Amplified Bible (AMP)

Evil Leaders Rebuked

1 The righteous man perishes [at the hand of evil], and no one takes it to heart;

Faithfulanddevout men are taken away, while no one understands

That the righteous person is taken away [to be spared] from disasterandevil.

2 He enters into peace [through death];

They rest in their beds (graves),

Each onewho walked uprightly [following God’s will, living with integrity].

3 “But come here, you sons of a sorceress [raised in deception and superstition],

Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.

4 “Of whom do you make fun?

Against whom do you open wide your mouth

And stick out your tongue?

Are you not children of rebellion (sin),

Offspring of deceit,

5 Who inflame yourselves [with lust in pagan rites] among the oaks (terebinth trees),

Under every greenandleafy tree,

Who slaughter the children [in sacrifice] in the ravines

Under the clefts of the rocks?

6 “Among the smoothstonesof the ravine

Is your portion, they (the idols) are your lot;

Even to them you have poured out a drink offering,

You have offered a grain offering.

Should I be quiet concerning these things [leaving them unpunished–bearing them with patience]?

7 “Upon a high and lofty mountain

You have [openly and shamelessly] made your [idolatrous and adulterous] bed;

Even there you went up to offer sacrifice [to idols, in spiritual unfaithfulness to Me].

8 “Behind the door and the doorpost

You have set up your [pagan] symbol;

Indeed, far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself,

And have gone up and made your bed wide.

And you have made a [new] agreement for yourself with the adulterers,

You have loved their bed,

You have looked [with passion] on theirmanhood.

9 “You have gone tothe king [of a pagan land] with oil

And increased yourperfumes;

You have sent your messengers a great distance

And madethemgo down to Sheol (the realm of the dead).

10 “You were wearied by the length of your road,

Yetyou did not say, ‘It is no use.’

You foundrenewed strength,

Therefore you did not grow weak.

11 “About whom were you worried and fearful

That you lied and did notremember Me,

Norgive Me a thought?

Was I not silent even for a long time

And [as a result] you do not fear Me?

12 “I will declare your [hypocritical] righteousness and your deeds,

But they will not benefit you.

13 “When you cry out [for help], let your [ridiculous] collectionof idolssave you.

But the wind will carry them all away,

A [mere] breath will take them.

But he who takes refuge in Me will possess the land [Judea]

And will inherit My holy mountain.”

14 And it will be said,

“Build up, build up, clear the way.

Remove the stumbling block out of the way [of the spiritual return] of My people.”

15 For the high and exalted One

He who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy says this,

“I dwell on the high and holy place,

Butalsowith thecontrite and humble in spirit

In order to revive the spirit of the humble

And to revive the heart of the contrite [overcome with sorrow for sin].

16 “For I will not contend forever,

Nor will I always be angry;

For [if I did stay angry] the spirit [of man] would grow weak before Me,

And the breathof those whomI have created.

17 “Because of the wickedness of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him;

I hidMy faceand was angry,

And he went on turning awayandbacksliding, in the way of his [own willful] heart.

18 “I have seen his [willful] ways, but I will heal him;

I will lead him [also] and will restore comfort to him and to those who mourn for him,

19 As I create thepraise of his lips,

Peace, peace, to him who is far away [both Jew and Gentile] and to him who is near!”

Says the Lord;

“And I will heal him [making his lips blossom anew with thankful praise].”

20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea,

For it cannot be quiet,

And its waters toss up mire and mud.

21 “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Observances of Fasts

1 “Cry aloud, do not hold back;

Lift up your voice like a trumpet,

And declare to My people their transgression

And to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight [superficially] to know My ways,

As [if they were in reality] a nation that has done righteousness

And has not abandoned (turned away from) the ordinance of their God.

They ask of Me righteous judgments,

They delight in the nearness of God.

3 ‘Why have we fasted,’they say,‘and You do not see it?

Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’

Hear this [O Israel], on the day of your fast [when you should be grieving for your sins] you findsomething youdesire [to do],

And you force your hired servants to work [instead of stopping all work, as the law teaches].

4 “The facts are that you fastonlyfor strife and brawling and to strike with the fist of wickedness.

You do not fast asyou dotoday to make your voice heard on high.

5 “Is a fast such as this what I have chosen, a day for a man to humble himself [with sorrow in his soul]?

Is itonlyto bow down his head like a reed

And to make sackcloth and ashes as a bed [pretending to have a repentant heart]?

Do you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord?

6 “[Rather] is this not the fast which I choose,

To undo the bonds of wickedness,

To tear to pieces the ropes of the yoke,

To let the oppressed go free

And break apart every [enslaving] yoke?

7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry

And bring the homeless poor into the house;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

And not to hide yourself from [the needs of] your own fleshandblood?

8 “Then your light will break out like the dawn,

And your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth;

Your righteousness will go before you [leading you to peace and prosperity],

The glory of the Lordwill be your rear guard.

9 “Then you will call, and the Lordwill answer;

You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you take away from your midst the yoke [of oppression],

The finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and [every form of] wicked (sinful, unjust) speech,

10 And if you offer yourself to [assist] the hungry

And satisfy theneed of the afflicted,

Then your light will rise in darkness

And your gloomwill becomelike midday.

11 “And the Lordwill continually guide you,

And satisfy your soul in scorchedanddry places,

And give strength to your bones;

And you will be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

12 “And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins;

You will raise upandrestore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste];

You will be called Repairer of the Breach,

Restorer of Streetswith Dwellings.

Keeping the Sabbath

13 “If you turn back your foot from [unnecessary travel on] the Sabbath,

From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,

And call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, and the holy day of the Lordhonorable,

And honor it, not going your own way

Orengaging in your own pleasure

Or speaking your own [idle] words,

14 Then you will take pleasure in the Lord,

And I will make you ride on the high places of the earth,

And I will feed you with the [promised] heritage of Jacob your father;

For the mouth of the Lordhas spoken.”

Separation from God

1 Behold, the Lord’shand is not so short

That it cannot save,

Nor His ear soimpaired

That it cannot hear.

2 But your wickedness has separated you from your God,

And your sins have hiddenHisface from you so that He does not hear.

3 For your hands are defiled with blood

And your fingers with wickedness [with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing];

Your lips have spoken lies,

Your tongue mutters wickedness.

4 No one sues righteously [but for the sake of doing injury to others–to take some undue advantage], and no one pleads [his case] in truth; [but rather]

They trust in emptyargumentsand speak lies;

They conceive trouble and bring forth injustice.

5 They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s webs;

He who eats of their eggs dies,

Andfrom an eggwhich is crushed a viper breaks out.

6 Their webs will not serve as clothing,

Nor will they cover themselves with what they make;

Their works are works of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing],

And the act of violence is in their hands.

7 Their feet run to evil,

And they rush to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing];

Devastation and destruction are in their highways.

8 They do not know the way of peace,

And there is no justice in their tracks.

They have made them into crooked paths;

Whoever walks on them does not know peace.

A Confession of Wickedness

9 Therefore justice is far from us,

And righteousness does not overtake us.

We [expectantly] hope for light, but only see darkness;

We hopefor gleam of light,butwe walk in darknessandgloom.

10 We grope for a wall like the blind,

We grope like those who have no eyes.

We stumble at midday as in the twilight;

Among those who are healthywe arelike dead men.

11 We all groanandgrowl like bears,

And coo sadly like doves;

We hope for justice, but there is none,

For salvation, but it is far from us.

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You [O Lord],

And our sins testify against us;

For our transgressions are with us,

And we knowandrecognize our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]:

13 Rebelling against and denying the Lord,

Turning away from [following] our God,

Speaking oppression and revolt,

Conceiving and muttering from the heart lying words.

14 Justice is pushed back,

And righteous behavior stands far away;

For truth has fallen in the city square,

Andintegrity cannot enter.

15 Yes, truth is missing;

And he who turns away from evil makes himself a prey.

Now the Lordsaw it,

And itdispleased Him that there was no justice.

16 He saw that there was no man,

And was amazed that there was no one to intercede [on behalf of truth and right];

Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him,

And His own righteousness sustained Him.

17 For He [the Lord] put on righteousness like a coat of armor,

And salvation like a helmet on His head;

He put on garments of vengeance for clothing

And covered Himself with zeal [and great love for His people] as a cloak.

18 As their deeds deserve, so He will repay:

Wrath to His adversaries, retribution to His enemies;

To the islandsandcoastlands He will repay.

19 So they will fear the name of the Lordfrom the west

And His glory from the rising of the sun.

For He will come in like a narrow, rushing stream

Which thebreath of the Lorddrives [overwhelming the enemy].

20 “A Redeemer (Messiah) will come to Zion,

And to those in Jacob (Israel) who turn from transgression (sin),” declares the Lord.

21 “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit which is upon you [writing the law of God on the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your [true, spiritual]children, nor from the mouth of your children’s children,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”

A Glorified Zion

1 “Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the gloryandbrilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come,

And the gloryandbrilliance of the Lordhas risen upon you.

2 “For in fact, darkness will cover the earth

And deep darknesswill coverthe peoples;

But the Lordwill rise upon you [Jerusalem]

And His gloryandbrilliance will be seen on you.

3 “Nations will come to your light,

And kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 “Lift up your eyes around you and see;

They all gather together, they come to you.

Your sons will come from far away,

And your daughters will be looked after attheirside.

5 “Then you will see and be radiant,

And your heart will tremble [with joy] and rejoice

Because the abundant wealth of the seas willbe brought to you,

The wealth of the nations will come to you.

6 “A multitude of camels [from the eastern trading tribes] will cover you [Jerusalem],

The young camels of Midian and Ephah;

All those from Sheba [who once came to trade] will come

Bringing gold and frankincense

And proclaiming the praises of the Lord.

7 “All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you [as the eastern pastoral tribes join the trading tribes],

The rams of Nebaioth will serve you;

They will go up with acceptance [as sacrifices] on My altar,

And I will glorify the house of My honorandsplendor.

8 “Who are these who fly like a cloud

And like doves to their windows?

9 “The islandsandcoastlands will confidently wait for Me;

And the ships of Tarshishwill comefirst,

To bring your sons from far away,

Their silver and gold with them,

For the name of the Lordyour God,

For the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.

10 “Foreigners will build up your walls,

And their kings will serve you;

For in My [righteous] wrath I struck you,

But in My favorandgrace I have had compassion on you.

11 “Your gates will be open continually;

They shall not be shut day or night,

So that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations–

With their kings led in procession.

12 “For the nation or the kingdom which will not serve you [Jerusalem] shall perish,

And the nations [that refuse to serve] shall be utterly ruined.

13 “The glory of Lebanon will come to you,

Thecypress, the juniper, and the cedar together,

To beautify the place of My sanctuary;

And I will honorandmake the place of My feet glorious.

14 “The sons of those who oppressed you will come bowing down to you [in submission],

And all those who despised youandtreated you disrespectfully will bow down at the soles of your feet,

And they will call you the City of the Lord,

The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Whereas you [Jerusalem] have been abandoned and hated

With no one passing through,

I will make you an object of pride forever,

A joy from generation to generation.

16 “You will suck the milk of the [Gentile] nations

And suck the breast (abundance) of kings;

Then you will recognizeandknow that I, the Lord, am your Savior

And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 “Instead of bronze I will bring gold,

And instead of iron I will bring silver,

And instead of wood, bronze,

And instead of stones, iron.

And [instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers,

And righteousness your rulers.

18 “Violence will not be heard again in your land,

Nor devastation or destruction within your borders;

But you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise [to God].

19 “The sun will no longer be your light by day,

Nor shall the bright glow of the moon give light to you,

But the Lordwill be an everlasting light for you;

And your God will be your gloryandsplendor.

20 “Your sun will no longer set,

Nor will your moon wane;

For the Lordwill be your everlasting light,

And the days of your mourning will be over.

21 “Then all your people will be [uncompromisingly and consistently] righteous;

They will possess the land forever,

The branch of My planting,

The work of My hands,

That I may be glorified.

22 “The smallest one will become a thousand (a clan),

And the least one a mighty nation.

I, the Lord, will quicken it in its [appointed] time.”

Exaltation of the Afflicted

1 The Spirit of the Lord Godis upon me,

Because the Lordhas anointedandcommissioned me

To bring good news to the humbleandafflicted;

He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted,

To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captives

And freedom to prisoners,

2 To proclaimthe favorable year of the Lord,

And the day of vengeanceandretribution of our God,

To comfort all who mourn,

3 To grant to those who mourn in Zionthe following:

To give them aturban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],

The oil of joy instead of mourning,

The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.

So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,

They will raise upandrestore the former desolations;

And they will renew the ruined cities,

The desolations (deserted settlements) of many generations.

5 Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,

And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

6 But you shall be called the priests of the Lord;

People will speak of you as the ministers of our God.

You will eat the wealth of nations,

And you will boast of their riches.

7 Instead of your [former] shameyou will haveadoubleportion;

Andinstead ofhumiliation your people will shout for joy over their portion.

Therefore in their land they will possess double [what they had forfeited];

Everlasting joy will be theirs.

8 For I, the Lord, love justice;

I hate robbery witha burnt offering.

And I will faithfully reward them,

And make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,

And their descendants among the peoples.

All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognizeandacknowledge them

That they are the people whom the Lordhas blessed.

10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,

My soul will exult in my God;

For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,

He has covered me with a robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom puts on aturban,

And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

So the Lord Godwill [most certainly] cause righteousnessandjustice and praise

To spring up before all the nations [through the power of His word].

Zion’s Glory and New Name

1 For Zion’s sake I (Isaiah) will not be silent,

And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,

Until her righteousnessandvindication go forth as brightness,

And her salvation goes forth like a burning torch.

2 The nations will see your righteousnessandvindication [by God],

And all kings [will see] your glory;

And you will be called by a new name

Which the mouth of the Lordwill designate.

3 You will also be [considered] a crown of gloryandsplendor in the hand of the Lord,

And a royaldiadem [exceedingly beautiful] in the hand of your God.

4 It will no longer be said of you [Judah], “Azubah (Abandoned),”

Nor will it any longer be said of your land, “Shemamah (Desolate)”;

But you will be called, “Hephzibah (My Delight is in Her),”

And your land, “Married”;

For the Lorddelights in you,

Andto Himyour land will be married [owned and protected by the Lord].

5 For as a young man marries a virgin [O Jerusalem],

So your sons will marry you;

And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,

So your God will rejoice over you.

6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointedandstationed watchmen (prophets),

Who will never keep silent day or night;

You who profess the Lord, take no rest for yourselves,

7 And give Him no rest [from your prayers] until He establishes Jerusalem

And makes her a praise on the earth.

8 The Lordhas sworn [an oath] by His right hand and by His mighty arm,

“I will never again give your grain as food for your enemies,

Nor will [the invading] foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.”

9 But they who have harvested it will eat it and praise the Lord,

And they who have gathered it will drink it [at the feasts celebrated] in the courtyards of My sanctuary.

10 Go through, go through the gates,

Clear the way for the people;

Build up, build up the highway,

Remove the stones, lift up a banner over the peoples.

11 Listen carefully, the Lordhas proclaimed to the end of the earth,

Say to the Daughter of Zion, “Look now, your salvation is coming [in the Lord];

Indeed, His reward is with Him, and His restitution accompanies Him.”

12 And they will call them “The Holy People,

The Redeemed of the Lord”;

And you will be called “Sought Out, A City Not Deserted.”

God’s Vengeance on the Nations

1 Who is this who comes from Edom,

With crimson-stained garments from Bozrah [in Edom],

This One (the Messiah) who is majestic in His apparel,

Marching in the greatness of His might?

“It is I, [the One] who speaks in righteousness [proclaiming vindication], mighty to save.”

2 Why is Your apparel red,

And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

3 “I have trodden the wine trough alone,

And of the peoples there was no one with Me.

I also trod them in My anger

And trampled them in My wrath;

And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,

And I stained all My clothes.

4 “For the day of vengeance [against ungodliness] was in My heart,

And My year of redemption [of those who put their trust in Me–the year of My redeemed] has come.

5 “I looked, but there was no one to help,

And I was amazedandappalled that there was no one to uphold [truth and right].

So My own arm brought salvation to Me,

And My wrath sustained Me.

6 “I trampled the peoples in My anger

And made them drunk with [the cup of] My wrath,

And I spilled their lifeblood on the earth.”

God’s Ancient Mercies Recalled

7 I will tell of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,

According to all that the Lordhas done for us,

AndHisgreat goodness toward the house of Israel,

Which He has shown them according to His compassion

And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.

8 For He said, “Be assured, they are My people,

Sons who will not be faithless.”

So He became their Savior [in all their distresses].

9 In all their distress He was distressed,

And theangel of His presence saved them,

In His love and in His compassion He redeemed them;

And He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

10 But they rebelled

And grieved His Holy Spirit;

Therefore He changed into their enemy,

And He fought against them.

11 Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses [and they said],

Where is He who brought our fathers up out of the [Red] Sea, with the shepherds of His flock [Moses and Aaron]?

Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in their midst,

12 Who caused His glorious armandinfinite power to go at the right hand of Moses,

Dividing the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,

13 Who led them through the depths [of the Red Sea],

Like a horse in the wilderness, [so that] they did not stumble?

14 Like the cattle that go down into the valley [to find better pasture and rest],

The Spirit of the Lordgave them rest.

So You led Your people [O Lord]

To make for Yourself a beautifulandglorious name [preparing the way for the acknowledgment of Your name by all nations].

“You Are Our Father”

15 Look down from heaven and see from Your lofty dwelling place, holy and glorious.

Where are Your zeal and Your mighty acts [Your miracles which you did for Your people]?

The stirring of Your heart and Your compassion are restrainedandwithheld from me.

16 For [most certainly] You are our Father, even though Abraham [our ancestor] does not know us

And Israel does not acknowledge us.

You, O Lord, are [still] our Father,

Our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name.

17 O Lord, why do You cause us to stray from Your ways

And harden our heart from fearing You [with reverence and awe]?

Return for Your servants’ sake, the tribes of Your heritage.

18 Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for [only] a little while;

Our adversaries have trampled it down.

19 We have becomelikethose over whom You have never ruled,

Likethose who were not called by Your name.

Prayer for Mercy and Help

1 Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and come down,

That the mountains might quake at Your presence–

2 As [sure as] fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil–

To make Your name known to Your adversaries,

That the nations may tremble at Your presence!

3 When You did awesomeandamazing things which we did not expect,

You came down [at Sinai]; the mountains quaked at Your presence.

4 For from days of old no one has heard, nor has ear perceived,

Nor has the eyeseen a God besides You,

Who worksandacts in behalf of the one who [gladly] waits for Him.

5 You meet him who rejoices in doing that which is morally right,

Who remembers You in Your ways.

Indeed, You were angry, for we sinned;

We havelongcontinuedin our sins [prolonging Your anger].

And shall we be saved [under such circumstances]?

6 For we all have become like one who is [ceremonially] unclean [like a leper],

And all our deeds of righteousness are like filthy rags;

We all witheranddecay like a leaf,

And our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing], like the wind, takes us away [carrying us far from God’s favor, toward destruction].

7 There is no one who calls on Your name,

Who awakensandcauses himself to take hold of You;

For You have hidden Your face from us

And have handed us over to the [consuming and destructive] power of our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing].

8 Yet, O Lord, You are our Father;

We are the clay, and You our Potter,

And we all are the work of Your hand.

9 Do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord,

Do not remember our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing] forever.

Now look, consider, for we are all Your people.

10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness,

Zion has become a wilderness,

Jerusalem a desolation.

11 Our holy and beautiful house [the temple built by Solomon],

Where our fathers praised You,

Has been burned by fire;

And all our precious objects are in ruins.

12 Considering these [tragedies], will You restrain Yourself, O Lord[and not help us]?

Will You keep silent and humiliateandoppress us beyond measure?

A Rebellious People

1 “I let Myself be sought by those who did not askfor Me;

I let Myself be found by those who did not seek Me.

I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’

To the nation [Israel] which did not call on My Name.

2 “I have spread out My hands all the day long to a rebelliousandstubborn people,

Who walk in the way that is not good, [following] after their own thoughtsandintentions,

3 The people who continually provoke Me to My face,

Sacrificing [to idols] in gardens and making offerings with incense on bricks [instead of at the designated altar];

4 Who sit among the graves [trying to conjure up evil spirits] and spend the night in the secret places [where spirits are thought to dwell];

Who eat swine’s flesh,

And their potsholdthe broth ofunclean meat;

5 Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me,

For Iam too holy for you [and you might defile me]!’

These [people] are smoke in My nostrils,

A fire that burns all the day.

6 “Indeed, it is written before Me,

I will not keep silent, but I will repay;

I will even repay it [directly] into theirarms,

7 Both your own wickedness and the wickedness of your fathers,” says the Lord.

“Since theytoohave made offerings with incense on the mountains

And scornedandtaunted Me on the hills,

I therefore will measure [punishment for] their former work [directly] into theirarms.”

8 This is what the Lordsays,

“As the new wine is found in the cluster,

And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessingandbenefit in it,’

So I will do for the sake of My servants

In order not to destroy all of them.

9 “I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,

And an heir of My mountains from Judah;

Even My chosen ones shall inherit it,

And My servants will live there.

10 “And [the plain of] Sharon will be a place for flocks to graze,

And the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,

For My people who seek Me [who long for Me and require My presence in their lives].

11 “But you who abandon (turn away from) the Lord,

Who forgetandignore My holy mountain (Zion),

Who set a table for Gad [the Babylonian god of fortune],

And who fill a jug of mixed wine for Meni [the god of fate],

12 I will destine you for the sword, [says the Lord],

And all of you will bow down to the slaughter,

Because when I called, you did not answer;

When I spoke, you did not listenorobey.

But you did [what was] evil in My sight

And chose that in which I did not delight.”

13 Therefore, the Lord Godsays this,

“Listen carefully, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry;

Indeed, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty;

Indeed, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

14 “Indeed, My servants will shout for joy from a happy heart,

But you will cry out with a heavy heart,

And you shall wailandhowl from a broken spirit.

15 “And you will leave your name behind to My chosen ones [who will use it] as a curse,

And the Lord Godwill put you to death,

But He will call His servants by another name [a much greater name, just as the name Israel was greater than the name Jacob].

16 “Because he who blesses himself on the earth

Will bless himself by the God of truthandfaithfulness;

And he who swears [an oath] on the earth

Will swear by the God of truthandfaithfulness;

Because the former troubles are forgotten,

And because they are hidden from My sight.

New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “Behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth;

And the former things [of life] will not be remembered or come to mind.

18 “But be glad and rejoice forever over what I create;

Behold, I am creating Jerusalem to be asource ofrejoicing

And her people a joy.

19 “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;

And there will no longer be heard in her

The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.

20 “No longer shall there bein it an infantwho lives only a fewdays,

Or an old man who does not finish his days;

For the youth who dies at the age of a hundred,

And the one who does not reach the age of a hundred

Will bethought of asaccursed.

21 “They will build houses and livein them;

They will plant vineyards and eat the fruit.

22 “They will not build and another occupy;

They will not plant and another eat [the fruit].

For as the lifetime of a tree,so will bethe days of My people,

And My chosen [people] will fully enjoy [and long make use of] the work of their hands.

23 “They will not labor in vain,

Or bearchildrenfor disaster;

For they are the descendants of those blessed by the Lord,

And their offspring with them.

24 “It shall also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox [there will no longer be predator and prey]; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain (Zion),” says the Lord.

Heaven Is God’s Throne

1 This is what the Lordsays,

“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.

Where, then, is a house that you could build for Me?

And where will My resting place be?

2 “For all these things My hand has made,

So all these things came into being [by and for Me],” declares the Lord.

“But to this one I will look [graciously],

To him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who [reverently] trembles at My wordandhonors My commands.

Hypocrisy Rebuked

3 “He who kills an ox [for pagan sacrifice] is [as guilty] as one who kills a man;

He who sacrifices a lamb, as one who breaks a dog’s neck;

He who offers a grain offering,as one who offersswine’s blood;

He who offers incense, as one who blesses an idol.

Such people have chosen their own ways,

And their soul delights in their repulsive acts;

4 So I will choose their punishments,

And will bring the things they dread upon them

Because I called, but no one answered;

I spoke, but they did not listenorobey.

But they did evil in My sight

And chose that in which I did not delight.”

5 Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble [with awe-filled reverence] at His word:

“Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for My Name’s sake,

Have said, ‘Let the Lordbe glorified, that we may see your joy.’

But they will be put to shame.

6 “The sound of an uproar from the city! A voice from the temple!

The voice of the Lord, providing retribution to His enemies.

7 “Before she (Zion) was in labor, she gave birth;

Before her labor pain came, she gave birth to a boy.

8 “Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things?

Can a landbe born in one day?

Or can a nation be brought forth in a moment?

As soon as Zion was in labor, she also brought forth her sons.

9 “Shall I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord.

“Or shall I who gives delivery shutthe womb?” says your God.

Joy in Jerusalem’s Future

10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her;

Rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her,

11 That you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts,

That you may drink deeply and be delighted with her bountiful bosom.”

12 For the Lordsays this, “Behold, I extend peace to her (Jerusalem) like a river,

And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;

And you will be nursed, you will be carried onherhip and [playfully] rocked onherknees.

13 “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you;

And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.”

14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice;

Your bones will flourish like new grass.

And the [powerful] hand of the Lordwill be revealed to His servants,

But His indignation will be toward His enemies.

15 For indeed, the Lordwill come in fire

And His chariots will be like the stormy wind,

To render His anger with rage,

And His rebuke with flames of fire.

16 For the Lordwill execute judgment by fire

And by His sword on all mankind,

And those slain by the Lordwill be many.

17 “Those who [vainly attempt to] sanctify and cleanse themselvesto goto the gardens [to sacrifice to idols],

Following afterone in the center,

Who eat swine’s flesh,detestable things and mice,

Will come to an end together,” says the Lord.

18 “For I know their works and their thoughts.The timeis coming to gather all nations and languages, and they will come and see My glory.

19 I will set up a [miraculous] sign among them, and from them I will send survivors to the nations: Tarshish, Pul (Put), Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant islandsandcoastlands that have not heard of My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declareandproclaim My glory among the nations.

20 Then they shall bring all your countrymen (children of Israel) from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord–on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels–to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.

21 I will also take some of them as priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

22 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth

Which I make will remainandendure before Me,” declares the Lord,

“So your offspring and your name will remainandendure.

23 “And it shall be that from New Moon to New Moon

And from Sabbath to Sabbath,

All mankind will come to bow downandworship before Me,” says the Lord.

24 “Then they will go forth and look

Upon the dead bodies of the [rebellious] men

Who have transgressed against Me;

For their worm (maggot) will not die,

And their fire will not go out;

And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”