Isaiah 66:5-8

The Voice

God desires to bring people like these close and make them safe, but He cannot if they refuse. His loving purpose is for them to live well, to be well, but He cannot make it so if they choose badly and do what He hates.

⁵So, if you are one who trembles at His word,
listen closely to what the Eternal One has to say:

Eternal One: I know that some people, even your own family,
        reject you because you accept Me,
    And they’re saying, “Let the Eternal receive the honor He deserves,
        so that we, too, can know your joy.” But they’ll only know sorrow and shame.
⁶    Can you hear it? There’s a commotion in the city,
        great rumbling coming from the temple area!
    Ah, it is the Eternal thundering in to take on His foes.

^7-8    Have you ever heard of a woman who gave birth before she went into labor?
        Have you ever seen a woman who delivered a son without feeling a thing?
    Do you think it’s possible for the land to go through labor in an instant,
        or to bear a nation, to be new and strong, in a single day?
    Nevertheless, Zion suffered only a moment
        before she gave birth to her children!