Isaiah 65-66

New International Version

Judgment and Salvation

65 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
    I was found by those who did not seek me.^(A)
To a nation^(B) that did not call on my name,^(C)
    I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
²All day long I have held out my hands
    to an obstinate people,^(D)
who walk in ways not good,
    pursuing their own imaginations^(E)—
³a people who continually provoke me
    to my very face,^(F)
offering sacrifices in gardens^(G)
    and burning incense^(H) on altars of brick;
⁴who sit among the graves^(I)
    and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,^(J)
    and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
⁵who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
    for I am too sacred^(K) for you!’
Such people are smoke^(L) in my nostrils,
    a fire that keeps burning all day.

⁶“See, it stands written before me:
    I will not keep silent^(M) but will pay back^(N) in full;
    I will pay it back into their laps^(O)—
⁷both your sins^(P) and the sins of your ancestors,”^(Q)
    says the Lord.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
    and defied me on the hills,^(R)
I will measure into their laps
    the full payment^(S) for their former deeds.”

⁸This is what the Lord says:

“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes^(T)
    and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,
    there is still a blessing in it,’
so will I do in behalf of my servants;^(U)
    I will not destroy them all.
⁹I will bring forth descendants^(V) from Jacob,
    and from Judah those who will possess^(W) my mountains;
my chosen^(X) people will inherit them,
    and there will my servants live.^(Y)
¹⁰Sharon^(Z) will become a pasture for flocks,^(AA)
    and the Valley of Achor^(AB) a resting place for herds,
    for my people who seek^(AC) me.

¹¹“But as for you who forsake^(AD) the Lord
    and forget my holy mountain,^(AE)
who spread a table for Fortune
    and fill bowls of mixed wine^(AF) for Destiny,
¹²I will destine you for the sword,^(AG)
    and all of you will fall in the slaughter;^(AH)
for I called but you did not answer,^(AI)
    I spoke but you did not listen.^(AJ)
You did evil in my sight
    and chose what displeases me.”^(AK)

¹³Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“My servants will eat,^(AL)
    but you will go hungry;^(AM)
my servants will drink,^(AN)
    but you will go thirsty;^(AO)
my servants will rejoice,^(AP)
    but you will be put to shame.^(AQ)
¹⁴My servants will sing^(AR)
    out of the joy of their hearts,
but you will cry out^(AS)
    from anguish of heart
    and wail in brokenness of spirit.
¹⁵You will leave your name
    for my chosen ones to use in their curses;^(AT)
the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,
    but to his servants he will give another name.^(AU)
¹⁶Whoever invokes a blessing^(AV) in the land
    will do so by the one true God;^(AW)
whoever takes an oath in the land
    will swear^(AX) by the one true God.
For the past troubles^(AY) will be forgotten
    and hidden from my eyes.

New Heavens and a New Earth

¹⁷“See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.^(AZ)
The former things will not be remembered,^(BA)
    nor will they come to mind.
¹⁸But be glad and rejoice^(BB) forever
    in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem^(BC) to be a delight
    and its people a joy.
¹⁹I will rejoice^(BD) over Jerusalem
    and take delight^(BE) in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying^(BF)
    will be heard in it no more.

²⁰“Never again will there be in it
    an infant^(BG) who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not live out his years;^(BH)
the one who dies at a hundred
    will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach^[a] a hundred
    will be considered accursed.
²¹They will build houses^(BI) and dwell in them;
    they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.^(BJ)
²²No longer will they build houses and others live in them,^(BK)
    or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,^(BL)
    so will be the days^(BM) of my people;
my chosen^(BN) ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.
²³They will not labor in vain,^(BO)
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;^(BP)
for they will be a people blessed^(BQ) by the Lord,
    they and their descendants^(BR) with them.
²⁴Before they call^(BS) I will answer;^(BT)
    while they are still speaking^(BU) I will hear.
²⁵The wolf and the lamb^(BV) will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,^(BW)
    and dust will be the serpent’s^(BX) food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,”^(BY)
says the Lord.

Judgment and Hope

66 This is what the Lord says:

“Heaven is my throne,^(BZ)
    and the earth is my footstool.^(CA)
Where is the house^(CB) you will build for me?
    Where will my resting place be?
²Has not my hand made all these things,^(CC)
    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,^(CD)
    and who tremble at my word.^(CE)
³But whoever sacrifices a bull^(CF)
    is like one who kills a person,
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^(CG) blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense^(CH)
    is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,^(CI)
    and they delight in their abominations;^(CJ)
⁴so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
    and will bring on them what they dread.^(CK)
For when I called, no one answered,^(CL)
    when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil^(CM) in my sight
    and chose what displeases me.”^(CN)

⁵Hear the word of the Lord,
    you who tremble at his word:^(CO)
“Your own people who hate^(CP) 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.^(CQ)
⁶Hear that uproar from the city,
    hear that noise from the temple!
It is the sound^(CR) of the Lord
    repaying^(CS) his enemies all they deserve.

⁷“Before she goes into labor,^(CT)
    she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
    she delivers a son.^(CU)
⁸Who has ever heard of such things?
    Who has ever seen^(CV) things like this?
Can a country be born in a day^(CW)
    or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
    than she gives birth to her children.^(CX)
⁹Do I bring to the moment of birth^(CY)
    and not give delivery?” says the Lord.
“Do I close up the womb
    when I bring to delivery?” says your God.
¹⁰“Rejoice^(CZ) with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
    all you who love^(DA) her;
rejoice greatly with her,
    all you who mourn^(DB) over her.
¹¹For you will nurse^(DC) and be satisfied
    at her comforting breasts;^(DD)
you will drink deeply
    and delight in her overflowing abundance.”^(DE)

¹²For this is what the Lord says:

“I will extend peace^(DF) to her like a river,^(DG)
    and the wealth^(DH) of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried^(DI) on her arm
    and dandled on her knees.
¹³As a mother comforts her child,^(DJ)
    so will I comfort^(DK) you;
    and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

¹⁴When you see this, your heart will rejoice^(DL)
    and you will flourish^(DM) like grass;
the hand^(DN) of the Lord will be made known to his servants,^(DO)
    but his fury^(DP) will be shown to his foes.
¹⁵See, the Lord is coming with fire,^(DQ)
    and his chariots^(DR) are like a whirlwind;^(DS)
he will bring down his anger with fury,
    and his rebuke^(DT) with flames of fire.
¹⁶For with fire^(DU) and with his sword^(DV)
    the Lord will execute judgment^(DW) on all people,
    and many will be those slain^(DX) by the Lord.

¹⁷“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens,^(DY) following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs,^(DZ) rats^(EA) and other unclean things—they will meet their end^(EB) together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.

¹⁸“And I, because of what they have planned and done,^(EC) am about to come^[b] and gather the people of all nations^(ED) and languages, and they will come and see my glory.^(EE)

¹⁹“I will set a sign^(EF) among them, and I will send some of those who survive^(EG) to the nations—to Tarshish,^(EH) to the Libyans^[c] and Lydians^(EI) (famous as archers), to Tubal^(EJ) and Greece,^(EK) and to the distant islands^(EL) that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.^(EM) They will proclaim my glory among the nations. ²⁰And they will bring^(EN) all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain^(EO) in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,”^(EP) says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.^(EQ) ²¹And I will select some of them also to be priests^(ER) and Levites,” says the Lord.

²²“As the new heavens and the new earth^(ES) that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.^(ET) ²³From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath^(EU) to another, all mankind will come and bow down^(EV) before me,” says the Lord. ²⁴“And they will go out and look on the dead bodies^(EW) of those who rebelled^(EX) against me; the worms^(EY) that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched,^(EZ) and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

Footnotes

Isaiah 65:20 Or the sinner who reaches
Isaiah 66:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Isaiah 66:19 Some Septuagint manuscripts Put (Libyans); Hebrew Pul

1 Timothy 2

New International Version

Instructions on Worship

2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers,^(A) intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ²for kings and all those in authority,^(B) that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness^(C) and holiness. ³This is good, and pleases^(D) God our Savior,^(E) ⁴who wants^(F) all people^(G) to be saved^(H) and to come to a knowledge of the truth.^(I) ⁵For there is one God^(J) and one mediator^(K) between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,^(L) ⁶who gave himself as a ransom^(M) for all people. This has now been witnessed to^(N) at the proper time.^(O) ⁷And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying^(P)—and a true and faithful teacher^(Q) of the Gentiles.^(R)

⁸Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands^(S) without anger or disputing. ⁹I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,^(T) ¹⁰but with good deeds,^(U) appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

¹¹A woman^[a] should learn in quietness and full submission.^(V) ¹²I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;^[b] she must be quiet.^(W) ¹³For Adam was formed first, then Eve.^(X) ¹⁴And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.^(Y) ¹⁵But women^[c] will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love^(Z) and holiness with propriety.