Isaiah 56–58

56TH CHAPTER

Salvation for All People

¹This is what the Lord says: 

Preserve justice, and do what is right. 

My salvation is about to come. 

My righteousness is about to be revealed. 

²Blessed is the one who does these things 

and the person who holds on to them. 

Blessed is the one who keeps the day of rest—a holy day, from becoming unholy 

and his hands from doing anything wrong. 

³Foreigners who have joined the Lord should not say, “The Lord will separate us from his people.” Castrated men should not say, “We’re only dead trees!” ⁴This is what the Lord says: ⸤I will remember⸥ the castrated men who keep my days of rest—a holy days, choose what pleases me, and faithfully observe the conditions of my promise.^a5Inside my house and within my walls, I will give them something better than sons and daughters. I will give them a monument and a name. I will give them a permanent name that will not be forgotten. ⁶And ⸤I will remember⸥ the foreigners who have joined the Lord to worship him, to love the Lord’s name, and to be his servants. All of them will keep the day of rest—a holy day, from becoming unholy and will faithfully observe the conditions of my promise. ⁷Then I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them happy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, because my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. 

⁸The Almighty Lord, who gathers the scattered people of Israel, declares, “I will gather still others besides those I have already gathered.” 

The Sins of Israel Bring the Lord’s Anger

⁹All you animals in the field, 

all you animals in the forest, 

come and eat. 

¹⁰⸤Israel’s⸥ watchmen are blind. 

None of them know anything. 

All of them are like dogs that are unable to bark. 

They lie around dreaming; they love to sleep. 

¹¹These dogs have huge appetites. 

They are never full. 

They are the shepherds, 

but they don’t understand. 

All of them have turned to go their own ways. 

Each one seeks his own gain. 

¹²⸤Each one cries,⸥ 

“Let me get some wine, 

and we’ll fill ourselves with liquor. 

And tomorrow will be like today, only better.” 

57TH CHAPTER

¹Righteous people die, 

and no one cares. 

Loyal people are taken away, 

and no one understands. 

Righteous people are spared when evil comes. 

²When peace comes, 

everyone who has lived honestly will rest on his own bed. 

Israel’s Idolatry

³But you—come here, 

you children of witches, 

you descendants of adulterers and prostitutes! 

⁴Whom are you making fun of? 

Whom are you making a face at? 

Whom are you sticking out your tongue at? 

Aren’t you rebellious children, 

descendants of liars? 

⁵You burn with lust under oak trees 

and under every large tree. 

You slaughter children in the valleys 

and under the cracks in the rocks. 

⁶Your idols are among the smooth stones in the ravine. 

They are your destiny. 

You have given them wine offerings 

and sacrificed grain offerings to them. 

Do you think I am pleased with all this? 

⁷You’ve made your bed on a high and lofty mountain. 

You’ve gone to offer sacrifices there. 

⁸You’ve set up your idols beside doors and doorposts. 

You’ve uncovered yourself to the idols. 

You’ve distanced yourself from me. 

You’ve made your bed with them. 

You’ve made a deal with those you have pleasure with in bed. 

You’ve seen them naked. 

⁹You’ve journeyed to the king with perfumed oils 

and put on plenty of perfume. 

You’ve sent your ambassadors far away 

and sent them down to Sheol. 

¹⁰You’ve tired yourself out with many journeys. 

You didn’t think that it was hopeless. 

You’ve found renewed strength, 

so you didn’t faint. 

¹¹Whom did you dread and fear so much that you lied to me? 

You haven’t remembered me or cared about me. 

I’ve been silent for a long time. 

Is that why you don’t fear me? 

¹²I’ll tell you about your righteous ways and what you have done, 

but they won’t help you. 

¹³When you cry for help, 

let your collection of idols save you. 

A wind will carry them all away. 

A breath will take them away. 

But whoever trusts me will possess the land 

and inherit my holy mountain. 

¹⁴It will be said: 

“Build a road! Build a road! 

Prepare the way! 

Remove every obstacle in the way of my people!” 

¹⁵The High and Lofty One lives forever, and his name is holy. 

This is what he says: 

I live in a high and holy place. 

But I am with those who are crushed and humble. 

I will renew the spirit of those who are humble 

and the courage of those who are crushed. 

¹⁶I will not accuse you forever. 

I will not be angry with you forever. 

Otherwise, the spirits, the lives of those I’ve made, 

would grow faint in my presence. 

¹⁷I was angry because of their sinful greed, 

so I punished them, hid ⸤from them⸥, and remained angry. 

But they continued to be sinful. 

¹⁸I’ve seen their ⸤sinful⸥ ways, but I’ll heal them. 

I’ll guide them and give them rest. 

I’ll comfort them and their mourners. 

¹⁹I’ll create praise on their lips: 

“Perfect peace to those both far and near.” 

“I’ll heal them,” says the Lord. 

²⁰But the wicked are like the churning sea. 

It isn’t quiet, 

and its water throws up mud and slime. 

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

58TH CHAPTER

Worship the Lord as He Wants to Be Worshiped

¹Cry aloud! Don’t hold back! 

Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. 

Tell my people about their rebellion 

and the descendants of Jacob about their sins. 

²They look for me every day and want to know my ways. 

They act as if they were a nation that has done what is right 

and as if they haven’t disregarded God’s judgment ⸤on them⸥. 

They ask me for just decrees. 

They want God to be near them. 

³Why have we fasted if you are not aware of it? 

Why have we inflicted pain on ourselves if you don’t pay attention? 

Don’t you see that on the days you fast, 

you do what you want to do? 

You mistreat all your workers. 

⁴Don’t you see that when you fast, 

you quarrel and fight and beat your workers? 

The way you fast today keeps you from being heard in heaven. 

⁵Is this the kind of fasting I have chosen? 

Should people humble themselves for ⸤only⸥ a day? 

Is fasting just bowing your head like a cattail 

and making your bed from sackcloth and ashes? 

Is this what you call fasting? 

Is this an acceptable day to the Lord? 

⁶This is the kind of fasting I have chosen: 

Loosen the chains of wickedness, 

untie the straps of the yoke,^a

let the oppressed go free, 

and break every yoke. 

⁷Share your food with the hungry, 

take the poor and homeless into your house, 

and cover them with clothes when you see ⸤them⸥ naked. 

Don’t refuse to help your relatives. 

⁸Then your light will break through like the dawn, 

and you will heal quickly. 

Your righteousness will go ahead of you, 

and the glory of the Lord will guard you from behind. 

⁹Then you will call, and the Lord will answer. 

You will cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am!” 

Get rid of that yoke. 

Don’t point your finger and say wicked things. 

¹⁰If you give some of your own food to ⸤feed⸥ those who are hungry 

and to satisfy ⸤the needs of⸥ those who are humble, 

then your light will rise in the dark, 

and your darkness will become as bright as the noonday sun. 

¹¹The Lord will continually guide you 

and satisfy you even in sun-baked places. 

He will strengthen your bones. 

You will become like a watered garden 

and like a spring whose water does not stop flowing. 

¹²Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins 

and restore the foundations of past generations. 

You will be called the Rebuilder of Broken Walls 

and the Restorer of Streets Where People Live. 

¹³If you stop trampling on the day of rest 

and doing as you please on my holy day, 

if you call the day of rest a delight 

and the Lord’s holy day honorable, 

if you honor it by not going your own way, 

by not going out when you want, and by not talking idly, 

¹⁴then you will find joy in the Lord. 

I will make you ride on the heights of the earth. 

I will feed you with the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob. 

The Lord has spoken.