God’s Ways Are Right and Good

65 “I let Myself be looked for by those who did not ask for Me. I let Myself be found by those who did not look for Me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that did not call on My name. ² All day long I held out My hand to a people who would not obey Me and who worked against Me. They walk in a way that is not good, following their own thoughts. ³ These people always make Me angry, giving gifts of worship in gardens and burning special perfume on altars of clay blocks. ⁴ They sit among graves, and spend the night in secret places. They eat the flesh of pigs, and have boiled meat that is unclean in their pots. ⁵ They say, ‘Keep to yourself. Do not come near me. For I am holier than you.’ These are smoke in My nose, a fire that burns all the day. ⁶ See, it is written before Me: ‘I will not keep quiet, but I will pay them back. I will pay them back into their breast, ⁷ for both their own sins and the sins of their fathers,’” says the Lord. “Because they have burned special perfume on the mountains and have spoken against Me on the hills, I will give them into their breasts the full pay for what they have done.”

⁸ The Lord says, “New wine is found in the grapes, and one says, ‘Do not destroy them, for there is still some good in them.’ I will act in the same way for My servants, and not destroy them all. ⁹ I will bring children from Jacob, and one out of Judah who will have My mountains for a gift. They will be given to My chosen ones, and My servants will live there. ¹⁰ Sharon will become a field for flocks. And the valley of Achor will be a resting place for herds, for My people who look for Me. ¹¹ But you who turn away from the Lord, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for the false god, Gad, and who fill cups of mixed wine for the false female goddess, Meni, ¹² I will have your future be the sword. All of you will bow down to be killed. Because when I called, you did not answer. I spoke, but you did not hear. You did what was sinful in My eyes, and chose what did not please Me.”

¹³ So the Lord God says, “See, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry. See, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. See, My servants will be glad, but you will be put to shame. ¹⁴ See, My servants will call out for joy with a glad heart. But you will cry out with pain in your heart and with a broken spirit. ¹⁵ And you will leave your name as a curse for My chosen ones. The Lord God will kill you, but My servants will be called by another name. ¹⁶ Anyone who has good things come to him in the land will have good things come to him by the God of truth. And he who makes a promise in the land will promise by the God of truth. The troubles of the past are forgotten, and are hidden from My eyes.

New Heavens and a New Earth

¹⁷ “For, see, I will make new heavens and a new earth. The past things will not be remembered or come to mind. ¹⁸ But be glad and have joy forever in what I make. For see, I make Jerusalem for joy, and her people for happiness. ¹⁹ I will have joy in Jerusalem and be glad in My people. The voice of crying will no longer be heard in it, or the cry of trouble. ²⁰ No more will there be in it a child who lives only a few days, or an old man who does not live many years. For the child will live to be a hundred years old. And the one who does not live a hundred years will be thought to be cursed. ²¹ They will build houses and live in them. They will plant grapes and eat their fruit. ²² They will not build a house and another live in it. They will not plant and another eat. For My people will live a long time, like the days of a tree. And for a long time My chosen ones will enjoy the work of their hands. ²³ They will not work for nothing, or give birth to children and have trouble. For they will be the children of those who receive good from the Lord, and their children with them. ²⁴ And it will be before they call, I will answer. While they are still speaking, I will hear. ²⁵ The wolf and the lamb will eat together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. And dust will be the snake’s food. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.

The Lord Judges

66 The Lord says, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is the place where I rest My feet. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? ² My hands made all these things, and so all these things came into being,” says the Lord. “But I will look to the one who has no pride and is broken in spirit, and who shakes with fear at My Word.

³ “He who kills an ox is like one who kills a man. He who kills a lamb on the altar in worship is like one who breaks a dog’s neck. He who gives a grain gift is like one who gives pig’s blood. He who burns special perfume is like the one who gives honor and thanks to a false god. They have chosen their own ways, and their soul finds joy in the sinful things they do. ⁴ So I will choose their punishments, and will bring on them what they are most afraid of. I called, but no one answered, and spoke, but they did not listen. They did what was sinful in My eyes, and chose what did not please Me.” ⁵ Hear the word of the Lord, you who shake in fear at His word: “Your brothers who hate you and have nothing to do with you because of Me have said, ‘Let the Lord be honored, that we may see your joy.’ But they will be put to shame. ⁶ Listen! A noise from the city! A voice from the house of God! It is the voice of the Lord Who is giving punishment to those who hate Him.

⁷ “Before she suffered, she gave birth. Before her pain came, a son was born to her. ⁸ Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be born all at once? As soon as Zion’s pains came, she gave birth to her sons. ⁹ Will I bring a child to birth, and not let him be born?” says the Lord. “Will I, Who gives birth, stop it?” says your God. ¹⁰ Be glad with Jerusalem and have joy in her, all you who love her. Be filled with joy for her, all you who have sorrow for her. ¹¹ Then you will nurse and be filled with her comforting breasts. You will drink and be happy with her greatness.” ¹² For the Lord says, “See, I will give peace to her like a river, and the greatness of the nations like a river flowing over. And you will be nursed. You will be carried at the side and given loving-kindness on the knees. ¹³ I will comfort you as one is comforted by his mother. And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.” ¹⁴ When you see this, your heart will be glad. Your bones will get new strength like the new grass. And the hand of the Lord will be made known to His servants. But He will be angry with those who hate Him. ¹⁵ For see, the Lord will come in fire. His war-wagons will be like a very strong wind. And He will show His anger with fire. ¹⁶ The Lord will punish by fire and by His sword on all flesh. And those killed by the Lord will be many. ¹⁷ Those who set themselves apart and make themselves pure to go to the gardens, following one in the center, who eat pig’s flesh, hated things, and mice, will come to an end together,” says the Lord. ¹⁸ “For I know their works and their thoughts. The time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they will come and see My shining-greatness. ¹⁹ I will put something special among them. And I will send some of them who are left alive to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Mashech, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan, to the far islands that have not heard of My name or seen My greatness. And they will make My greatness known among the nations. ²⁰ Then they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a grain gift to the Lord, on horses, in war-wagons, on beds pulled by animals, on donkeys, and on camels. They will be brought to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain gift in a clean pot to the house of the Lord. ²¹ I will take some of them for religious leaders and for Levites,” says the Lord. ²² “As the new heavens and the new earth which I make will last before Me,” says the Lord, “in the same way, your children’s children and your name will last. ²³ From a new moon to another new moon, and from one Day of Rest to another Day of Rest, all people will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord. ²⁴ “Then they will go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have sinned against Me. For their worm will not die, and their fire will not be put out. And they will be a hated thing to all people.”

1 This letter is from Paul and Silas and Timothy. It is to the church in the city of Thessalonica that belongs to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ² May you have loving-favor and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We must give thanks to God for you always, Christian brothers. It is the right thing to do because your faith is growing so much. Your love for each other is stronger all the time. ⁴ We are proud of you and tell the other churches about you. We tell them how your faith stays so strong even when people make it hard for you and make you suffer. ⁵ God wants you to prove yourselves to be worth being in His holy nation by suffering for Him. ⁶ He does what is right and will allow trouble to come to those who are making it hard for you. ⁷ He will help you and us who are suffering. This will happen when the Lord Jesus comes down from heaven with His powerful angels in a bright fire. ⁸ He will punish those who do not know God and those who do not obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ They will be punished forever and taken away from the Lord and from the shining-greatness of His power. ¹⁰ On the day He comes, His shining-greatness will be seen in those who belong to Him. On that day, He will receive honor from all those who put their trust in Him. You believed what we had to say to you. ¹¹ For this reason, we always pray for you. We pray that our God will make you worth being chosen. We pray that His power will help you do the good things you want to do. We pray that your work of faith will be complete. ¹² In this way, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be honored by you and you will be honored by Him. It is through the loving-favor of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.