Isaiah 56
56
All Nations Will Be Part of God's People
1The Lord said:
Be honest and fair!
Soon I will come to save you;
my saving power will be seen
everywhere on earth.
2I will bless everyone
who respects the Sabbath
and refuses to do wrong.
3Foreigners who worship me
must not say,
“The Lord won't let us
be part of his people.”
Men who are unable
to become fathers
must no longer say,
“We are dried-up trees.”
4 #
Ws 3.14,15. To them, I, the Lord, say:
Respect the Sabbath,
obey me completely,
and keep our agreement.
5Then you will be like monuments
in my temple with your names
written on them.
This will be much better
than having children,
because these monuments
will stand there forever.
6Foreigners will follow me.
They will love me and worship
in my name;
they will respect the Sabbath
and keep our agreement.
7 #
Mt 21.13; Mk 11.17; Lk 19.46. I will bring them
to my holy mountain,
where they will celebrate
in my house of worship.
Their sacrifices and offerings
will always be welcome
on my altar.
Then my house will be known
as a house of worship
for all nations.
8I, the Lord, promise
to bring together my people
who were taken away,
and let them join the others.
God Promises To Punish Israel's Leaders
9Come from the forest,
you wild animals!
Attack and gobble up
your victims.
10You leaders of Israel
should be watchdogs,
protecting my people.
But you can't see a thing,
and you never warn them.
Dozing and daydreaming
are all you ever do.
11You stupid leaders are a pack
of hungry and greedy dogs
that never get enough.
You are shepherds
who mistreat your own sheep
for selfish gain.
12You say to each other,
“Let's drink till we're drunk!
Tomorrow we'll do it again.
We'll really enjoy ourselves.”
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Isaiah 56: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 56
56
A House of Prayer for All
1This is what the Lord says:
Preserve justice and do what is right,#Gn 18:19; Ps 106:3; Pr 21:3
for my salvation is coming soon,
and my righteousness will be revealed.#Ps 98:2; Is 46:13; 51:5; Rm 1:17; 3:21
2Happy is the person who does this,
the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.#Is 58:13
3No foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord
should say,
“The Lord will exclude me from his people,”#Is 14:1; 56:6
and the eunuch should not say,
“Look, I am a dried-up tree.”#Dt 23:1
4For the Lord says this:
“For the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
and choose what pleases me,
and hold firmly to my covenant,
5I will give them, in my house and within my walls,
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters.
I will give each of them an everlasting name
that will never be cut off.#Is 55:13; Rv 2:17
6As for the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to become his servants —
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold firmly to my covenant —
7I will bring them to my holy mountain#Is 2:2–3
and let them rejoice in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on my altar,#Mal 1:11
for my house will be called a house of prayer
for all nations.”#Jr 7:11; Mt 21:13; Mk 11:17; Lk 19:46
8This is the declaration of the Lord God,
who gathers the dispersed of Israel:
“I will gather to them still others
besides those already gathered.”#Is 11:12; 60:3–11; 66:18–21; Jn 10:16
Unrighteous Leaders Condemned
9All you animals of the field and forest,
come and eat!
10Israel’s#56:10 Or His, or Its watchmen#Ezk 3:17–18; 33:1–6 are blind, all of them,
they know nothing;
all of them are mute dogs,
they cannot bark;
they dream, lie down,
and love to sleep.
11These dogs have fierce appetites;
they never have enough.
And they are shepherds
who have no discernment;
all of them turn to their own way,
every last one for his own profit.#Jr 10:21; 23:1; 50:6; Ezk 34:2
12“Come, let me get some wine,
let’s guzzle some beer;
and tomorrow will be like today,
only far better!” #Lk 12:19; 1Co 15:32
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