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A House of Prayer for All

56 This is what the Lord says:

Preserve justice and do what is right,(A)
for my salvation is coming soon,
and my righteousness will be revealed.(B)
Happy is the person who does this,
the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.(C)

No foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord
should say,
‘The Lord will exclude me from his people,’(D)
and the eunuch should not say,
‘Look, I am a dried-up tree.’(E)
For the Lord says this:
‘For the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
and choose what pleases me,
and hold firmly to my covenant,
I will give them, in my house and within my walls,
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters.
I will give each of them an everlasting name
that will never be cut off.(F)
As for the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to become his servants –
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold firmly to my covenant –
I will bring them to my holy mountain(G)
and let them rejoice in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on my altar,(H)
for my house will be called a house of prayer
for all nations.’(I)
    This is the declaration of the Lord God,
who gathers the dispersed of Israel:
‘I will gather to them still others
besides those already gathered.’(J)

Unrighteous Leaders Condemned

All you animals of the field and forest,
come and eat!
10 Israel’s[a] watchmen(K) are blind, all of them,
they know nothing;
all of them are mute dogs,
they cannot bark;
they dream, lie down,
and love to sleep.
11 These dogs have fierce appetites;
they never have enough.
And they are shepherds
who have no discernment;
all of them turn to their own way,
every last one for his own profit.(L)
12 ‘Come, let me get some wine,
let’s guzzle some beer;
and tomorrow will be like today,
only far better! ’(M)

Footnotes

  1. 56:10 Or His, or Its

Salvation for All Who Obey

56 Thus says Yahweh:

“Observe justice
    and do righteousness,
for my salvation is close to coming,
    and my justice to being revealed.
Happy is the man who does this,
    and the son of humankind who keeps hold of it,
who keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane[a] it,
    and who keeps his hand from doing any[b] evil.”
And do not let the foreigner[c] who joins himself to Yahweh say, “Surely Yahweh will separate me from his people.”
    And do not let the eunuch say, “Look! I am a dry tree!”
For thus says Yahweh, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
    and choose that in which I delight,
    and who keep hold of my covenant.
And I will give them a monument and a name in my house and within my walls,
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give him an everlasting name
    that shall not be cut off.
And the foreigners[d] who join themselves to Yahweh to serve him
    and to love the name of Yahweh, to become his servants,
every one who keeps the Sabbath, so as not to profane[e] it,
    and those who keep hold of my covenant,
I will bring them to my holy mountain;[f]
    I will make them merry in my house of prayer.
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted[g] on my altar,
    for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,”

declares[h] the Lord Yahweh, who gathers[i] the scattered ones of Israel (still I will gather to[j] him, to his gathered ones).

Wicked Leaders

All wild animals in the field, come,
    to devour,[k] all wild animals in the forest!
10 His watchmen are blind,
    none of them know.
They are all dumb dogs;
    they are unable to bark,
panting, lying down,
    loving to slumber.
11 And the dogs have a greedy appetite;[l]
    they are never satisfied.[m]
And they are the shepherds!
    They do not have[n] understanding.
They all turn to their own way,
    each one for his own gain, every one of them.[o]
12 “Come, let me take wine,
    and let us carouse with intoxicating drink,
and tomorrow will be like today,
    very great indeed.”[p]

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 56:2 Literally “from profaning”
  2. Isaiah 56:2 Or “all”
  3. Isaiah 56:3 Literally “son of the foreign country”
  4. Isaiah 56:6 Literally “sons of the foreign country”
  5. Isaiah 56:6 Literally “from profaning”
  6. Isaiah 56:7 Literally “the mountain of my holiness”
  7. Isaiah 56:7 Literally “for acceptance”
  8. Isaiah 56:8 Literally “declaration of”
  9. Isaiah 56:8 Or “gathering”
  10. Isaiah 56:8 Or “upon”
  11. Isaiah 56:9 Or “eat”
  12. Isaiah 56:11 Literally “are strong of soul”
  13. Isaiah 56:11 Literally “do not know satiation”
  14. Isaiah 56:11 Or “know”
  15. Isaiah 56:11 Literally “from his end “
  16. Isaiah 56:12 Literally “excessively”