The Lord’s Response
1“I was sought by those who did not ask;
I was found by those who did not seek me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’
to a nation that did not call on65:1 Or that was not called by my name.65:1 Is 63:19; Hs 1:10; Rm 10:20; Jms 2:7
2I spread out my hands all day long
to a rebellious people65:2 Rm 10:21
who walk in the path that is not good,
following their own thoughts.
3These people continually anger me
to my face,
burning incense on bricks,
4sitting among the graves,
spending nights in secret places,
and putting polluted broth in their bowls.65:3–4 These vv. describe pagan worship.
5They say, ‘Keep to yourself,
don’t come near me, for I am too holy for you!’
These practices are smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that burns all day long.
6Look, it is written in front of me:
I will repay them fully65:6 Lit repay into their lap
of your65:7 LXX, Syr read for their iniquities and the iniquities of their ancestors together,”
says the Lord.
“Because they burned incense on the mountains
and reproached me on the hills,65:7 Ezk 20:27–28; Hs 9:10; Zch 8:14; Mal 3:7
I will reward them fully65:7 Lit reward into their lap
for their former deeds.”
8The Lord says this:
“As the new wine is found in a bunch of grapes,
and one says, ‘Don’t destroy it,
for there’s some good65:8 Or there’s a blessing in it,’
so I will act because of my servants
and not destroy them all.
9I will produce descendants from Jacob,65:9 Jr 31:36–37
and heirs to my mountains from Judah;
my chosen65:9 Is 41:8 ones will possess it,
and my servants will dwell there.65:9 Is 49:8; 60:21; Am 9:11–15
for my people who have sought me.65:10 Is 51:1
11But you who abandon the Lord,
who forget my holy mountain,
who prepare a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,65:11 Pagan gods
12I will destine you for the sword,
and all of you will kneel down to be slaughtered,
because I called and you did not answer,
I spoke and you did not hear;
you did what was evil in my sight
13Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:
“Look! My servants will eat,
but you will be hungry.
Look! My servants will drink,
but you will be thirsty.
Look! My servants will rejoice,
but you will be put to shame.
14Look! My servants will shout for joy from a glad heart,
but you will cry out from an anguished heart,
and you will lament out of a broken spirit.
15You will leave your name behind
and the Lord God will kill you;
but he will give his servants another name.65:15 Is 62:2
16Whoever asks for a blessing in the land
and whoever swears in the land
will swear by the God of truth.
For the former troubles will be forgotten
and hidden from my sight.
A New Creation
the past events will not be remembered or come to mind.
18Then be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;
for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight.
19I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people.
The sound of weeping and crying
20In her, a nursing infant will no longer live
only a few days,65:20 Lit her, no longer infant of days
or an old man not live out his days.
Indeed, the one who dies at a hundred years old
will be mourned as a young man,65:20 Lit the youth of a hundred years will die
and the one who misses a hundred years
will be considered cursed.65:20 Ec 8:12–13; Is 3:11; 22:14
21People will build houses and live in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.65:21 Jos 24:13; Is 37:30; Jr 29:5,28; Ezk 28:26; Zph 1:13
22They will not build and others live in them;
they will not plant and others eat.
For my people’s lives will be
like the lifetime of a tree.65:22 Ps 92:12–14
My chosen ones will fully enjoy
the work of their hands.
23They will not labor without success65:23 Dt 28:3–12; Is 55:2
or bear children destined for disaster,
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord
along with their descendants.65:23 Is 61:9
while they are still speaking, I will hear.
25The wolf and the lamb will feed together,65:25 Lit as one
and the lion will eat straw like cattle,65:25 Is 11:6–9
They will not do what is evil or destroy
says the Lord.
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