The Reign of Jesse’s Offspring(A)

11 There (B)shall come forth a [a]Rod from the [b]stem of (C)Jesse,
And (D)a Branch shall [c]grow out of his roots.
(E)The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
But (F)with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall (G)strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

“The(H) wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
(I)They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For (J)the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.

10 “And(K) in that day (L)there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a (M)banner to the people;
For the (N)Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.”

11 It shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time
To recover the remnant of His people who are left,
(O)From Assyria and Egypt,
From Pathros and Cush,
From Elam and Shinar,
From Hamath and the [d]islands of the sea.

12 He will set up a banner for the nations,
And will [e]assemble the outcasts of Israel,
And gather together (P)the dispersed of Judah
From the four [f]corners of the earth.
13 Also (Q)the envy of Ephraim shall depart,
And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not envy Judah,
And Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west;
Together they shall plunder the [g]people of the East;
(R)They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab;
And the people of Ammon shall obey them.
15 The Lord (S)will utterly [h]destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt;
With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over [i]the River,
And strike it in the seven streams,
And make men cross over [j]dry-shod.
16 (T)There will be a highway for the remnant of His people
Who will be left from Assyria,
(U)As it was for Israel
In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 11:1 Shoot
  2. Isaiah 11:1 stock or trunk
  3. Isaiah 11:1 be fruitful
  4. Isaiah 11:11 Or coastlands
  5. Isaiah 11:12 gather
  6. Isaiah 11:12 Lit. wings
  7. Isaiah 11:14 Lit. sons
  8. Isaiah 11:15 So with MT, Vg.; LXX, Syr., Tg. dry up
  9. Isaiah 11:15 The Euphrates
  10. Isaiah 11:15 Lit. in sandals

Judgment on the Nations

34 Come (A)near, you nations, to hear;
And heed, you people!
(B)Let the earth hear, and all that is in it,
The world and all things that come forth from it.
For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations,
And His fury against all their armies;
He has utterly destroyed them,
He has given them over to the (C)slaughter.
Also their slain shall be thrown out;
(D)Their stench shall rise from their corpses,
And the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
(E)All the host of heaven shall be dissolved,
And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll;
(F)All their host shall fall down
As the leaf falls from the vine,
And as (G)fruit falling from a fig tree.

“For (H)My sword shall be bathed in heaven;
Indeed it (I)shall come down on Edom,
And on the people of My curse, for judgment.
The (J)sword of the Lord is filled with blood,
It is made [a]overflowing with fatness,
With the blood of lambs and goats,
With the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For (K)the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,
And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
The wild oxen shall come down with them,
And the young bulls with the mighty bulls;
Their land shall be soaked with blood,
And their dust [b]saturated with fatness.”

For it is the day of the Lord’s (L)vengeance,
The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
(M)Its streams shall be turned into pitch,
And its dust into brimstone;
Its land shall become burning pitch.
10 It shall not be quenched night or day;
(N)Its smoke shall ascend forever.
(O)From generation to generation it shall lie waste;
No one shall pass through it forever and ever.
11 (P)But the [c]pelican and the [d]porcupine shall possess it,
Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it.
And (Q)He shall stretch out over it
The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.
12 They shall call its nobles to the kingdom,
But none shall be there, and all its princes shall be nothing.

13 And (R)thorns shall come up in its palaces,
Nettles and brambles in its fortresses;
(S)It shall be a habitation of jackals,
A courtyard for ostriches.
14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the [e]jackals,
And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion;
Also [f]the night creature shall rest there,
And find for herself a place of rest.
15 There the arrow snake shall make her nest and lay eggs
And hatch, and gather them under her shadow;
There also shall the hawks be gathered,
Every one with her mate.

16 “Search from (T)the book of the Lord, and read:
Not one of these shall fail;
Not one shall lack her mate.
For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them.
17 He has cast the lot for them,
And His hand has divided it among them with a measuring line.
They shall possess it forever;
From generation to generation they shall dwell in it.”

The Future Glory of Zion

35 The (U)wilderness and the [g]wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the (V)desert[h] shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
(W)It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the (X)glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God.

(Y)Strengthen the [i]weak hands,
And make firm the [j]feeble knees.
Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with (Z)vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and (AA)save you.”

Then the (AB)eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And (AC)the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then the (AD)lame shall leap like a deer,
And the (AE)tongue of the dumb sing.
For (AF)waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In (AG)the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

A (AH)highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
(AI)The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.
(AJ)No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,
10 And the (AK)ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And (AL)sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 34:6 Lit. fat
  2. Isaiah 34:7 Lit. made fat
  3. Isaiah 34:11 Or owl
  4. Isaiah 34:11 Or hedgehog
  5. Isaiah 34:14 Lit. howling creatures
  6. Isaiah 34:14 Heb. lilith
  7. Isaiah 35:1 desert
  8. Isaiah 35:1 Heb. arabah
  9. Isaiah 35:3 Lit. sinking
  10. Isaiah 35:3 tottering or stumbling

The Gentiles Bless Zion

60 Arise, (A)shine;
For your light has come!
And (B)the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The (C)Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.

“Lift(D) up your eyes all around, and see:
They all gather together, (E)they come to you;
Your sons shall come from afar,
And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
Then you shall see and become radiant,
And your heart shall swell with joy;
Because (F)the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.
The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and (G)Ephah;
All those from (H)Sheba shall come;
They shall bring (I)gold and incense,
And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of (J)Kedar shall be gathered together to you,
The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
They shall ascend with (K)acceptance on My altar,
And (L)I will glorify the house of My glory.

“Who are these who fly like a cloud,
And like doves to their roosts?
(M)Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
(N)To bring your sons from afar,
(O)Their silver and their gold with them,
To the name of the Lord your God,
And to the Holy One of Israel,
(P)Because He has glorified you.

10 “The(Q) sons of foreigners shall build up your walls,
(R)And their kings shall minister to you;
For (S)in My wrath I struck you,
(T)But in My favor I have had mercy on you.
11 Therefore your gates (U)shall be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night,
That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,
And their kings in procession.
12 (V)For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish,
And those nations shall be utterly ruined.

13 “The(W) glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make (X)the place of My feet glorious.
14 Also the sons of those who afflicted you
Shall come (Y)bowing to you,
And all those who despised you shall (Z)fall prostrate at the soles of your feet;
And they shall call you The City of the Lord,
(AA)Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
So that no one went through you,
I will make you an eternal excellence,
A joy of many generations.
16 You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles,
(AB)And milk the breast of kings;
You shall know that (AC)I, the Lord, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 “Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
Instead of iron I will bring silver,
Instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
I will also make your officers peace,
And your magistrates righteousness.
18 Violence shall no longer be heard in your land,
Neither [a]wasting nor destruction within your borders;
But you shall call (AD)your walls Salvation,
And your gates Praise.

God the Glory of His People

19 “The (AE)sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,
And (AF)your God your glory.
20 (AG)Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
21 (AH)Also your people shall all be righteous;
(AI)They shall inherit the land forever,
(AJ)The branch of My planting,
(AK)The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.
22 (AL)A little one shall become a thousand,
And a small one a strong nation.
I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”

The Good News of Salvation

61 “The (AM)Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord (AN)has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me (AO)to [b]heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim (AP)liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
(AQ)To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And (AR)the day of vengeance of our God;
(AS)To comfort all who mourn,
To [c]console those who mourn in Zion,
(AT)To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
(AU)The planting of the Lord, (AV)that He may be glorified.”

And they shall (AW)rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
(AX)Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
(AY)But you shall be named the priests of the Lord,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
(AZ)You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.
(BA)Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

“For (BB)I, the Lord, love justice;
(BC)I hate robbery [d]for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth,
(BD)And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,
And their offspring among the people.
All who see them shall acknowledge them,
(BE)That they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed.”

10 (BF)I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For (BG)He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
(BH)As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord God will cause (BI)righteousness and (BJ)praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Assurance of Zion’s Salvation

62 For Zion’s sake I will not [e]hold My peace,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
And her salvation as a lamp that burns.
(BK)The Gentiles shall see your righteousness,
And all (BL)kings your glory.
(BM)You shall be called by a new name,
Which the mouth of the Lord will name.
You shall also be (BN)a crown of glory
In the hand of the Lord,
And a royal diadem
In the hand of your God.
(BO)You shall no longer be termed (BP)Forsaken,[f]
Nor shall your land any more be termed (BQ)Desolate;[g]
But you shall be called [h]Hephzibah, and your land [i]Beulah;
For the Lord delights in you,
And your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a virgin,
So shall your sons marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
(BR)So shall your God rejoice over you.

(BS)I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall [j]never hold their peace day or night.
You who [k]make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,
And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem (BT)a praise in the earth.

The Lord has sworn by His right hand
And by the arm of His strength:
“Surely I will no longer (BU)give your grain
As food for your enemies;
And the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine,
For which you have labored.
But those who have gathered it shall eat it,
And praise the Lord;
Those who have brought it together shall drink it (BV)in My holy courts.”

10 Go through,
Go through the gates!
(BW)Prepare the way for the people;
Build up,
Build up the highway!
Take out the stones,
(BX)Lift up a banner for the peoples!

11 Indeed the Lord has proclaimed
To the end of the world:
(BY)“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Surely your salvation is coming;
Behold, His (BZ)reward is with Him,
And His [l]work before Him.’ ”
12 And they shall call them The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
And you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.

The Lord in Judgment and Salvation

63 Who is this who comes from Edom,
With dyed garments from Bozrah,
This One who is [m]glorious in His apparel,
Traveling in the greatness of His strength?—

“I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

Why (CA)is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?

“I have (CB)trodden the winepress alone,
And from the peoples no one was with Me.
For I have trodden them in My anger,
And trampled them in My fury;
Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments,
And I have stained all My robes.
For the (CC)day of vengeance is in My heart,
And the year of My redeemed has come.
(CD)I looked, but (CE)there was no one to help,
And I wondered
That there was no one to uphold;
Therefore My own (CF)arm brought salvation for Me;
And My own fury, it sustained Me.
I have trodden down the peoples in My anger,
Made them drunk in My fury,
And brought down their strength to the earth.”

God’s Mercy Remembered

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord
And the praises of the Lord,
According to all that the Lord has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.
For He said, “Surely they are My people,
Children who will not lie.”
So He became their Savior.
(CG)In all their affliction He was [n]afflicted,
(CH)And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
(CI)In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And (CJ)He bore them and carried them
All the days of old.
10 But they (CK)rebelled and (CL)grieved His Holy Spirit;
(CM)So He turned Himself against them as an enemy,
And He fought against them.

11 Then he (CN)remembered the days of old,
Moses and his people, saying:
“Where is He who (CO)brought them up out of the sea
With the [o]shepherd of His flock?
(CP)Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them,
12 Who led them by the right hand of Moses,
(CQ)With His glorious arm,
(CR)Dividing the water before them
To make for Himself an everlasting name,
13 (CS)Who led them through the deep,
As a horse in the wilderness,
That they might not stumble?”

14 As a beast goes down into the valley,
And the Spirit of the Lord causes him to rest,
So You lead Your people,
(CT)To make Yourself a glorious name.

A Prayer of Penitence

15 (CU)Look down from heaven,
And see (CV)from Your habitation, holy and glorious.
Where are Your zeal and Your strength,
The yearning (CW)of Your heart and Your mercies toward me?
Are they restrained?
16 (CX)Doubtless You are our Father,
Though Abraham (CY)was ignorant of us,
And Israel does not acknowledge us.
You, O Lord, are our Father;
Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.
17 O Lord, why have You (CZ)made us stray from Your ways,
And hardened our heart from Your fear?
Return for Your servants’ sake,
The tribes of Your inheritance.
18 (DA)Your holy people have possessed it but a little while;
(DB)Our adversaries have trodden down Your sanctuary.
19 We have become like those of old, over whom You never ruled,
Those who were never called by Your name.

A Prayer for Help

64 Oh, that You would [p]rend the heavens!
That You would come down!
That the mountains might shake at Your (DC)presence—
As fire burns brushwood,
As fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
When (DD)You did awesome things for which we did not look,
You came down,
The mountains shook at Your presence.
For since the beginning of the world
(DE)Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.
You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—
(DF)In these ways we continue;
And we need to be saved.

But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all (DG)our righteousnesses are like [q]filthy rags;
We all (DH)fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.
And there is no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us,
And have [r]consumed us because of our iniquities.

But now, O Lord,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our (DI)potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.
Do not be furious, O Lord,
Nor remember iniquity forever;
Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!
10 Your holy cities are a wilderness,
Zion is a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful [s]temple,
Where our fathers praised You,
Is burned up with fire;
And all (DJ)our pleasant things [t]are laid waste.
12 (DK)Will You restrain Yourself because of these things, O Lord?
(DL)Will You [u]hold Your peace, and afflict us very severely?

The Righteousness of God’s Judgment

65 “I was (DM)sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’
To a nation that (DN)was not called by My name.
(DO)I have stretched out My hands all day long to a (DP)rebellious people,
Who (DQ)walk in a way that is not good,
According to their own thoughts;
A people (DR)who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;
(DS)Who sacrifice in gardens,
And burn incense on altars of brick;
(DT)Who sit among the graves,
And spend the night in the tombs;
(DU)Who eat swine’s flesh,
And the broth of [v]abominable things is in their vessels;
(DV)Who say, ‘Keep to yourself,
Do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These [w]are smoke in My nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.

“Behold, (DW)it is written before Me:
(DX)I will not keep silence, (DY)but will repay—
Even repay into their bosom—
Your iniquities and (DZ)the iniquities of your fathers together,”
Says the Lord,
(EA)“Who have burned incense on the mountains
(EB)And blasphemed Me on the hills;
Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.”

Thus says the Lord:

“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it,
For (EC)a blessing is in it,’
So will I do for My servants’ sake,
That I may not destroy them (ED)all.
I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
And from Judah an heir of My mountains;
My (EE)elect shall inherit it,
And My servants shall dwell there.
10 (EF)Sharon shall be a fold of flocks,
And (EG)the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,
For My people who have (EH)sought Me.

11 “But you are those who forsake the Lord,
Who forget (EI)My holy mountain,
Who prepare (EJ)a table for [x]Gad,
And who furnish a drink offering for [y]Meni.
12 Therefore I will number you for the sword,
And you shall all bow down to the slaughter;
(EK)Because, when I called, you did not answer;
When I spoke, you did not hear,
But did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight.”

13 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, My servants shall eat,
But you shall be hungry;
Behold, My servants shall drink,
But you shall be thirsty;
Behold, My servants shall rejoice,
But you shall be ashamed;
14 Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart,
But you shall cry for sorrow of heart,
And (EL)wail for [z]grief of spirit.
15 You shall leave your name (EM)as a curse to (EN)My chosen;
For the Lord God will slay you,
And (EO)call His servants by another name;
16 (EP)So that he who blesses himself in the earth
Shall bless himself in the God of truth;
And (EQ)he who swears in the earth
Shall swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My eyes.

The Glorious New Creation

17 “For behold, I create (ER)new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or [aa]come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
19 (ES)I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The (ET)voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.

20 “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
(EU)But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 (EV)They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
They shall not plant and (EW)another eat;
For (EX)as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And (EY)My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain,
(EZ)Nor bring forth children for trouble;
For (FA)they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord,
And their offspring with them.

24 “It shall come to pass
That (FB)before they call, I will answer;
And while they are still speaking, I will (FC)hear.
25 The (FD)wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
(FE)And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
Says the Lord.

True Worship and False

66 Thus says the Lord:

(FF)“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
(FG)“But on this one will I look:
(FH)On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.

“He(FI) who kills a bull is as if he slays a man;
He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he (FJ)breaks a dog’s neck;
He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood;
He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol.
Just as they have chosen their own ways,
And their soul delights in their abominations,
So will I choose their delusions,
And bring their fears on them;
(FK)Because, when I called, no one answered,
When I spoke they did not hear;
But they did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight.”

The Lord Vindicates Zion

Hear the word of the Lord,
You who tremble at His word:
“Your brethren who (FL)hated you,
Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said,
(FM)‘Let the Lord be glorified,
That (FN)we may see your joy.’
But they shall be ashamed.”

The sound of noise from the city!
A voice from the temple!
The voice of the Lord,
Who fully repays His enemies!

“Before she was in labor, she gave birth;
Before her pain came,
She delivered a male child.
Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?
Or shall a nation be born at once?
For as soon as Zion was in labor,
She gave birth to her children.
Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the Lord.
“Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem,
And be glad with her, all you who love her;
Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;
11 That you may feed and be satisfied
With the consolation of her bosom,
That you may drink deeply and be delighted
With the abundance of her glory.”

12 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, (FO)I will extend peace to her like a river,
And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.
Then you shall (FP)feed;
On her sides shall you be (FQ)carried,
And be dandled on her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts,
So I will (FR)comfort you;
And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

The Reign and Indignation of God

14 When you see this, your heart shall rejoice,
And (FS)your bones shall flourish like grass;
The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants,
And His indignation to His enemies.
15 (FT)For behold, the Lord will come with fire
And with His chariots, like a whirlwind,
To render His anger with fury,
And His rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by (FU)His sword
The Lord will judge all flesh;
And the slain of the Lord shall be (FV)many.

17 “Those(FW) who sanctify themselves and purify themselves,
To go to the gardens
[ab]After an idol in the midst,
Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse,
Shall [ac]be consumed together,” says the Lord.

18 “For I know their works and their (FX)thoughts. It shall be that I will (FY)gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory. 19 (FZ)I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and [ad]Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. (GA)And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. 20 Then they shall (GB)bring all your brethren (GC)for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. 21 And I will also take some of them for (GD)priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

22 “For as (GE)the new heavens and the new earth
Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord,
“So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23 And (GF)it shall come to pass
That from one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another,
(GG)All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.

24 “And they shall go forth and look
Upon the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their (GH)worm does not die,
And their fire is not quenched.
They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 60:18 devastation
  2. Isaiah 61:1 Lit. bind up
  3. Isaiah 61:3 Lit. appoint
  4. Isaiah 61:8 Or in
  5. Isaiah 62:1 keep silent
  6. Isaiah 62:4 Heb. Azubah
  7. Isaiah 62:4 Heb. Shemamah
  8. Isaiah 62:4 Lit. My Delight Is in Her
  9. Isaiah 62:4 Lit. Married
  10. Isaiah 62:6 not be silent
  11. Isaiah 62:6 remember
  12. Isaiah 62:11 recompense
  13. Isaiah 63:1 Or adorned
  14. Isaiah 63:9 Kt., LXX, Syr. not afflicted
  15. Isaiah 63:11 MT, Vg. shepherds
  16. Isaiah 64:1 tear open
  17. Isaiah 64:6 Lit. a filthy garment
  18. Isaiah 64:7 Lit. caused us to melt
  19. Isaiah 64:11 Lit. house
  20. Isaiah 64:11 have become a ruin
  21. Isaiah 64:12 keep silent
  22. Isaiah 65:4 Unclean meats, Lev. 7:18; 19:7
  23. Isaiah 65:5 Cause My wrath to smoke
  24. Isaiah 65:11 Lit. Troop or Fortune; a pagan deity
  25. Isaiah 65:11 Lit. Number or Destiny; a pagan deity
  26. Isaiah 65:14 Or a broken spirit
  27. Isaiah 65:17 Lit. come upon the heart
  28. Isaiah 66:17 Lit. After one
  29. Isaiah 66:17 come to an end
  30. Isaiah 66:19 So with MT, Tg.; LXX Put (cf. Jer. 46:9)

A New City, a New Temple

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after (A)the city was [a]captured, on the very same day (B)the hand of the Lord was upon me; and He took me there. (C)In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and (D)set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city. He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was (E)like the appearance of bronze. (F)He had a line of flax (G)and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.

And the man said to me, (H)“Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and [b]fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. (I)Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.” Now there was (J)a wall all around the outside of the [c]temple. In the man’s hand was a measuring rod six [d]cubits long, each being a cubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the width of the wall structure, one rod; and the height, one rod.

The Eastern Gateway of the Temple

Then he went to the gateway which faced (K)east; and he went up its stairs and measured the threshold of the gateway, which was one rod wide, and the other threshold was one rod wide. Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide; between the gate chambers was a space of five cubits; and the threshold of the gateway by the vestibule of the inside gate was one rod. He also measured the vestibule of the inside gate, one rod. Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; and the gateposts, two cubits. The vestibule of the gate was on the inside. 10 In the eastern gateway were three gate chambers on one side and three on the other; the three were all the same size; also the gateposts were of the same size on this side and that side.

11 He measured the width of the entrance to the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. 12 There was a [e]space in front of the gate chambers, one cubit on this side and one cubit on that side; the gate chambers were six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side. 13 Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the other; the width was twenty-five cubits, as door faces door. 14 He measured the gateposts, sixty cubits high, and the court all around the gateway extended to the gatepost. 15 From the front of the entrance gate to the front of the vestibule of the inner gate was fifty cubits. 16 There were (L)beveled window frames in the gate chambers and in their intervening archways on the inside of the gateway all around, and likewise in the vestibules. There were windows all around on the inside. And on each gatepost were (M)palm trees.

The Outer Court

17 Then he brought me into (N)the outer court; and there were (O)chambers and a pavement made all around the court; (P)thirty chambers faced the pavement. 18 The pavement was by the side of the gateways, corresponding to the length of the gateways; this was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gateway to the front of the inner court exterior, one hundred cubits toward the east and the north.

The Northern Gateway

20 On the outer court was also a gateway facing north, and he measured its length and its width. 21 Its gate chambers, three on this side and three on that side, its gateposts and its archways, had the same measurements as the first gate; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. 22 Its windows and those of its archways, and also its palm trees, had the same measurements as the gateway facing east; it was ascended by seven steps, and its archway was in front of it. 23 A gate of the inner court was opposite the northern gateway, just as the eastern gateway; and he measured from gateway to gateway, one hundred cubits.

The Southern Gateway

24 After that he brought me toward the south, and there a gateway was facing south; and he measured its gateposts and archways according to these same measurements. 25 There were windows in it and in its archways all around like those windows; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. 26 Seven steps led up to it, and its archway was in front of them; and it had palm trees on its gateposts, one on this side and one on that side. 27 There was also a gateway on the inner court, facing south; and he measured from gateway to gateway toward the south, one hundred cubits.

Gateways of the Inner Court

28 Then he brought me to the inner court through the southern gateway; he measured the southern gateway according to these same measurements. 29 Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways were according to these same measurements; there were windows in it and in its archways all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 30 There were archways all around, (Q)twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide. 31 Its archways faced the outer court, palm trees were on its gateposts, and going up to it were eight steps.

32 And he brought me into the inner court facing east; he measured the gateway according to these same measurements. 33 Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways were according to these same measurements; and there were windows in it and in its archways all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34 Its archways faced the outer court, and palm trees were on its gateposts on this side and on that side; and going up to it were eight steps.

35 Then he brought me to the north gateway and measured it according to these same measurements— 36 also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways. It had windows all around; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. 37 Its gateposts faced the outer court, palm trees were on its gateposts on this side and on that side, and going up to it were eight steps.

Where Sacrifices Were Prepared

38 There was a chamber and its entrance by the gateposts of the gateway, where they (R)washed the burnt offering. 39 In the vestibule of the gateway were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, on which to slay the burnt offering, (S)the sin offering, and (T)the trespass offering. 40 At the outer side of the vestibule, as one goes up to the entrance of the northern gateway, were two tables; and on the other side of the vestibule of the gateway were two tables. 41 Four tables were on this side and four tables on that side, by the side of the gateway, eight tables on which they slaughtered the sacrifices. 42 There were also four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, one cubit and a half long, one cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high; on these they laid the instruments with which they slaughtered the burnt offering and the sacrifice. 43 Inside were hooks, a handbreadth wide, fastened all around; and the flesh of the sacrifices was on the tables.

Chambers for Singers and Priests

44 Outside the inner gate were the chambers for (U)the singers in the inner court, one facing south at the side of the northern gateway, and the other facing north at the side of the [f]southern gateway. 45 Then he said to me, “This chamber which faces south is for (V)the priests who have charge of the temple. 46 The chamber which faces north is for the priests (W)who have charge of the altar; these are the sons of (X)Zadok, from the sons of Levi, who come near the Lord to minister to Him.”

Dimensions of the Inner Court and Vestibule(Y)

47 And he measured the court, one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide, foursquare. The altar was in front of the temple. 48 Then he brought me to the (Z)vestibule of the temple and measured the doorposts of the vestibule, five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side; and the width of the gateway was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side. 49 (AA)The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the width eleven cubits; and by the steps which led up to it there were (AB)pillars by the doorposts, one on this side and another on that side.

Dimensions of the Sanctuary

41 Then he (AC)brought me into the [g]sanctuary and measured the doorposts, six cubits wide on one side and six cubits wide on the other side—the width of the tabernacle. The width of the entryway was ten cubits, and the side walls of the entrance were five cubits on this side and five cubits on the other side; and he measured its length, forty cubits, and its width, twenty cubits.

Also he went inside and measured the doorposts, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits high; and the width of the entrance, seven cubits. (AD)He measured the length, twenty cubits; and the width, twenty cubits, beyond the sanctuary; and he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.

The Side Chambers on the Wall

Next, he measured the wall of the [h]temple, six cubits. The width of each side chamber all around the temple was four cubits on every side. (AE)The side chambers were in three stories, one above the other, thirty chambers in each story; they rested on [i]ledges which were for the side chambers all around, that they might be supported, but (AF)not fastened to the wall of the temple. As one went up from story to story, the side chambers (AG)became wider all around, because their supporting ledges in the wall of the temple ascended like steps; therefore the width of the structure increased as one went up from the lowest story to the highest by way of the middle one. I also saw an elevation all around the temple; it was the foundation of the side chambers, (AH)a full rod, that is, six cubits high. The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits, and so also the remaining terrace by the place of the side chambers of the [j]temple. 10 And between it and the wall chambers was a width of twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. 11 The doors of the side chambers opened on the terrace, one door toward the north and another toward the south; and the width of the terrace was five cubits all around.

The Building at the Western End

12 The building that faced the separating courtyard at its western end was seventy cubits wide; the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits.

Dimensions and Design of the Temple Area

13 So he measured the temple, one (AI)hundred cubits long; and the separating courtyard with the building and its walls was one hundred cubits long; 14 also the width of the eastern face of the temple, including the separating courtyard, was one hundred cubits. 15 He measured the length of the building behind it, facing the separating courtyard, with its (AJ)galleries on the one side and on the other side, one hundred cubits, as well as the inner [k]temple and the porches of the court, 16 their doorposts and (AK)the beveled window frames. And the galleries all around their three stories opposite the threshold were paneled with (AL)wood from the ground to the windows—the windows were covered— 17 from the space above the door, even to the inner [l]room, as well as outside, and on every wall all around, inside and outside, by measure.

18 And it was made (AM)with cherubim and (AN)palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Each cherub had two faces, 19 (AO)so that the face of a man was toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion toward a palm tree on the other side; thus it was made throughout the temple all around. 20 From the floor to the space above the door, and on the wall of the sanctuary, cherubim and palm trees were carved.

21 The (AP)doorposts of the temple were square, as was the front of the sanctuary; their appearance was similar. 22 (AQ)The altar was of wood, three cubits high, and its length two cubits. Its corners, its length, and its sides were of wood; and he said to me, “This is (AR)the table that is (AS)before the Lord.”

23 (AT)The temple and the sanctuary had two doors. 24 The doors had two (AU)panels apiece, two folding panels: two panels for one door and two panels for the other door. 25 Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the temple just as they were carved on the walls. A wooden canopy was on the front of the vestibule outside. 26 There were (AV)beveled window frames and palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the vestibule—also on the side chambers of the temple and on the canopies.

The Chambers for the Priests

42 Then he (AW)brought me out into the outer court, by the way toward the (AX)north; and he brought me into (AY)the chamber which was opposite the separating courtyard, and which was opposite the building toward the north. Facing the length, which was one hundred cubits (the width was fifty cubits), was the north door. Opposite the inner court of twenty cubits, and opposite the (AZ)pavement of the outer court, was (BA)gallery against gallery in three stories. In front of the chambers, toward the inside, was a walk ten cubits wide, at a distance of one cubit; and their doors faced north. Now the upper chambers were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building. For they were in three stories and did not have pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper level was [m]shortened more than the lower and middle levels from the ground up. And a wall which was outside ran parallel to the chambers, at the front of the chambers, toward the outer court; its length was fifty cubits. The length of the chambers toward the outer court was fifty cubits, whereas that facing the temple was one (BB)hundred cubits. At the lower chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.

10 Also there were chambers in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separating courtyard and opposite the building. 11 (BC)There was a walk in front of them also, and their appearance was like the chambers which were toward the north; they were as long and as wide as the others, and all their exits and entrances were according to plan. 12 And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, as one enters them, there was a door in front of the walk, the way directly in front of the wall toward the east.

13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separating courtyard, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord (BD)shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall lay the most holy offerings—(BE)the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering—for the place is holy. 14 (BF)When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy chamber into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people.”

Outer Dimensions of the Temple

15 Now when he had finished measuring the inner [n]temple, he brought me out through the gateway that faces toward the (BG)east, and measured it all around. 16 He measured the east side with the [o]measuring rod, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. 17 He measured the north side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. 18 He measured the south side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 19 He came around to the west side and measured five hundred rods by the measuring rod. 20 He measured it on the four sides; (BH)it had a wall all around, (BI)five hundred cubits long and five hundred wide, to separate the holy areas from the [p]common.

The Temple, the Lord’s Dwelling Place

43 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate (BJ)that faces toward the east. (BK)And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. (BL)His voice was like the sound of many waters; (BM)and the earth shone with His glory. It was (BN)like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when [q]I came (BO)to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw (BP)by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. (BQ)And the glory of the Lord came into the [r]temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. (BR)The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, (BS)the glory of the Lord filled the [s]temple.

Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while (BT)a man stood beside me. And He said to me, “Son of man, this is (BU)the place of My throne and (BV)the place of the soles of My feet, (BW)where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. (BX)No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their [t]harlotry or with (BY)the carcasses of their kings on their high places. (BZ)When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger. Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

10 “Son of man, (CA)describe the [u]temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the [v]temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its (CB)ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and (CC)perform them. 12 This is the law of the [w]temple: The whole area surrounding (CD)the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

Dimensions of the Altar

13 “These are the measurements of the (CE)altar in cubits (CF)(the [x]cubit is one cubit and a handbreadth): the base one cubit high and one cubit wide, with a rim all around its edge of one span. This is the height of the altar: 14 from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits; the width of the ledge, one cubit; from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits; and the width of the ledge, one cubit. 15 The altar hearth is four cubits high, with four (CG)horns extending upward from the [y]hearth. 16 The altar hearth is twelve cubits long, twelve wide, (CH)square at its four corners; 17 the ledge, fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides, with a rim of half a cubit around it; its base, one cubit all around; and (CI)its steps face toward the east.”

Consecrating the Altar

18 And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: ‘These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing (CJ)burnt offerings on it, and for (CK)sprinkling blood on it. 19 You shall give (CL)a young bull for a sin offering to (CM)the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of (CN)Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord God. 20 ‘You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it. 21 Then you shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and (CO)burn it in the appointed place of the [z]temple, (CP)outside the sanctuary. 22 On the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull. 23 When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish, and a ram from the flock without blemish. 24 When you offer them before the Lord, (CQ)the priests shall throw salt on them, and they will offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. 25 Every day for (CR)seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish. 26 Seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it, and so [aa]consecrate [ab]it. 27 (CS)When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will (CT)accept you,’ says the Lord God.”

The East Gate and the Prince

44 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary (CU)which faces toward the east, but it was shut. And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, (CV)because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. As for the (CW)prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to (CX)eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.”

Those Admitted to the Temple

Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the [ac]temple; so I looked, and (CY)behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord; (CZ)and I fell on my face. And the Lord said to me, (DA)“Son of man, [ad]mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the (DB)ordinances of the house of the Lord and all its laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.

“Now say to the (DC)rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “O house of Israel, (DD)let Us have no more of all your abominations. (DE)When you brought in (DF)foreigners, (DG)uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it—My house—and when you offered (DH)My food, (DI)the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations. And you have not (DJ)kept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.” Thus says the Lord God: (DK)“No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.

Laws Governing Priests

10 (DL)“And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. 11 Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, (DM)as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; (DN)they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and (DO)they shall stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and (DP)caused[ae] the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have (DQ)raised My hand in an oath against them,” says the Lord God, “that they shall bear their iniquity. 13 (DR)And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place; but they shall (DS)bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. 14 Nevertheless I will make them (DT)keep charge of the temple, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it.

15 (DU)“But the priests, the Levites, (DV)the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary (DW)when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they (DX)shall stand before Me to offer to Me the (DY)fat and the blood,” says the Lord God. 16 “They shall (DZ)enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near (EA)My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge. 17 And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that (EB)they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house. 18 (EC)They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat. 19 When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, (ED)they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments; and in their holy garments they shall (EE)not sanctify the people.

20 (EF)“They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow (EG)long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed. 21 (EH)No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. 22 They shall not take as wife a (EI)widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.

23 “And (EJ)they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to (EK)discern between the unclean and the clean. 24 (EL)In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, (EM)and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

25 “They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves. 26 (EN)After he is cleansed, they shall count seven days for him. 27 And on the day that he goes to the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, (EO)he must offer his sin offering (EP)in the inner court,” says the Lord God.

28 “It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I (EQ)am their inheritance. You shall give them no (ER)possession in Israel, for I am their possession. 29 (ES)They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; (ET)every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30 The (EU)best[af] of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also you (EV)shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, (EW)to cause a blessing to rest on your house. 31 The priests shall not eat anything, bird or beast, that (EX)died naturally or was torn by wild beasts.

The Holy District

45 “Moreover, when you (EY)divide the land by lot into inheritance, you shall (EZ)set apart a district for the Lord, a holy section of the land; its length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. It shall be holy throughout its territory all around. Of this there shall be a square plot for the sanctuary, (FA)five hundred by five hundred rods, with fifty cubits around it for an open space. So this is the district you shall measure: twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide; (FB)in it shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. It shall be (FC)a holy section of the land, belonging to the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the Lord; it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. (FD)An area twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide shall belong to the Levites, the ministers of the [ag]temple; they shall have (FE)twenty[ah] chambers as a possession.

Properties of the City and the Prince

(FF)“You shall appoint as the property of the city an area five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, adjacent to the district of the holy section; it shall belong to the whole house of Israel.

(FG)“The prince shall have a section on one side and the other of the holy district and the city’s property; and bordering on the holy district and the city’s property, extending westward on the west side and eastward on the east side, the length shall be side by side with one of the tribal portions, from the west border to the east border. The land shall be his possession in Israel; and (FH)My princes shall no more oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel, according to their tribes.”

Laws Governing the Prince

‘Thus says the Lord God: (FI)“Enough, O princes of Israel! (FJ)Remove violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing My people,” says the Lord God. 10 “You shall have (FK)honest scales, an honest ephah, and an honest bath. 11 The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, so that the bath contains one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah one-tenth of a homer; their measure shall be according to the homer. 12 The (FL)shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, and fifteen shekels shall be your mina.

13 “This is the offering which you shall offer: you shall give one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat, and one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley. 14 The ordinance concerning oil, the bath of oil, is one-tenth of a bath from a kor. A kor is a homer or ten baths, for ten baths are a homer. 15 And one lamb shall be given from a flock of two hundred, from the rich pastures of Israel. These shall be for grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, (FM)to make atonement for them,” says the Lord God. 16 “All the people of the land shall give this offering for the prince in Israel. 17 Then it shall be the (FN)prince’s part to give burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the appointed seasons of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.”

Keeping the Feasts(FO)

18 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and (FP)cleanse the sanctuary. 19 (FQ)The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the [ai]temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the gate of the inner court. 20 And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month (FR)for everyone who has sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for the temple.

21 (FS)“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22 And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land (FT)a bull for a sin offering. 23 On the (FU)seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams without blemish, daily for seven days, (FV)and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. 24 (FW)And he shall prepare a grain offering of one ephah for each bull and one ephah for each ram, together with a hin of oil for each ephah.

25 “In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the (FX)feast, he shall do likewise for seven days, according to the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil.”

The Manner of Worship

46 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six (FY)working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened. (FZ)The prince shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway from the outside, and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the Lord on the Sabbaths and the New Moons. The burnt offering that (GA)the prince offers to the Lord on the (GB)Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish; (GC)and the grain offering shall be one ephah for a ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, [aj]as much as he wants to give, as well as a hin of oil with every ephah. On the day of the New Moon it shall be a young bull without blemish, six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish. He shall prepare a grain offering of an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, [ak]as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah. (GD)When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.

“But when the people of the land (GE)come before the Lord on the appointed feast days, whoever enters by way of the north (GF)gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate. 10 The prince shall then be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and when they go out, he shall go out. 11 At the festivals and the appointed feast days (GG)the grain offering shall be an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah.

12 “Now when the prince makes a voluntary burnt offering or voluntary peace offering to the Lord, the gate that faces toward the east (GH)shall then be opened for him; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he did on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he goes out the gate shall be shut.

13 (GI)“You shall daily make a burnt offering to the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish; you shall prepare it [al]every morning. 14 And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the Lord. 15 Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, as a (GJ)regular burnt offering every morning.”

The Prince and Inheritance Laws

16 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “If the prince gives a gift of some of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift of some of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until (GK)the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs. 18 Moreover (GL)the prince shall not take any of the people’s inheritance by evicting them from their property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property.” ’ ”

How the Offerings Were Prepared

19 Now he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy (GM)chambers of the priests which face toward the north; and there a place was situated at their extreme western end. 20 And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall (GN)boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, and where they shall (GO)bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out into the outer court (GP)to sanctify the people.”

21 Then he brought me out into the outer court and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and in fact, in every corner of the court there was another court. 22 In the four corners of the court were enclosed courts, forty cubits long and thirty wide; all four corners were the same size. 23 There was a row of building stones all around in them, all around the four of them; and [am]cooking hearths were made under the rows of stones all around. 24 And he said to me, “These are the [an]kitchens where the ministers of the [ao]temple shall (GQ)boil the sacrifices of the people.”

The Healing Waters and Trees

47 Then he brought me back to the door of the [ap]temple; and there was (GR)water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces (GS)east; and there was water, running out on the right side.

And when (GT)the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.

When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many (GU)trees on one side and the other. Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the [aq]valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever [ar]the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. 10 It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish (GV)of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. 12 (GW)Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; (GX)their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for (GY)medicine.”[as]

Borders of the Land(GZ)

13 Thus says the Lord God: “These are the (HA)borders by which you shall divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. (HB)Joseph shall have two portions. 14 You shall inherit it equally with one another; for I (HC)raised My hand in an oath to give it to your fathers, and this land shall (HD)fall to you as your inheritance.

15 “This shall be the border of the land on the north: from the Great Sea, by (HE)the road to Hethlon, as one goes to (HF)Zedad, 16 (HG)Hamath, (HH)Berothah, Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazar Hatticon (which is on the border of Hauran). 17 Thus the boundary shall be from the Sea to (HI)Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus; and as for the north, northward, it is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.

18 “On the east side you shall mark out the border from between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan, and along the eastern side of the sea. This is the east side.

19 “The south side, toward the [at]South, shall be from Tamar to (HJ)the waters of [au]Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. This is the south side, toward the South.

20 “The west side shall be the Great Sea, from the southern boundary until one comes to a point opposite Hamath. This is the west side.

21 “Thus you shall (HK)divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22 It shall be that you will divide it by (HL)lot as an inheritance for yourselves, (HM)and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. (HN)They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23 And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord God.

Division of the Land

48 “Now these are the names of the tribes: (HO)From the northern border along the road to Hethlon at the entrance of Hamath, to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus northward, in the direction of Hamath, there shall be one section for (HP)Dan from its east to its west side; by the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, one section for (HQ)Asher; by the border of Asher, from the east side to the west, one section for (HR)Naphtali; by the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, one section for (HS)Manasseh; by the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, one section for (HT)Ephraim; by the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, one section for (HU)Reuben; by the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west, one section for (HV)Judah; by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be (HW)the district which you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits in width, and in length the same as one of the other portions, from the east side to the west, with the (HX)sanctuary in the center.

“The district that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. 10 To these—to the priests—the holy district shall belong: on the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, on the west ten thousand in width, on the east ten thousand in width, and on the south twenty-five thousand in length. The sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the center. 11 (HY)It shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok, who are sanctified, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, (HZ)as the Levites went astray. 12 And this district of land that is set apart shall be to them a thing most (IA)holy by the border of the Levites.

13 “Opposite the border of the priests, the (IB)Levites shall have an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; its entire length shall be twenty-five thousand and its width ten thousand. 14 (IC)And they shall not sell or exchange any of it; they may not alienate this best part of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.

15 (ID)“The five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the twenty-five thousand, shall be (IE)for general use by the city, for dwellings and common-land; and the city shall be in the center. 16 These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits, the south side four thousand five hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred, and the west side four thousand five hundred. 17 The common-land of the city shall be: to the north two hundred and fifty cubits, to the south two hundred and fifty, to the east two hundred and fifty, and to the west two hundred and fifty. 18 The rest of the length, alongside the district of the holy section, shall be ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand to the west. It shall be adjacent to the district of the holy section, and its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. 19 (IF)The workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. 20 The entire district shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits, foursquare. You shall set apart the holy district with the property of the city.

21 (IG)“The rest shall belong to the prince, on one side and on the other of the holy district and of the city’s property, next to the twenty-five thousand cubits of the holy district as far as the eastern border, and westward next to the twenty-five thousand as far as the western border, adjacent to the tribal portions; it shall belong to the prince. It shall be the holy district, (IH)and the sanctuary of the [av]temple shall be in the center. 22 Moreover, apart from the possession of the Levites and the possession of the city which are in the midst of what belongs to the prince, the area between the border of Judah and the border of (II)Benjamin shall belong to the prince.

23 “As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side to the west, Benjamin shall have one section; 24 by the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, (IJ)Simeon shall have one section; 25 by the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west, (IK)Issachar shall have one section; 26 by the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west, (IL)Zebulun shall have one section; 27 by the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, (IM)Gad shall have one section; 28 by the border of Gad, on the south side, toward the [aw]South, the border shall be from Tamar to (IN)the waters of [ax]Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the (IO)Great Sea. 29 (IP)This is the land which you shall divide by lot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions,” says the Lord God.

The Gates of the City and Its Name

30 “These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits 31 (IQ)(the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi; 32 on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan; 33 on the south side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun; 34 on the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; (IR)and the name of the city from that day shall be: (IS)THE[ay] LORD IS THERE.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 40:1 Lit. struck
  2. Ezekiel 40:4 Lit. set your heart
  3. Ezekiel 40:5 Lit. house
  4. Ezekiel 40:5 A royal cubit of about 21 inches
  5. Ezekiel 40:12 Lit. border
  6. Ezekiel 40:44 So with LXX; MT, Vg. eastern
  7. Ezekiel 41:1 Heb. heykal; the main room in the temple, the holy place, Ex. 26:33
  8. Ezekiel 41:5 Lit. house
  9. Ezekiel 41:6 Lit. the wall
  10. Ezekiel 41:9 Lit. house
  11. Ezekiel 41:15 Or sanctuary
  12. Ezekiel 41:17 Lit. house; the Most Holy Place
  13. Ezekiel 42:6 Or narrowed
  14. Ezekiel 42:15 Lit. house
  15. Ezekiel 42:16 About 10.5 feet, Ezek. 40:5
  16. Ezekiel 42:20 Or profane
  17. Ezekiel 43:3 Some Heb. mss., Vg. He
  18. Ezekiel 43:4 Lit. house
  19. Ezekiel 43:5 Lit. house
  20. Ezekiel 43:7 Unfaithful idolatry
  21. Ezekiel 43:10 Lit. house
  22. Ezekiel 43:11 Lit. house
  23. Ezekiel 43:12 Lit. house
  24. Ezekiel 43:13 A royal cubit of about 21 inches
  25. Ezekiel 43:15 Heb. ariel
  26. Ezekiel 43:21 Lit. house
  27. Ezekiel 43:26 Lit. fill its hands
  28. Ezekiel 43:26 LXX, Syr. themselves
  29. Ezekiel 44:4 Lit. house
  30. Ezekiel 44:5 Lit. set your heart
  31. Ezekiel 44:12 Lit. became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel
  32. Ezekiel 44:30 Lit. first
  33. Ezekiel 45:5 Lit. house
  34. Ezekiel 45:5 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX a possession, cities of dwelling
  35. Ezekiel 45:19 Lit. house
  36. Ezekiel 46:5 Lit. the gift of his hand
  37. Ezekiel 46:7 Lit. as much as his hand can reach
  38. Ezekiel 46:13 Lit. morning by morning
  39. Ezekiel 46:23 Lit. boiling places
  40. Ezekiel 46:24 Lit. house of those who boil
  41. Ezekiel 46:24 Lit. house
  42. Ezekiel 47:1 Lit. house
  43. Ezekiel 47:8 Or Arabah, the Jordan Valley
  44. Ezekiel 47:9 Lit. two rivers
  45. Ezekiel 47:12 Or healing
  46. Ezekiel 47:19 Heb. Negev
  47. Ezekiel 47:19 Lit. Strife
  48. Ezekiel 48:21 Lit. house
  49. Ezekiel 48:28 Heb. Negev
  50. Ezekiel 48:28 Lit. Strife
  51. Ezekiel 48:35 Heb. YHWH Shammah

The Lord’s Reign in Zion(A)

Now (B)it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And peoples shall flow to it.
Many nations shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion the law shall go forth,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
And rebuke strong nations afar off;
They shall beat their swords into (C)plowshares,
And their spears into [a]pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
(D)Neither shall they learn war anymore.

(E)But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree,
And no one shall make them afraid;
For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
For all people walk each in the name of his god,
But (F)we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
Forever and ever.

Zion’s Future Triumph

“In that day,” says the Lord,
(G)“I will assemble the lame,
(H)I will gather the outcast
And those whom I have afflicted;
I will make the lame (I)a remnant,
And the outcast a strong nation;
So the Lord (J)will reign over them in Mount Zion
From now on, even forever.
And you, O tower of the flock,
The stronghold of the daughter of Zion,
To you shall it come,
Even the former dominion shall come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”

Now why do you cry aloud?
(K)Is there no king in your midst?
Has your counselor perished?
For (L)pangs have seized you like a woman in [b]labor.
10 Be in pain, and labor to bring forth,
O daughter of Zion,
Like a woman in birth pangs.
For now you shall go forth from the city,
You shall dwell in the field,
And to (M)Babylon you shall go.
There you shall be delivered;
There the (N)Lord will (O)redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.

11 (P)Now also many nations have gathered against you,
Who say, “Let her be defiled,
And let our eye (Q)look upon Zion.”
12 But they do not know (R)the thoughts of the Lord,
Nor do they understand His counsel;
For He will gather them (S)like sheaves to the threshing floor.

13 “Arise(T) and (U)thresh, O daughter of Zion;
For I will make your horn iron,
And I will make your hooves bronze;
You shall (V)beat in pieces many peoples;
(W)I will consecrate their gain to the Lord,
And their substance to (X)the Lord of the whole earth.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 4:3 pruning knives
  2. Micah 4:9 childbirth

Jerusalem, Holy City of the Future

Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

(A)‘I am [a]zealous for Zion with great [b]zeal;
With great [c]fervor I am zealous for her.’

“Thus says the Lord:

(B)‘I will return to Zion,
And (C)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem (D)shall be called the City of Truth,
(E)The Mountain of the Lord of hosts,
(F)The Holy Mountain.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

(G)‘Old men and old women shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem,
Each one with his staff in his hand
Because of [d]great age.
The streets of the city
Shall be (H)full of boys and girls
Playing in its streets.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘If it is [e]marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days,
(I)Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’
Says the Lord of hosts.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Behold, (J)I will save My people from the land of the [f]east
And from the land of the [g]west;
I will (K)bring them back,
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
(L)They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
(M)In truth and righteousness.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

(N)‘Let your hands be strong,
You who have been hearing in these days
These words by the mouth of (O)the prophets,
Who spoke in (P)the day the foundation was laid
For the house of the Lord of hosts,
That the temple might be built.
10 For before these days
There were no (Q)wages for man nor any hire for beast;
There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;
For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.

11 (R)But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.

12 ‘For(S) the [h]seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
(T)The ground shall give her increase,
And (U)the heavens shall give their dew—
I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
13 And it shall come to pass
That just as you were (V)a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and (W)you shall be a blessing.
Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.’

14 “For thus says the Lord of hosts:

(X)‘Just as I determined to [i]punish you
When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
(Y)‘And I would not relent,
15 So again in these days
I am determined to do good
To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
16 These are the things you shall (Z)do:
(AA)Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
17 (AB)Let none of you think evil in [j]your heart against your neighbor;
And do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate,’
Says the Lord.”

18 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

(AC)‘The fast of the fourth month,
(AD)The fast of the fifth,
(AE)The fast of the seventh,
(AF)And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be (AG)joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
(AH)Therefore love truth and peace.’

20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Peoples shall yet come,
Inhabitants of many cities;
21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,
(AI)“Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord,
And seek the Lord of hosts.
I myself will go also.”
22 Yes, (AJ)many peoples and strong nations
Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to pray before the Lord.’

23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men (AK)from every language of the nations shall (AL)grasp the [k]sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard (AM)that God is with you.” ’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 8:2 Or jealous
  2. Zechariah 8:2 Or jealousy
  3. Zechariah 8:2 Lit. heat or rage
  4. Zechariah 8:4 Lit. many days
  5. Zechariah 8:6 Or wonderful
  6. Zechariah 8:7 Lit. rising sun
  7. Zechariah 8:7 Lit. setting sun
  8. Zechariah 8:12 Lit. seed of peace
  9. Zechariah 8:14 Lit. bring calamity to you
  10. Zechariah 8:17 Lit. his
  11. Zechariah 8:23 Lit. wing, corner of a garment

The Day of the Lord(A)

14 Behold, (B)the day of the Lord is coming,
And your [a]spoil will be divided in your midst.
For (C)I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;
The city shall be taken,
The houses [b]rifled,
And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity,
But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Then the Lord will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand (D)on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,
From east to west,
(E)Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.

Then you shall flee through My mountain valley,
For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.
Yes, you shall flee
As you fled from the (F)earthquake
In the days of Uzziah king of Judah.

(G)Thus the Lord my God will come,
And (H)all the saints with [c]You.

It shall come to pass in that day
That there will be no light;
The [d]lights will diminish.
It shall be one day
(I)Which is known to the Lord
Neither day nor night.
But at (J)evening time it shall happen
That it will be light.

And in that day it shall be
That living (K)waters shall flow from Jerusalem,
Half of them toward [e]the eastern sea
And half of them toward [f]the western sea;
In both summer and winter it shall occur.
And the Lord shall be (L)King over all the earth.
In that day it shall be—
(M)“The Lord is one,”
And His name one.

10 All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. [g]Jerusalem shall be raised up and (N)inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, (O)and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.

11 The people shall dwell in it;
And (P)no longer shall there be utter destruction,
(Q)But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

12 And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem:

Their flesh shall [h]dissolve while they stand on their feet,
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,
And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.

13 It shall come to pass in that day
That (R)a great panic from the Lord will be among them.
Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor,
And raise (S)his hand against his neighbor’s hand;
14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem.
(T)And the wealth of all the surrounding nations
Shall be gathered together:
Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.

15 (U)Such also shall be the plague
On the horse and the mule,
On the camel and the donkey,
And on all the cattle that will be in those camps.
So shall this plague be.

The Nations Worship the King

16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall (V)go up from year to year to (W)worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep (X)the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 (Y)And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of (Z)Egypt will not come up and enter in, (AA)they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the [i]punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

20 In that day (AB)“HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The (AC)pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, [j]every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a (AD)Canaanite (AE)in the house of the Lord of hosts.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 14:1 plunder or booty
  2. Zechariah 14:2 Or plundered
  3. Zechariah 14:5 Or you; LXX, Tg., Vg. Him
  4. Zechariah 14:6 Lit. glorious ones
  5. Zechariah 14:8 The Dead Sea
  6. Zechariah 14:8 The Mediterranean Sea
  7. Zechariah 14:10 Lit. She
  8. Zechariah 14:12 Lit. decay
  9. Zechariah 14:19 Lit. sin
  10. Zechariah 14:21 Or on every pot . . . shall be engraved “HOLINESS TO THE LORD OF HOSTS”

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