Isaiah 66
Lexham English Bible
Proper Worship
66 Thus says Yahweh:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is the footstool for my feet.
Where is this house that you would build for me?
And where is this resting place for me?
2 And my hand has made all these things,
and all these came to be,”[a]
declares[b] Yahweh, “but[c] I look to this one:
to the humble and the contrite of spirit
and the one frightened at my word.
3 The one who slaughters a bull strikes a man;
the one who slaughters a lamb for sacrifice breaks the neck of a dog.
The one who offers an offering, the blood of swine;
the one who offers frankincense blesses an idol.
Indeed, they themselves have chosen their ways,
and their soul delights in their abhorrence.
4 Indeed, I myself I will choose their ill treatment,
and I will bring them objects of their dread,
because I called, and no one answered;[d]
I spoke and they did not listen,
but[e] they did the evil in my eyes,
and they chose that in which I do not delight.”
5 Hear the word of Yahweh, you who are frightened at his word:
Your brothers who hate you,
who exclude you for my name’s sake have said,
“Let Yahweh be honored so that[f] we may see your joy!”
But[g] they themselves shall be ashamed.
6 A voice, an uproar from the city!
A voice from the temple!
The voice of Yahweh paying back[h] his enemies!
Zion’s Delivery
7 Before she was in labor she gave birth;
before labor pains[i] came to her, she gave birth to a son.
8 Who has heard anything like this?
Who has seen anything like these things?
Can a land be born in one day?
Or can a nation be born in a moment?
Yet when she was in labor, Zion indeed gave birth to her children.
9 Shall I myself I break open and not deliver?”[j] says Yahweh,
“or I who delivers[k] lock up the womb?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem
and shout in exultation with her, all those who love her!
Rejoice with her in joy, all those who mourn over her,
11 so that you may suck and be satisfied from her consoling breast,[l]
so that you may drink deeply and refresh yourselves from her heavy breast.”[m]
12 For thus says Yahweh:
“Look! I am about to spread prosperity out to her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream,
and you shall suck and be carried on the hip;
and you shall you shall be played with on the knees.
13 As a man whose mother comforts him, so I myself will comfort you,
and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Yahweh’s Final Judgment
14 And you shall see and your heart shall rejoice,
and your bones shall flourish[n] like the grass,
and the hand of Yahweh shall make itself known to[o] his servants,
and he shall curse his enemies.
15 For look! Yahweh will come in fire,
and his chariots like the storm wind,
to give back[p] his anger in wrath,
and his rebuke in flames of fire.
16 For Yahweh enters into judgment on all flesh with fire and his sword,
and those slain by[q] Yahweh shall be many.
17 Those who sanctify themselves
and those who cleanse themselves to go into[r] the gardens after the one in the middle,
eating the flesh of swine
and detestable things[s] and rodents[t] together
shall come to an end!” declares[u] Yahweh.
18 “And I—their works and thoughts!—am about to come to gather all nations and tongues,
and they shall come and see my glory.
19 And I will set a sign among them,
and I will send survivors from them to the nations:
Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow;
Tubal and Javan, the faraway coastlands
that have not heard of my fame,
and have not seen my glory.
And they shall declare my glory among the nations, 20 and bring all your countrymen[v] from all the nations as an offering to Yahweh on horses and chariots[w] and in litters and on mules and camels, to[x] my holy mountain,[y] Jerusalem,” says Yahweh, “just as the sons of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of Yahweh. 21 And indeed, I will take some of them as priests and the Levites,” says Yahweh. 22 “For just as the new heavens and earth that I am about to make shall stand before me,” declares[z] Yahweh, “so shall your descendants[aa] and your name stand.
23 And this shall happen: From new moon to new moon[ab] and from Sabbath to Sabbath[ac] all flesh shall come to bow in worship before me,” says Yahweh. 24 “And they shall go out and look at the corpses of the people[ad] who have rebelled[ae] against me,
for their worm shall not die,
and their fire shall not be quenched,
and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 66:2 Literally “were”
- Isaiah 66:2 Literally “declaration of”
- Isaiah 66:2 Or “and”
- Isaiah 66:4 Literally “there was no one who answers”
- Isaiah 66:4 Or “and”
- Isaiah 66:5 Or “and”
- Isaiah 66:5 Or “And”
- Isaiah 66:6 Literally “rewarding retribution to”
- Isaiah 66:7 Hebrew “pain”
- Isaiah 66:9 Literally “cause to bring forth”
- Isaiah 66:9 Literally “causes to bring forth”
- Isaiah 66:11 Literally “breast of consolation”
- Isaiah 66:11 Literally “breast of heaviness “
- Isaiah 66:14 Literally “sprout”
- Isaiah 66:14 Literally “with”
- Isaiah 66:15 Literally “cause to turn around”
- Isaiah 66:16 Literally “the slain of”
- Isaiah 66:17 Literally “toward”
- Isaiah 66:17 Hebrew “thing”
- Isaiah 66:17 Hebrew “rodent”
- Isaiah 66:17 Literally “declaration of”
- Isaiah 66:20 Or “brothers”
- Isaiah 66:20 Hebrew “chariot”
- Isaiah 66:20 Or “on”
- Isaiah 66:20 Literally “the mountain of holiness me”
- Isaiah 66:22 Literally “declaration of”
- Isaiah 66:22 Hebrew “descendant”
- Isaiah 66:23 Literally “enough of new moon in his new moon”
- Isaiah 66:23 Literally “enough of Sabbath in his Sabbath”
- Isaiah 66:24 Or “men”
- Isaiah 66:24 Literally “rebelling”
Isaiah 66
American Standard Version
66 Thus saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest? 2 For all these things hath my hand made, and so all these things came to be, saith Jehovah: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word. 3 He that killeth an ox is as he that slayeth a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as he that breaketh a dog’s neck; he that offereth [a]an oblation, as he that offereth swine’s blood; he that [b]burneth frankincense, as he that blesseth an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations: 4 I also will choose their [c]delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not.
5 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see your joy; but it is they that shall be put to shame. 6 A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that rendereth recompense to his enemies.
7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. 8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall a land be [d]born in one day? shall a nation be brought forth at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. 9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith Jehovah: shall I that cause to bring forth shut the womb? saith thy God.
10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her; 11 that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12 For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: [e]and ye shall suck thereof; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass: and the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants; and he will have indignation against his enemies.
15 For, behold, Jehovah will come [f]with fire, and his chariots shall be like the whirlwind; to render his anger with fierceness, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For by fire will Jehovah execute judgment, and by his sword, upon all flesh; and the slain of Jehovah shall be many. 17 They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves [g]to go unto the gardens, behind [h]one in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, they shall come to an end together, saith Jehovah.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: the time cometh, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and shall see my glory. 19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send such as escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. 20 And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an oblation unto Jehovah, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring their oblation in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah. 21 And of them also will I take for priests and for Levites, saith Jehovah.
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Jehovah. 24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 66:3 Or, a meal-offering
- Isaiah 66:3 Hebrew maketh a memorial of.
- Isaiah 66:4 Or, mockings
- Isaiah 66:8 Or, travailed with for but one day
- Isaiah 66:12 Or, then shall ye suck, ye etc.
- Isaiah 66:15 Or, in
- Isaiah 66:17 Or, in the
- Isaiah 66:17 Or, one tree (or Asherah; see Dt. 16:21)
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