Isaiah 66
66
True Worship and False
1Thus says the Lord:
#1 Kin. 8:27; 2 Chr. 6:18; Ps. 11:4; Matt. 5:34; Acts 17:24“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?
2For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
#Ps. 34:18; (Is. 57:15; 61:1; Matt. 5:3, 4; Luke 18:13, 14)“But on this one will I look:
#Ps. 34:18; 51:17On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.
3“He#(Is. 1:10–17; 58:1–7; Mic. 6:7, 8) who kills a bull is as if he slays a man;
He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he #Deut. 23:18breaks 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,
4So will I choose their delusions,
And bring their fears on them;
#Prov. 1:24; Is. 65:12; Jer. 7:13Because, 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
5Hear the word of the Lord,
You who tremble at His word:
“Your brethren who #Ps. 38:20; Is. 60:15; (Luke 6:22, 23)hated you,
Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said,
#Is. 5:19‘Let the Lord be glorified,
That #(2 Thess. 1:10; Titus 2:13)we may see your joy.’
But they shall be ashamed.”
6The sound of noise from the city!
A voice from the temple!
The voice of the Lord,
Who fully repays His enemies!
7“Before she was in labor, she gave birth;
Before her pain came,
She delivered a male child.
8Who 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.
9Shall 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;
11That 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.”
12For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, #Is. 48:18; 60:5I will extend peace to her like a river,
And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.
Then you shall #Is. 60:16feed;
On her sides shall you be #Is. 49:22; 60:4carried,
And be dandled on her knees.
13As one whom his mother comforts,
So I will #Is. 51:3; (2 Cor. 1:3, 4)comfort you;
And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
The Reign and Indignation of God
14When you see this, your heart shall rejoice,
And #Ezek. 37:1your bones shall flourish like grass;
The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants,
And His indignation to His enemies.
15#Is. 9:5; (2 Thess. 1:8)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.
16For by fire and by #Is. 27:1His sword
The Lord will judge all flesh;
And the slain of the Lord shall be #Is. 34:6many.
17“Those#Is. 65:3–8 who sanctify themselves and purify themselves,
To go to the gardens
After an idol in the midst,
Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse,
Shall be consumed together,” says the Lord.
18“For I know their works and their #Is. 59:7thoughts. It shall be that I will #Is. 45:22–25; Jer. 3:17gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory. 19#Luke 2:34I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and 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. #Mal. 1:11And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. 20Then they shall #Is. 49:22bring all your brethren #Is. 18:7; (Rom. 15:16)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. 21And I will also take some of them for #Ex. 19:6; Is. 61:6; 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6priests and Levites,” says the Lord.
22“For as #Is. 65:17; Heb. 12:26, 27; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1the 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.
23And #Zech. 14:16it shall come to pass
That from one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another,
#Zech. 14:17–21All 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 #Is. 14:11; Mark 9:44, 46, 48worm does not die,
And their fire is not quenched.
They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
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Isaiah 66: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 66
66
The LORD Judges the Nations
1 #
Mt 5.34, 35; 23.22 #
Acts 7.49–50
The LORD says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house, then, could you build for me, what kind of place for me to live in? 2I myself created the whole universe! I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.
3“The people do as they please. It's all the same to them whether they kill a bull as a sacrifice or sacrifice a human being; whether they sacrifice a lamb or break a dog's neck; whether they present a grain offering or offer pigs' blood; whether they offer incense or pray to an idol. They take pleasure in disgusting ways of worship. 4So I will bring disaster upon them — the very things they are afraid of — because no one answered when I called or listened when I spoke. They chose to disobey me and do evil.”
5Listen to what the LORD says, you that fear him and obey him: “Because you are faithful to me, some of your own people hate you and will have nothing to do with you. They mock you and say, ‘Let the LORD show his greatness and save you, so that we may see you rejoice.’ But they themselves will be disgraced! 6Listen! That loud noise in the city, that sound in the Temple, is the sound of the LORD punishing his enemies!
7 #
Rev 12.5
“My holy city is like a woman who suddenly gives birth to a child, without ever going into labour. 8Has anyone ever seen or heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a day? Zion will not have to suffer long, before the nation is born. 9Do not think that I will bring my people to the point of birth and not let them be born.” The LORD has spoken.
10Rejoice with Jerusalem; be glad for her,
all you that love this city!
Rejoice with her now,
all you that have mourned for her!
11You will enjoy her prosperity,
like a child at its mother's breast.
12The LORD says, “I will bring you lasting prosperity; the wealth of the nations will flow to you like a river that never goes dry. You will be like a child that is nursed by its mother, carried in her arms, and treated with love. 13I will comfort you in Jerusalem, as a mother comforts her child. 14When you see this happen, you will be glad; it will make you strong and healthy. Then you will know that I, the LORD, help those who obey me, and I show my anger against my enemies.”
15The LORD will come with fire. He will ride on the wings of a storm to punish those he is angry with. 16By fire and sword he will punish all the people of the world whom he finds guilty — and many will be put to death.
17The LORD says, “The end is near for those who purify themselves for pagan worship, who go in procession to sacred gardens,#66.17 sacred gardens: See 1.29. and who eat pork and mice and other disgusting foods. 18I know#66.18 Some ancient translations I know; Hebrew I. their thoughts and their deeds. I am coming#66.18 Some ancient translations I am coming; Hebrew He is coming. to gather the people of all the nations. When they come together, they will see what my power can do 19and will know that I am the one who punishes them.
“But I will spare some of them and send them to the nations and the distant lands that have not heard of my fame or seen my greatness and power: to Spain, Libya,#66.19 One ancient translation Libya; Hebrew Pul. and Lydia, with its skilled archers, and to Tubal and Greece. Among these nations they will proclaim my greatness. 20They will bring back all your fellow-Israelites from the nations as a gift to me. They will bring them to my sacred hill#66.20 sacred hill: See 2.3. in Jerusalem on horses, mules, and camels, and in chariots and wagons, just as Israelites bring grain offerings to the Temple in ritually clean containers. 21I will make some of them priests and Levites.
22 #
Is 65.17; 2 Pet 3.13; Rev 21.1 “Just as the new earth and the new heavens will endure by my power, so your descendants and your name will endure. 23On every New Moon Festival and every Sabbath, people of every nation will come to worship me here in Jerusalem,” says the LORD. 24#Mk 9.48“As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. The worms that eat them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never be put out. The sight of them will be disgusting to the whole human race.”
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.