The Covenant Extended to the Righteous
56 For[a] this is what the Lord says:
“Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and soon my deliverance will be revealed.
2 Blessed is the one who does this,
and the person that holds it fast,
who observes the Sabbath without profaning it,
and restrains his hands[b] from practicing any evil.
3 “Let[c] no foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say:
‘The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.’
Furthermore, let no eunuch say,
‘Look![d] I am just a dry tree.’”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me,
and who hold fast my covenant—
5 to them I will give in my house[e] and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters.
I will give them[f] an everlasting name
that will not be cut off.[g]
6 “Also, the foreigners who join themselves to[h] the Lord,
to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,[i]
to be his servants,
and to bless the Lord’s name,
observing[j] the Sabbath without profaning it,
and who hold fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will rise up to be accepted[k] on my altar;
for my house will be called a house of prayer
for everyone.”[l]
A Rebuke to Israel’s Guardians
8 This is what the Lord God says,
the one who gathers the outcasts of Israel:
“I’ll gather still others to them
besides those already gathered.[m]
9 “All you wild animals,[n] come and devour—
even[o] all of you wild animals.[p]
10 His[q] watchmen[r] are blind;
they are all without knowledge.
They are all dumb dogs—
they cannot bark.
They keep on dreaming and lying around,
and they’re lovers of sleep![s]
11 Meanwhile,[t] the dogs have a mighty appetite—
they can never get enough.
And as for them, they are the shepherds[u] who lack understanding;
they have all turned to their own way,
each one to his gain,
each and every one.
12 “‘Come!’ they say, ‘let’s[v] have some wine,
and let’s fill ourselves with strong drink!
Then,[w] tomorrow will be like today,[x]
or even much better!’”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 56:1 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack For
- Isaiah 56:2 So 1QIsaa LXX 1QIsab MT read hand
- Isaiah 56:3 So 1QIsaa LXX; 1QIsab MT read And let
- Isaiah 56:3 So 1QIsaa 1QIsab MT; LXX lacks Look!
- Isaiah 56:5 I.e. God’s Temple
- Isaiah 56:5 So 1QIsaa LXX; 1QIsab MT read him
- Isaiah 56:5 The Heb. verb is a word play on the Heb. word eunuch
- Isaiah 56:6 So 1QIsaa (cf. v 3); 1QIsab MT read upon
- Isaiah 56:6 So 1QIsab MT LXX; 1QIsaa lacks this line
- Isaiah 56:6 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX read all who observe
- Isaiah 56:7 1QIsaa; 1QIsab 4QIsai MT LXX read will be accepted
- Isaiah 56:7 Lit. for all peoples
- Isaiah 56:8 Lit. besides their gathered ones
- Isaiah 56:9 So 1QIsaa LXX; 1QIsab MT read Every wild animal
- Isaiah 56:9 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX lack even
- Isaiah 56:9 So 1QIsaa LXX; 1QIsab MT read every wild animal
- Isaiah 56:10 I.e. Israel’s; so 1QIsaa MTq
- Isaiah 56:10 MT reads His watchman; LXX reads Look! They all
- Isaiah 56:10 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads sleeping
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit. And
- Isaiah 56:11 So 1QIsaa; MT reads shepherds; LXX reads evil
- Isaiah 56:12 So 1QIsaa MTms; 1QIsab reads I will; MT reads let me
- Isaiah 56:12 Or And
- Isaiah 56:12 1QIsaa reads this the day; 1QIsab MT read this day