The Righteousness of God’s Judgment

65 “I was (A)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 (B)was not called by My name.
(C)I have stretched out My hands all day long to a (D)rebellious people,
Who (E)walk in a way that is not good,
According to their own thoughts;
A people (F)who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;
(G)Who sacrifice in gardens,
And burn incense on altars of brick;
(H)Who sit among the graves,
And spend the night in the tombs;
(I)Who eat swine’s flesh,
And the broth of [a]abominable things is in their vessels;
(J)Who say, ‘Keep to yourself,
Do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These [b]are smoke in My nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.

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

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 65:4 Unclean meats, Lev. 7:18; 19:7
  2. Isaiah 65:5 Cause My wrath to smoke

Judgment and Salvation

65 “I let myself be sought by those who did not ask;
    I let myself be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, ‘Here I am; here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name;
    I spread out my hands all day to a stubborn people,
those who walk after their thoughts in the way that is not good,
    the people who provoke[a] me to anger continually to my face,
slaughtering for sacrifices in the garden,
    and making smoke offerings on bricks,
who sit[b] in graves
    and spend the night in secret places,[c]
who eat[d] the flesh of swine
    with[e] a fragment[f] of impurity in their vessels,
who say,[g]Keep to yourself![h]
    You must not come near me, for I am too holy for you!”
These are a smoke in my nostrils,[i]
    a fire burning all day.
Look! It is written before me: I will not be silent, but I will repay;
    and I will repay in[j] the fold of their garment
your iniquities and the iniquities of your ancestors[k] together, says Yahweh,
because they made smoke offerings on the mountains
    and they taunted me on the hills,
I will measure their punishment from the beginning into the fold of their garment.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 65:3 Literally “provoking”
  2. Isaiah 65:4 Literally “sitting”
  3. Isaiah 65:4 Literally “watches”
  4. Isaiah 65:4 Literally “eating”
  5. Isaiah 65:4 Or “and”
  6. Isaiah 65:4 The reading tradition (Qere) has “broth”
  7. Isaiah 65:5 Literally “saying”
  8. Isaiah 65:5 Literally “Come near to you”
  9. Isaiah 65:5 Literally “nose”
  10. Isaiah 65:6 Or “on”
  11. Isaiah 65:7 Or “fathers”