Isaiah 56-58

New International Version

Salvation for Others

56 This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice^(A)
    and do what is right,^(B)
for my salvation^(C) is close at hand
    and my righteousness^(D) will soon be revealed.
²Blessed^(E) is the one who does this—
    the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath^(F) without desecrating it,
    and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”

³Let no foreigner^(G) who is bound to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”^(H)
And let no eunuch^(I) complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”

⁴For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs^(J) who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant^(K)—
⁵to them I will give within my temple and its walls^(L)
    a memorial^(M) and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name^(N)
    that will endure forever.^(O)
⁶And foreigners^(P) who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister^(Q) to him,
to love the name^(R) of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath^(S) without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
⁷these I will bring to my holy mountain^(T)
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices^(U)
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.^(V)”^(W)
⁸The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather^(X) still others to them
    besides those already gathered.”

God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

⁹Come, all you beasts of the field,^(Y)
    come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
¹⁰Israel’s watchmen^(Z) are blind,
    they all lack knowledge;^(AA)
they are all mute dogs,
    they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
    they love to sleep.^(AB)
¹¹They are dogs with mighty appetites;
    they never have enough.
They are shepherds^(AC) who lack understanding;^(AD)
    they all turn to their own way,^(AE)
    they seek their own gain.^(AF)
¹²“Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!^(AG)
    Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
    or even far better.”^(AH)

57 The righteous perish,^(AI)
    and no one takes it to heart;^(AJ)
the devout are taken away,
    and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
    to be spared from evil.^(AK)
²Those who walk uprightly^(AL)
    enter into peace;
    they find rest^(AM) as they lie in death.

³“But you—come here, you children of a sorceress,^(AN)
    you offspring of adulterers^(AO) and prostitutes!^(AP)
⁴Who are you mocking?
    At whom do you sneer
    and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,^(AQ)
    the offspring of liars?
⁵You burn with lust among the oaks^(AR)
    and under every spreading tree;^(AS)
you sacrifice your children^(AT) in the ravines
    and under the overhanging crags.
⁶The idols^(AU) among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;
    indeed, they are your lot.
Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings^(AV)
    and offered grain offerings.
    In view of all this, should I relent?^(AW)
⁷You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;^(AX)
    there you went up to offer your sacrifices.^(AY)
⁸Behind your doors and your doorposts
    you have put your pagan symbols.
Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed,
    you climbed into it and opened it wide;
you made a pact with those whose beds you love,^(AZ)
    and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.^(BA)
⁹You went to Molek^[a]^(BB) with olive oil
    and increased your perfumes.^(BC)
You sent your ambassadors^[b]^(BD) far away;
    you descended to the very realm of the dead!^(BE)
¹⁰You wearied^(BF) yourself by such going about,
    but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’^(BG)
You found renewal of your strength,^(BH)
    and so you did not faint.

¹¹“Whom have you so dreaded and feared^(BI)
    that you have not been true to me,
and have neither remembered^(BJ) me
    nor taken this to heart?^(BK)
Is it not because I have long been silent^(BL)
    that you do not fear me?
¹²I will expose your righteousness and your works,^(BM)
    and they will not benefit you.
¹³When you cry out^(BN) for help,
    let your collection of idols save^(BO) you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
    a mere breath will blow^(BP) them away.
But whoever takes refuge^(BQ) in me
    will inherit the land^(BR)
    and possess my holy mountain.”^(BS)

Comfort for the Contrite

¹⁴And it will be said:

“Build up, build up, prepare the road!^(BT)
    Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”^(BU)
¹⁵For this is what the high and exalted^(BV) One says—
    he who lives forever,^(BW) whose name is holy:
“I live in a high^(BX) and holy place,
    but also with the one who is contrite^(BY) and lowly in spirit,^(BZ)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.^(CA)
¹⁶I will not accuse^(CB) them forever,
    nor will I always be angry,^(CC)
for then they would faint away because of me—
    the very people^(CD) I have created.
¹⁷I was enraged by their sinful greed;^(CE)
    I punished them, and hid^(CF) my face in anger,
    yet they kept on in their willful ways.^(CG)
¹⁸I have seen their ways, but I will heal^(CH) them;
    I will guide^(CI) them and restore comfort^(CJ) to Israel’s mourners,
¹⁹    creating praise on their lips.^(CK)
Peace, peace,^(CL) to those far and near,”^(CM)
    says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
²⁰But the wicked^(CN) are like the tossing sea,^(CO)
    which cannot rest,
    whose waves cast up mire^(CP) and mud.
²¹“There is no peace,”^(CQ) says my God, “for the wicked.”^(CR)

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud,^(CS) do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.^(CT)
Declare to my people their rebellion^(CU)
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.^(CV)
²For day after day they seek^(CW) me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken^(CX) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near^(CY) them.
³‘Why have we fasted,’^(CZ) they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled^(DA) ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’^(DB)

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please^(DC)
    and exploit all your workers.
⁴Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,^(DD)
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard^(DE) on high.
⁵Is this the kind of fast^(DF) I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble^(DG) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed^(DH)
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?^(DI)
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶“Is not this the kind of fasting^(DJ) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice^(DK)
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed^(DL) free
    and break every yoke?^(DM)
⁷Is it not to share your food with the hungry^(DN)
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter^(DO)—
when you see the naked, to clothe^(DP) them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?^(DQ)
⁸Then your light will break forth like the dawn,^(DR)
    and your healing^(DS) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness^[c]^(DT) will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.^(DU)
⁹Then you will call,^(DV) and the Lord will answer;^(DW)
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger^(DX) and malicious talk,^(DY)
¹⁰and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,^(DZ)
then your light^(EA) will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.^(EB)
¹¹The Lord will guide^(EC) you always;
    he will satisfy your needs^(ED) in a sun-scorched land^(EE)
    and will strengthen^(EF) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,^(EG)
    like a spring^(EH) whose waters never fail.
¹²Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins^(EI)
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;^(EJ)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,^(EK)
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

¹³“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath^(EL)
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight^(EM)
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,^(EN)
¹⁴then you will find your joy^(EO) in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights^(EP) of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance^(EQ) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.^(ER)