Isaiah, 65

1. I was ready to respond to those who asked me not, to be found by those who sought me not. I said: Here I am! Here I am! To a nation that did not call upon my name.

1. I have let myself be approached by those who did not consult me, I have let myself be found by those who did not seek me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am!' to a nation that did not invoke my name.

2. I have stretched out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, Who walk in evil paths and follow their own thoughts,

2. Each day I stretched out my hands to a rebellious people who follow a way which is not good, as the fancy takes them;

3. People who provoke me continually, to my face, Offering sacrifices in the groves and burning incense on bricks,

3. a people constantly provoking me to my face by sacrificing in gardens, burning incense on bricks,

4. Living among the graves and spending the night in caverns, Eating swine's flesh, with carrion broth in their dishes,

4. living in tombs, spending the night in dark corners, eating the meat of pigs, putting unclean foods on their plates.

5. Crying out, "Hold back, do not touch me; I am too sacred for you!" These things enkindle my wrath, a fire that burns all the day.

5. 'Keep your distance,' they say, 'do not touch me, lest my sanctity come near you!' Such words are like stifling smoke to me, an ever-burning fire.

6. Lo, before me it stands written; I will not be quiet until I have paid in full

6. Look, it is inscribed before me: I shall not be silent until I have repaid them, repaid them in full,

7. Your crimes and the crimes of your fathers as well, says the LORD. Since they burned incense on the mountains, and disgraced me on the hills, I will at once pour out in full measure their recompense into their laps.

7. punished your guilt and your ancestors' guilt together, Yahweh declares. For having burnt incense on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I shall pay them back in full for what they have done.

8. Thus says the LORD: When the juice is pressed from grapes, men say, "Do not discard them, for there is still good in them"; Thus will I do with my servants: I will not discard them all;

8. Yahweh says this: As when a bunch of grapes is found still to have juice in it, people say, 'Do not destroy it, for it contains a blessing,' so I shall act for my servants' sake, I shall not destroy them all.

9. From Jacob I will save offspring, from Judah, those who are to inherit my mountains; My chosen ones shall inherit the land, my servants shall dwell there.

9. I shall produce descendants from Jacob and heirs to my mountains from Judah, my chosen ones will own them and my servants will live there.

10. Sharon shall be a pasture for the flocks and the valley of Achor a resting place for the cattle of my people who have sought me.

10. Sharon will be a pasture for flocks, the Valley of Achor a feeding ground for cattle, for those of my people who have sought me.

11. But you who forsake the LORD, forgetting my holy mountain, You who spread a table for Fortune and fill cups of blended wine for Destiny,

11. But as for those of you who abandon Yahweh, who forget my holy mountain, who lay the table for Gad, who fill cups of mixed wine for Meni,

12. You I will destine for the sword; you shall all go down in slaughter. Since I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not listen, But did what was evil in my sight and preferred things which displease me,

12. you I shall destine to the sword and all of you will stoop to be slaughtered, because I called and you would not answer, I spoke and you would not listen; you have done what I consider evil, you chose to do what displeases me.

13. therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Lo, my servants shall eat, but you shall go hungry; My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame;

13. Therefore Lord Yahweh says this: You will see my servants eating while you go hungry; you will see my servants drinking while you go thirsty; you will see my servants rejoicing while you are put to shame;

14. My servants shall shout for joy of heart, But you shall cry out for grief of heart and howl for anguish of spirit.

14. you will hear my servants shouting for joy of heart, while you shriek for sorrow of heart and howl with a broken spirit.

15. The Lord GOD shall slay you, and the name you leave Shall be used by my chosen ones for cursing; but my servants shall be called by another name

15. And you will leave your name behind as a curse for my chosen ones, 'May Lord Yahweh strike you dead!' But to his servants he will give another name.

16. By which he will be blessed on whom a blessing is invoked in the land; He who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; For the hardships of the past shall be forgotten, and hidden from my eyes.

16. Whoever blesses himself on earth will bless himself by the God of truth, and whoever swears an oath on earth will swear by the God of truth, for past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.

17. Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind.

17. For look, I am going to create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered and will come no more to mind.

18. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight;

18. Rather be joyful, be glad for ever at what I am creating, for look, I am creating Jerusalem to be 'Joy' and my people to be 'Gladness'.

19. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying;

19. I shall be joyful in Jerusalem and I shall rejoice in my people. No more will the sound of weeping be heard there, nor the sound of a shriek;

20. No longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime; He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years, and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.

20. never again will there be an infant there who lives only a few days, nor an old man who does not run his full course; for the youngest will die at a hundred, and at a hundred the sinner will be accursed.

21. They shall live in the houses they build, and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant;

21. They will build houses and live in them, they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

22. They shall not build houses for others to live in, or plant for others to eat. As the years of a tree, so the years of my people; and my chosen ones shall long enjoy the produce of their hands.

22. They will not build for others to live in, or plant for others to eat; for the days of my people will be like the days of a tree, and my chosen ones will themselves use what they have made.

23. They shall not toil in vain, nor beget children for sudden destruction; For a race blessed by the LORD are they and their offspring.

23. They will not toil in vain, nor bear children destined to disaster, for they are the race of Yahweh's blessed ones and so are their offspring.

24. Before they call, I will answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hearken to them.

24. Thus, before they call I shall answer, before they stop speaking I shall have heard.

25. The wolf and the lamb shall graze alike, and the lion shall eat hay like the ox (but the serpent's food shall be dust). None shall hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.

25. The wolf and the young lamb will feed together, the lion will eat hay like the ox, and dust be the serpent's food. No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain, Yahweh says.