Isaiah 65

1 Those who before were not asking for me have sought me. Those who have not sought me have found me. I said, “Behold, it is I! Behold, it is I!” to a nation which was not invoking my name.

I have heard those that made no supplication; I have been found by those who sought me not; I said, Here I am, here I am, To a people that called not upon my name.

2 I have extended my hands all day long to an unbelieving people, who advance along a way that is not good, following their own thoughts,

I have spread out my hands all the day To a rebellious people, That walketh in an evil way, According to their own devices;

3 to a people who provoke me to anger before my face continually, who immolate in the gardens, and who sacrifice upon the bricks.

To a people that provoke me to my face continually; That sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense on tiles;

4 They live in sepulchers, and they sleep in the shrines of idols. They eat the flesh of swine, and a profane elixir is in their vessels.

That sit in sepulchres, And lodge in caverns; That eat swine's flesh, And have broth of unclean things in their vessels;

5 They say: “Depart from me! Do not approach me, for you are unclean!” Such as these will be the smoke in my fury, a fire burning all day long.

Who yet 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 continually.

6 Behold, it has been written in my sight; I will not be silent. Instead, I will render retribution into their sinews.

Behold, it stands recorded before me; I will not keep silence, but will requite; I will requite it into their bosoms;

7 Your iniquities are joined with the iniquities of your fathers, says the Lord. For they have sacrificed upon the mountains, and they have offended me upon the hills. And so, I will measure back to them, from their first work, into their sinews.

Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith Jehovah, Who burnt incense on the mountains, And dishonored me on the hills, I will pour the full recompense of their former deeds into their bosom.

8 Thus says the Lord: In the same way as it is said about a grain found in a cluster, “Do not destroy it, because it is a blessing,” so will I act for the sake of my servants, so that I may not destroy the whole.

Thus saith Jehovah: As when juice is found in a cluster, Men say, “Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it”; So will I do, for the sake of my servants, and will not destroy the whole;

9 And I will lead forth an offspring from Jacob, and a possessor of my mountains from Judah. And my elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall live there.

I will cause a stem to spring forth from Jacob, And from Judah a possessor of my mountains; My chosen shall possess the land, And my servants shall dwell there.

10 And the open plains will become sheepfolds for the flocks, and the valley of Achor will become a domicile for the herds, for my people who have sought me.

And Sharon shall be a fold for flocks, And the valley of Achor a resting-place for herds, For my people that have sought me.

11 And you who have forsaken the Lord, who have forgotten my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune, and who offer libations concerning her:

But ye, who have forsaken Jehovah, And have forgotten my holy mountain, That prepare a table for Fortune, And fill the cup for Destiny,

12 I will number you with the sword, and you will all fall by slaughter. For I called and you did not respond; I spoke, and you did not listen. And you did what is evil in my eyes; and what I did not will, you have chosen.

Yourselves do I destine to the sword, And all of you shall bow down before the slaughter; Because I called, and ye answered not, I spake, and ye would not hear, But did that which is evil in my sight, And chose that in which I had no delight.

13 Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Behold, my servants will eat, and you will be hungry. Behold, my servants will drink, and you will be thirsty.

Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, my servants shall eat, and ye shall be hungry; Behold, my servants shall drink, and ye shall be thirsty; Behold, my servants shall rejoice, and ye shall be confounded;

14 Behold, my servants will rejoice, and you will be confounded. Behold, my servants will give praise in exultation of heart, and you will cry out in sorrow of heart, and you will wail in contrition of spirit.

Behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, But ye shall shriek for sorrow of heart, And howl for anguish of spirit.

15 And you will leave behind your name to my elect as a curse. And the Lord God will put you to death, and he will call his servants by another name.

And ye shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen, And the Lord Jehovah shall slay you; But his servants will he call by another name.

16 By that name, whoever is blessed on earth, will be blessed in God. Amen! And whoever swears on earth, will swear by God. Amen! For the past anguishes have been delivered into oblivion, and they have been hidden from my eyes.

Whoso blesseth himself in the land Shall bless by the true God; And he that sweareth in the land shall swear by the true God; For the former troubles are forgotten, And they are hid from mine eyes.

17 For behold, I create the new heavens and the new earth. And the former things will not be in memory and will not enter into the heart.

For behold! I create new heavens, and a new earth; The former ones shall not be remembered, Nor shall they be brought to mind any more.

18 But you will be glad and exult, even forever, in these things that I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem as an exultation, and its people as a joy.

But ye shall be glad and exult forever In that which I create; For behold! I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, And her people a joy.

19 And I will exult in Jerusalem, and I will rejoice in my people. And neither a voice of weeping, nor a voice of outcry, will be heard in her anymore.

And I will exult in Jerusalem, And rejoice in my people; No more shall be heard therein The voice of weeping and the cry of distress.

20 There will no longer be an infant of only a few days there, nor an elder who does not complete his days. For a mere child dies at a hundred years of age, and a sinner of a hundred years will be accursed.

There shall not be there an infant child, nor an old man, That hath not filled the measure of his years; For he that dieth a hundred years old shall die a youth, And the sinner dying a hundred years old shall be held accursed.

21 And they will build houses, and will inhabit them. And they will plant vineyards, and will eat their fruits.

They shall build houses, and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them;

22 They will not build, so that another may inhabit. They will not plant, so that another may eat. For according to the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people. And the works of their hands will be long-standing.

They shall not build, and another inhabit; They shall not plant, and another eat; For as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, Yea, long shall my chosen enjoy the work of their hands.

23 My elect will not labor in vain, and they will not bring forth in disorder. For they are the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their posterity are with them.

They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for early death; For they are a race blessed by Jehovah, And their offspring shall remain to them.

24 And this shall be: before they call out, I will perceive; while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Before they call, I will answer; And while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb will pasture together. The lion and the ox will eat hay. And dust will be the food of the serpent. They will not harm, and they will not kill, on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, And the lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the food of the serpent. They shall not hurt, nor destroy, in all my holy mountain, Saith Jehovah.