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Outstretched Hands

65 “I was sought by those who did not ask for Me,
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Hineni, hineni!’
to a nation not called by My Name.[a]
I have stretched out My hands all day
    to a rebellious people,[b]
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own thoughts.
These people provoke Me continually
to My face,
sacrificing in gardens,
    burning incense on bricks,
sitting among graves,
    spending the night in cave-tombs;
eating swine’s flesh,
    and the broth of detestable things is in their pots,
who say, ‘Keep to yourself, don’t come to me,
    for I am holier than you!’
These are smoke in My nostrils,
    a fire that burns all day.
Behold, it is written before Me;
I will not keep silence, but will repay,
    even repay into their laps,
your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together,”
says Adonai,
“because they burned incense on the mountains,
and scorned Me on the hills.
So I will measure into their laps
    full wages for their former deeds.”

Thus says Adonai:
“As new wine is found in a cluster,
and one says, ‘Do not destroy it,
    for a blessing is in it,’
so I will do for My servants’ sakes,
    that I may not destroy them all.
I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
an heir of My mountains from Judah.
My chosen ones will inherit it,
and My servants will dwell there.
10 Sharon will be a fold of flocks,
and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in,
for My people who seek Me.
11 But you who forsake Adonai,
who forget My holy mountain,
who prepare a table for Fortune,
who fill cups of mixed wine for Fate,
12 I will fate you to the sword,
and all of you will kneel to slaughter.
For I called, but you did not answer,
I spoke, but you did not hear.
So you did what was evil in My sight,
and chose what I did not delight in.”

13 Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim:
“Behold, My servants will eat,
    while you will go hungry.
Behold, My servants will drink,
    but you will be thirsty.
Behold, My servants will rejoice,
    but you will be put to shame.
14 Behold, My servants will sing for joy
    with a happy heart,
but you will cry from pain of heart,
    and wail out of a broken spirit.
15 You will leave your name behind
    as a curse for My chosen ones,
and Adonai Elohim will slay you.
But He will call His servants by another name.
16 So he who says a bracha in the land
    will be blessed by the God of truth,
and he who swears in the land
    will swear by the God of truth.
For the former troubles are forgotten,
because they are hidden from My sight!

New Heavens and New Earth

17 For behold, I create new heavens
    and a new earth.[c]
The former things will not be remembered
    or come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
    in what I am creating.
For behold, I am creating Jerusalem for rejoicing,
    and her people for joy.
19 Then I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
    and be glad in My people.
No longer will the voice of weeping
    or the voice of crying be heard in her.
20 No longer will there be in it an infant
    who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days.
For the youth will die at a hundred years,
But one who misses the mark of a hundred
must be accursed.
21 They will build houses and inhabit them.
They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build and another inhabit,
    nor plant and another eat.
For like the days of a tree,
    so will be the days of My people,
and My chosen ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain
    nor bear children for calamity.
For they are the offspring of those blessed by Adonai,
    as well as descendants with them.

24 And it will come to pass that before they call,
I will answer,
and while they are still speaking,
I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together.
The lion will eat straw like the ox,
    but dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will not hurt or destroy
    in all My holy mountain,” says Adonai.

Judgment and Salvation

65 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
    I was found by those who did not seek me.(A)
To a nation(B) that did not call on my name,(C)
    I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
All day long I have held out my hands
    to an obstinate people,(D)
who walk in ways not good,
    pursuing their own imaginations(E)
a people who continually provoke me
    to my very face,(F)
offering sacrifices in gardens(G)
    and burning incense(H) on altars of brick;
who sit among the graves(I)
    and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,(J)
    and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
    for I am too sacred(K) for you!’
Such people are smoke(L) in my nostrils,
    a fire that keeps burning all day.

“See, it stands written before me:
    I will not keep silent(M) but will pay back(N) in full;
    I will pay it back into their laps(O)
both your sins(P) and the sins of your ancestors,”(Q)
    says the Lord.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
    and defied me on the hills,(R)
I will measure into their laps
    the full payment(S) for their former deeds.”

This is what the Lord says:

“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes(T)
    and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,
    there is still a blessing in it,’
so will I do in behalf of my servants;(U)
    I will not destroy them all.
I will bring forth descendants(V) from Jacob,
    and from Judah those who will possess(W) my mountains;
my chosen(X) people will inherit them,
    and there will my servants live.(Y)
10 Sharon(Z) will become a pasture for flocks,(AA)
    and the Valley of Achor(AB) a resting place for herds,
    for my people who seek(AC) me.

11 “But as for you who forsake(AD) the Lord
    and forget my holy mountain,(AE)
who spread a table for Fortune
    and fill bowls of mixed wine(AF) for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword,(AG)
    and all of you will fall in the slaughter;(AH)
for I called but you did not answer,(AI)
    I spoke but you did not listen.(AJ)
You did evil in my sight
    and chose what displeases me.”(AK)

13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“My servants will eat,(AL)
    but you will go hungry;(AM)
my servants will drink,(AN)
    but you will go thirsty;(AO)
my servants will rejoice,(AP)
    but you will be put to shame.(AQ)
14 My servants will sing(AR)
    out of the joy of their hearts,
but you will cry out(AS)
    from anguish of heart
    and wail in brokenness of spirit.
15 You will leave your name
    for my chosen ones to use in their curses;(AT)
the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,
    but to his servants he will give another name.(AU)
16 Whoever invokes a blessing(AV) in the land
    will do so by the one true God;(AW)
whoever takes an oath in the land
    will swear(AX) by the one true God.
For the past troubles(AY) will be forgotten
    and hidden from my eyes.

New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.(AZ)
The former things will not be remembered,(BA)
    nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice(BB) forever
    in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem(BC) to be a delight
    and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice(BD) over Jerusalem
    and take delight(BE) in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying(BF)
    will be heard in it no more.

20 “Never again will there be in it
    an infant(BG) who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not live out his years;(BH)
the one who dies at a hundred
    will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
    will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses(BI) and dwell in them;
    they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.(BJ)
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,(BK)
    or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,(BL)
    so will be the days(BM) of my people;
my chosen(BN) ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,(BO)
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;(BP)
for they will be a people blessed(BQ) by the Lord,
    they and their descendants(BR) with them.
24 Before they call(BS) I will answer;(BT)
    while they are still speaking(BU) I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb(BV) will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,(BW)
    and dust will be the serpent’s(BX) food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,”(BY)
says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 65:20 Or the sinner who reaches