Where God may be found
66 The Lord says:
Heaven is my throne,
and earth is my footstool.
So where could you build a house for me,
and where could my resting place be?
2 My hand made all these things
and brought them into being, says the Lord.
But here is where I will look:
to the humble and contrite in spirit,
who tremble at my word.
3 The one who slaughters an ox kills a person;
the one who sacrifices a sheep breaks a dog’s neck;
the one who makes a grain offering offers swine’s blood;
the one who burns incense blesses an idol.
All these have chosen their own ways,
and prefer their detestable things.
4 So I too will choose to punish them,
to bring horrors upon them,
since I called and no one answered.
I spoke and no one heard,
but they did evil in my eyes.
What I didn’t want, they chose.
5 Listen to the Lord’s word,
you who tremble at his word:
Your family members, those who hate and exclude you because of my name,
have said, “Let the Lord be glorified;
let’s see your joy.”
But they will be ashamed.
6 The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple!
The sound of the Lord repaying his enemies what they have earned.
Mother Zion
7 Before she was in labor, she gave birth.
Before her pangs came upon her, she delivered a boy.
8 Whoever heard of such a thing?
Whoever saw such things as these?
Can a land come to birth in one day?
Can a nation be born all at once?
Yet as soon as birth pangs came,
Zion bore her children.
9 Will I open the womb and not bring to birth? says the Lord.
Will I, who create life, close the womb? says your God.
10 Celebrate with Jerusalem; be happy with her,
all you who love her!
Rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her,
11 so that you may nurse and be satisfied
from her comforting breasts,
that you may drink and be refreshed
from her full breasts.
12 The Lord says:
Look, I’m extending prosperity to her like a river,
and the wealth of nations like an overflowing stream.
You will nurse and be carried on the hip
and bounced upon the knee.
13 As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you;
in Jerusalem you will be comforted.
14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice;
your entire being will flourish like grass.
The Lord’s power will be known among his servants,
but his fury among his enemies.
15 The Lord will come with fire,
God’s chariots like a windstorm,
to repay in hot anger,
to rebuke with fiery flames.
16 With fire and with sword the Lord will judge all humanity;
many will be slain by the Lord.
17 Those who became holy and purify themselves, following their leader into the gardens,[a] who eat pork, detestable animals, and mice, will meet their end together, says the Lord.
Worshippers gathered from the nations
18 Because of their actions and thoughts, I’m coming to gather all nations and cultures. They will come to see my glory. 19 I will put a sign on them, by sending out some of the survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Libya, and Lydia, and to the archers of Cilicia and Greece—distant coastlands that haven’t heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will declare my glory among the nations. 20 They will bring your family members from all nations as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels—to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, like Israelites bringing an offering in purified containers to the Lord’s house. 21 I will select some of them as priests and Levites, says the Lord.
22 As the new heavens and the new earth that I’m making will endure before me, says the Lord,
so your descendants and your name will endure.
23 From month to month and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all humanity will come to worship me, says the Lord.
24 They will go out and see the corpses
of the people who rebelled against me,
where their worm never dies, where their fire is never extinguished.
They will be a horror to everyone.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 66:17 Heb uncertain