Isaiah 66

Judgment and Hope

This is what the Lord says:

“Heaven is my throne,^a

and the earth is my footstool.^b

Where is the house^c you will build for me?

Where will my resting place be?

Has not my hand made all these things,^d

and so they came into being?”

declares the Lord.

“These are the ones I look on with favor:

those who are humble and contrite in spirit,^e

and who tremble at my word.^f

But whoever sacrifices a bull^g

is like one who kills a human being,

and whoever offers a lamb

is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;

whoever makes a grain offering

is like one who presents pig’s^h blood,

and whoever burns memorial incenseⁱ

is like one who worships an idol.

They have chosen their own ways,^j

and they delight in their abominations;^k

so I also will choose harsh treatment for them

and will bring on them what they dread.^l

For when I called, no one answered,^m

when I spoke, no one listened.

They did evilⁿ in my sight

and chose what displeases me.”^o

Hear the word of the Lord,

you who tremble at his word:^p

“Your own people who hate^q you,

and exclude you because of my name, have said,

‘Let the Lord be glorified,

that we may see your joy!’

Yet they will be put to shame.^r

Hear that uproar from the city,

hear that noise from the temple!

It is the sound^s of the Lord

repaying^t his enemies all they deserve.

“Before she goes into labor,^u

she gives birth;

before the pains come upon her,

she delivers a child.^v

Who has ever heard of such things?

Who has ever seen^w things like this?

Can a country be born in a day^x

or a nation be brought forth in a moment?

Yet no sooner is Zion in labor

than she gives birth to her children.^y

Do I bring to the moment of birth^z

and not give delivery?” says the Lord.

“Do I close up the womb

when I bring to delivery?” says your God.

“Rejoice^a with Jerusalem and be glad for her,

all you who love^b her;

rejoice greatly with her,

all you who mourn^c over her.

For you will nurse^d and be satisfied

at her comforting breasts;^e

you will drink deeply

and delight in her overflowing abundance.”^f

For this is what the Lord says:

“I will extend peace^g to her like a river,^h

and the wealthⁱ of nations like a flooding stream;

you will nurse and be carried^j on her arm

and dandled on her knees.

As a mother comforts her child,^k

so will I comfort^l you;

and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

When you see this, your heart will rejoice^m

and you will flourishⁿ like grass;

the hand^o of the Lord will be made known to his servants,^p

but his fury^q will be shown to his foes.

See, the Lord is coming with fire,^r

and his chariots^s are like a whirlwind;^t

he will bring down his anger with fury,

and his rebuke^u with flames of fire.

For with fire^v and with his sword^w

the Lord will execute judgment^x on all people,

and many will be those slain^y by the Lord.

“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens,^z following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs,^a rats^b and other unclean things—they will meet their end^c together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.

“And I, because of what they have planned and done,^d am about to come and gather the people of all nations^e and languages, and they will come and see my glory.^f

“I will set a sign^g among them, and I will send some of those who survive^h to the nations—to Tarshish,ⁱ to the Libyans and Lydians^j (famous as archers), to Tubal^k and Greece,^l and to the distant islands^m that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.ⁿ They will proclaim my glory among the nations. And they will bring^o all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain^p in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,”^q says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.^r And I will select some of them also to be priests^s and Levites,” says the Lord.

“As the new heavens and the new earth^t that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.^u From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath^v to another, all people will come and bow down^w before me,” says the Lord. “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies^x of those who rebelled^y against me; their worm^z will not die, nor will their fire be quenched,^a and they will be loathsome to the whole human race.”