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
God's People will Include All Nations
1The LORD says to his people, “Do what is just and right, for soon I will save you. 2I will bless those who always observe the Sabbath and do not misuse it. I will bless those who do nothing evil.”
3A foreigner who has joined the LORD's people should not say, “The LORD will not let me worship with his people.”
A man who has been castrated should never think that because he cannot have children, he can never be part of God's people. 4The LORD says to such a man, “If you honour me by observing the Sabbath and if you do what pleases me and faithfully keep my covenant, 5then your name will be remembered in my Temple and among my people longer than if you had sons and daughters. You will never be forgotten.”
6And the LORD says to those foreigners who become part of his people, who love him and serve him, who observe the Sabbath and faithfully keep his covenant: 7#Mt 21.13; Mk 11.17; Lk 19.46“I will bring you to Zion, my sacred hill,#56.7 sacred hill: See 2.3. give you joy in my house of prayer, and accept the sacrifices you offer on my altar. My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.”
8The Sovereign LORD, who has brought his people Israel home from exile, has promised that he will bring still other people to join them.
Israel's Leaders are Condemned
9The LORD has told the foreign nations to come like wild animals and devour his people. 10He says, “All the leaders, who are supposed to warn my people, are blind! They know nothing. They are like watchdogs that don't bark — they only lie about and dream. How they love to sleep! 11They are like greedy dogs that never get enough. These leaders have no understanding. They each do as they please and seek their own advantage. 12‘Let's get some wine,’ these drunkards say, ‘and drink all we can hold! Tomorrow will be even better than today!’ ”
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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.