Isaiah 65
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Righteousness of God’s Judgment
65 I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
to a nation that did not call on my name.(A)
2 I held out my hands all day long
to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices;(B)
3 a people who provoke me
to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens
and offering incense on bricks;(C)
4 who sit inside tombs
and spend the night in secret places;
who eat the flesh of pigs,
with broth of abominable things in their vessels;(D)
5 who say, “Keep to yourself;
do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.”
These are a smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that burns all day long.(E)
6 See, it is written before me:
I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will indeed repay into their laps(F)
7 their[a] iniquities and their[b] ancestors’ iniquities together,
says the Lord;
because they offered incense on the mountains
and reviled me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
full payment for their actions.(G)
8 Thus says the Lord:
As the wine is found in the cluster,
and they say, “Do not destroy it,
for there is a blessing in it,”
so I will do for my servants’ sake
and not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob
and from Judah inheritors of my mountains;
my chosen shall inherit it,
and my servants shall settle there.(H)
10 Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks
and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,
for my people who have sought me.(I)
11 But you who forsake the Lord,
who forget my holy mountain,
who set a table for Fortune
and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny,(J)
12 I will destine you to the sword,
and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter;
because, when I called, you did not answer,
when I spoke, you did not listen,
but you did what was evil in my sight
and chose what I did not delight in.(K)
13 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
My servants shall eat,
but you shall be hungry;
my servants shall drink,
but you shall be thirsty;
my servants shall rejoice,
but you shall be put to shame;(L)
14 my servants shall sing with gladness of heart,
but you shall cry out in pain of heart
and shall wail in anguish of spirit.(M)
15 You shall leave your name to my chosen to use as a curse,
and the Lord God will put you to death,
but to his servants he will give a different name.(N)
16 Then whoever invokes a blessing in the land
shall bless by the God of faithfulness,
and whoever takes an oath in the land
shall swear by the God of faithfulness,
because the former troubles are forgotten
and are hidden from my sight.(O)
The Glorious New Creation
17 For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.(P)
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating,
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy
and its people as a delight.(Q)
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it
or the cry of distress.(R)
20 No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime,
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.(S)
21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.(T)
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat,
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.(U)
23 They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,[c]
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
and their descendants as well.(V)
24 Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.(W)
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
says the Lord.(X)
Isaiah 65
New American Standard Bible
A Rebellious People
65 “I permitted Myself to be sought by (A)those who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which (B)did not call on My name.
2 (C)I have spread out My hands all day long to a (D)rebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, [a]following their own (E)thoughts,
3 A people who continually (F)provoke Me to My face,
Offering sacrifices in (G)gardens and (H)burning incense on bricks;
4 Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places;
Who (I)eat pig’s flesh,
And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots.
5 Who say, ‘(J)Keep to yourself, do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These are smoke in My [b]nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.
6 Behold, it is written before Me:
I will (K)not keep silent, but (L)I will repay;
I will even repay [c]into their laps,
7 Both your own (M)wrongdoings and the wrongdoings of your fathers together,” says the Lord.
“Because they have (N)burned incense on the mountains
And (O)scorned Me on the hills,
Therefore I will (P)measure their former work [d]into their laps.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“Just as the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is [e]benefit in it,’
So I will act in behalf of My servants
In order (Q)not to destroy [f]all of them.
9 I will bring forth [g](R)offspring from Jacob,
And an (S)heir of My mountains from Judah;
(T)My chosen ones shall inherit it,
And (U)My servants will live there.
10 (V)Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks,
And the (W)Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
For My people who (X)seek Me.
11 But as for you who (Y)abandon the Lord,
Who forget My (Z)holy mountain,
Who set a table for [h]Fortune,
And fill a jug of mixed wine for [i]Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the (AA)sword,
And all of you will bow down to the (AB)slaughter.
Because I called, but you (AC)did not answer;
I spoke, but you did not listen.
Instead, you did evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”
13 Therefore, this is what the Lord [j]God says:
“Behold, My servants will (AD)eat, but you will be (AE)hungry.
Behold, My servants will (AF)drink, but you will be (AG)thirsty.
Behold, My servants will (AH)rejoice, but you will be (AI)put to shame.
14 Behold, My servants will (AJ)shout joyfully with a glad heart,
But you will (AK)cry out from a painful heart,
And you will wail from a broken spirit.
15 You will leave your name as a (AL)curse to My chosen ones,
And the Lord [k]God will put you to death.
But [l]My servants will be called by (AM)another name.
16 Because the one who [m]is blessed on the earth
Will [n]be blessed by the (AN)God of truth;
And the one who swears an oath on the earth
Will (AO)swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “For behold, I create (AP)new heavens and a new earth;
And the (AQ)former things will not be remembered or come to [o]mind.
18 But be (AR)glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
19 I will also (AS)rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of (AT)weeping and the sound of crying.
20 No longer will there be [p]in it an infant who lives only a few days,
Or an old person who does (AU)not [q]live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of a hundred,
And the [r](AV)one who does not reach the age of a hundred
Will be thought accursed.
21 They will (AW)build houses and inhabit them;
They will also (AX)plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build and (AY)another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For (AZ)as the [s]lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will (BA)fully enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They will (BB)not labor in vain,
Or give birth to children for disaster;
For they are the [t](BC)descendants of those blessed by the Lord,
And their descendants with them.
24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will (BD)answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen. 25 The (BE)wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the (BF)lion will eat straw like the ox; and (BG)dust will be the serpent’s food. They will (BH)do no evil or harm on all My (BI)holy mountain,” says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 65:2 Lit after
- Isaiah 65:5 Lit nose
- Isaiah 65:6 I.e., individually and fully
- Isaiah 65:7 I.e., individually and fully
- Isaiah 65:8 Lit blessing
- Isaiah 65:8 Lit the whole
- Isaiah 65:9 Lit seed
- Isaiah 65:11 Heb Gad
- Isaiah 65:11 Heb Meni
- Isaiah 65:13 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 65:15 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 65:15 As in LXX; MT He will call His servants
- Isaiah 65:16 Or bless(es) himself
- Isaiah 65:16 Or bless(es) himself
- Isaiah 65:17 Lit heart
- Isaiah 65:20 Lit from there
- Isaiah 65:20 Lit fill out
- Isaiah 65:20 Lit one who misses the mark
- Isaiah 65:22 Lit days
- Isaiah 65:23 Lit seed
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.