Isaiah 66
66
The Humble and Contrite in Spirit
1 # Cited Acts 7:49, 50; [1 Kgs. 8:27; Acts 17:24] Thus says the Lord:
# [Matt. 5:34, 35] “Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
2 # [1 Chr. 29:14] All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
# ch. 57:15; Ps. 34:18 But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.
3 # ch. 1:11 “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man;
he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers #See ch. 65:4 pig’s blood;
he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol.
#
Jer. 7:24
These have chosen their own ways,
and their soul delights in their abominations;
4 # [ch. 30:16] I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and bring #[ch. 51:12] their fears upon them,
# See ch. 65:12 because when I called, no one answered,
when I spoke, they did not listen;
# [Jer. 7:31] but they did what was evil in my eyes
and chose that in which I did not delight.”
5Hear the word of the Lord,
you who tremble at his word:
“Your brothers who hate you
and cast you out for my name’s sake
have said, #ch. 5:19‘Let the Lord be glorified,
that we may see your joy’;
but it is they who shall be put to shame.
6“The sound of an uproar from the city!
A sound from the temple!
The sound of the Lord,
# ch. 63:4; 65:6 rendering recompense to his enemies!
Rejoice with Jerusalem
7 # See ch. 13:8 “Before she was in labor
she gave birth;
before her pain came upon her
she delivered a son.
8Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?
For #[See ver. 7 above]as soon as Zion was in labor
she brought forth her children.
9Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?”
says the Lord;
“shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?”
says your God.
10 # ch. 65:19 “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her;
11that you may nurse and be satisfied
from her consoling breast;
that you may drink deeply with delight
from her glorious abundance.”#66:11 Or breast
12For thus says the Lord:
# [ch. 48:18] “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and #ch. 60:16you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip,
and bounced upon her knees.
13As one whom his mother comforts,
so #ch. 51:12; [ch. 35:10]I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
# ch. 58:11 your bones shall flourish like the grass;
and #[Ezra 8:22, 31]the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants,
and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.
Final Judgment and Glory of the Lord
15“For behold, #ch. 33:14; Mal. 3:1, 2; [2 Thess. 1:7, 8] the Lord will come in fire,
and #Ps. 68:17his chariots like the whirlwind,
to render his anger in fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16For #Ps. 97:3 by fire #Joel 3:2will the Lord enter into judgment,
and by his sword, with all flesh;
and those slain by the Lord shall be many.
17 # ch. 65:3, 5 “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, #See ch. 65:4eating pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord.
18“For I know#66:18 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew lacks know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming#66:18 Hebrew and it is coming #ch. 2:2; Zech. 14:16to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, 19and I will set a sign among them. And from them #ch. 45:20 I will send survivors to the nations, to #1 Kgs. 10:22 Tarshish, #Jer. 46:9; Ezek. 27:10 Pul, and #Jer. 46:9; Ezek. 27:10 Lud, who draw the bow, to #Gen. 10:2; Ezek. 27:13 Tubal and #Gen. 10:2; Ezek. 27:13 Javan, #Gen. 10:5 to the coastlands far away, #[Rom. 15:20, 21]that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. 20#See ch. 14:2; 49:22 And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations #[Rom. 15:16]as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. 21#ch. 61:6; Ex. 19:6; [1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6]And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.
22“For as #See ch. 65:17 the new heavens and the new earth
that I make
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so #ch. 53:10; [Ps. 89:29]shall your offspring and your name remain.
23 # [Ps. 86:9; Zech. 14:16] From new moon to new moon,
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.
24“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For #Mark 9:48 their worm shall not die, #[Rev. 21:8]their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
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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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