Isaiah 56-57

English Standard Version

Salvation for Foreigners

56 Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
^(A)for soon my salvation will come,
    and my righteousness be revealed.
²Blessed is the man who does this,
    and the son of man who holds it fast,
^(B)who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
    and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

³Let not ^(C)the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
    “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
    “Behold, I am ^(D)a dry tree.”
⁴For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs ^(E)who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose the things that please me
    and hold fast my covenant,
⁵^(F)I will give in my house and within my walls
    a ^(G)monument and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
^(H)I will give them an everlasting name
    that shall not be cut off.

⁶“And ^(I)the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
    to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
everyone ^(J)who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
    and holds fast my covenant—
⁷^(K)these I will bring to ^(L)my holy mountain,
    and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
^(M)their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
    will be accepted on my altar;
for ^(N)my house shall be called a house of prayer
    for all peoples.”
⁸The Lord God,
    ^(O)who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
^(P)“I will gather yet others to him
    besides those already gathered.”

Israel's Irresponsible Leaders

⁹^(Q)All you beasts of the field, come to devour—
    all you beasts in the forest.
¹⁰^(R)His watchmen are blind;
    they are all without knowledge;
they are all silent ^(S)dogs;
    they cannot bark,
dreaming, lying down,
    loving to slumber.
¹¹^(T)The dogs have a mighty appetite;
    they never have enough.
But ^(U)they are shepherds who have no understanding;
    they have all turned to their own way,
    ^(V)each to his own gain, one and all.
¹²^(W)“Come,” they say, “let me get wine;
    let us fill ourselves with strong drink;
^(X)and tomorrow will be like this day,
    great beyond measure.”

Israel's Futile Idolatry

57 The righteous man perishes,
    and no one lays it to heart;
^(Y)devout men are taken away,
    while no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;
²    ^(Z)he enters into peace;
they rest ^(AA)in their beds
    who walk in their uprightness.
³But you, draw near,
    sons of the sorceress,
    ^(AB)offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.
⁴Whom are you mocking?
    Against whom ^(AC)do you open your mouth wide
    and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of ^(AD)transgression,
    ^(AE)the offspring of deceit,
⁵you who burn with lust among ^(AF)the oaks,^[a]
    under every green tree,
^(AG)who slaughter your children in the valleys,
    under the clefts of the rocks?
⁶Among the smooth stones of ^(AH)the valley is your portion;
    they, they, are your lot;
to them you have poured out a drink offering,
    you have brought a grain offering.
    Shall I relent for these things?
⁷^(AI)On a high and lofty mountain
    you have set your bed,
    and there you went up to offer sacrifice.
⁸Behind the door and the doorpost
    you have set up your memorial;
for, deserting me, ^(AJ)you have uncovered your bed,
    you have gone up to it,
    ^(AK)you have made it wide;
and you have made a covenant for yourself with them,
    you have loved their bed,
    you have looked on nakedness.^[b]
⁹You journeyed to the king with oil
    and multiplied your perfumes;
^(AL)you sent your envoys far off,
    and sent down even to Sheol.
¹⁰You were wearied with the length of your way,
    ^(AM)but you did not say, “It is hopeless”;
you found new life for your strength,
    and so you were not faint.^[c]

¹¹^(AN)Whom did you dread and fear,
    ^(AO)so that you lied,
and did not remember me,
    did not lay it to heart?
^(AP)Have I not held my peace, even for a long time,
    and you do not fear me?
¹²I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,
    but they will not profit you.
¹³^(AQ)When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!
    The wind will carry them all off,
    a breath will take them away.
^(AR)But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land
    and shall inherit ^(AS)my holy mountain.

Comfort for the Contrite

¹⁴And it shall be said,
^(AT)“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
    remove every obstruction from my people's way.”
¹⁵For thus says ^(AU)the One who is high and lifted up,
    who inhabits eternity, whose name is ^(AV)Holy:
^(AW)“I dwell in the high and holy place,
    and also ^(AX)with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
^(AY)to revive the spirit of the lowly,
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.
¹⁶^(AZ)For I will not contend forever,
    nor will I always be angry;
for the spirit would grow faint before me,
    and the breath of life that I made.
¹⁷Because of the iniquity of his ^(BA)unjust gain I was angry,
    I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,
    but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.
¹⁸I have seen his ways, ^(BB)but I will heal him;
    I will lead him ^(BC)and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
¹⁹    ^(BD)creating ^(BE)the fruit of the lips.
^(BF)Peace, peace, ^(BG)to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
    ^(BH)“and I will heal him.
²⁰^(BI)But the wicked are like the tossing sea;
    for it cannot be quiet,
    and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
²¹^(BJ)There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”