Isaiah 64-66

American Standard Version

64 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might ^[a]quake at thy presence, ² as when fire kindleth the brushwood, and the fire causeth the waters to boil; to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! ³ When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains quaked at thy presence. ⁴ For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye ^[b]seen a God besides thee, who worketh for him that waiteth for him. ⁵ Thou ^[c]meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou wast wroth, and we sinned: ^[d]in them have we been of long time; and shall we be saved? ⁶ For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. ⁷ And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast ^[e]consumed us by means of our iniquities.

⁸ But now, O Jehovah, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. ⁹ Be not wroth very sore, O Jehovah, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, look, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. ¹⁰ Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. ¹¹ Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned with fire; and all our pleasant places are laid waste. ¹² Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Jehovah? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

65 I ^[f]am inquired of by them that asked not for me; I ^[g]am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation ^[h]that was not called by my name. ² I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, that walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts; ³ a people that provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens, and burning incense upon bricks; ⁴ that ^[i]sit among the graves, and lodge in the ^[j]secret places; that eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; ⁵ that 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 all the day. ⁶ Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, yea, I will recompense into their bosom, ⁷ your own iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith Jehovah, that have burned incense upon the mountains, and ^[k]blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I ^[l]first measure their work into their bosom.

⁸ Thus saith Jehovah, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sake, that I may not destroy them all. ⁹ And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. ¹⁰ And Sharon shall be a ^[m]fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me. ¹¹ But ye that forsake Jehovah, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for ^[n]Fortune, and that fill up mingled wine unto ^[o]Destiny; ¹² I will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but ye did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not.

¹³ Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be put to shame; ¹⁴ behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for ^[p]vexation of spirit. ¹⁵ And ye shall leave your name for ^[q]a curse unto my chosen; and the Lord Jehovah will slay thee; and he will call his servants by another name: ¹⁶ so that he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of ^[r]truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of ^[s]truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.

¹⁷ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. ¹⁸ But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. ¹⁹ And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying. ²⁰ There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. ²¹ And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. ²² 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, and my chosen shall ^[t]long enjoy the work of their hands. ²³ They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for ^[u]calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring ^[v]with them. ²⁴ And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. ²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith Jehovah.

66 Thus saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest? ² For all these things hath my hand made, and so all these things came to be, saith Jehovah: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word. ³ He that killeth an ox is as he that slayeth a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as he that breaketh a dog’s neck; he that offereth ^[w]an oblation, as he that offereth swine’s blood; he that ^[x]burneth frankincense, as he that blesseth an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations: ⁴ I also will choose their ^[y]delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not.

⁵ Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see your joy; but it is they that shall be put to shame. ⁶ A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that rendereth recompense to his enemies.

⁷ Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. ⁸ Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall a land be ^[z]born in one day? shall a nation be brought forth at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. ⁹ Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith Jehovah: shall I that cause to bring forth shut the womb? saith thy God.

¹⁰ Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her; ¹¹ that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. ¹² For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: ^[aa]and ye shall suck thereof; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees. ¹³ As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass: and the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants; and he will have indignation against his enemies.

¹⁵ For, behold, Jehovah will come ^[ab]with fire, and his chariots shall be like the whirlwind; to render his anger with fierceness, and his rebuke with flames of fire. ¹⁶ For by fire will Jehovah execute judgment, and by his sword, upon all flesh; and the slain of Jehovah shall be many. ¹⁷ They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves ^[ac]to go unto the gardens, behind ^[ad]one in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, they shall come to an end together, saith Jehovah.

¹⁸ For I know their works and their thoughts: the time cometh, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and shall see my glory. ¹⁹ And I will set a sign among them, and I will send such as escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. ²⁰ And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an oblation unto Jehovah, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring their oblation in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah. ²¹ And of them also will I take for priests and for Levites, saith Jehovah.

²² For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain. ²³ And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Jehovah. ²⁴ And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.