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Chapter 65

Punishment of the Idolaters

I was eager to respond
    to those who did not consult me.
I was anxious to be approached
    by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am! Here I am!”
    to a nation that did not summon me.
Throughout each day I held out my hands
    and appealed to a rebellious people
who walk along evil paths
    in pursuit of their own desires.
    [a]These people provoke me to anger
    continually, to my face,
offering sacrifices in gardens
    and burning incense on bricks.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 65:3 Allusions to idolatrous practices. The night spent in secret places refers perhaps to the rite of incubation, during which people awaited revelations through dreams.

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.’
All day long I have held out my hands
    to an obstinate people,(D)
who walk in ways not good,
    pursuing their own imaginations(E)
a people who continually provoke me
    to my very face,(F)
offering sacrifices in gardens(G)
    and burning incense(H) on altars of brick;

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