Isaiah 66
66
True Worship
1 #
3 Macc 2.15; Mt 5.34; 23.22;
Mt 5.35. #Ac 7.49,50. The Lord said:
Heaven is my throne;
the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house
could you build for me?
In what place will I rest?
2I have made everything;
that's how it all came to be.#66.2 that's … be: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The people I treasure most
are the humble—
they depend only on me
and tremble when I speak.
3You sacrifice oxen to me,
and you commit murder;
you sacrifice lambs to me
and dogs to other gods;
you offer grain to me
and pigs' blood to idols;
you burn incense to me
and praise your idols.#66.3 You sacrifice oxen … idols: Or “Sacrificing oxen to me is the same as murder; sacrificing lambs to me is the same as sacrificing dogs to other gods; offering grain to me is the same as offering pigs' blood to idols; and burning incense to me is the same as praising idols.”
You have made your own choice
to do these disgusting things
that you enjoy so much.
4You refused to answer
when I called out;
you paid no attention
to my instructions.
Instead, you did what I hated,
knowing it was wrong.
Now I will punish#66.4 punish: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. you
in a way you dread the most.
The Lord Will Help Jerusalem
5If you tremble
when the Lord speaks,
listen to what he says:
“Some of your own people hate
and reject you because of me.
They make fun and say,
‘Let the Lord show his power!
Let us see him
make you truly happy.’#66.5 Some … happy: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
But those who say these things
will be terribly ashamed.”
6Do you hear that noise
in the city and those shouts
coming from the temple?
It is the Lord shouting
as he punishes his enemies.
7 #
Rev 12.5. Have you ever heard of a woman
who gave birth to a child
before having labor pains?
8Who ever heard of such a thing
or imagined it could happen?
Can a nation be born in a day
or come to life in a second?
Jerusalem is like a mother
who gave birth to her children
as soon as she was in labor.
9The Lord is the one
who makes birth possible.
And he will see that Zion
has many more children.
The Lord has spoken.
10If you love Jerusalem,
celebrate and shout!
If you were in sorrow
because of the city,
you can now be glad.
11She will nurse and comfort you,
just like your own mother,
until you are satisfied.
You will fully enjoy
her wonderful glory.
12The Lord has promised:
“I will flood Jerusalem
with the wealth of nations
and make the city prosper.
Zion will nurse you at her breast,
carry you in her arms,
and hold you in her lap.
13I will comfort you there
like a mother
comforting her child.”
14When you see this happen,
you will celebrate;
your strength will return
faster than grass can sprout.
Then everyone will know
that the Lord provides help
for his servants,
but he is angry
with his enemies.
15The Lord will come down
like a whirlwind
with his flaming chariots.
He will be furiously angry
and punish his enemies
with fire.
16The Lord's fiery sword
will bring justice
everywhere on this earth
and execute many people.
A Threat and a Promise
17Some of you get yourselves ready and go to a garden to worship a foreign goddess.#66.17 Some … goddess: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. You eat the meat of pigs, lizards, and mice. But I, the Lord, will destroy you for this.
18I know everything you do and think! The time has now come#66.18 I … come: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. to bring together the people of every language and nation and to show them my glory 19by proving what I can do.#66.19 by … do: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. I will send the survivors to Tarshish, Pul,#66.19 Pul: Hebrew; one ancient translation “Put,” a country in Africa, but neither the location of Pul or Put is known for certain. Lud, Meshech,#66.19 Meshech: One ancient translation; Hebrew “those who use bows and arrows.” Tubal, Javan,#66.19 Tarshish … Javan: Tarshish may have been a Phoenician city in Spain; Put (see note on Pul) and Lud were African people; Meshech and Tubal were regions south or southeast of the Black Sea; the Javan were people of Asia Minor and the Greek islands. and to the distant islands. I will send them to announce my wonderful glory to nations that have never heard about me.
20They will bring your relatives from the nations as an offering to me, the Lord. They will come to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, on horses, chariots, wagons, mules, and camels.#66.20 camels: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. It will be like the people of Israel bringing the right offering to my temple. 21I promise that some of them will be priests and others will be helpers in my temple. I, the Lord, have spoken.
22 #
Is 65.17; 2 P 3.13; Rev 21.1. I also promise that you will always have descendants and will never be forgotten, just as the new heavens and the new earth that I create will last forever. 23On the first day of each month and on each Sabbath, everyone will worship me. I, the Lord, have spoken.
24 #
Jdt 16.17; Mk 9.48. My people will go out and look at the dead bodies of those who turned against me. The worms there never die, the fire never stops burning, and the sight of those bodies will be disgusting to everyone.
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Isaiah 66: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 66
66
Proper Worship
1Thus says Yahweh:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is the footstool for my feet.
Where is this house that you would build for me?
And where is this resting place for me?
2And my hand has made all these things,
and all these came to be,”#Literally “were”
declares#Literally “declaration of” Yahweh, “but#Or “and” I look to this one:
to the humble and the contrite of spirit
and the one frightened at my word.
3The one who slaughters a bull strikes a man;
the one who slaughters a lamb for sacrifice breaks the neck of a dog.
The one who offers an offering, the blood of swine;
the one who offers frankincense blesses an idol.
Indeed, they themselves have chosen their ways,
and their soul delights in their abhorrence.
4Indeed, I myself I will choose their ill treatment,
and I will bring them objects of their dread,
because I called, and no one answered;#Literally “there was no one who answers”
I spoke and they did not listen,
but#Or “and” they did the evil in my eyes,
and they chose that in which I do not delight.”
5Hear the word of Yahweh, you who are frightened at his word:
Your brothers who hate you,
who exclude you for my name’s sake have said,
“Let Yahweh be honored so that#Or “and” we may see your joy!”
But#Or “And” they themselves shall be ashamed.
6A voice, an uproar from the city!
A voice from the temple!
The voice of Yahweh paying back#Literally “rewarding retribution to” his enemies!
Zion’s Delivery
7Before she was in labor she gave birth;
before labor pains#Hebrew “pain” came to her, she gave birth to a son.
8Who has heard anything like this?
Who has seen anything like these things?
Can a land be born in one day?
Or can a nation be born in a moment?
Yet when she was in labor, Zion indeed gave birth to her children.
9Shall I myself I break open and not deliver?”#Literally “cause to bring forth” says Yahweh,
“or I who delivers#Literally “causes to bring forth” lock up the womb?” says your God.
10“Rejoice with Jerusalem
and shout in exultation with her, all those who love her!
Rejoice with her in joy, all those who mourn over her,
11so that you may suck and be satisfied from her consoling breast,#Literally “breast of consolation”
so that you may drink deeply and refresh yourselves from her heavy breast.”#Literally “breast of heaviness “
12For thus says Yahweh:
“Look! I am about to spread prosperity out to her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream,
and you shall suck and be carried on the hip;
and you shall you shall be played with on the knees.
13As a man whose mother comforts him, so I myself will comfort you,
and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Yahweh’s Final Judgment
14And you shall see and your heart shall rejoice,
and your bones shall flourish#Literally “sprout” like the grass,
and the hand of Yahweh shall make itself known to#Literally “with” his servants,
and he shall curse his enemies.
15For look! Yahweh will come in fire,
and his chariots like the storm wind,
to give back#Literally “cause to turn around” his anger in wrath,
and his rebuke in flames of fire.
16For Yahweh enters into judgment on all flesh with fire and his sword,
and those slain by#Literally “the slain of” Yahweh shall be many.
17Those who sanctify themselves
and those who cleanse themselves to go into#Literally “toward” the gardens after the one in the middle,
eating the flesh of swine
and detestable things#Hebrew “thing” and rodents#Hebrew “rodent” together
shall come to an end!” declares#Literally “declaration of” Yahweh.
18“And I—their works and thoughts!—am about to come to gather all nations and tongues,
and they shall come and see my glory.
19And I will set a sign among them,
and I will send survivors from them to the nations:
Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow;
Tubal and Javan, the faraway coastlands
that have not heard of my fame,
and have not seen my glory.
And they shall declare my glory among the nations, 20and bring all your countrymen#Or “brothers” from all the nations as an offering to Yahweh on horses and chariots#Hebrew “chariot” and in litters and on mules and camels, to#Or “on” my holy mountain,#Literally “the mountain of holiness me” Jerusalem,” says Yahweh, “just as the sons of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of Yahweh. 21And indeed, I will take some of them as priests and the Levites,” says Yahweh. 22“For just as the new heavens and earth that I am about to make shall stand before me,” declares#Literally “declaration of” Yahweh, “so shall your descendants#Hebrew “descendant” and your name stand.
23And this shall happen: From new moon to new moon#Literally “enough of new moon in his new moon” and from Sabbath to Sabbath#Literally “enough of Sabbath in his Sabbath” all flesh shall come to bow in worship before me,” says Yahweh. 24“And they shall go out and look at the corpses of the people#Or “men” who have rebelled#Literally “rebelling” against me,
for their worm shall not die,
and their fire shall not be quenched,
and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
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