Foreigners Keeping Shabbat
56 Thus says Adonai:
“Preserve justice,
do righteousness.
For My salvation is about to come,
and My righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the one who does this,
the son of man who takes hold of it,
who keeps from profaning Shabbat,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.
3 Do not let a son of a foreigner who has joined himself to Adonai[a] say,
‘Adonai will surely exclude me from His people.”
Nor let the eunuch say,
‘Behold, I am a dry tree.’”
4 For thus says Adonai,
“To the eunuchs who keep My Shabbatot,
who choose what pleases Me,
and hold fast My covenant:
5 I will give to them in My House and within My walls
a memorial and a name[b]
better than sons and daughters.
I will give them an everlasting name
that will not be cut off.
6 Also the foreigners who join themselves to Adonai, to minister to Him,
and to love the Name of Adonai,
and to be His servants—
all who keep from profaning Shabbat,
and hold fast to My covenant—
7 these I will bring to My holy mountain,
and let them rejoice in My House of Prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on My altar.
For My House will be called
a House of Prayer for all nations.”[c]
8 Adonai Elohim,
who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares,
“I will gather still others to him,
to those already gathered.”
9 All you beasts of the field, come to eat,
all you beasts in the forest.
10 His watchmen are all blind.
All of them know nothing.
All of them are mute dogs unable to bark,
dreamers lying down, lovers of slumber,
11 and the dogs are greedy—
they never have enough.
They are shepherds with no discernment.
They have all turned to their own way,
each to his own gain, one and all.
12 “Come, let’s get wine, let’s guzzle strong drink.
Tomorrow will be like today,
only even better!”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 56:3 cf. Eph. 2:12-22.
- Isaiah 56:5 Heb. Yad Vashem.
- Isaiah 56:7 cf. Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46.