Isaiah 66

Heaven Is My Throne

1This is what the LORD says:

“Heaven is My throne,

and earth is My footstool.

What kind of house will you build for Me?

Or where will My place of repose be?

1Thus says YHWH: “The heavens are My throne, and the earth is the stool for My feet! Where is this house for Me that you will build, and where is this place of My rest?

2Has not My hand made all these things?

And so they came into being,”

declares the LORD.

“This is the one I will esteem:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit,

who trembles at My word.

2And all these things My own hand has made, and all these things have come to be!” a declaration of YHWH. “And to this one I will look: To the poor and stricken one in spirit, and who trembles at My word.

3Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man;

whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;

whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood;

whoever offers frankincense is like one who blesses an idol.

Indeed, they have chosen their own ways

and delighted in their abominations.

3The one slaughtering an ox strikes down a man; the one sacrificing a lamb breaks the neck a dog; the one offering a grain offering offers the blood of a pig; the one burning incense blesses an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations,

4So I will choose their punishment

and I will bring terror upon them,

because I called and no one answered,

I spoke and no one listened.

But they did evil in My sight

and chose that in which I did not delight.”

4I also will choose their punishment, and their fears I will bring upon them, because I called and no one answered; I spoke and no one listened; and they did the evil in My eyes, and they chose that in which I did not delight.”

5You who tremble at His word,

hear the word of the LORD:

“Your brothers who hate you

and exclude you because of My name

have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified

that we may see your joy!’

But they will be put to shame.”

5“Hear the word of YHWH, you who tremble at His word! Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for the sake of My name have said, ‘Let YHWH be glorified, that we might look on your joy!’ And they will be put to shame.”

6Hear the uproar from the city;

listen to the voice from the temple!

It is the voice of the LORD,

repaying His enemies what they deserve!

6The voice of uproar from the city, a voice from the temple—it is the voice of YHWH, repaying recompence to His enemies!

Rejoice with Jerusalem

7“Before she was in labor, she gave birth;

before she was in pain, she delivered a boy.

7“Before she was writhing, she gave birth; before pain came to her, then she delivered a male.

8Who has heard of such as this?

Who has seen such things?

Can a country be born in a day

or a nation be delivered in an instant?

Yet as soon as Zion was in labor,

she gave birth to her children.

8Who has heard such as this? Who has seen these things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be born in one moment? For she begain writhing—as soon as Zion gave birth to her sons.

9Shall I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?”

says the LORD.

“Or will I who deliver close the womb?”

says your God.

9Will I break open and not deliver?” Says YHWH: “Or will I, cause to bring forth, and shut up?” Says your God.

10Be glad for Jerusalem and rejoice over her,

all who love her.

Rejoice greatly with her,

all who mourn over her,

10Be glad with Jerusalem, and rejoice in her all those loving her! Rejoice with her for joy, all those mourning over her,

11so that you may nurse and be satisfied

at her comforting breasts;

you may drink deeply and delight yourselves

in her glorious abundance.

11so that you may nurse and be satisfied from the breast of her consolation, that you may drink deeply and delight yourself from the abundance of her glory.

12For this is what the LORD says:

“I will extend peace to her like a river,

and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream;

you will nurse and be carried on her arm,

and bounced upon her knees.

12For thus says YHWH: “Behold I am stretching out to her peace like a river, and flowing like a stream the glory of the nations; and you will nurse, at her side you will be carried, and on her knees you will be dandled.

13As a mother comforts her son,

so will I comfort you,

and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”

13As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you, and in Jerusalem” you will find comfort.

14When you see, you will rejoice,

and you will flourish like grass;

then the hand of the LORD will be revealed to His servants,

but His wrath will be shown to His enemies.

14And you will see, and your heart will rejoice, and your bones like the grass will sprout; and the hand of YHWH will be known to His servants, and His indignation to His enemies.

Final Judgments against the Wicked

15For behold, the LORD will come with fire—

His chariots are like a whirlwind—

to execute His anger with fury

and His rebuke with flames of fire.

15For behold, YHWH will come with fire, and like a whirlwind with His chariots, to render the heat of His nose, and His rebuke with flames of fire.

16For by fire and by His sword,

the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh,

and many will be slain by the LORD.

16For by the fire and by His sword, YHWH enters into judgment with all flesh, and those slain by YHWH will be many.

17“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.

17“The ones consecrating and purifying themselves to the gardens, after one in the center, eating the flesh of swine, and the abomination, and the rodent, together they will come to an end,” a declaration of YHWH.

18“And I, knowing their deeds and thoughts, am coming to gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.

18“And I—their deeds and their thoughts—I am coming to gather all the nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.

19I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory.

So they will proclaim My glory among the nations.

19And I will set among them a sign, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, and Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal, and Javan, to the islands far away, who have not heard My name and have not seen My glory; and they will declare My glory among the nations.

20And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a gift to the LORD on horses and chariots and wagons, on mules and camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the Israelites bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.”

20And they will bring all your brothers from all nations as an offering to YHWH—on horses, and in chariots, and in covered wagons, and on mules, and on camels—to My holy mountain of Jerusalem,” says YHWH, “As the sons of Israel bring an offering in a pure vessel into the house of YHWH.”

21“And I will select some of them as priests and Levites,” says the LORD.

21“And also from them I will take priests and Levites,” says YHWH.

22“For just as the new heavens and the new earth,

which I will make, will endure before Me,”

declares the LORD,

“so your descendants and your name will endure.

22“For as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making will stand before Me, a declaration of YHWH, “So will stand your seed and your name.

23From one New Moon to another

and from one Sabbath to another,

all mankind will come to worship before Me,”

says the LORD.

23And it will come to pass, from New Moon to New Moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, that all flesh will come to worship before Me,” says YHWH.

24“As they go forth, they will see the corpses

of the men who have rebelled against Me;

for their worm will never die,

their fire will never be quenched,

and they will be a horror

to all mankind.”

24“And they will go forth, and they will see the corpses of the men having rebelled against Me, for their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all flesh.”