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Isaiah 66
New English Translation

66 This is what the Lord says:
“The heavens are my throne
and the earth is my footstool.
Where then is the house you will build for me?
Where is the place where I will rest?
2 My hand made them;[a]
that is how they came to be,”[b] says the Lord.
“I show special favor[c] to the humble and contrite,

who respect what I have to say.[d]
3 The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man;[e]
the one who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog’s neck;[f]
the one who presents an offering includes pig’s blood with it;[g]
the one who offers incense also praises an idol.[h]
They have decided to behave this way;[i]
they enjoy these disgusting practices.[j]
4 So I will choose severe punishment[k] for them;
I will bring on them what they dread,
because I called, and no one responded.
I spoke and they did not listen.
They did evil before me;[l]
they chose to do what displeases me.”
5 Listen to the Lord’s message,
you who respect[m] his word!
“Your countrymen,[n] who hate you

and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name,
say, ‘May the Lord be glorified,
then we will witness your joy.’[o]
But they will be put to shame.
6 The sound of battle comes from the city;
the sound comes from the temple!
It is the sound of the Lord paying back his enemies.
7 Before she goes into labor, she gives birth!
Before her contractions begin, she delivers a boy!
8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen this?
Can a country[p] be brought forth in one day?
Can a nation be born in a single moment?
Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!
9 Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?”
asks the Lord.
“Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?”
asks your God.[q]
10 “Be happy for Jerusalem
and rejoice with her, all you who love her!
Share in her great joy,
all you who have mourned over her!
11 For[r] you will nurse from her satisfying breasts and be nourished;[s]
you will feed with joy from her milk-filled breasts.[t]

12 For this is what the Lord says:

“Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,
the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks.[u]
You will nurse from her breast[v] and be carried at her side;
you will play on her knees.
13 As a mother consoles a child,[w]
so I will console you,
and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”
14 When you see this, you will be happy,[x]
and you will be revived.[y]
The Lord will reveal his power to his servants
and his anger to his enemies.[z]
15 For look, the Lord comes with fire,
his chariots come like a windstorm,[aa]
to reveal his raging anger,
his battle cry, and his flaming arrows.[ab]
16 For the Lord judges all humanity[ac]
with fire and his sword;
the Lord will kill many.[ad]

17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards,[ae] those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice[af]—they will all be destroyed together,”[ag] says the Lord. 18 “I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming[ah] to gather all the nations and ethnic groups;[ai] they will come and witness my splendor. 19 I will perform a mighty act among them[aj] and then send some of those who remain to the nations—to Tarshish, Pul,[ak] Lud[al] (known for its archers[am]), Tubal, Javan,[an] and to the distant coastlands[ao] that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor. 20 They will bring back all your countrymen[ap] from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them[aq] on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels[ar] to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers. 21 And I will choose some of them as priests and Levites,” says the Lord. 22 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before me,” says the Lord, “so your descendants and your name will remain. 23 From one month[as] to the next and from one Sabbath to the next, all people[at] will come to worship me,”[au] says the Lord. 24 “They will go out and observe the corpses of those who rebelled against me, for the maggots that eat them will not die,[av] and the fire that consumes them will not die out.[aw] All people will find the sight abhorrent.”[ax]

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 66:2 tn Heb “all these.” The phrase refers to the heavens and earth, mentioned in the previous verse.
  2. Isaiah 66:2 tn Heb “and all these were.” Some prefer to emend וַיִּהְיוּ (vayyihyu, “and they were”) to וְלִי הָיוּ (veli hayu, “and to me they were”), i.e., “and they belong to me.”
  3. Isaiah 66:2 tn Heb “and to this one I look” (KJV and NASB both similar).
  4. Isaiah 66:2 tn Heb “to the humble and the lowly in spirit and the one who trembles at my words.”
  5. Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “one who slaughters a bull, one who strikes down a man.” Some understand a comparison here and in the following lines. In God’s sight the one who sacrifices is like (i.e., regarded as) a murderer or one whose worship is ritually defiled or idolatrous. The translation above assumes that the language is not metaphorical, but descriptive of the sinners’ hypocritical behavior. (Note the last two lines of the verse, which suggest they are guilty of abominable practices.) On the one hand, they act pious and offer sacrifices, but at the same time they commit violent crimes against men, defile their sacrifices, and worship other gods.
  6. Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “one who sacrifices a lamb, one who breaks a dog’s neck.” Some understand a comparison, but see the previous note.sn The significance of breaking a dog’s neck is uncertain, though the structure of the statement when compared to the preceding and following lines suggests the action is viewed in a negative light. According to Exod 13:13 and 34:20, one was to “redeem” a firstborn donkey by offering a lamb; if one did not “redeem” the firstborn donkey in this way, then its neck must be broken. According to Deut 21:1-9 a heifer’s neck was to be broken as part of the atonement ritual to purify the land from the guilt of bloodshed. It is not certain if these passages relate in any way to the action described in Isa 66:3.
  7. Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “one who offers an offering, pig’s blood.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line.
  8. Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “one who offers incense as a memorial offering, one who blesses something false.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line. אָוֶן (ʾaven), which has a wide variety of attested nuances, here refers metonymically to an idol. See HALOT 22 s.v. and BDB 20 s.v. 2.
  9. Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “also they have chosen their ways.”
  10. Isaiah 66:3 tn Heb “their being [or “soul”] takes delight in their disgusting [things].”
  11. Isaiah 66:4 tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (ʿalal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”
  12. Isaiah 66:4 tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”
  13. Isaiah 66:5 tn Heb “tremble.”
  14. Isaiah 66:5 tn Heb “brothers” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “Your own people”; NLT “Your close relatives.”
  15. Isaiah 66:5 tn Or “so that we might witness your joy.” The point of this statement is unclear.
  16. Isaiah 66:8 tn Heb “land,” but here אֶרֶץ (ʾerets) stands metonymically for an organized nation (see the following line).
  17. Isaiah 66:9 sn The rhetorical questions expect the answer, “Of course not!”
  18. Isaiah 66:11 tn Or “in order that”; ASV, NRSV “that.”
  19. Isaiah 66:11 tn Heb “you will suck and be satisfied from her comforting breast.”
  20. Isaiah 66:11 tn Heb “you will slurp and refresh yourselves from her heavy breast.”sn Zion’s residents will benefit from and enjoy her great material prosperity. See v. 12.
  21. Isaiah 66:12 tn Heb “Look, I am ready to extend to her like a river prosperity [or “peace”], and like an overflowing stream, the riches of nations.”
  22. Isaiah 66:12 tn The words “from her breast” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 11).
  23. Isaiah 66:13 tn Heb “like a man whose mother comforts him.”
  24. Isaiah 66:14 tn “and you will see and your heart will be happy.”
  25. Isaiah 66:14 tn Heb “and your bones like grass will sprout.”
  26. Isaiah 66:14 tn Heb “and the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, and anger to his enemies.”
  27. Isaiah 66:15 sn Chariots are like a windstorm in their swift movement and in the way that they kick up dust.
  28. Isaiah 66:15 tn Heb “to cause to return with the rage of his anger, and his battle cry [or “rebuke”] with flames of fire.”
  29. Isaiah 66:16 tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “upon all men”; TEV “all the people of the world.”
  30. Isaiah 66:16 tn Heb “many are the slain of the Lord.”
  31. Isaiah 66:17 tn Heb “the ones who consecrate themselves and the ones who purify themselves toward the orchards [or “gardens”] after the one in the midst.” The precise meaning of the statement is unclear, though it is obvious that some form of idolatry is in view.
  32. Isaiah 66:17 tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”
  33. Isaiah 66:17 tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”
  34. Isaiah 66:18 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and I, their deeds and their thoughts, am coming.” The syntax here is very problematic, suggesting that the text may need emendation. Some suggest that the words “their deeds and their thoughts” have been displaced from v. 17. This line presents two primary challenges. In the first place, the personal pronoun “I” has no verb after it. Most translations insert “know” for the sake of clarity (NASB, NRSV, NLT, ESV). The NIV has “I, because of their actions and their imaginations…” Since God’s “knowledge” of Israel’s sin occasions judgment, the verb “hate” is an option as well (see above translation). The feminine form of the next verb (בָּאָה, baʾah) could be understood in one of two ways. One could provide an implied noun “time” (עֵת, ʿet) and render the next line “the time is coming/has come” (NASB, ESV). One could also emend the feminine verb to the masculine בָּא (baʾ) and have the “I” at the beginning of the line govern this verb as well (for the Lord is speaking here): “I am coming” (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
  35. Isaiah 66:18 tn Heb “and the tongues”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “and tongues.”
  36. Isaiah 66:19 tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).
  37. Isaiah 66:19 tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).
  38. Isaiah 66:19 sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).
  39. Isaiah 66:19 tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).
  40. Isaiah 66:19 sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).
  41. Isaiah 66:19 tn Or “islands” (NIV).
  42. Isaiah 66:20 tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”
  43. Isaiah 66:20 tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  44. Isaiah 66:20 tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.
  45. Isaiah 66:23 tn Heb “new moon.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  46. Isaiah 66:23 tn Heb “all flesh” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NAB, NASB, NIV “all mankind”; NLT “All humanity.”
  47. Isaiah 66:23 tn Or “bow down before” (NASB).
  48. Isaiah 66:24 tn Heb “for their worm will not die.”
  49. Isaiah 66:24 tn Heb “and their fire will not be extinguished.”
  50. Isaiah 66:24 tn Heb “and they will be an abhorrence to all flesh.”sn This verse depicts a huge mass burial site where the seemingly endless pile of maggot-infested corpses are being burned.
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Isaiah 66
International Standard Version

The Worship that God Commands

66 This is what the Lord says:

“Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house[a] that you would build for me,
    and where will my resting place be?
2 All these things my hand has made,
    and so all these things came into being,”
        declares the Lord.
“But this is the one to whom I will look favorably:
    to the one who is humble and contrite in spirit,
        and who[b] trembles at[c] my message.

3 “Whoever slaughters an ox
    is just like[d] one who kills a human being;
whoever sacrifices a lamb
    is just like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
    is just like one who offers pig’s blood;
and whoever makes a memorial offering of frankincense
    is just like one who blesses an idol.
Yes, these have chosen their own ways,
    and they take delight in their contaminated actions.
4 Therefore[e] I, too, will choose harsh treatment for them,
    and will bring upon them what they dread.
For when I called, no[f] one answered;
    when I spoke, they didn’t listen;
but they did what I consider to be evil,
    and chose what doesn’t please me.”

The Lord Vindicates Zion

5 “Hear this message from the Lord,
    you who tremble at his words:[g]

“Your own brothers who hate you
    and exclude you because of my name
have said: ‘Let the Lord be glorified;
    he will see[h] your joy,’
        yet it is they who will be put to shame.

6 “Listen to that uproar in[i] the city!
    Listen to that noise from the Temple!
It is the sound of the Lord
    paying back retribution to his enemies!

7 “Before she goes into labor she gives birth;
    before her pains come upon her
        she has delivered[j] a son.
8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?
    And[k] who ever sees[l] such things?
Can a country be born in a single day,
    or can a nation be brought forth in a single moment?
Yet no sooner was Zion in labor
    than she delivered her children.
9 Am I to open the womb and not deliver?”
    asks[m] the Lord.
“And when I bring to delivery, am I to close[n] the womb?”
    asks your God.

10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be happy for her,
    all you who love her;
rejoice with her in gladness,
    all you who mourn over her,
11 so that you may nurse and be satisfied
    at her consoling breasts,
and so that you may drink deeply and take delight
    from her glorious bosom.”

The Rule of God

12 This[o] is what the Lord says:

“See, I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
    and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
and you will nurse,
    and you[p] will be carried on her hip,[q]
        and bounced upon her knees.
13 Like a child whom his mother comforts,
    so I will comfort you;
        and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 And when you look, your hearts will rejoice
    and your bodies will flourish like grass;
and it will be made known
    that the Lord’s hand is with his servants,
        but his fury is with his enemies.

15 “Take notice! The Lord will come with fire,
    and his chariot[r] will be[s] like a whirlwind,
to pay back his anger—yes, his anger!—[t] in fury,
    and his menacing rebukes[u] in flames of fire.
16 For with fire and with his sword the Lord will proceed to judgment[v] on all humanity,[w]
    and those slain by the Lord will be many.”

17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves,[x] following the one at the center of those who eat the meat of pigs, disgusting things,[y] and rats, are all alike,”[z] says[aa] the Lord. 18 “But as for me, I know their actions and their thoughts. Come[ab] and gather all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.

19 “I will put up signs[ac] among them, and from them I will send survivors to the nations—to Tarshish, Libya,[ad] and Lydia,[ae] (who draw the bow),[af] to Tubal and Greece,[ag] to the far off coastlands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. Then they will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 They will bring all—yes, all!—[ah] of your kindred from all the nations to[ai] my holy mountain Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots, in wagons, and on mules—yes, even on mules!—[aj] and on camels,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelis bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the Lord’s house. 21 Then I will also select some of them for myself[ak] as priests and as Levites,”[al] says the Lord.

22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth
    that I am about to make
will endure before me,” says the Lord,
    “so will your descendants and your name endure.
23 And from New Moon to New Moon,
    and from Sabbath to Sabbath,[am]
all[an] humanity will come to worship before me,”
    says the Lord.

24 “Then they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of the people who rebelled against me. For their worm will not die, nor will their fire be extinguished, and they will remain an object of revulsion to all[ao] humanity.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 66:1 I.e. a reconstructed Temple
  2. Isaiah 66:2 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT lack who
  3. Isaiah 66:2 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT use different Heb. prepositions
  4. Isaiah 66:3 So 1QIsaa LXX; 1QIsab MT lack just like
  5. Isaiah 66:4 Or So
  6. Isaiah 66:4 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read and no
  7. Isaiah 66:5 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read his word
  8. Isaiah 66:5 So 1QIsaa; MT reads so that we may see; LXX reads so that the name of the Lord may be glorified
  9. Isaiah 66:6 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read from
  10. Isaiah 66:7 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX read and she has delivered
  11. Isaiah 66:8 So 1QIsaa LXX; 1QIsab MT lack And
  12. Isaiah 66:8 So 1QIsaa. 1QIsab MT LXX read has seen
  13. Isaiah 66:9 Lit. says
  14. Isaiah 66:9 So 1QIsaa (imperfect); 1QIsab MT (perfect)
  15. Isaiah 66:12 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read For this
  16. Isaiah 66:12 1QIsaa feminine pl.; MT masculine pl.
  17. Isaiah 66:12 Or arm
  18. Isaiah 66:15 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read his chariots
  19. Isaiah 66:15 1QIsaa MT LXX lack will be
  20. Isaiah 66:15 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX lack yes, his anger!
  21. Isaiah 66:15 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT read his rebuke
  22. Isaiah 66:16 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT read settle his claim
  23. Isaiah 66:16 Lit. on the humanity; so 1QIsaa; MT reads on humanity
  24. Isaiah 66:17 I.e. pagan sacred worship sites located in forested areas
  25. Isaiah 66:17 Or vermin
  26. Isaiah 66:17 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX read alike—they will meet their end together
  27. Isaiah 66:17 So 1QIsaa; MT reads declares
  28. Isaiah 66:18 So IQIsaa; MT LXX read I am about to come
  29. Isaiah 66:19 So IQIsaa LXX; 1QIsab MT read a sign
  30. Isaiah 66:19 Lit. Put
  31. Isaiah 66:19 Lit. Lud
  32. Isaiah 66:19 The Lydians were known for their skills at archery
  33. Isaiah 66:19 Lit. Javan
  34. Isaiah 66:20 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT read bring all; LXX reads bring
  35. Isaiah 66:20 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads upon
  36. Isaiah 66:20 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX lack yes, even on mules!
  37. Isaiah 66:21 So 1QIsaa LXX; 1QIsab MT LXX lack for myself
  38. Isaiah 66:21 I.e. the ministry formerly held by the descendants of Levi
  39. Isaiah 66:23 So 1QIsaa 4QIsac; lit. to her Sabbath; MT reads to his Sabbath
  40. Isaiah 66:23 Lit. the; so 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX lack all
  41. Isaiah 66:24 Lit. the; so 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX lack all
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