1This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting-place be?2Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares the Lord. ‘These are the ones I look on with favour: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.3But whoever sacrifices a bull 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 blood, and whoever burns memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations;4so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread. For when I called, no-one answered, when I spoke, no-one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.’5Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word; ‘Your own people who hate 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.6Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies all they deserve.7‘Before she goes into labour, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son.8Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labour than she gives birth to her children.9Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?’ says the Lord. ‘Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?’ says your God.10‘Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.11For you will feed and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.’12For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will feed and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.13As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.’14When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.15See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.16For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by the Lord.17‘Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things – they will meet their end together with the one they follow,’ declares the Lord.18‘And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come[1] and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.19‘I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations – to Tarshish, to the Libyans[2] and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.20And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord – on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,’ says the Lord. ‘They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.21And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,’ says the Lord.22‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so will your name and descendants endure.23From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,’ says the Lord.24‘And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.’
Isaiah 66
English Standard Version
The Humble and Contrite in Spirit
1Thus says the Lord: “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? (1Ki 8:27; Mt 5:34; Ac 7:49; Ac 17:24)2All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (1Ch 29:14; Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15)3“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 pig’s blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations; (Isa 1:11; Isa 65:4; Jer 7:24)4I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight.” (Isa 30:16; Isa 51:12; Isa 65:12; Jer 7:31)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, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy’; but it is they who shall be put to shame. (Isa 5:19)6“The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the Lord, rendering recompense to his enemies! (Isa 63:4; Isa 65:6)
Rejoice with Jerusalem
7“Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. (Isa 13:8)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 as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. (Isa 66:7)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“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; (Isa 65:19)11that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.”[1]12For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. (Isa 48:18; Isa 60:16)13As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. (Isa 35:10; Isa 51:12)14You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies. (Ezr 8:22; Ezr 8:31; Isa 58:11)
Final Judgment and Glory of the Lord
15“For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. (Ps 68:17; Isa 33:14; Mal 3:1; 2Th 1:7)16For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many. (Ps 97:3; Joe 3:2)17“Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord. (Isa 65:3; Isa 65:4; Isa 65:5)18“For I know[2] their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming[3] to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, (Isa 2:2; Zec 14:16)19and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. (Ge 10:2; Ge 10:5; 1Ki 10:22; Isa 45:20; Jer 46:9; Eze 27:10; Eze 27:13; Ro 15:20)20And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations 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. (Isa 14:2; Isa 49:22; Ro 15:16)21And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord. (Ex 19:6; Isa 61:6; 1Pe 2:9; Re 1:6)22“For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain. (Ps 89:29; Isa 53:10; Isa 65:17)23From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord. (Ps 86:9; Zec 14:16)24“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (Mr 9:48; Re 21:8)