Isaiah 66
66
Tremble At His Word
1Thus says Adonai: “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is the House you would build for Me? Where is the place of My rest?
2For My hand has made all these things, so all these things came to be,” declares Adonai. “But on this one will I look, one humble and of a contrite spirit, who trembles at My word.”
3One who kills an ox is like one who kills a man; one who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; one who offers a grain offering is like one who offers swine’s blood; one who burns incense is like one who blesses an idol. They have chosen their own ways, so their soul delights in their abominations.
4So I will choose their punishments and bring on them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered; when I spoke, they did not listen. But they did what was evil in My eyes, and chose what I did not delight in.
5Hear the word of Adonai, you who tremble at His word: “Your brothers who hated you, excluding you for My Name’s sake, have said, ‘Let Adonai be glorified, that we may see your joy’— but they will be put to shame.”
6A sound of uproar from the city, a sound from the Temple— the sound of Adonai who fully repays His enemies.
A Nation Born in a Day
7Before 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? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.
9“Will I bring the moment of birth, and not give delivery?” says Adonai. “Will I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.
10Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you who love her. Rejoice for joy with her all you who mourned over her.
11For you will nurse and be satisfied from her comforting breast. You will drink deeply and delight from her glorious abundance.
12For thus says Adonai: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream. You will be nursed, carried on the hip, and bounced on her knees.
13As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you, so you will be comforted in Jerusalem.
14You will see, your heart will rejoice, and your bones will flourish like grass. So the hand of Adonai will be known to His servants, and His indignation to His enemies.
15For behold, Adonai will come in fire, and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire.
16For by fire and His sword Adonai will execute judgment on all flesh and those slain by Adonai will be many.
17Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves, following after one in the midst, who eat swine’s flesh, vermin and mice, will come to an end altogether. It is a declaration of Adonai.
18“For I know their works and their thoughts. It will come about that I will gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.
19Then I will set up a sign among them, and I will send survivors from them to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul and Lud (who pull the bow), to Tubal and Javan, to distant islands that have not heard My fame or seen My glory. Then they will declare My glory among the nations.
20“Then they will bring all your kinsmen from all the nations, as an offering to Adonai, on horses and in chariots, and on litters, mules and camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says Adonai, “just as Bnei-Yisrael bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the House of Adonai.
21I will also take some of them as priests and for Levites,” says Adonai.
22“For just as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, will endure before Me”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“so your descendants and your name will endure.”
23“And it will come to pass, that from one New Moon to another, and from one Shabbat to another, all flesh will come to bow down before Me,” says Adonai.
24“As they leave, they will look on the corpses of the people who rebelled against Me. For their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched, and they will be a horror to all flesh.”
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Isaiah 66: TLV
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Isaiah 66
66
God’s Resting Place Is with the Humble
1This is what Yahweh says:
“The heavens are my throne # 66:1 The glorious God is too great to be limited to a literal chair-like throne. This “throne” is symbolic, a term meant to help us understand his great sovereignty and authority as ruler over all.
and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me? # 66:1 God rebukes the returning exiles for wanting to rebuild the temple and to restore the outward forms of worship with no intention of turning from their evil ways and having their hearts changed. God no longer dwells in man-made buildings but in God-shaped hearts of people who love, worship, and believe in him. See v. 2; 1 Kings 8:22–43; Acts 7:48; Eph. 2:19–22; Heb. 3:5–6.
Where is the place where I will rest?
2My hand made these things so they all belong to me,” declares Yahweh.
“But there is one my eyes are drawn to:
the humble one, the tender one, # 66:2 Or “the one bruised [crushed] in spirit.” the trembling one
who lives in awe of all I say.
3But the one who offers a bull with no humility
is like one who kills a man.
The one who offers a lamb without contrition
is like one who breaks a dog’s neck.
The one who brings grain offerings with no heart-purity
is like one who offers pig’s blood!
The one who offers incense with no sincerity
is like one who kisses # 66:3 Or “blesses.” an idol!
They have all chosen their own way, not mine,
and they take delight in these disgusting things!
4So I chose to punish # 66:4 Or “mock.” them
and to bring on them what they fear the most
because I called out to them and they ignored me.
I spoke and they did not listen
but did what is evil in my sight
and chose what I despise.”
5Hear the words of Yahweh, you who tremble at what he says:
“Shame on your own people,
who reject you and hate you,
claiming they do it for my sake.
For they mock you, saying,
‘May Yahweh be glorified; let us see you rejoice.’ ”
God Intervenes
6Listen! A sound of uproar is coming from the city
a sound from the temple!
It is the thunder # 66:6 Or “voice.” Ch. 40 begins with a thunderous voice in the wilderness; the book of Isaiah ends with a voice like thunder in his temple. of Yahweh
as he completely punishes his enemies!
7Zion gave birth suddenly, even before going into labor.
She delivered a son without any painful contractions.
8Who has ever seen or heard of such a wonder?
Could a country be born in a day?
Can a nation be birthed so suddenly? # 66:8 This actually happened with Israel being “reborn” as a nation in 1948. And it happened at Pentecost when the church, a holy nation, was birthed by the Holy Spirit. See Acts 2:1–4.
Yet no sooner does Zion go into labor
than she gives birth to sons!
9Yahweh, your God, says,
“Do I allow you to conceive and not to give birth?
Do I shut the womb when I’m the one who delivers?”
10So rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her!
All who love her, join in with her great joy,
especially those who remember her grief!
11You, her children, will drink the milk of her prosperity
and nurse with delight from her glorious abundance!
12For Yahweh says:
“I will extend to her prosperity like a river
and the wealth of gentiles like a flooding river.
You will nurse from her breast, be cradled in her arms,
and delightfully bounced on her knees.
13As a mother tenderly comforts her child,
so will I tenderly comfort you,
and you will find comfort in Jerusalem.”
Judgment by Fire and Sword
14When you feast your eyes on this,
your heart will leap for joy and be revived;
your body will flourish and sprout like grass. # 66:14 Or “Your bones [a metaphor for your inner being] will sprout like grass [flourish].” Some commentators view this as physical health and well-being.
The mighty power # 66:14 Or “hand,” a metaphor for his power and anointing. of Yahweh will be revealed,
resting on his servants,
but his fury will be shown to his enemies!
15Look! Yahweh is coming as a raging fire
and his chariots like a whirlwind # 66:15 See 2 Kings 2:1–18; Ezek. 1:4–28.
to unleash his anger with fiery fury
and with the fiery lightning of his rebuke! # 66:15 See Zech. 9:14; Heb. 12:29.
16For with fire # 66:16 See Jer. 23:29–32. and with his sword # 66:16 See Heb. 4:12.
Yahweh will judge # 66:16 Or “contend” or “plead.” See Amos 7:4–6. humanity—
many will be the slain of Yahweh!
17“The end is near for those who ‘consecrate’ and ‘purify’ themselves to enter their cultic groves! They go in procession one after another into their ceremonies. They eat disgusting foods—pork, mice, and rodents. 18I despise their evil works # 66:18 See Gal. 5:19–21. and their thoughts,” # 66:18 Or “imaginations.” The works and thoughts of fallen humanity can be compared to the “mark (character) of the beast” on the hands (works) and the foreheads (thoughts, mindsets) of people. See Acts 17:29; Rev. 13:13–18. says Yahweh.
God’s Reign
“The time is coming for me to gather people together from all over the world, # 66:18 Or “nations and tongues.” See Acts 2:5–12. and they will come and gaze on my radiance. 19I will set an amazing sign # 66:19 To “set a sign” is likely a figure of speech for “to display a mighty miracle.” This Hebrew phrase is also found in Ps. 78:43 and Jer. 32:20. In the book of Acts, the miracle-sign God set among his people was the Holy Spirit, who sent out laborers into the harvest fields of the nations. among them. I will send some of the remnant to other nations—to Tarshish, Put, # 66:19 Or “Pul.” Put is modern-day Libya. Lud # 66:19 Lud is Lydia in modern-day western Turkey. (known for its archers), # 66:19 Or possibly Meshech, a region frequently associated with Tubal, which could be a reference to Russia (Moscow). Tubal, # 66:19 Ancient Tubal is comprised of much of modern-day Turkey. Javan, # 66:19 Javan was the son of Japheth and the grandson of Noah. This is a likely metonymy referring to modern-day Greece. and distant islands that have never heard of my fame nor gazed on my glory. They will declare my glory among the gentiles! 20And they will bring back from the nations your own people as an offering to me,” says Yahweh.
“They will come on horseback, in chariots, in wagons, on mules and camels to my holy mountain, Jerusalem,” says Yahweh. “In the same way my people bring a grain offering in a sacred vessel to the temple, they will be brought as grain offerings to my holy mountain, Jerusalem, as a holy offering to me. 21And some of them I will appoint as Levitical priests,” says Yahweh.
22This is what Yahweh declares: “The new heavens and the new earth that I am making will remain and endure before me in the same way your offspring # 66:22 Or “seed.” and your name will endure. 23From one Sabbath to the next, one month to the next, one year to the next, all humanity will come to worship me!
24“They will go out of the city and see the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me. For their worm will not die # 66:24 This is likely a figure of speech for unending suffering. Some equate the “worm” with the guilty conscience. See Mark 9:48. and their fire will never go out. # 66:24 It is possible that this refers to a mass burial site where maggots continue to eat flesh and fire burns continually with corpses. Some see this as having been fulfilled by the slaughter of Israel’s enemies during the time of the Maccabees, others as a view toward a future slaughter, and still others as a description of hell. And they will be abhorrent to humanity.” # 66:24 Or “all flesh,” the last words of Isaiah. It is a long-held Jewish tradition that Isaiah was placed inside a hollow tree and sawn in two by the order of King Manasseh. The book of Isaiah is likewise “sawn in two” by theologians with theories of two or more authors.
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