Isaiah 65
65
The Righteousness of God’s Judgment
1“I was #Rom. 9:24; 10:20sought 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 #Is. 63:19was not called by My name.
2#Rom. 10:21I have stretched out My hands all day long to a #Is. 1:2, 23rebellious people,
Who #Is. 42:24walk in a way that is not good,
According to their own thoughts;
3A people #Deut. 32:21who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;
#Is. 1:29Who sacrifice in gardens,
And burn incense on altars of brick;
4#Deut. 18:11Who sit among the graves,
And spend the night in the tombs;
#Lev. 11:7; Is. 66:17Who eat swine’s flesh,
And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
5#Matt. 9:11; Luke 7:39; 18:9–12Who say, ‘Keep to yourself,
Do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These are smoke in My nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.
6“Behold, #Deut. 32:34it is written before Me:
#Ps. 50:3I will not keep silence, #Ps. 79:12but will repay—
Even repay into their bosom—
7Your iniquities and #Ex. 20:5the iniquities of your fathers together,”
Says the Lord,
#Ezek. 18:6“Who have burned incense on the mountains
#Is. 57:7; Ezek. 20:27, 28And blasphemed Me on the hills;
Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.”
8Thus says the Lord:
“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it,
For #Joel 2:14a blessing is in it,’
So will I do for My servants’ sake,
That I may not destroy them #Is. 1:9; Amos 9:8, 9all.
9I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
And from Judah an heir of My mountains;
My #Matt. 24:22elect shall inherit it,
And My servants shall dwell there.
10#Is. 33:9Sharon shall be a fold of flocks,
And #Josh. 7:24; Hos. 2:15the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,
For My people who have #Is. 55:6sought Me.
11“But you are those who forsake the Lord,
Who forget #Is. 56:7My holy mountain,
Who prepare #Ezek. 23:41; (1 Cor. 10:21)a table for Gad,
And who furnish a drink offering for Meni.
12Therefore I will number you for the sword,
And you shall all bow down to the slaughter;
#2 Chr. 36:15, 16; Prov. 1:24; Is. 41:28; 50:2; 66:4; Jer. 7:13Because, 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.”
13Therefore 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;
14Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart,
But you shall cry for sorrow of heart,
And #Matt. 8:12; Luke 13:28wail for grief of spirit.
15You shall leave your name #Jer. 29:22; Zech. 8:13as a curse to #Is. 65:9, 22My chosen;
For the Lord God will slay you,
And #(Acts 11:26)call His servants by another name;
16#Ps. 72:17; Jer. 4:2So that he who blesses himself in the earth
Shall bless himself in the God of truth;
And #Deut. 6:13; Zeph. 1:5he 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 #Is. 51:16; 66:22; (2 Pet. 3:13); Rev. 21:1new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
18But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
19#Is. 62:4, 5I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The #Is. 35:10; 51:11; Rev. 7:17; 21:4voice 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,
#Eccl. 8:12, 13; Is. 3:11; 22:14But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
21#Ezek. 28:26; 45:4; Hos. 11:11; Amos 9:14They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22They shall not build and another inhabit;
They shall not plant and #Is. 62:8, 9another eat;
For #Ps. 92:12as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And #Is. 65:9, 15My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23They shall not labor in vain,
#Hos. 9:12Nor bring forth children for trouble;
For #Is. 61:9; (Jer. 32:38, 39; Acts 2:39)they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord,
And their offspring with them.
24“It shall come to pass
That #Ps. 91:15; Is. 58:9before they call, I will answer;
And while they are still speaking, I will #Is. 30:19; Dan. 9:20–23hear.
25The #Is. 11:6–9wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
#Gen. 3:14; Mic. 7:17And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
Says the Lord.
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Isaiah 65: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 65
65
The Lord Will Distinguish Between Sinners and the Godly
1 “I made myself available to those who did not ask for me;#tn Heb “I allowed myself to be sought by those who did not ask.”
I appeared to those who did not look for me.#tn Heb “I allowed myself to be found by those who did not seek.”
I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
to a nation that did not invoke#tn Heb “call out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “call on.” my name.
2 I spread out my hands all day long
to my rebellious people,
who lived in a way that is morally unacceptable,
and who did what they desired.#tn Heb “who walked [in] the way that is not good, after their thoughts.”
3 These people continually and blatantly offend me#tn Heb “the people who provoke me to anger to my face continually.”
as they sacrifice in their sacred orchards#tn Or “gardens” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
and burn incense on brick altars.#tn Or perhaps, “on tiles.”
4 They sit among the tombs#sn Perhaps the worship of underworld deities or dead spirits is in view.
and keep watch all night long.#tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and in the watches they spend the night.” Some understand נְּצוּרִים (nÿtsurim) as referring to “secret places” or “caves,” while others emend the text to וּבֵין צוּרִים (uven tsurim, “between the rocky cliffs”).
They eat pork,#tn Heb “the flesh of the pig”; KJV, NAB, NASB “swine’s flesh.”
and broth#tc The marginal reading (Qere), supported by the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa, reads מְרַק (mÿraq, “broth”), while the consonantal text (Kethib) has פְרַק (feraq, “fragment”). from unclean sacrificial meat is in their pans.
5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself!
Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’
These people are like smoke in my nostrils,
like a fire that keeps burning all day long.
6 Look, I have decreed:#tn Heb “Look, it is written before me.”
I will not keep silent, but will pay them back;
I will pay them back exactly what they deserve,#tn Heb “I will pay back into their lap.”
7 for your sins and your ancestors’ sins,”#tn Heb “the iniquities of your fathers.” says the Lord.
“Because they burned incense on the mountains
and offended#tn Or perhaps, “taunted”; KJV “blasphemed”; NAB “disgraced”; NASB “scorned”; NIV “defied”; NRSV “reviled.” me on the hills,
I will punish them in full measure.”#tn Heb “I will measure out their pay [from the] beginning into their lap,” i.e., he will give them everything they have earned.
8 This is what the Lord says:
“When#tn Heb “just as.” In the Hebrew text the statement is one long sentence, “Just as…, so I will do….” juice is discovered in a cluster of grapes,
someone says, ‘Don’t destroy it, for it contains juice.’#tn Heb “for a blessing is in it.”
So I will do for the sake of my servants –
I will not destroy everyone.#tn Heb “by not destroying everyone.”
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
and from Judah people to take possession of my mountains.
My chosen ones will take possession of the land;#tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to the land which contains the aforementioned mountains.
my servants will live there.
10 Sharon#sn Sharon was a plain located to the west, along the Mediterranean coast north of Joppa and south of Carmel. will become a pasture for sheep,
and the Valley of Achor#sn The Valley of Achor (“Achor” means “trouble” in Hebrew) was the site of Achan’s execution. It was located to the east, near Jericho. a place where cattle graze;#tn Heb “a resting place for cattle”; NASB, NIV “for herds.”
they will belong to my people, who seek me.#tn Heb “for my people who seek me.”
11 But as for you who abandon the Lord
and forget about worshiping at#tn The Hebrew text has simply, “forget.” The words “about worshiping at” are supplied in the translation for clarification. my holy mountain,
who prepare a feast for the god called ‘Fortune,’#tn The Hebrew has לַגַּד (laggad, “for Gad”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 176 s.v. II גַּד 2.
and fill up wine jugs for the god called ‘Destiny’#tn The Hebrew has לַמְנִי (lamni, “for Meni”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 602 s.v. מְגִי. –
12 I predestine you to die by the sword,#tn Heb “I assign you to the sword.” Some emend the Qal verb form מָנִיתִי (maniti, “I assign”) to the Piel מִנִּיתִי (minniti, “ I ordain”). The verb sounds like the name of the god Meni (מְנִי, mÿni, “Destiny, Fate”). The sound play draws attention to the irony of the statement. The sinners among God’s people worship the god Meni, apparently in an effort to ensure a bright destiny for themselves. But the Lord is the one who really determines their destiny and he has decreed their demise.
all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block,#tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”
because I called to you, and you did not respond,
I spoke and you did not listen.
You did evil before me;#tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”
you chose to do what displeases me.”
13 So this is what the sovereign Lord says:
“Look, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry!
Look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty!
Look, my servants will rejoice, but you will be humiliated!
14 Look, my servants will shout for joy as happiness fills their hearts!#tn Heb “from the good of the heart.”
But you will cry out as sorrow fills your hearts;#tn Heb “from the pain of the heart.”
you will wail because your spirits will be crushed.#tn Heb “from the breaking of the spirit.”
15 Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones.#tn Heb “you will leave your name for an oath to my chosen ones.”sn For an example of such a curse formula see Jer 29:22.
The sovereign Lord will kill you,
but he will give his servants another name.
16 Whoever pronounces a blessing in the earth#tn Or “in the land” (NIV, NCV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs again later in this verse, with the same options.
will do so in the name of the faithful God;#tn Heb “will pronounce a blessing by the God of truth.”
whoever makes an oath in the earth
will do so in the name of the faithful God.#tn Heb “will take an oath by the God of truth.”
For past problems will be forgotten;
I will no longer think about them.#tn Heb “for the former distresses will be forgotten, and they will be hidden from my eyes.”
17 For look, I am ready to create
new heavens and a new earth!#sn This hyperbolic statement likens the coming transformation of Jerusalem (see vv. 18-19) to a new creation of the cosmos.
The former ones#tn Or perhaps, “the former things” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “The events of the past.” will not be remembered;
no one will think about them anymore.#tn Heb “and they will not come up on the mind.”
18 But be happy and rejoice forevermore
over what I am about to create!
For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. to be a source of joy,#tn Heb “Jerusalem, joy.” The next verse suggests the meaning: The Lord will create Jerusalem to be a source of joy to himself.
and her people to be a source of happiness.#tn Heb “her people, happiness.” See the preceding note.
19 Jerusalem will bring me joy,
and my people will bring me happiness.#tn Heb “and I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be happy in my people.”
The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow
will never be heard in her again.
20 Never again will one of her infants live just a few days#tn Heb “and there will not be from there again a nursing infant of days,” i.e., one that lives just a few days.
or an old man die before his time.#tn Heb “or an old [man] who does not fill out his days.”
Indeed, no one will die before the age of a hundred,#tn Heb “for the child as a son of one hundred years will die.” The point seems to be that those who die at the age of a hundred will be considered children, for the average life span will be much longer than that. The category “child” will be redefined in light of the expanded life spans that will characterize this new era.
anyone who fails to reach#tn Heb “the one who misses.” חָטָא (khata’) is used here in its basic sense of “miss the mark.” See HALOT 305 s.v. חטא. Another option is to translate, “and the sinner who reaches the age of a hundred will be cursed.” the age of a hundred will be considered cursed.
21 They will build houses and live in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it,#tn Heb “they will not build, and another live [in it].”
or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit,#tn Heb “they will not plant, and another eat.”
for my people will live as long as trees,#tn Heb “for like the days of the tree [will be] the days of my people.”
and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced.#tn Heb “the work of their hands” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “their hard-won gains.”
23 They will not work in vain,
or give birth to children that will experience disaster.#tn Heb “and they will not give birth to horror.”
For the Lord will bless their children
and their descendants.#tn Heb “for offspring blessed by the Lord they [will be], and their descendants along with them.”
24 Before they even call out,#tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2. I will respond;
while they are still speaking, I will hear.
25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together;#sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.
a lion, like an ox, will eat straw,#sn These words also appear in 11:7.
and a snake’s food will be dirt.#sn Some see an allusion to Gen 3:14 (note “you will eat dirt”). The point would be that even in this new era the snake (often taken as a symbol of Satan) remains under God’s curse. However, it is unlikely that such an allusion exists. Even if there is an echo of Gen 3:14, the primary allusion is to 11:8, where snakes are pictured as no longer dangerous. They will no longer attack other living creatures, but will be content to crawl along the ground. (The statement “you will eat dirt” in Gen 3:14 means “you will crawl on the ground.” In the same way the statement “dirt will be its food” in Isa 65:25 means “it will crawl on the ground.”)
They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain,”#tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.sn As in 11:1-9 the prophet anticipates a time when the categories predator-prey no longer exist. See the note at the end of 11:8. says the Lord.
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