Isaiah 65

Judgment and Mercy

1 “I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me. I let Myself be found by those who were not looking. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that did not call on My name.”

2 “All day long I reached out to a stubborn people who walk in ways that are not good, following their own thoughts.”

3 “A people who constantly provoke Me to My face. Sacrificing in gardens and burning incense on brick altars.”

4 “They sit among graves, spend nights in secret places, eat pig meat, and put unclean food in their bowls.”

5 They say, “Stay away, do not come near me, I am too holy for you.” These people are smoke in My nose. A fire burning all day long.

God Keeps the Remnant

6 “Look, it is written before Me. I will not stay silent, I will pay them back. I will repay them fully for their sins,” says the Lord.

7 “Your sins and your ancestors’ sins together. For they burned incense on the mountains and mocked Me on the hills. I will measure into their laps full payment.”

8 This is what the Lord says: “As new wine is found in a cluster, and someone says, ‘Do not destroy it. There is a blessing in it?’ so I will act for My servants and not destroy them all.”

9 “I will bring descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will inherit My mountains. My chosen ones will possess the land, and My servants will live there.”

10 “Sharon will be a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds for My people who seek Me.”

Judgment for Idol Worshipers

11 “But you who abandon the Lord, who forget My holy mountain, who prepare a feast for the god Fortune and pour drinks for the god Destiny.

12 I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will bow down to slaughter, because I called and you did not answer; I spoke, and you did not listen. You did what was evil in My sight and chose what I did not delight in.”

Blessing for God’s Servants

13 This is what the Lord says: “My servants will eat. But you will be hungry. My servants will drink. But you will be thirsty. My servants will rejoice. But you will be ashamed.”

14 “My servants will shout with joy of heart. But you will cry out from pain and wail because of a broken spirit.”

15 “You will leave your name behind as a curse for My chosen ones, and the Lord God will put you to death. But He will give His servants a new name.”

16 “Whoever blesses in the land will bless in the name of the One true God, and whoever swears in the land will swear by the One true God. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from My eyes.”

New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “For I am creating new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered or come to mind.”

18 “Be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating. For I am making Jerusalem a joy and her people a delight.”

19 “I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in My people. The sound of crying and weeping will never be heard in her again.”

Life in the New Creation

20 “No more will a baby live only a few days, or an old person not live out their years. The one who dies at a hundred will be thought a child; the one who does not reach a hundred will be considered cursed.”

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

22 “They will not build houses for others to live in or plant for others to eat. For My people will live as long as trees, and My chosen ones will enjoy the work of their hands.”

23 “They will not labor in vain or give birth to children doomed for trouble, for they will be offspring blessed by the Lord. They and their descendants.”

24 “Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.”

25 “The wolf and the lamb will eat together; the lion will eat straw like the ox. But dust will be the serpent’s food. They will not hurt or destroy on all My holy mountain?” Says the Lord.