1I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by[1] my name. (Isa 2:2; Isa 18:7; Isa 19:19; Isa 19:25; Zec 14:16; Ro 10:20; Eph 2:12)2I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; (Ro 10:21)3a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks; (Isa 1:29; Isa 57:3; Isa 66:17)4who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels; (Isa 66:17)5who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. (Isa 1:31; Isa 9:18)6Behold, it is written before me: “I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their lap (Ps 50:3; Ps 79:12; Jer 2:22; Jer 16:18; Jer 17:1)7both your iniquities and your fathers’ iniquities together, says the Lord; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their lap payment for their former deeds.”[2] (Ex 20:5; Eze 20:27; Mt 23:35)8Thus says the Lord: “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,’ so I will do for my servants’ sake, and not destroy them all. (Isa 2:21; Isa 17:6)9I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah possessors of my mountains; my chosen shall possess it, and my servants shall dwell there. (Isa 27:6; Isa 37:31)10Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have sought me. (Jos 7:26; Isa 33:9; Isa 35:2; Isa 51:1; Ho 2:15)11But you who forsake the Lord, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny, (Jos 24:20; Isa 65:25; Eze 23:41; Joe 3:17; 1Co 10:21)12I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.” (Pr 1:24; Isa 66:4; Jer 7:13)13Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; (Ps 22:26; Isa 55:1)14behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit. (Ps 5:11)15You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord God will put you to death, but his servants he will call by another name, (De 28:37; Isa 62:2; Isa 65:9; Jer 29:22; Zec 8:13)16so that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes. (De 32:4; Isa 43:18; Jer 4:2)
New Heavens and a New Earth
17“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. (Isa 66:22; 2Pe 3:13; Re 21:1)18But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. (Jer 31:7)19I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. (Isa 35:10; Isa 62:5; Isa 66:10; Re 21:4)20No more shall 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 young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. (Pr 3:2; Ec 8:12)21They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. (De 28:30; Eze 28:26)22They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy[3] the work of their hands. (Ps 92:12; Isa 65:21)23They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity,[4] for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. (De 28:41; Ps 115:12; Isa 49:4; Isa 61:9)24Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. (Ps 32:5; Da 9:21)25The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord. (Ge 3:14; Isa 11:6; Isa 11:9; Mic 7:17)
Isaiah 65
New International Version
Judgment and salvation
1‘I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, “Here am I, here am I.”2All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations –3a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick;4who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;5who say, “Keep away; don’t come near me, for I am too sacred for you!” Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day.6‘See, it stands written before me; I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps –7both your sins and the sins of your ancestors,’ says the Lord. ‘Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds.’8This is what the Lord says: ‘As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and people say, “Don’t destroy it, there is still a blessing in it,” so will I do on behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all.9I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live.10Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting-place for herds, for my people who seek me.11‘But as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,12I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will fall in the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.’13Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.14My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit.15You will leave your name for my chosen ones to use in their curses; the Sovereign Lord will put you to death, but to his servants he will give another name.16Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the one true God; whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the one true God. For the past troubles 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. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.18But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.19I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.20‘Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach[1] a hundred will be considered accursed.21They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.22No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.23They will not labour in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.24Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.25The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,’ says the Lord.
Isaiah 65
King James Version
1I am sought of them that asked not for me ; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.2I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;3A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;4Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine' flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;5Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.6Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,7Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.8Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants'sakes, that I may not destroy them all.9And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.10And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.11But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.12Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.13Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:14Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.15And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:16That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.17For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.18But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.19And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.20There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.21And they shall build houses, and inhabit them ; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.22They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.23They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.24And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent' meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
Isaiah 65
New International Reader’s Version
The Lord judges and saves
1The LORD says, ‘I made myself known to those who were not asking for me. I was found by those who were not trying to find me. I spoke to a nation that did not pray to me. “Here I am,” I said. “Here I am.”2All day long I have held out my hands to welcome a stubborn nation. They lead sinful lives. They go where their evil thoughts take them.3They are always making me very angry. They do it right in front of me. They offer sacrifices in the gardens of other gods. They burn incense on altars that are made out of bricks.4They sit among the graves. They spend their nights talking to the spirits of the dead. They eat the meat of pigs. Their cooking pots hold soup that has “unclean” meat in it.5They say, “Keep away! Don’t come near us! We are too sacred for you!” Those people are like smoke in my nose. They are like a fire that keeps burning all day.6‘I will judge them. I have even written it down. I will not keep silent. Instead, I will pay them back for all their sins.7I will punish them for their sins. I will also punish them for the sins of their people before them.’ This is what the LORD says. ‘They burned sacrifices on the mountains. They disobeyed me by worshipping other gods on the hills. So I will make sure they are fully punished for all the sins they have committed.’8The LORD says, ‘Sometimes juice is still left in grapes that have been crushed. So people say, “Don’t destroy them.” They are still of some benefit.’ That is what I will do for the good of those who serve me. I will not destroy all my people.9I will give children to the families of Jacob and Judah. They will possess my entire land. My chosen people will be given all of it. Those who serve me will live there.10Their flocks will eat in the rich grasslands of Sharon. Their herds will rest in the Valley of Achor. That is what I will do for my people who follow me.11‘But some of you have deserted me. You no longer worship on my holy mountain of Zion. You spread a table for the god called Good Fortune. You offer bowls of mixed wine to the god named Fate.12So I will make it your fate to be killed by swords. All of you will die in the battle. That’s because I called out to you, but you did not answer me. I spoke to you, but you did not listen. You did what is evil in my sight. You chose to do what does not please me.’13So the LORD and King says, ‘Those who serve me will have food to eat. But you will be hungry. My servants will have plenty to drink. But you will be thirsty. Those who serve me will be full of joy. But you will be put to shame.14My servants will sing with joy in their hearts. But you will cry out because of the great pain in your hearts. You will cry because your spirits are sad.15My chosen ones will use your names when they curse others. I am your LORD and King. I will put you to death. But I will give new names to those who serve me.16They will ask me to bless their land. They will do it in my name. I am the one true God. They will make promises in their land. They will do it in my name. I am the one true God. The troubles of the past will be forgotten. They will be hidden from my eyes.
The Lord will create new heavens and a new earth
17‘I will create new heavens and a new earth. The things that have happened before will not be remembered. They will not even enter your minds.18So be glad and full of joy for ever because of what I will create. I will cause others to take delight in Jerusalem. They will be filled with joy when they see its people.19And I will be full of joy because of Jerusalem. I will take delight in my people. Weeping and crying will not be heard there anymore.20‘Babies in Jerusalem will no longer live only a few days. Old people will not fail to live for a very long time. Those who live to the age of 100 will be thought of as mere children when they die. Those who die before they are 100 will be considered as having been under God’s curse.21My people will build houses and live in them. They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.22They will no longer build houses only to have others live in them. They will no longer plant crops only to have others eat them. My people will live to be as old as trees. My chosen ones will enjoy for a long time the things they have worked for.23Their work will not be worthless anymore. They will not have children who are sure to face sudden terror. Instead, I will bless them. I will also bless their children after them.24Even before they call out to me, I will answer them. While they are still speaking, I will hear them.25Wolves and lambs will eat together. Lions will eat straw like oxen. Snakes will eat nothing but dust. None of those animals will harm or destroy anything or anyone on my holy mountain of Zion,’ says the LORD.