Isaiah 66:1-23
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 66
1This is what the Lord says: 'Heaven is My throne and the earth is the footstool for My feet. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? 2For My hand made all these things, So all these things came into being,' declares the Lord. 'But I will look to this one, At one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word. 3' But the one who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a person; The one who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; One who offers a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood; One who burns incense is like one who blesses an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, And their souls delight in their abominations, 4So I will choose their punishments And bring on them what they dread. Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen. Instead, they did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight.' 5Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word: 'Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you on account of My name, Have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, so that we may see your joy.’ But they will be put to shame. 6A sound of uproar from the city, a voice from the temple, The voice of the Lord who is dealing retribution to His enemies. 7'Before she was in labor, she delivered; Before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy. 8Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be given birth all at once? As soon as Zion was in labor, she also delivered her sons. 9Shall I bring to the point of birth but not give delivery?' says the Lord. 'Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?' says your God. 10'Be joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who love her; Be exceedingly glad with her, all you who mourn over her, 11So that you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts, So that you may drink fully and be delighted with her bountiful breasts.' 12For this is what the Lord says: 'Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; And you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and rocked back and forth on the knees. 13As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.' 14Then you will see this, and your heart will be glad, And your bones will flourish like the new grass; And the hand of the Lord will be made known to His servants, But He will be indignant toward His enemies. 15For behold, the Lord will come in fire, And His chariots like the whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. 16For the Lord will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on humanity, And those put to death by the Lord will be many.
18For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all the nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.
19And I will put a sign among them and send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard of My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations.
20Then they shall bring all your countrymen from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,' says the Lord, 'just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.
21I will also take some of them as priests and Levites,' says the Lord.
King James Version
16For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.
17They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.
18For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
19And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.
21And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.
22For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
Christian Standard Bible
2My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.
3One person slaughters an ox, another kills a person; one person sacrifices a lamb, another breaks a dog’s neck; one person offers a grain offering, another offers pig’s blood; one person offers incense, another praises an idol— all these have chosen their ways and delight in their abhorrent practices.
4So I will choose their punishment, and I will bring on them what they dread because I called and no one answered; I spoke and they did not listen; they did what was evil in my sight and chose what I did not delight in.
5You who tremble at his word, hear the word of the Lord: "Your brothers who hate and exclude you for my name’s sake have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified so that we can see your joy!’ But they will be put to shame."
6A sound of uproar from the city! A voice from the temple— the voice of the Lord, paying back his enemies what they deserve!
7Before Zion was in labor, she gave birth; before she was in pain, she delivered a boy.
8Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day or a nation be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her sons.
9"Will I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?" says the Lord; "or will I who deliver, close the womb?" says your God.
10Be glad for Jerusalem and rejoice over her, all who love her. Rejoice greatly with her, all who mourn over her—
11so that you may nurse and be satisfied from her comforting breast and drink deeply and delight yourselves from her glorious breasts.
12For this is what the Lord says: I will make peace flow to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flood; you will nurse and be carried on her hip and bounced on her lap.
13As a mother comforts her son, so I will comfort you, and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.
14You will see, you will rejoice, and you will flourish like grass; then the Lord’s power will be revealed to his servants, but he will show his wrath against his enemies.
15Look, the Lord will come with fire — his chariots are like the whirlwind — to execute his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16For the Lord will execute judgment on all people with his fiery sword, and many will be slain by the Lord.
18"Knowing their works and their thoughts, I have come to gather all nations and languages; they will come and see my glory.
19I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, Lud (who are archers), Tubal, Javan, and the coasts and islands far away—who have not heard about me or seen my glory. And they will proclaim my glory among the nations.
20They will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a gift to the Lord on horses and chariots, in litters, and on mules and camels, to my holy mountain Jerusalem," says the Lord, "just as the Israelites bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.
21I will also take some of them as priests and Levites," says the Lord.
New Living Translation
2My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken! 'I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.
3But those who choose their own ways — delighting in their detestable sins — will not have their offerings accepted. When such people sacrifice a bull, it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice. When they sacrifice a lamb, it’s as though they had sacrificed a dog! When they bring an offering of grain, they might as well offer the blood of a pig. When they burn frankincense, it’s as if they had blessed an idol.
4I will send them great trouble — all the things they feared. For when I called, they did not answer. When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned before my very eyes and chose to do what they know I despise.'
5Hear this message from the Lord, all you who tremble at his words: 'Your own people hate you and throw you out for being loyal to my name. ‘Let the Lord be honored!’ they scoff. ‘Be joyful in him!’ But they will be put to shame.
6What is all the commotion in the city? What is that terrible noise from the Temple? It is the voice of the Lord taking vengeance against his enemies.
7'Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son.
8Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born.
9Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?' asks the Lord. 'No! I would never keep this nation from being born,' says your God.
10'Rejoice with Jerusalem! Be glad with her, all you who love her and all you who mourn for her.
11Drink deeply of her glory even as an infant drinks at its mother’s comforting breasts.'
12This is what the Lord says: 'I will give Jerusalem a river of peace and prosperity. The wealth of the nations will flow to her. Her children will be nursed at her breasts, carried in her arms, and held on her lap.
13I will comfort you there in Jerusalem as a mother comforts her child.'
14When you see these things, your heart will rejoice. You will flourish like the grass! Everyone will see the Lord’s hand of blessing on his servants — and his anger against his enemies.
15See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his swift chariots roar like a whirlwind. He will bring punishment with the fury of his anger and the flaming fire of his hot rebuke.
16The Lord will punish the world by fire and by his sword. He will judge the earth, and many will be killed by him.
18I can see what they are doing, and I know what they are thinking. So I will gather all nations and peoples together, and they will see my glory.
19I will perform a sign among them. And I will send those who survive to be messengers to the nations — to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (who are famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to all the lands beyond the sea that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. There they will declare my glory to the nations.
20They will bring the remnant of your people back from every nation. They will bring them to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord. They will ride on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,' says the Lord.
21And I will appoint some of them to be my priests and Levites. I, the Lord, have spoken!
English Standard Version
Chapter 66
1 Thus says the Lord: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? 2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. 3 "He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog 's neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig 's blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations; 4 I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight." 5Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: "Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name 's sake have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy’; but it is they who shall be put to shame. 6"The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the Lord, rendering recompense to his enemies! 7 "Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. 8Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. 9Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?" says the Lord; "shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?" says your God. 10 "Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; 11that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance." 12For thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. 13As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies. 15"For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many. 17"Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig 's flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord.
18"For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory,
19and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations.
20And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.
21And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.
New International Version
2Has not my hand made all these things, 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, and who tremble at my word.
3But whoever sacrifices a bull 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 blood, and whoever burns memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations;
4so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me."
5Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: "Your own people who hate 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.
6Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies all they deserve.
7"Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son.
8Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.
9Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the Lord. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your God.
10"Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.
11For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance."
13As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."
14When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.
15See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by the Lord.
19"I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.
20And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels," says the Lord. "They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.
21And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites," says the Lord.
New King James Version
Chapter 66
1Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? 2For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word. 3“He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol. Just as they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations, 4So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight.” 5Hear the word of the Lord, You who tremble at His word: “Your brethren who hated you, Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, That we may see your joy.’ But they shall be ashamed.” 6The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord, Who fully repays His enemies! 7“Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child. 8Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children. 9Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the Lord. “Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God. 10“Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her; 11That you may feed and be satisfied With the consolation of her bosom, That you may drink deeply and be delighted With the abundance of her glory.”
12For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; On her sides shall you be carried, And be dandled on her knees.
13As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
14When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, And your bones shall flourish like grass; The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants, And His indignation to His enemies.
15 For behold, the Lord will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire.
16For by fire and by His sword The Lord will judge all flesh; And the slain of the Lord shall be many.
17“Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves, To go to the gardens After an idol in the midst, Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse, Shall be consumed together,” says the Lord.
18“For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.
19I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.
20Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.
21And I will also take some of them for priests and Levites,” says the Lord.
22“For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.
