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Where God may be found

66 The Lord says:
Heaven is my throne,
    and earth is my footstool.
So where could you build a house for me,
    and where could my resting place be?
My hand made all these things
    and brought them into being, says the Lord.
But here is where I will look:
    to the humble and contrite in spirit,
    who tremble at my word.

The one who slaughters an ox kills a person;
    the one who sacrifices a sheep breaks a dog’s neck;
    the one who makes a grain offering offers swine’s blood;
    the one who burns incense blesses an idol.
    All these have chosen their own ways,
    and prefer their detestable things.
So I too will choose to punish them,
    to bring horrors upon them,
    since I called and no one answered.
    I spoke and no one heard,
        but they did evil in my eyes.
    What I didn’t want, they chose.

Listen to the Lord’s word,
    you who tremble at his word:
Your family members, those who hate and exclude you because of my name,
    have said, “Let the Lord be glorified;
    let’s see your joy.”
    But they will be ashamed.
The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple!
    The sound of the Lord repaying his enemies what they have earned.

Mother Zion

Before she was in labor, she gave birth.
    Before her pangs came upon her, she delivered a boy.
Whoever heard of such a thing?
    Whoever saw such things as these?
Can a land come to birth in one day?
    Can a nation be born all at once?
Yet as soon as birth pangs came,
    Zion bore her children.
Will I open the womb and not bring to birth? says the Lord.
    Will I, who create life, close the womb? says your God.
10 Celebrate with Jerusalem; be happy with her,
    all you who love her!
Rejoice with her in joy,
    all you who mourn over her,
11     so that you may nurse and be satisfied
    from her comforting breasts,
    that you may drink and be refreshed
    from her full breasts.
12 The Lord says:
    Look, I’m extending prosperity to her like a river,
    and the wealth of nations like an overflowing stream.
You will nurse and be carried on the hip
    and bounced upon the knee.

13 As a mother comforts her child,
    so I will comfort you;
    in Jerusalem you will be comforted.
14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice;
    your entire being will flourish like grass.
The Lord’s power will be known among his servants,
    but his fury among his enemies.
15 The Lord will come with fire,
    God’s chariots like a windstorm,
    to repay in hot anger,
    to rebuke with fiery flames.
16 With fire and with sword the Lord will judge all humanity;
    many will be slain by the Lord.

17 Those who became holy and purify themselves, following their leader into the gardens,[a] who eat pork, detestable animals, and mice, will meet their end together, says the Lord.

Worshippers gathered from the nations

18 Because of their actions and thoughts, I’m coming to gather all nations and cultures. They will come to see my glory. 19 I will put a sign on them, by sending out some of the survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Libya, and Lydia, and to the archers of Cilicia and Greece—distant coastlands that haven’t heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will declare my glory among the nations. 20 They will bring your family members from all nations as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels—to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, like Israelites bringing an offering in purified containers to the Lord’s house. 21 I will select some of them as priests and Levites, says the Lord.

22 As the new heavens and the new earth that I’m making will endure before me, says the Lord,
    so your descendants and your name will endure.
23 From month to month and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
    all humanity will come to worship me, says the Lord.
24 They will go out and see the corpses
    of the people who rebelled against me,
    where their worm never dies, where their fire is never extinguished.
        They will be a horror to everyone.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 66:17 Heb uncertain

Judgment and Hope

66 This is what the Lord says:

“Heaven is my throne,(A)
    and the earth is my footstool.(B)
Where is the house(C) you will build for me?
    Where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things,(D)
    and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.

“These are the ones I look on with favor:
    those who are humble and contrite in spirit,(E)
    and who tremble at my word.(F)
But whoever sacrifices a bull(G)
    is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
    is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
    is like one who presents pig’s(H) blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense(I)
    is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,(J)
    and they delight in their abominations;(K)
so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
    and will bring on them what they dread.(L)
For when I called, no one answered,(M)
    when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil(N) in my sight
    and chose what displeases me.”(O)

Hear the word of the Lord,
    you who tremble at his word:(P)
“Your own people who hate(Q) you,
    and exclude you because of my name, have said,
‘Let the Lord be glorified,
    that we may see your joy!’
    Yet they will be put to shame.(R)
Hear that uproar from the city,
    hear that noise from the temple!
It is the sound(S) of the Lord
    repaying(T) his enemies all they deserve.

“Before she goes into labor,(U)
    she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
    she delivers a son.(V)
Who has ever heard of such things?
    Who has ever seen(W) things like this?
Can a country be born in a day(X)
    or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
    than she gives birth to her children.(Y)
Do I bring to the moment of birth(Z)
    and not give delivery?” says the Lord.
“Do I close up the womb
    when I bring to delivery?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice(AA) with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
    all you who love(AB) her;
rejoice greatly with her,
    all you who mourn(AC) over her.
11 For you will nurse(AD) and be satisfied
    at her comforting breasts;(AE)
you will drink deeply
    and delight in her overflowing abundance.”(AF)

12 For this is what the Lord says:

“I will extend peace(AG) to her like a river,(AH)
    and the wealth(AI) of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried(AJ) on her arm
    and dandled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child,(AK)
    so will I comfort(AL) you;
    and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice(AM)
    and you will flourish(AN) like grass;
the hand(AO) of the Lord will be made known to his servants,(AP)
    but his fury(AQ) will be shown to his foes.
15 See, the Lord is coming with fire,(AR)
    and his chariots(AS) are like a whirlwind;(AT)
he will bring down his anger with fury,
    and his rebuke(AU) with flames of fire.
16 For with fire(AV) and with his sword(AW)
    the Lord will execute judgment(AX) on all people,
    and many will be those slain(AY) by the Lord.

17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens,(AZ) following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs,(BA) rats(BB) and other unclean things—they will meet their end(BC) together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.

18 “And I, because of what they have planned and done,(BD) am about to come[a] and gather the people of all nations(BE) and languages, and they will come and see my glory.(BF)

19 “I will set a sign(BG) among them, and I will send some of those who survive(BH) to the nations—to Tarshish,(BI) to the Libyans[b] and Lydians(BJ) (famous as archers), to Tubal(BK) and Greece,(BL) and to the distant islands(BM) that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.(BN) They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring(BO) all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain(BP) in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,”(BQ) says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.(BR) 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests(BS) and Levites,” says the Lord.

22 “As the new heavens and the new earth(BT) that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.(BU) 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath(BV) to another, all mankind will come and bow down(BW) before me,” says the Lord. 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies(BX) of those who rebelled(BY) against me; the worms(BZ) that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched,(CA) and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 66:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  2. Isaiah 66:19 Some Septuagint manuscripts Put (Libyans); Hebrew Pul