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
Legacy Standard Bible
Salvation for the Foreigner
56 Thus says Yahweh,
“(A)Keep justice and do righteousness,
For My (B)salvation is about to come
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 How (C)blessed is the man who does this,
And the 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 Yahweh say,
“Yahweh will surely separate me from His people.”
Nor let the (G)eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For thus says Yahweh,
“To the eunuchs who (H)keep My sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And (I)hold fast My covenant,
5 To them I will give in My (J)house and within My (K)walls a [a]memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give [b]them an everlasting (L)name which (M)will not be cut off.
6 “Also the (N)foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh,
To minister to Him, and to love the name of Yahweh,
To be His [c]slaves, every one who (O)keeps from profaning the sabbath
And takes hold of My covenant,
7 Even (P)those I will bring to My (Q)holy mountain
And (R)make them glad 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 Lord Yahweh, who (U)gathers the banished of Israel, declares,
“Yet (V)others I will gather to [d]them, to those already gathered.”
9 All you (W)beasts of the field,
All you beasts 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,
[e]Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
11 And the dogs have a (Z)strong [f]appetite; they do not know satisfaction.
And they are shepherds who (AA)do not know understanding;
They have all (AB)turned to their own way,
Each one to his greedy gain, to the last one.
12 “Come,” they say, “let [g]us take (AC)wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink;
And (AD)tomorrow will be like today—[h]beyond exceedingly great.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 56:5 Lit hand
- Isaiah 56:5 As in DSS; M.T. him
- Isaiah 56:6 Or servants
- Isaiah 56:8 Lit him
- Isaiah 56:10 As in DSS; M.T. Ravers
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit soul
- Isaiah 56:12 As in DSS and many versions; M.T. me
- Isaiah 56:12 Lit remainder
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.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.