Isaiah 65:1-9

Contemporary English Version

The Lord Will Punish the Guilty

65 ^(A) I, the Lord, was ready
to answer even those
    who were not asking
and to be found by those
    who were not searching.
To a nation that refused
to worship me,^[a]
    I said, “Here I am!”

²^(B) All day long I have reached out
to stubborn and sinful people
    going their own way.
³They keep making me angry
    by sneering at me,
while offering sacrifices
    to idols in gardens
and burning incense
    to them on bricks.
⁴They spend their nights
    hiding in burial caves;
they eat the meat of pigs,^[b]
cooked in sauces
    made of stuff unfit to eat.
⁵And then they say to others,
“Don't come near us!
    We're dedicated to God.”
Such people are like smoke,
    irritating my nose all day.
⁶I have written this down;
    I won't keep silent.
I'll pay them back
    just as their sins deserve.
⁷I, the Lord, will make them pay
for their sins and for those
    of their ancestors—
they have disgraced me
by burning incense
    on mountains.

⁸Here is what the Lord says:
    A cluster of grapes
    that produces wine
    is worth keeping!
So, because of my servants,
    I won't destroy everyone.
⁹I have chosen the people
    of Israel and Judah,
and I will bless them
    with many descendants.
They will settle here
in this land of mountains,
    and it will be theirs.

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Footnotes

65.1 refused … me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
65.4 burial … pigs: Coming in contact with the dead or eating the meat of pigs made a person unacceptable to God.