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Isaiah 65-66
Easy-to-Read Version
Isaiah 65-66
Easy-to-Read Version
All People Will Learn About God
65 “I helped people who had not come to me for advice. Those who found me were not looking for me.[a] I spoke to a nation that does not use my name. I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
2 “All day long I stood ready to accept those who turned against me. But they kept doing whatever they wanted to do, and all they did was wrong. 3 They keep doing things, right in front of me, that make me angry. They offer sacrifices and burn incense in their special gardens.[b] 4 They sit among the graves, waiting to get messages from the dead. They eat the meat of pigs, and their pots are full of soup made from unclean meat. 5 But they tell others, ‘Don’t come near me! Don’t touch me because I am holy!’ They are like smoke in my eyes, and their fire burns all the time.”
Israel Must Be Punished
6 “Look, here is a letter that lists all your sins. I will not be quiet until I pay you back for these sins. I will do it by punishing you. 7 I, the Lord, am doing this because of your sins and the sins of your ancestors. They did these sins when they burned incense in the mountains. They shamed me on those hills, and I punished them first.”
8 The Lord says, “When there is new wine in the grapes, people squeeze out the wine. But they don’t completely destroy the grapes because the grapes can still be used. I will do the same thing to my servants. I will not destroy them completely. 9 I will keep some of the people of Jacob. Some of the people of Judah will get my mountains. I will choose the people who will get the land. My servants will live there. 10 Then Sharon Valley will be a field for sheep. The Valley of Achor[c] will be a place for cattle to rest. All this will be for my people—for the people who come to me for help.
11 “But you people left the Lord, so you will be punished. You forgot about my holy mountain.[d] You began to worship Luck. You held feasts for the false god, Fate.[e] 12 But I decided what would happen to you: you will be killed with a sword. You will all be killed because I called to you, but you refused to answer me. I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You did what I said is evil and chose to do what I did not like.”
13 So this is what the Lord God says:
“My servants will eat,
but you evil people will be hungry.
My servants will drink,
but you will be thirsty.
My servants will be happy,
but you will suffer shame.
14 My servants will shout for joy,
but you will cry out in pain.[f]
Your spirits will be broken,
and you will be very sad.
15 Your names will be like curses to my chosen servants.”
The Lord God will kill you,
and then he will call his servants by a new name.
16 The Lord says, “People now ask blessings from the earth.
But in the future they will ask blessings from the faithful God.
People now trust in the power of the earth when they make a promise.
But in the future they will trust in the God who is faithful.
That’s because the troubles in the past will all be forgotten.
They will be hidden from my sight.”
A New Time Is Coming
17 “I am creating a new heaven and a new earth.
The troubles of the past will be forgotten.
No one will remember them.
18 My people will be happy and rejoice forever and ever
because of what I will make.
I will make a Jerusalem that is full of joy,
and I will make her people happy.
19 “Then I will rejoice with Jerusalem.
I will be happy with my people.
There will never again be crying
and sadness in that city.
20 In that city there will never be a baby who lives only a few days,
and every older person will live for a long, long time.
A person who lives 100 years will be called young.
And whoever doesn’t live that long will be considered cursed.
21 “In that city whoever builds a house will live there;
whoever plants a vineyard will eat the grapes from that garden.
22 Never again will one person build a house
and another person live there.
Never again will one person plant a garden
and another eat the fruit from it.
My people will live as long as the trees.
My chosen people will get full use of whatever they make.
23 Never again will a woman suffer childbirth
and have her baby die.
Women will not fear childbirth.
I, the Lord, will bless all my people and their children.
24 I will answer them before they call for help.
I will help them before they finish asking.
25 Wolves and little lambs will eat together.
Lions will eat hay like cattle,
and snakes will eat only dust.
They will not hurt or destroy each other on my holy mountain.”
This is what the Lord said.
God Will Judge All Nations
66 This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is where I rest my feet.
So do you think you can build a house for me?
Do I need a place to rest?
2 I am the one who made all things.
They are all here because I made them,” says the Lord.
“These are the people I care for:
the poor, humble people who obey my commands.
3 Some people kill bulls as a sacrifice,
but they also beat people.
They kill sheep as a sacrifice,
but they also break the necks of dogs.
They offer up grain offerings,
but they also offer the blood of pigs.[g]
They burn incense,
but they also love their worthless idols.
They choose their own ways,
and they love their terrible idols.
4 So I decided to use their own tricks.
I will punish them using what they are most afraid of.
I will do this because I called to them,
but they did not answer.
I spoke to them,
but they did not listen.
They did what I said is evil.
They chose to do what I did not like.”
5 You who obey the Lord’s commands,
listen to what he says:
“Your brothers hated you.
They turned against you because you followed me.
Your brothers said, ‘When the Lord shows his glory,
then we will rejoice with you.’
But they will be punished.”
Punishment and a New Nation
6 Listen! There is a loud noise coming from the city and from the Temple. It is the Lord punishing his enemies. He is giving them the punishment they deserve.
7-8 “A woman does not give birth before she feels the pain. A woman must feel the pain of childbirth before she can see the boy she gives birth to. Who ever heard of such a thing? In the same way, no one ever saw a new world begin in one day. No one has ever heard of a new nation that began in one day. But when Zion feels the pain, she will give birth to her children. 9 In the same way, I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born.”
The Lord says this: “I promise that if I cause you the pain of birth, I will not stop you from having your new nation.” Your God said this.
10 Jerusalem and all her friends, be happy!
All of you who were sad for her, be happy and rejoice with her!
11 Be happy that you will receive mercy
like milk coming from her breast.
Jerusalem’s “milk” will satisfy you!
You will drink it and enjoy her glory.
12 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, I will give Jerusalem peace that will flow in like a river.
Wealth from all the nations will come flowing into her like a flood.
And like little babies, you will drink that ‘milk.’
I will hold you in my arms,
and bounce you on my knees.
13 I will comfort you like a mother comforting her child.
You will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
14 When you see these things, you will be happy.
You will be free and grow like grass.
The Lord’s servants will see his power,
but his enemies will see his anger.
15 Look, the Lord is coming with fire.
His armies are coming with clouds of dust.
He is angry,
and he will punish his enemies with flames.
16 The Lord will judge the people
and will punish them with fire and his sword.
There will be many people killed by the Lord.
17 The Lord says, “These are the people who wash themselves and make themselves pure so that they can go into their special gardens[h] to worship their idols. They follow each other into the gardens to eat meat from pigs, rats, and other dirty things. But they will all be destroyed together.
18 “They have evil thoughts and do evil things, so I am coming to punish them. I will gather all nations and all people. Everyone will be gathered together to see my Glory.[i] 19 I will put a mark on some of the people. I will send some of these saved people to the nations of Tarshish, Libya,[j] Lud[k] (the land of archers), Tubal,[l] Greece, and all the faraway lands. Those people have never heard my teachings. They have never seen my Glory. So the saved people will tell the nations about my glory. 20 And they will bring all your brothers and sisters from those other nations to my holy mountain[m] Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord. Your brothers and sisters will ride on horses, mules, camels, and in chariots and wagons. They will be like the gifts that the Israelites bring on clean plates to the Temple of the Lord. 21 I will also choose some of these people to be priests and Levites.” The Lord himself said this.
The New Heavens and the New Earth
22 The Lord says, “I will make a new world—new heavens and a new earth—that will last forever. In the same way, your names and your children will always be with me. 23 Everyone will come to worship me on every worship day; they will come every Sabbath and every first day of the month.[n] This is what I, the Lord, have said.
24 “Whoever goes out of the city will see the dead bodies of those who sinned against me. The worms eating those bodies will never die, and the fires burning them will never go out. It will be horrible to anyone who sees it.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 65:1 I helped … me Or “I was ready to answer those who did not come to me for advice. I was ready to be found by those who did not look for me.”
- Isaiah 65:3 special gardens Gardens where people worshiped false gods.
- Isaiah 65:10 Valley of Achor A valley about ten miles north of Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 65:11 my holy mountain Mount Zion, the mountain Jerusalem is built on.
- Isaiah 65:11 Luck … Fate Two false gods. The people thought these gods controlled their futures.
- Isaiah 65:14 My servants … pain Literally, “My servants will rejoice with good hearts, and you will scream with painful hearts.”
- Isaiah 66:3 dogs … pigs God did not want his people to offer dogs and pigs as sacrifices.
- Isaiah 66:17 special gardens Gardens where people worshiped false gods.
- Isaiah 66:18 my Glory See “glory” in the Word List.
- Isaiah 66:19 Libya A country in North Africa, west of Egypt.
- Isaiah 66:19 Lud This country was probably in the country that is now western Turkey.
- Isaiah 66:19 Tubal This country was probably in what is now eastern Turkey.
- Isaiah 66:20 my holy mountain This is probably Mount Zion, the mountain Jerusalem is built on.
- Isaiah 66:23 first day of the month Literally, “new moon.” See “new moon” in the Word List.
Isaiah 65-66
New International Version
Isaiah 65-66
New International Version
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.’
2 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)—
3 a people who continually provoke me
to my very face,(F)
offering sacrifices in gardens(G)
and burning incense(H) on altars of brick;
4 who sit among the graves(I)
and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,(J)
and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
for I am too sacred(K) for you!’
Such people are smoke(L) in my nostrils,
a fire that keeps burning all day.
6 “See, it stands written before me:
I will not keep silent(M) but will pay back(N) in full;
I will pay it back into their laps(O)—
7 both your sins(P) and the sins of your ancestors,”(Q)
says the Lord.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
and defied me on the hills,(R)
I will measure into their laps
the full payment(S) for their former deeds.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes(T)
and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,
there is still a blessing in it,’
so will I do in behalf of my servants;(U)
I will not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants(V) from Jacob,
and from Judah those who will possess(W) my mountains;
my chosen(X) people will inherit them,
and there will my servants live.(Y)
10 Sharon(Z) will become a pasture for flocks,(AA)
and the Valley of Achor(AB) a resting place for herds,
for my people who seek(AC) me.
11 “But as for you who forsake(AD) the Lord
and forget my holy mountain,(AE)
who spread a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine(AF) for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword,(AG)
and all of you will fall in the slaughter;(AH)
for I called but you did not answer,(AI)
I spoke but you did not listen.(AJ)
You did evil in my sight
and chose what displeases me.”(AK)
13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“My servants will eat,(AL)
but you will go hungry;(AM)
my servants will drink,(AN)
but you will go thirsty;(AO)
my servants will rejoice,(AP)
but you will be put to shame.(AQ)
14 My servants will sing(AR)
out of the joy of their hearts,
but you will cry out(AS)
from anguish of heart
and wail in brokenness of spirit.
15 You will leave your name
for my chosen ones to use in their curses;(AT)
the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,
but to his servants he will give another name.(AU)
16 Whoever invokes a blessing(AV) in the land
will do so by the one true God;(AW)
whoever takes an oath in the land
will swear(AX) by the one true God.
For the past troubles(AY) will be forgotten
and hidden from my eyes.
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.(AZ)
The former things will not be remembered,(BA)
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice(BB) forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem(BC) to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice(BD) over Jerusalem
and take delight(BE) in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying(BF)
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant(BG) who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;(BH)
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses(BI) and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.(BJ)
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,(BK)
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,(BL)
so will be the days(BM) of my people;
my chosen(BN) ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,(BO)
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;(BP)
for they will be a people blessed(BQ) by the Lord,
they and their descendants(BR) with them.
24 Before they call(BS) I will answer;(BT)
while they are still speaking(BU) I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb(BV) will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,(BW)
and dust will be the serpent’s(BX) food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”(BY)
says the Lord.
Judgment and Hope
66 This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne,(BZ)
and the earth is my footstool.(CA)
Where is the house(CB) you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things,(CC)
and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,(CD)
and who tremble at my word.(CE)
3 But whoever sacrifices a bull(CF)
is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
is like one who presents pig’s(CG) blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense(CH)
is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,(CI)
and they delight in their abominations;(CJ)
4 so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and will bring on them what they dread.(CK)
For when I called, no one answered,(CL)
when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil(CM) in my sight
and chose what displeases me.”(CN)
5 Hear the word of the Lord,
you who tremble at his word:(CO)
“Your own people who hate(CP) you,
and exclude you because of my name, have said,
‘Let the Lord be glorified,
that we may see your joy!’
Yet they will be put to shame.(CQ)
6 Hear that uproar from the city,
hear that noise from the temple!
It is the sound(CR) of the Lord
repaying(CS) his enemies all they deserve.
7 “Before she goes into labor,(CT)
she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
she delivers a son.(CU)
8 Who has ever heard of such things?
Who has ever seen(CV) things like this?
Can a country be born in a day(CW)
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children.(CX)
9 Do I bring to the moment of birth(CY)
and not give delivery?” says the Lord.
“Do I close up the womb
when I bring to delivery?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice(CZ) with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love(DA) her;
rejoice greatly with her,
all you who mourn(DB) over her.
11 For you will nurse(DC) and be satisfied
at her comforting breasts;(DD)
you will drink deeply
and delight in her overflowing abundance.”(DE)
12 For this is what the Lord says:
“I will extend peace(DF) to her like a river,(DG)
and the wealth(DH) of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried(DI) on her arm
and dandled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child,(DJ)
so will I comfort(DK) you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice(DL)
and you will flourish(DM) like grass;
the hand(DN) of the Lord will be made known to his servants,(DO)
but his fury(DP) will be shown to his foes.
15 See, the Lord is coming with fire,(DQ)
and his chariots(DR) are like a whirlwind;(DS)
he will bring down his anger with fury,
and his rebuke(DT) with flames of fire.
16 For with fire(DU) and with his sword(DV)
the Lord will execute judgment(DW) on all people,
and many will be those slain(DX) by the Lord.
17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens,(DY) following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs,(DZ) rats(EA) and other unclean things—they will meet their end(EB) together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.
18 “And I, because of what they have planned and done,(EC) am about to come[b] and gather the people of all nations(ED) and languages, and they will come and see my glory.(EE)
19 “I will set a sign(EF) among them, and I will send some of those who survive(EG) to the nations—to Tarshish,(EH) to the Libyans[c] and Lydians(EI) (famous as archers), to Tubal(EJ) and Greece,(EK) and to the distant islands(EL) that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.(EM) They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring(EN) all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain(EO) in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,”(EP) says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.(EQ) 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests(ER) and Levites,” says the Lord.
22 “As the new heavens and the new earth(ES) that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.(ET) 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath(EU) to another, all mankind will come and bow down(EV) before me,” says the Lord. 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies(EW) of those who rebelled(EX) against me; the worms(EY) that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched,(EZ) and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 65:20 Or the sinner who reaches
- Isaiah 66:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Isaiah 66:19 Some Septuagint manuscripts Put (Libyans); Hebrew Pul
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
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