Isaiah 66:1-24
66 This is what Jehovah has said: “The heavens are my throne,+ and the earth is my footstool.+ Where, then, is the house that YOU people can build for me,+ and where, then, is the place as a resting-place for me?”+
2 “Now all these things my own hand has made, so that all these came to be,”*+ is the utterance of Jehovah. “To this one, then, I shall look, to the one afflicted and contrite in spirit+ and trembling at* my word.+
3 “The one slaughtering the bull is as one striking down a man.*+ The one sacrificing the sheep is as one breaking the neck of a dog.+ The one offering up a gift—the blood of a pig!+ The one presenting a memorial of frankincense+ is as one saying a blessing with uncanny words.*+ They are also the ones that have chosen their own ways, and in their disgusting things their very soul has taken a delight.+
4 I myself, in turn, shall choose ways of ill-treating them;+ and the things frightful to them I shall bring upon them;+ for the reason that I called, but there was no one answering; I spoke, but there were none that listened;+ and they kept on doing what was bad in my eyes, and the thing in which I took no delight they chose.”+
5 Hear the word of Jehovah, YOU men who are trembling at his word:+ “YOUR brothers that are hating YOU,+ that are excluding YOU by reason of my name,+ said, ‘May Jehovah be glorified!’+ He must also appear with rejoicing on YOUR part,+ and they are the ones that will be put to shame.”+
6 There is a sound of uproar out of the city, a sound out of the temple!+ It is the sound of Jehovah repaying what is deserved to his enemies.+
7 Before she began to come into labor pains she gave birth.+ Before birth pangs could come to her, she even gave deliverance to a male child.+
8 Who has heard of a thing like this?+ Who has seen things like these?+ Will a land+ be brought forth with labor pains in one day?+ Or will a nation+ be born at one time?*+ For Zion has come into labor pains as well as given birth to her sons.
9 “As for me, shall I cause the breaking through and not cause the giving birth?”+ says Jehovah. “Or am I causing a giving birth and do I actually cause a shutting up?” your* God* has said.
10 Rejoice with Jerusalem and be joyful with her,+ all YOU lovers of her.+ Exult greatly with her, all YOU keeping yourselves in mourning over her;+
11 for the reason that YOU will suck and certainly get satisfaction from the breast of full consolation by her;* for the reason that YOU will sip and experience exquisite delight from the teat of her glory.+
12 For this is what Jehovah has said: “Here I am extending to her peace just like a river+ and the glory of nations just like a flooding torrent,+ and YOU will certainly suck.+ Upon the flank YOU will be carried, and upon the knees YOU will be fondled.+
13 Like a man* whom his own mother keeps comforting, so I myself shall keep comforting YOU people;+ and in the case of Jerusalem YOU will be comforted.+
14 And YOU will certainly see, and YOUR heart will be bound to exult,+ and YOUR very bones+ will sprout just like tender grass.+ And the hand of Jehovah will certainly be made known to his servants,+ but he will actually denounce his enemies.”+
15 “For here Jehovah himself comes as a very fire,+ and his chariots are like a storm wind,+ in order to pay back his anger with sheer rage and his rebuke with flames of fire.+
16 For as fire Jehovah himself will for a fact take up the controversy, yes, with his sword,+ against all flesh; and the slain of Jehovah will certainly become many.+
17 Those sanctifying themselves and cleansing themselves for the gardens+ behind one* in the center, eating the flesh of the pig+ and the loathsome thing, even the jumping rodent,*+ they will all together reach their end,” is the utterance of Jehovah.
18 “And as regards their works+ and their thoughts,+ I am coming in order to collect all the nations and tongues together;+ and they will have to come and see my glory.”+
19 “And I will set among them a sign,*+ and I will send some of those who are escaped to the nations,+ [to] Tarʹshish,+ Pul,* and Lud,+ those drawing the bow,* Tuʹbal and Jaʹvan,+ the faraway islands,*+ who have not heard a report about me or seen my glory;+ and they will for certain tell about my glory among the nations.+
20 And they will actually bring all YOUR brothers out of all the nations+ as a gift to Jehovah,+ on horses and in chariots and in covered wagons and on mules and on swift she-camels,+ up to my holy mountain,*+ Jerusalem,” Jehovah has said, “just as when the sons of Israel bring the gift in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah.”+
21 “And from them also I shall take some for the priests, for the Levites,”* Jehovah has said.
22 “For just as the new heavens+ and the new earth+ that I am making are standing before me,”+ is the utterance of Jehovah, “so the offspring* of YOU people+ and the name of YOU people will keep standing.”+
23 “And it will certainly occur that from new moon to new moon* and from sabbath to sabbath* all flesh will come in to bow down before me,”+ Jehovah has said.
24 “And they will actually go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men* that were transgressing against me;+ for the very worms upon them* will not die and their fire itself will not be extinguished,+ and they must become something repulsive to all flesh.”+
Footnotes
^ “Came to be,” MTVg; LXXSy, “are all mine.”
^ “Trembling at.” Or, “anxious toward.”
^ “Man.” Heb., ʼish.
^ Or, “upon uncanny things.”
^ Or, “at once?”
^ “Your,” fem. sing., referring to “Zion,” or “Jerusalem.”
^ “Your God.” Heb., ʼElo·haʹyikh.
^ Or, “of her consolations.”
^ “Like a man.” Heb., keʼishʹ.
^ “One,” masc. in M but fem. in Mmargin and 13 Heb. mss.
^ Or, “the jerboa.”
^ “Sign.” Heb., ʼohth; Lat., siʹgnum.
^ “Pul,” 1QIsaMSy; LXX, “Put.”
^ “Those drawing the bow,” 1QIsaMSy; LXX, “Meshech.”
^ Or, “coastlands.”
^ “Mountain,” 1QIsaMTSyVg; LXX, “city.”
^ “For the Levites,” 1QIsaM; TLXXSyVg and some Heb. mss, “and for the Levites.”
^ Lit., “seed.”
^ Or, “from month to month.”
^ Or, “from week to week.”
^ “The men.” Heb., ha·ʼana·shimʹ, pl. of ʼish.
^ Lit., “their very worm.”
