Isaiah 65

Chapter 65

Judgment and Final Salvation

1 The LORD says,
“I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.
I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’
to a nation that did not call on my name.t2 All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people.t
But they follow their own evil paths
and their own crooked schemes.3 All day long they insult me to my face
by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens.
They burn incense on pagan altars.4 At night they go out among the graves,
worshiping the dead.
They eat the flesh of pigs
and make stews with other forbidden foods.5 Yet they say to each other,
‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me!
I am holier than you!’
These people are a stench in my nostrils,
an acrid smell that never goes away.6 “Look, my decree is written outt in front of me:
I will not stand silent;
I will repay them in full!
Yes, I will repay them—7 both for their own sins
and for those of their ancestors,”
says the LORD.
“For they also burned incense on the mountains
and insulted me on the hills.
I will pay them back in full!8 “But I will not destroy them all,”
says the LORD.
“For just as good grapes are found among a cluster of bad ones
(and someone will say, ‘Don’t throw them all away—
some of those grapes are good!’),
so I will not destroy all Israel.
For I still have true servants there.9 I will preserve a remnant of the people of Israelt
and of Judah to possess my land.
Those I choose will inherit it,
and my servants will live there.10 The plain of Sharon will again be filled with flocks
for my people who have searched for me,
and the valley of Achor will be a place to pasture herds.11 “But because the rest of you have forsaken the LORD
and have forgotten his Temple,
and because you have prepared feasts to honor the god of Fate
and have offered mixed wine to the god of Destiny,12 now I will ‘destine’ you for the sword.
All of you will bow down before the executioner.
For when I called, you did not answer.
When I spoke, you did not listen.
You deliberately sinned—before my very eyes—
and chose to do what you know I despise.”13 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
“My servants will eat,
but you will starve.
My servants will drink,
but you will be thirsty.
My servants will rejoice,
but you will be sad and ashamed.14 My servants will sing for joy,
but you will cry in sorrow and despair.15 Your name will be a curse word among my people,
for the Sovereign LORD will destroy you
and will call his true servants by another name.16 All who invoke a blessing or take an oath
will do so by the God of truth.
For I will put aside my anger
and forget the evil of earlier days.17 “Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth,
and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.18 Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!
And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness.
Her people will be a source of joy.19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and delight in my people.
And the sound of weeping and crying
will be heard in it no more.20 “No longer will babies die when only a few days old.
No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life.
No longer will people be considered old at one hundred!
Only the cursed will die that young!21 In those days people will live in the houses they build
and eat the fruit of their own vineyards.22 Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses
and confiscate their vineyards.
For my people will live as long as trees,
and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains.23 They will not work in vain,
and their children will not be doomed to misfortune.
For they are people blessed by the LORD,
and their children, too, will be blessed.24 I will answer them before they even call to me.
While they are still talking about their needs,
I will go ahead and answer their prayers!25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
But the snakes will eat dust.
In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”

ISAIAH 65

The [Lord] Will Punish //the Guilty

1  t I, the [Lord], was ready
to answer even those
who were not asking
and to be found by those
who were not searching.
To a nation that refused
to worship me, t
I said, “Here I am!”

2  t All day long I have reached out
to stubborn and sinful people
going their own way.

3 They keep making me angry
by sneering at me,
while offering sacrifices
to idols in gardens
and burning incense
to them on bricks.

4 They spend their nights
hiding in burial caves;
they eat the meat of pigs, t
cooked in sauces
made of stuff unfit to eat.

5 And then they say to others,
“Don't come near us!
We're dedicated to God.”
Such people are like smoke,
irritating my nose all day.

6 I have written this down;
I won't keep silent.
I'll pay them back
just as their sins deserve.

7 I, the [Lord], will make them pay
for their sins and for those
of their ancestors—
they have disgraced me
by burning incense
on mountains.

8 Here is what the [Lord] says:
A cluster of grapes
that produces wine
is worth keeping!
So, because of my servants,
I won't destroy everyone.

9 I have chosen the people
of Israel and Judah,
and I will bless them
with many descendants.
They will settle here
in this land of mountains,
and it will be theirs.

10  t My people will worship me.
Then the coastlands of Sharon
and the land as far
as Achor Valleyt
will turn into pastureland
where cattle and sheep
will feed and rest.

11 What will I, the [Lord], do
if any of you reject me
and my holy mountain?
What will happen to you
for offering food and wine
to the gods you call
“Good Luck” and “Fate”?

12 Your luck will end!
I will see to it that you
are slaughtered with swords.
You refused to answer
when I called out;
you paid no attention
to my instructions.
Instead, you did what I hated,
knowing it was wrong.

13 I, the [Lord] God, will give
food and drink to my servants,
and they will celebrate.
But all of you sinners
will go hungry and thirsty,
overcome with disgrace.

14 My servants will laugh and sing,
but you will be sad
and cry out in pain.

15 I, the [Lord] God, promise
to see that you are killed
and that my chosen servants use
your names as curse words.
But I will give new namest
to my servants.t

16 I am God! I can be trusted.
Your past troubles are gone;
I no longer think of them.
When you pray for someone
to receive a blessing,
or when you make a promise,
you must do it in my name.
I alone am the God
who can be trusted.

The [Lord]'s New Creation

17  t I am creating new heavens
and a new earth;
everything of the past
will be forgotten.

18 Celebrate and be glad forever!
I am creating a Jerusalem,
full of happy people.

19  t I will celebrate with Jerusalem
and all its people;
there will be no more crying
or sorrow in that city.

20 No child will die in infancy;
everyone will live
a very long life.
Anyone a hundred years old
will be considered young,
and to die younger than that
will be considered a curse.

21 My people will live
in the houses they build;
they will enjoy grapes
from their own vineyards.

22 No one will take away
their homes or vineyards.
My chosen people will live
to be as old as trees,
and they will enjoy
what they have earned.

23 Their work won't be wasted,
and their children won't die
of dreadful diseases.t
I will bless their children
and their grandchildren.

24 I will answer their prayers
before they finish praying.

25  t Wolves and lambs
will graze together;
lions and oxen
will feed on straw.
Snakes will eat only dirt!
They won't bite or harm anyone
on my holy mountain.
I, the [Lord], have spoken!