Rewards for Obedience to God
56 Thus says the Lord,
“(A)Preserve justice and do righteousness,
For My (B)salvation is about to come
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 “How (C)blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who (D)takes hold of it;
Who (E)keeps from profaning the sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Let not the (F)foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from His people.”
Nor let the (G)eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord,
“To the eunuchs who (H)keep My sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And (I)hold fast My covenant,
5 To them I will give in My (J)house and within My (K)walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give [a]them an everlasting (L)name which (M)will not be cut off.
6 “Also the (N)foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord,
To be His servants, every one who (O)keeps from profaning the sabbath
And holds fast My covenant;
7 Even (P)those I will bring to My (Q)holy mountain
And (R)make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on (S)My altar;
For (T)My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
8 The Lord [b]God, who (U)gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares,
“Yet (V)others I will gather to [c]them, to those already gathered.”
9 All you (W)beasts of the field,
All you beasts in the forest,
Come to eat.
10 His (X)watchmen are (Y)blind,
All of them know nothing.
All of them are mute dogs unable to bark,
[d]Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
11 And the dogs are [e](Z)greedy, they [f]are not satisfied.
And they are shepherds who have (AA)no understanding;
They have all (AB)turned to their own way,
Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.
12 “Come,” they say, “let [g]us get (AC)wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink;
And (AD)tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 56:5 So DSS; M.T. reads him
- Isaiah 56:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 56:8 Lit him
- Isaiah 56:10 So DSS; M.T. Ravers
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit strong of soul/appetite
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit do not know satisfaction
- Isaiah 56:12 So DSS and many versions; M.T. me
Cross references
- Isaiah 56:1 : Is 1:17; 33:5; 61:8
- Isaiah 56:1 : Ps 85:9; Is 46:13; 51:5
- Isaiah 56:2 : Ps 112:1; 119:1, 2
- Isaiah 56:2 : Is 56:4, 6
- Isaiah 56:2 : Ex 20:8-11; 31:13-17; Is 56:6; 58:13; Jer 17:21, 22; Ezek 20:12, 20
- Isaiah 56:3 : Is 14:1; 56:6
- Isaiah 56:3 : Deut 23:1; Jer 38:7; Acts 8:27
- Isaiah 56:4 : Is 56:2, 6
- Isaiah 56:4 : Is 56:6
- Isaiah 56:5 : Is 2:2, 3; 56:7; 66:20
- Isaiah 56:5 : Is 26:1; 60:18
- Isaiah 56:5 : Is 62:2
- Isaiah 56:5 : Is 48:19; 55:13
- Isaiah 56:6 : Is 56:3; 60:10; 61:5
- Isaiah 56:6 : Is 56:2, 4
- Isaiah 56:7 : Is 2:2, 3; 60:11; Mic 4:1, 2
- Isaiah 56:7 : Is 11:9; 65:25
- Isaiah 56:7 : Is 61:10
- Isaiah 56:7 : Is 60:7
- Isaiah 56:7 : Matt 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46
- Isaiah 56:8 : Is 11:12
- Isaiah 56:8 : Is 60:3-11; 66:18-21; John 10:16
- Isaiah 56:9 : Is 18:6; 46:11
- Isaiah 56:10 : Ezek 3:17
- Isaiah 56:10 : Is 29:9-14; Jer 14:13, 14
- Isaiah 56:11 : Is 28:7; Ezek 13:19; Mic 3:5, 11
- Isaiah 56:11 : Is 1:3
- Isaiah 56:11 : Is 57:17; Jer 22:17
- Isaiah 56:12 : Is 5:11, 12, 22
- Isaiah 56:12 : Ps 10:6; Luke 12:19, 20