Isaiah 66

1 Thus saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest?2 For all these things hath my hand made, and so all these things came to be, saith Jehovah: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word.3 He that killeth an ox is as he that slayeth a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as he that breaketh a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as he that offereth swine’s blood; he that burneth frankincense, as he that blesseth an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations:4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not.5 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see your joy; but it is they that shall be put to shame.6 A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that rendereth recompense to his enemies.7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child.8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? shall a nation be brought forth at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith Jehovah: shall I that cause to bring forth shut the womb? saith thy God.10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her;11 that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.12 For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: and ye shall suck thereof; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees.13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.14 And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass: and the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants; and he will have indignation against his enemies.15 For, behold, Jehovah will come with fire, and his chariots shall be like the whirlwind; to render his anger with fierceness, and his rebuke with flames of fire.16 For by fire will Jehovah execute judgment, and by his sword, upon all flesh; and the slain of Jehovah shall be many.17 They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves to go unto the gardens, behind one in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, they shall come to an end together, saith Jehovah.18 For I know their works and their thoughts: the time cometh, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and shall see my glory.19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send such as escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations.20 And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an oblation unto Jehovah, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring their oblation in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah.21 And of them also will I take for priests and for Levites, saith Jehovah.22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain.23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Jehovah.24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

ISAIAH 66

True Worship

1  t t 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?

2 I have made everything;
that's how it all came to be.t
I, the [Lord], have spoken.
The people I treasure most
are the humble—
they depend only on me
and tremble when I speak.

3 You 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.t
You have made your own choice
to do these disgusting things
that you enjoy so much.

4 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.
Now I will punisht you
in a way you dread the most.

The [Lord] Will Help //Jerusalem

5 If 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.’t
But those who say these things
will be terribly ashamed.”

6 Do 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  t Have you ever heard of a woman
who gave birth to a child
before having labor pains?

8 Who 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.

9 The [Lord] is the one
who makes birth possible.
And he will see that Zion
has many more children.
The [Lord] has spoken.

10 If you love Jerusalem,
celebrate and shout!
If you were in sorrow
because of the city,
you can now be glad.

11 She will nurse and comfort you,
just like your own mother,
until you are satisfied.
You will fully enjoy
her wonderful glory.

12 The [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.

13 I will comfort you there
like a mother
comforting her child.”

14 When 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.

15 The [Lord] will come down
like a whirlwind
with his flaming chariots.
He will be furiously angry
and punish his enemies
with fire.

16 The [Lord]'s fiery sword
will bring justice
everywhere on this earth
and execute many people.

A Threat and a Promise

17 Some of you get yourselves ready and go to a garden to worship a foreign goddess.t You eat the meat of pigs, lizards, and mice. But I, the [Lord], will destroy you for this.
18 I know everything you do and think! The time has now comet to bring together the people of every language and nation and to show them my glory

19 by proving what I can do.t I will send the survivors to Tarshish, Pul, t Lud, Meshech, t Tubal, Javan, t and to the distant islands. I will send them to announce my wonderful glory to nations that have never heard about me.
20 They 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.t It will be like the people of Israel bringing the right offering to my temple.

21 I promise that some of them will be priests and others will be helpers in my temple. I, the [Lord], have spoken.
22  t 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.

23 On the first day of each month and on each Sabbath, everyone will worship me. I, the [Lord], have spoken.
24  t 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.