Isaiah 65

1 “I have been inquired of by those who did not ask, I have been found by those who did not seek Me, I have said, Behold Me, behold Me, To a nation not calling on My Name.

[This is what Yahweh said]: “I was ready to reply [to my people], but no one requested me [to help them]. I was ready to help [even] those who did not call out to me. I continued to say, ‘I am here [to help you]!’

2 I have spread out My hands all the day To an apostate people, Who are going in the way [that is] not good, After their own thoughts.

[It is as though] I have continually held out my arms [to show that I am ready to help] my people who rebel [against me], and who [continually] do the evil things that they want to do.

3 The people who are continually provoking Me to anger, To My face, Sacrificing in gardens, and making incense on the bricks:

They boldly continue to do things that cause me to be angry: They offer sacrifices [to their idols] in their gardens, and they burn incense [to them] on [altars made of] bricks.

4 Who are dwelling among tombs, And lodge in reserved places, Who are eating flesh of the sow, And a piece of abominations—their vessels.

They secretly remain awake at night in burial caves, [talking with the spirits of] ([dead people/their ancestors]). They eat the meat of pigs, and their pots are full of [other] meat that is [also] unacceptable to me.

5 Who are saying, Keep to yourself, do not come near to me, For I have declared you unholy. These [are] smoke in My anger, A fire burning all the day.

[Then] they say [to others], ‘Stay away from me; do not come near me, because I am very holy, [with the result that you should not touch me].’ People like that are [like] [MET] smoke in my nose [from] a fire that burns continually.

6 Behold, it is written before Me: I am not silent, but have repaid; And I have repaid into their bosom,

I have written [a record of all the evil things that they have done]. And I will not do nothing about all those things; I will certainly punish them

7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together,” said YHWH, “Who have made incense on the mountains, And have reproached Me on the heights, And I have measured their former work into their bosom.”

for the sins that they and their ancestors have committed. They have mocked/insulted me by burning incense [to their idols] on the hilltops. So I will punish them like they deserve for doing those things.”

8 Thus said YHWH: “As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one has said, Do not destroy it for a blessing [is] in it, So I do for My servants’ sake, Not to destroy the whole.

This is [also] what Yahweh said: “When there is a cluster of nice grapes on a vine, people do not throw them away, because they know that there is good juice in those grapes. Similarly, because there are some people [in Judah] who faithfully serve/worship me, I will not get rid of all of them.

9 And I have brought out a Seed from Jacob, And from Judah a Possessor of My mountain, And My chosen ones possess it, And My servants dwell there.

I will spare some of the descendants of Jacob who are living on the hills of Judah. I have chosen them, and they will possess that land; they will worship/serve me, and they will live there.

10 And Sharon has been for the habitation of a flock, And the Valley of Achor for the lying down of a herd, For My people who have sought Me.

[Then all the land from the] Sharon [Plain near the Mediterranean Sea] and [as far east as] Achor Valley [near Jericho] will become pastureland where their cattle and sheep will rest.

11 And you [are] those forsaking YHWH, Who are forgetting My holy mountain, Who are setting a table in array for Gad, And who are filling a mixture for Meni.

But [it will be different] for you who have abandoned me, you who do not worship me on [Zion], my sacred hill, you who worship Gad and Meni, [the gods who you think will bring you] good luck and good fortune.

12 And I have numbered you for the sword, And all of you bow down for slaughter, Because I called, and you have not answered, I have spoken, and you have not listened, And you do evil in My eyes, And on that which I did not desire—fixed.”

[It is I, not Meni, who will decide/say what will happen to you]; you will all [be slaughtered by] swords. [That will happen] because you did not answer when I called out to you. I spoke to you, but you did not pay attention. Instead, you did things that I said are evil; you chose to do things that do not please me.

13 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: “Behold, My servants eat, and you hunger, Behold, My servants drink, and you thirst, Behold, My servants rejoice, and you are ashamed,

I, Yahweh the Lord, will give to those who worship and obey me things to eat and drink, and they will be happy; but [all] you evil people will be hungry and thirsty, and you will be [sad and] disgraced.

14 Behold, My servants sing from joy of heart, And you cry from pain of heart, And you howl from breaking of spirit.

Those who worship and obey me will sing joyfully, but you [evil people] will wail loudly because you will be suffering in your inner beings.

15 And you have left your name For an oath for My chosen ones, And Lord YHWH has put you to death, And He gives another name to His servants;

Those whom I have chosen will use your names when they curse people; [I], Yahweh the Lord, will get rid of you. But I will give to those who worship and obey me a new name [that they will use when they bless people].

16 So that he who is blessing himself in the earth, Blesses himself in the God of faithfulness, And he who is swearing in the earth, Swears by the God of faithfulness, Because the former distresses have been forgotten, And because they have been hid from My eyes.

The people in this land have had many troubles, but I will cause those troubles to occur no more. Therefore those who ask me to bless them and those who solemnly promise to do something should never forget that I am God, who faithfully [do what I promise to do].”

17 For behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth, And the former things are not remembered, Nor do they ascend on the heart.

“Note this: [Some day] I will create a new heaven and a new earth. [They will be very wonderful, with the result that] you will no longer think about all [the troubles] you had previously.

18 But rejoice, and rejoice forever, that I [am] Creator, For behold, I am creating Jerusalem [to be] a rejoicing, And her people a joy.

Be glad and always rejoice because of what I will do: Jerusalem will be a place where [people] rejoice; the people who live there will always be happy.

19 And I have rejoiced in Jerusalem, And have rejoiced in My people, And the voice of weeping is not heard in her anymore, and the voice of crying.

I will rejoice about Jerusalem, and I will be delighted with my people. [People] will no longer weep or cry because of being distressed.

20 There is not a suckling of [mere] days there anymore, And an aged man who does not complete his days, For the youth dies one hundred years old, And the sinner, one hundred years old, is lightly esteemed.

No child will die when it is still an infant; all people will live until they are very old. [People will consider that] anyone who is 100 years old is still young; [they will consider that] anyone who dies who is younger than that has been cursed.

21 And they have built houses, and inhabited, And planted vineyards, and eaten their fruit.

My people will build houses and [then] live in them. They will plant vineyards and then eat grapes from those vineyards.

22 They do not build, and another inhabit, They do not plant, and another eat, For as the days of a tree [are] the days of My people, And My chosen wear out the work of their hands.

As for the houses that they build, no one will [take those houses away from them and] live in them. No one will take a vineyard away from its owner. My chosen people will live a long time, like trees do, and they will enjoy what they have accomplished— [the houses that they have built and the crops that they have planted].

23 They do not labor for a vain thing, Nor do they bring forth for trouble, For they [are] the seed of the blessed of YHWH, And their offspring with them.

They will not work hard in vain, and their children will not die from some (calamity/terrible thing happening to them). I will [certainly] bless their children and their grandchildren.

24 And it has come to pass, They do not yet call, and I answer, They are yet speaking, and I hear.

Before they call to me [to help them], I will answer; I will answer their prayers while they are still praying [for me to do something for them].

25 Wolf and lamb feed as one, And a lion eats straw as an ox, As for the serpent—its food [is] dust, They do no evil, nor destroy, In all My holy mountain,” said YHWH!

No one will be harmed or injured anywhere on [Zion], my sacred hill: Wolves and lambs will eat grass together [peacefully]; lions will eat hay like oxen do, [and they will not attack people]. Snakes will [not hurt anyone; they will lie on the ground and] eat [only] dirt. [That is surely what it will be like because I], Yahweh, have said it.”