AC)call His servants by another name;
16 (AD)So that he who blesses himself in the earth
Shall bless himself in the God of truth;
And (AE)he who swears in the earth
Shall swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My eyes.

The Glorious New Creation

17 “For behold, I create (AF)new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or [f]come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
19 (AG)I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The (AH)voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.

20 “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
(AI)But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 (AJ)They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
They shall not plant and (AK)another eat;
For (AL)as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And (AM)My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain,
(AN)Nor bring forth children for trouble;
For (AO)they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord,
And their offspring with them.

24 “It shall come to pass
That (AP)before they call, I will answer;
And while they are still speaking, I will (AQ)hear.
25 The (AR)wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
(AS)And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
Says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 65:4 Unclean meats, Lev. 7:18; 19:7
  2. Isaiah 65:5 Cause My wrath to smoke
  3. Isaiah 65:11 Lit. Troop or Fortune; a pagan deity
  4. Isaiah 65:11 Lit. Number or Destiny; a pagan deity
  5. Isaiah 65:14 Or a broken spirit
  6. Isaiah 65:17 Lit. come upon the heart