Information Retrieved -> Isaiah 38 - 66(NLT)

Book Chapter Verse Text
Isaiah 38 1 About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: "This is what the LORD says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness."
Isaiah 38 2 When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
Isaiah 38 3 "Remember, O LORD, how I have always tried to be faithful to you and do what is pleasing in your sight." Then he broke down and wept bitterly.
Isaiah 38 4 Then this message came to Isaiah from the LORD:
Isaiah 38 5 "Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, `This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life,
Isaiah 38 6 and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.
Isaiah 38 7 " `And this is the sign that the LORD will give you to prove he will do as he promised:
Isaiah 38 8 I will cause the sun's shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!'" So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps.
Isaiah 38 9 When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem about his experience:
Isaiah 38 10 I said, "In the prime of my life, must I now enter the place of the dead? Am I to be robbed of my normal years?"
Isaiah 38 11 I said, "Never again will I see the LORD GOD while still in the land of the living. Never again will I see my friends or laugh with those who live in this world.
Isaiah 38 12 My life has been blown away like a shepherd's tent in a storm. It has been cut short, as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom. Suddenly, my life was over.
Isaiah 38 13 I waited patiently all night, but I was torn apart as though by lions. Suddenly, my life was over.
Isaiah 38 14 Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane, and then I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help. I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!"
Isaiah 38 15 But what could I say? For he himself had sent this sickness. Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt.
Isaiah 38 16 Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You have restored my health and have allowed me to live!
Isaiah 38 17 Yes, it was good for me to suffer this anguish, for you have rescued me from death and have forgiven all my sins.
Isaiah 38 18 For the dead cannot praise you; they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to destruction can no longer hope in your faithfulness.
Isaiah 38 19 Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation can make known your faithfulness to the next.
Isaiah 38 20 Think of it--the LORD has healed me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the LORD.
Isaiah 38 21 Isaiah had said to Hezekiah's servants, "Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover."
Isaiah 38 22 And Hezekiah had asked, "What sign will prove that I will go to the Temple of the LORD three days from now?"
Isaiah 39 1 Soon after this, Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift. He had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick and that he had recovered.
Isaiah 39 2 Hezekiah welcomed the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses--the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them all his other treasures--everything! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
Isaiah 39 3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, "What did those men want? Where were they from?" Hezekiah replied, "They came from the distant land of Babylon."
Isaiah 39 4 "What did they see in your palace?" asked Isaiah. "They saw everything," Hezekiah replied. "I showed them everything I own--all my treasures."
Isaiah 39 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to this message from the LORD Almighty:
Isaiah 39 6 The time is coming when everything you have--all the treasures stored up by your ancestors--will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD.
Isaiah 39 7 Some of your own descendants will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon's king."
Isaiah 39 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "This message you have given me from the LORD is good." But the king was thinking, "At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime."
Isaiah 40 1 "Comfort, comfort my people," says your God.
Isaiah 40 2 "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and that her sins are pardoned. Yes, the LORD has punished her in full for all her sins."
Isaiah 40 3 Listen! I hear the voice of someone shouting, "Make a highway for the LORD through the wilderness. Make a straight, smooth road through the desert for our God.
Isaiah 40 4 Fill the valleys and level the hills. Straighten out the curves and smooth off the rough spots.
Isaiah 40 5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!"
Isaiah 40 6 A voice said, "Shout!" I asked, "What should I shout?Shout that people are like the grass that dies away. Their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in a field.
Isaiah 40 7 The grass withers, and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people.
Isaiah 40 8 The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."
Isaiah 40 9 Messenger of good news, shout to Zion from the mountaintops! Shout louder to Jerusalem--do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, "Your God is coming!"
Isaiah 40 10 Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in all his glorious power. He will rule with awesome strength. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
Isaiah 40 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
Isaiah 40 12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed out the mountains and the hills?
Isaiah 40 13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the LORD? Who knows enough to be his teacher or counselor?
Isaiah 40 14 Has the LORD ever needed anyone's advice? Does he need instruction about what is good or what is best?
Isaiah 40 15 No, for all the nations of the world are nothing in comparison with him. They are but a drop in the bucket, dust on the scales. He picks up the islands as though they had no weight at all.
Isaiah 40 16 All Lebanon's forests do not contain sufficient fuel to consume a sacrifice large enough to honor him. All Lebanon's sacrificial animals would not make an offering worthy of our God.
Isaiah 40 17 The nations of the world are as nothing to him. In his eyes they are less than nothing--mere emptiness and froth.
Isaiah 40 18 To whom, then, can we compare God? What image might we find to resemble him?
Isaiah 40 19 Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains?
Isaiah 40 20 Or is a poor person's wooden idol better? Can God be compared to an idol that must be placed on a stand so it won't fall down?
Isaiah 40 21 Have you never heard or understood? Are you deaf to the words of God--the words he gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant?
Isaiah 40 22 It is God who sits above the circle of the earth. The people below must seem to him like grasshoppers! He is the one who spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them.
Isaiah 40 23 He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.
Isaiah 40 24 They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and their work withers. The wind carries them off like straw.
Isaiah 40 25 "To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One.
Isaiah 40 26 Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away.
Isaiah 40 27 O Israel, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? How can you say God refuses to hear your case?
Isaiah 40 28 Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
Isaiah 40 29 He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.
Isaiah 40 30 Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up.
Isaiah 40 31 But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 41 1 "Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea. Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case.
Isaiah 41 2 "Who has stirred up this king from the east, who meets victory at every step? Who, indeed, but the LORD? He gives him victory over many nations and permits him to trample their kings underfoot. He puts entire armies to the sword. He scatters them in the wind with his bow.
Isaiah 41 3 He chases them away and goes on safely, though he is walking over unfamiliar ground.
Isaiah 41 4 Who has done such mighty deeds, directing the affairs of the human race as each new generation marches by? It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last. I alone am he."
Isaiah 41 5 The lands beyond the sea watch in fear. Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war.
Isaiah 41 6 They encourage one another with the words, "Be strong!"
Isaiah 41 7 The craftsmen rush to make new idols. The carver hurries the goldsmith, and the molder helps at the anvil. "Good," they say. "It's coming along fine." Carefully they join the parts together, then fasten the thing in place so it won't fall over.
Isaiah 41 8 "But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from my friend Abraham,
Isaiah 41 9 I have called you back from the ends of the earth so you can serve me. For I have chosen you and will not throw you away.
Isaiah 41 10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41 11 "See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and ashamed. Anyone who opposes you will die.
Isaiah 41 12 You will look for them in vain. They will all be gone!
Isaiah 41 13 I am holding you by your right hand--I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, `Do not be afraid. I am here to help you.
Isaiah 41 14 Despised though you are, O Israel, don't be afraid, for I will help you. I am the LORD, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.'
Isaiah 41 15 You will be a new threshing instrument with many sharp teeth. You will tear all your enemies apart, making chaff of mountains.
Isaiah 41 16 You will toss them in the air, and the wind will blow them all away; a whirlwind will scatter them. And the joy of the LORD will fill you to overflowing. You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 41 17 "When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never forsake them.
Isaiah 41 18 I will open up rivers for them on high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. In the deserts they will find pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the dry, parched ground.
Isaiah 41 19 I will plant trees--cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine--on barren land.
Isaiah 41 20 Everyone will see this miracle and understand that it is the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, who did it.
Isaiah 41 21 "Can your idols make such claims as these? Let them come and show what they can do!" says the LORD, the King of Israel.
Isaiah 41 22 "Let them try to tell us what happened long ago or what the future holds.
Isaiah 41 23 Yes, that's it! If you are gods, tell what will occur in the days ahead. Or perform a mighty miracle that will fill us with amazement and fear. Do something, whether good or bad!
Isaiah 41 24 But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all. Anyone who chooses you becomes filthy, just like you!
Isaiah 41 25 "But I have stirred up a leader from the north and east. He will come against the nations and call on my name, and I will give him victory over kings and princes. He will trample them as a potter treads on clay.
Isaiah 41 26 "Who but I have told you this would happen? Who else predicted this, making you admit that he was right? No one else said a word!
Isaiah 41 27 I was the first to tell Jerusalem, `Look! Help is on the way!'
Isaiah 41 28 Not one of your idols told you this. Not one gave any answer when I asked.
Isaiah 41 29 See, they are all foolish, worthless things. Your idols are all as empty as the wind.
Isaiah 42 1 "Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will reveal justice to the nations.
Isaiah 42 2 He will be gentle--he will not shout or raise his voice in public.
Isaiah 42 3 He will not crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope. He will bring full justice to all who have been wronged.
Isaiah 42 4 He will not stop until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction."
Isaiah 42 5 God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath and life to everyone in all the world. And it is he who says,
Isaiah 42 6 "I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you to my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide all nations to me.
Isaiah 42 7 You will open the eyes of the blind and free the captives from prison. You will release those who sit in dark dungeons.
Isaiah 42 8 "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else. I will not share my praise with carved idols.
Isaiah 42 9 Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens."
Isaiah 42 10 Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands.
Isaiah 42 11 Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountaintops!
Isaiah 42 12 Let the coastlands glorify the LORD; let them sing his praise.
Isaiah 42 13 The LORD will march forth like a mighty man; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his thundering battle cry, and he will crush all his enemies.
Isaiah 42 14 He will say, "I have long been silent; yes, I have restrained myself. But now I will give full vent to my fury; I will gasp and pant like a woman giving birth.
Isaiah 42 15 I will level the mountains and hills and bring a blight on all their greenery. I will turn the rivers into dry land and will dry up all the pools.
Isaiah 42 16 I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will make the darkness bright before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.
Isaiah 42 17 But those who trust in idols, calling them their gods--they will be turned away in shame.
Isaiah 42 18 "Oh, how deaf and blind you are toward me! Why won't you listen? Why do you refuse to see?
Isaiah 42 19 Who in all the world is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messengers? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the LORD?
Isaiah 42 20 You see and understand what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear, but you don't really listen."
Isaiah 42 21 The LORD has magnified his law and made it truly glorious. Through it he had planned to show the world that he is righteous.
Isaiah 42 22 But what a sight his people are, for they have been robbed, enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped. They are fair game for all and have no one to protect them.
Isaiah 42 23 Will not even one of you apply these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you?
Isaiah 42 24 Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt? Was it not the LORD? It was the LORD whom we sinned against, for the people would not go where he sent them, nor would they obey his law.
Isaiah 42 25 That is why he poured out such fury on them and destroyed them in battle. They were set on fire and burned, but they still refused to understand.
Isaiah 43 1 But now, O Israel, the LORD who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.
Isaiah 43 2 When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
Isaiah 43 3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba as a ransom for your freedom.
Isaiah 43 4 Others died that you might live. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.
Isaiah 43 5 "Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you and your children from east and west
Isaiah 43 6 and from north and south. I will bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth.
Isaiah 43 7 All who claim me as their God will come, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them."
Isaiah 43 8 Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.
Isaiah 43 9 Gather the nations together! Which of their idols has ever foretold such things? Can any of them predict something even a single day in advance? Where are the witnesses of such predictions? Who can verify that they spoke the truth?
Isaiah 43 10 "But you are my witnesses, O Israel!" says the LORD. "And you are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God; there never has been and never will be.
Isaiah 43 11 I am the LORD, and there is no other Savior.
Isaiah 43 12 First I predicted your deliverance; I declared what I would do, and then I did it--I saved you. No foreign god has ever done this before. You are witnesses that I am the only God," says the LORD.
Isaiah 43 13 "From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can oppose what I do. No one can reverse my actions."
Isaiah 43 14 The LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: "For your sakes I will send an invading army against Babylon. And the Babylonians will be forced to flee in those ships they are so proud of.
Isaiah 43 15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel's Creator and King.
Isaiah 43 16 I am the LORD, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea.
Isaiah 43 17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.
Isaiah 43 18 "But forget all that--it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
Isaiah 43 19 For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert!
Isaiah 43 20 The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and ostriches, too, for giving them water in the wilderness. Yes, I will make springs in the desert, so that my chosen people can be refreshed.
Isaiah 43 21 I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world.
Isaiah 43 22 "But, my dear people, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me!
Isaiah 43 23 You have not brought me lambs for burnt offerings. You have not honored me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you with my requests for grain offerings and incense.
Isaiah 43 24 You have not brought me fragrant incense or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your faults.
Isaiah 43 25 "I--yes, I alone--am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.
Isaiah 43 26 Let us review the situation together, and you can present your case if you have one.
Isaiah 43 27 From the very beginning, your ancestors sinned against me--all your leaders broke my laws.
Isaiah 43 28 That is why I have disgraced your priests and assigned Israel a future of complete destruction and shame.
Isaiah 44 1 "But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one.
Isaiah 44 2 The LORD who made you and helps you says: O Jacob, my servant, do not be afraid. O Israel, my chosen one, do not fear.
Isaiah 44 3 For I will give you abundant water to quench your thirst and to moisten your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit and my blessings on your children.
Isaiah 44 4 They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.
Isaiah 44 5 Some will proudly claim, `I belong to the LORD.' Others will say, `I am a descendant of Jacob.' Some will write the LORD's name on their hands and will take the honored name of Israel as their own.
Isaiah 44 6 "This is what the LORD, Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty, says: I am the First and the Last; there is no other God.
Isaiah 44 7 Who else can tell you what is going to happen in the days ahead? Let them tell you if they can and thus prove their power. Let them do as I have done since ancient times.
Isaiah 44 8 Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Have I not proclaimed from ages past what my purposes are for you? You are my witnesses--is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock--not one!"
Isaiah 44 9 How foolish are those who manufacture idols to be their gods. These highly valued objects are really worthless. They themselves are witnesses that this is so, for their idols neither see nor know. No wonder those who worship them are put to shame.
Isaiah 44 10 Who but a fool would make his own god--an idol that cannot help him one bit!
Isaiah 44 11 All who worship idols will stand before the LORD in shame, along with all these craftsmen--mere humans--who claim they can make a god. Together they will stand in terror and shame.
Isaiah 44 12 The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool, pounding and shaping it with all his might. His work makes him hungry and thirsty, weak and faint.
Isaiah 44 13 Then the wood-carver measures and marks out a block of wood, takes the tool, and carves the figure of a man. Now he has a wonderful idol that cannot even move from where it is placed!
Isaiah 44 14 He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the cedar in the forest to be nourished by the rain.
Isaiah 44 15 And after his care, he uses part of the wood to make a fire to warm himself and bake his bread. Then--yes, it's true--he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god for people to worship! He makes an idol and bows down and praises it!
Isaiah 44 16 He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm.
Isaiah 44 17 Then he takes what's left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. "Rescue me!" he says. "You are my god!"
Isaiah 44 18 Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.
Isaiah 44 19 The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, "Why, it's just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a chunk of wood?"
Isaiah 44 20 The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He is trusting something that can give him no help at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, "Is this thing, this idol that I'm holding in my hand, a lie?"
Isaiah 44 21 "Pay attention, O Israel, for you are my servant. I, the LORD, made you, and I will not forget to help you.
Isaiah 44 22 I have swept away your sins like the morning mists. I have scattered your offenses like the clouds. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free."
Isaiah 44 23 Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done this wondrous thing. Shout, O earth! Break forth into song, O mountains and forests and every tree! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob and is glorified in Israel.
Isaiah 44 24 The LORD, your Redeemer and Creator, says: "I am the LORD, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. By myself I made the earth and everything in it.
Isaiah 44 25 I am the one who exposes the false prophets as liars by causing events to happen that are contrary to their predictions. I cause wise people to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools.
Isaiah 44 26 But I carry out the predictions of my prophets! When they say Jerusalem will be saved and the towns of Judah will be lived in once again, it will be done!
Isaiah 44 27 When I speak to the rivers and say, `Be dry!' they will be dry.
Isaiah 44 28 When I say of Cyrus, `He is my shepherd,' he will certainly do as I say. He will command that Jerusalem be rebuilt and that the Temple be restored."
Isaiah 45 1 This is what the LORD says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never again to shut against him.
Isaiah 45 2 This is what the LORD says: "I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
Isaiah 45 3 And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness--secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.
Isaiah 45 4 "And why have I called you for this work? It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. I called you by name when you did not know me.
Isaiah 45 5 I am the LORD; there is no other God. I have prepared you, even though you do not know me,
Isaiah 45 6 so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45 7 I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.
Isaiah 45 8 Open up, O heavens, and pour out your righteousness. Let the earth open wide so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together. I, the LORD, created them.
Isaiah 45 9 "Destruction is certain for those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot ever argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, `Stop, you are doing it wrong!' Does the pot exclaim, `How clumsy can you be!'
Isaiah 45 10 How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father and mother, `Why was I born? Why did you make me this way?'"
Isaiah 45 11 This is what the LORD, the Creator and Holy One of Israel, says: "Do you question what I do? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands?
Isaiah 45 12 I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the millions of stars are at my command.
Isaiah 45 13 I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide all his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people--and not for a reward! I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken!"
Isaiah 45 14 This is what the LORD says: "The Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Sabeans will be subject to you. They will come to you with all their merchandise, and it will all be yours. They will follow you as prisoners in chains. They will fall to their knees in front of you and say, `God is with you, and he is the only God.'"
Isaiah 45 15 Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior, you work in strange and mysterious ways.
Isaiah 45 16 All who make idols will be humiliated and disgraced.
Isaiah 45 17 But the LORD will save the people of Israel with eternal salvation. They will never again be humiliated and disgraced throughout everlasting ages.
Isaiah 45 18 For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. "I am the LORD," he says, "and there is no other.
Isaiah 45 19 I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner so no one can understand what I mean. And I did not tell the people of Israel to ask me for something I did not plan to give. I, the LORD, speak only what is true and right.
Isaiah 45 20 "Gather together and come, you fugitives from surrounding nations. What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols and pray to gods that cannot save!
Isaiah 45 21 Consult together, argue your case, and state your proofs that idol worship pays. Who made these things known long ago? What idol ever told you they would happen? Was it not I, the LORD? For there is no other God but me--a just God and a Savior--no, not one!
Isaiah 45 22 Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other.
Isaiah 45 23 I have sworn by my own name, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to my name."
Isaiah 45 24 The people will declare, "The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength." And all who were angry with him will come to him and be ashamed.
Isaiah 45 25 In the LORD all the generations of Israel will be justified, and in him they will boast.
Isaiah 46 1 The idols of Babylon, Bel and Nebo, are being hauled away on ox carts. But look! The beasts are staggering under the weight!
Isaiah 46 2 Both the idols and the ones carrying them are bowed down. The gods cannot protect the people, and the people cannot protect the gods. They go off into captivity together.
Isaiah 46 3 "Listen to me, all you who are left in Israel. I created you and have cared for you since before you were born.
Isaiah 46 4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime--until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.
Isaiah 46 5 "To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?
Isaiah 46 6 Some people pour out their silver and gold and hire a craftsman to make a god from it. Then they bow down and worship it!
Isaiah 46 7 They carry it around on their shoulders, and when they set it down, it stays there. It cannot even move! And when someone prays to it, there is no answer. It has no power to get anyone out of trouble.
Isaiah 46 8 "Do not forget this, you guilty ones.
Isaiah 46 9 And do not forget the things I have done throughout history. For I am God--I alone! I am God, and there is no one else like me.
Isaiah 46 10 Only I can tell you what is going to happen even before it happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.
Isaiah 46 11 I will call a swift bird of prey from the east--a leader from a distant land who will come and do my bidding. I have said I would do it, and I will.
Isaiah 46 12 Listen to me, you stubborn, evil people!
Isaiah 46 13 For I am ready to set things right, not in the distant future, but right now! I am ready to save Jerusalem and give my glory to Israel.
Isaiah 47 1 "Come, Babylon, unconquered one, sit in the dust. For your days of glory, pomp, and honor have ended. O daughter of Babylonia, never again will you be the lovely princess, tender and delicate.
Isaiah 47 2 Take heavy millstones and grind the corn. Remove your veil and strip off your robe. Expose yourself to public view.
Isaiah 47 3 You will be naked and burdened with shame. I will take vengeance against you and will not negotiate."
Isaiah 47 4 Our Redeemer, whose name is the LORD Almighty, is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 47 5 "O daughter of Babylonia, sit now in darkness and silence. Never again will you be known as the queen of kingdoms.
Isaiah 47 6 For I was angry with my chosen people and began their punishment by letting them fall into your hands. But you, Babylon, showed them no mercy. You have forced even the elderly to carry heavy burdens.
Isaiah 47 7 You thought, `I will reign forever as queen of the world!' You did not care at all about my people or think about the consequences of your actions.
Isaiah 47 8 "You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom, living at ease and feeling secure, bragging as if you were the greatest in the world! You say, `I'm self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone! I will never be a widow or lose my children.'
Isaiah 47 9 Well, those two things will come upon you in a moment: widowhood and the loss of your children. Yes, these calamities will come upon you, despite all your witchcraft and magic.
Isaiah 47 10 "You felt secure in all your wickedness. `No one sees me,' you said. Your `wisdom' and `knowledge' have caused you to turn away from me and claim, `I am self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone!'
Isaiah 47 11 So disaster will overtake you suddenly, and you won't be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won't be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will arise so fast that you won't know what hit you.
Isaiah 47 12 "Call out the demon hordes you have worshiped all these years. Ask them to help you strike terror into the hearts of people once again.
Isaiah 47 13 You have more than enough advisers, astrologers, and stargazers. Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds.
Isaiah 47 14 But they are as useless as dried grass burning in a fire. They cannot even save themselves! You will get no help from them at all. Their hearth is not a place to sit for warmth.
Isaiah 47 15 And all your friends, those with whom you have done business since childhood, will slip away and disappear, unable to help.
Isaiah 48 1 "Listen to me, O family of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel and born into the family of Judah. Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the LORD and call on the God of Israel. You don't follow through on any of your promises,
Isaiah 48 2 even though you call yourself the holy city and talk about depending on the God of Israel, whose name is the LORD Almighty.
Isaiah 48 3 Time and again I warned you about what was going to happen in the future. Then suddenly I took action, and all my predictions came true.
Isaiah 48 4 "I know how stubborn and obstinate you are. Your necks are as unbending as iron. You are as hardheaded as bronze.
Isaiah 48 5 That is why I told you ahead of time what I was going to do. That way, you could never say, `My idols did it. My wooden image and metal god commanded it to happen!'
Isaiah 48 6 You have heard my predictions and seen them fulfilled, but you refuse to admit it. Now I will tell you new things I have not mentioned before, secrets you have not yet heard.
Isaiah 48 7 They are brand new, not things from the past. So you cannot say, `We knew that all the time!'
Isaiah 48 8 "Yes, I will tell you of things that are entirely new, for I know so well what traitors you are. You have been rebels from your earliest childhood, rotten through and through.
Isaiah 48 9 Yet for my own sake and for the honor of my name, I will hold back my anger and not wipe you out.
Isaiah 48 10 I have refined you but not in the way silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.
Isaiah 48 11 I will rescue you for my sake--yes, for my own sake! That way, the pagan nations will not be able to claim that their gods have conquered me. I will not let them have my glory!
Isaiah 48 12 "Listen to me, O family of Jacob, Israel my chosen one! I alone am God, the First and the Last.
Isaiah 48 13 It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth. The palm of my right hand spread out the heavens above. I spoke, and they came into being.
Isaiah 48 14 "Have any of your idols ever told you this? Come, all of you, and listen: `The LORD has chosen Cyrus as his ally. He will use him to put an end to the empire of Babylon, destroying the Babylonian armies.'
Isaiah 48 15 I have said it: I am calling Cyrus! I will send him on this errand and will help him succeed.
Isaiah 48 16 Come closer and listen. I have always told you plainly what would happen so you would have no trouble understanding." And now the Sovereign LORD and his Spirit have sent me with this message:
Isaiah 48 17 "The LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is good and leads you along the paths you should follow.
Isaiah 48 18 Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling like waves.
Isaiah 48 19 Then you would have become as numerous as the sands along the seashore--too many to count! There would have been no need for your destruction."
Isaiah 48 20 Yet even now, be free from your captivity! Leave Babylon and the Babylonians, singing as you go! Shout to the ends of the earth that the LORD has redeemed his servants, the people of Israel.
Isaiah 48 21 They were not thirsty when he led them through the desert. He divided the rock, and water gushed out for them to drink.
Isaiah 48 22 "But there is no peace for the wicked," says the LORD.
Isaiah 49 1 Listen to me, all of you in far-off lands! The LORD called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name.
Isaiah 49 2 He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
Isaiah 49 3 He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory."
Isaiah 49 4 I replied, "But my work all seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose at all. Yet I leave it all in the LORD's hand; I will trust God for my reward."
Isaiah 49 5 And now the LORD speaks--he who formed me in my mother's womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring his people of Israel back to him. The LORD has honored me, and my God has given me strength.
Isaiah 49 6 He says, "You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."
Isaiah 49 7 The LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the one who is despised and rejected by a nation, to the one who is the servant of rulers: "Kings will stand at attention when you pass by. Princes will bow low because the LORD has chosen you. He, the faithful LORD, the Holy One of Israel, chooses you."
Isaiah 49 8 This is what the LORD says: "At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation, I will help you. I will give you as a token and pledge to Israel. This will prove that I will reestablish the land of Israel and reassign it to its own people again.
Isaiah 49 9 Through you I am saying to the prisoners of darkness, `Come out! I am giving you your freedom!' They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare.
Isaiah 49 10 They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun and scorching desert winds will not reach them anymore. For the LORD in his mercy will lead them beside cool waters.
Isaiah 49 11 And I will make my mountains into level paths for them. The highways will be raised above the valleys.
Isaiah 49 12 See, my people will return from far away, from lands to the north and west, and from as far south as Egypt. "
Isaiah 49 13 Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their sorrow.
Isaiah 49 14 Yet Jerusalem says, "The LORD has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us."
Isaiah 49 15 "Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for a child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!
Isaiah 49 16 See, I have written your name on my hand. Ever before me is a picture of Jerusalem's walls in ruins.
Isaiah 49 17 Soon your descendants will come back, and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
Isaiah 49 18 Look and see, for all your children will come back to you. As surely as I live," says the LORD, "they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display.
Isaiah 49 19 "Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land will soon be crowded with your people. Your enemies who enslaved you will be far away.
Isaiah 49 20 The generations born in exile will return and say, `We need more room! It's crowded here!'
Isaiah 49 21 Then you will think to yourself, `Who has given me all these descendants? For most of my children were killed, and the rest were carried away into exile. I was left here all alone. Who bore these children? Who raised them for me?'"
Isaiah 49 22 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I will give a signal to the godless nations. They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms; they will bring your daughters on their shoulders.
Isaiah 49 23 Kings and queens will serve you. They will care for all your needs. They will bow to the earth before you and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Those who wait for me will never be put to shame."
Isaiah 49 24 Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior? Who can demand that a tyrant let his captives go?
Isaiah 49 25 But the LORD says, "The captives of warriors will be released, and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved. For I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children.
Isaiah 49 26 I will feed your enemies with their own flesh. They will be drunk with rivers of their own blood. All the world will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel. "
Isaiah 50 1 The LORD asks, "Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors? Is that why you are not here? Is your mother gone because I divorced her and sent her away? No, you went away as captives because of your sins. And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins.
Isaiah 50 2 Was I too weak to save you? Is that why the house is silent and empty when I come home? Is it because I have no power to rescue? No, that is not the reason! For I can speak to the sea and make it dry! I can turn rivers into deserts covered with dying fish.
Isaiah 50 3 I am the one who sends darkness out across the skies, bringing it to a state of mourning."
Isaiah 50 4 The Sovereign LORD has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know what to say to all these weary ones. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.
Isaiah 50 5 The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened. I do not rebel or turn away.
Isaiah 50 6 I give my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pull out my beard. I do not hide from shame, for they mock me and spit in my face.
Isaiah 50 7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph.
Isaiah 50 8 He who gives me justice is near. Who will dare to oppose me now? Where are my enemies? Let them appear!
Isaiah 50 9 See, the Sovereign LORD is on my side! Who will declare me guilty? All my enemies will be destroyed like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!
Isaiah 50 10 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God.
Isaiah 50 11 But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon lie down in great torment.
Isaiah 51 1 "Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance--all who seek the LORD! Consider the quarry from which you were mined, the rock from which you were cut!
Isaiah 51 2 Yes, think about your ancestors Abraham and Sarah, from whom you came. Abraham was alone when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation."
Isaiah 51 3 The LORD will comfort Israel again and make her deserts blossom. Her barren wilderness will become as beautiful as Eden--the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found there. Lovely songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.
Isaiah 51 4 "Listen to me, my people. Hear me, Israel, for my law will be proclaimed, and my justice will become a light to the nations.
Isaiah 51 5 My mercy and justice are coming soon. Your salvation is on the way. I will rule the nations. They will wait for me and long for my power.
Isaiah 51 6 Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth beneath. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people of the earth will die like flies, but my salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end!
Isaiah 51 7 "Listen to me, you who know right from wrong and cherish my law in your hearts. Do not be afraid of people's scorn or their slanderous talk.
Isaiah 51 8 For the moth will destroy them as it destroys clothing. The worm will eat away at them as it eats wool. But my righteousness will last forever. My salvation will continue from generation to generation."
Isaiah 51 9 Wake up, LORD! Robe yourself with strength! Rouse yourself as in the days of old when you slew Egypt, the dragon of the Nile.
Isaiah 51 10 Are you not the same today, the one who dried up the sea, making a path of escape when you saved your people?
Isaiah 51 11 Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return to Jerusalem, singing songs of everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness.
Isaiah 51 12 "I, even I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?
Isaiah 51 13 Yet you have forgotten the LORD, your Creator, the one who put the stars in the sky and established the earth. Will you remain in constant dread of human oppression? Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies from morning till night?
Isaiah 51 14 Soon all you captives will be released! Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate!
Isaiah 51 15 For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the LORD Almighty.
Isaiah 51 16 And I have put my words in your mouth and hidden you safely within my hand. I set all the stars in space and established the earth. I am the one who says to Israel, `You are mine!'"
Isaiah 51 17 Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem! You have drunk enough from the cup of the LORD's fury. You have drunk the cup of terror, tipping out its last drops.
Isaiah 51 18 Not one of your children is left alive to help you or tell you what to do.
Isaiah 51 19 These two things have been your lot: desolation and destruction, famine and war. And who is left to sympathize? Who is left to comfort you?
Isaiah 51 20 For your children have fainted and lie in the streets, helpless as antelopes caught in a net. The LORD has poured out his fury; God has rebuked them.
Isaiah 51 21 But now listen to this, you afflicted ones, who sit in a drunken stupor, though not from drinking wine.
Isaiah 51 22 This is what the Sovereign LORD, your God and Defender, says: "See, I am taking the terrible cup from your hands. You will drink no more of my fury. It is gone at last!
Isaiah 51 23 But I will put that cup into the hands of those who tormented you. I will give it to those who trampled you into the dust and walked on your backs."
Isaiah 52 1 Wake up, wake up, O Zion! Clothe yourselves with strength. Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem, for unclean and godless people will no longer enter your gates.
Isaiah 52 2 Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem. Remove the slave bands from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
Isaiah 52 3 For this is what the LORD says: "When I sold you into exile, I received no payment. Now I can redeem you without paying for you."
Isaiah 52 4 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Long ago my people went to live as resident foreigners in Egypt. Now they have been oppressed without cause by Assyria.
Isaiah 52 5 And now, what is this?" asks the LORD. "Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is being blasphemed all day long.
Isaiah 52 6 But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that it is I who speaks to them."
Isaiah 52 7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!
Isaiah 52 8 The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the LORD bringing his people home to Jerusalem.
Isaiah 52 9 Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the LORD has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.
Isaiah 52 10 The LORD will demonstrate his holy power before the eyes of all the nations. The ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
Isaiah 52 11 Go now, leave your bonds and slavery. Put Babylon behind you, with everything it represents, for it is unclean to you. You are the LORD's holy people. Purify yourselves, you who carry home the vessels of the LORD.
Isaiah 52 12 You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the LORD will go ahead of you, and the God of Israel will protect you from behind.
Isaiah 52 13 See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted.
Isaiah 52 14 Many were amazed when they saw him--beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person.
Isaiah 52 15 And he will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about.
Isaiah 53 1 Who has believed our message? To whom will the LORD reveal his saving power?
Isaiah 53 2 My servant grew up in the LORD's presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.
Isaiah 53 3 He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.
Isaiah 53 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins!
Isaiah 53 5 But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!
Isaiah 53 6 All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.
Isaiah 53 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53 8 From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins--that he was suffering their punishment?
Isaiah 53 9 He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave.
Isaiah 53 10 But it was the LORD's good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD's plan will prosper in his hands.
Isaiah 53 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
Isaiah 53 12 I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners.
Isaiah 54 1 "Sing, O childless woman! Break forth into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem, even though you never gave birth to a child. For the woman who could bear no children now has more than all the other women," says the LORD.
Isaiah 54 2 "Enlarge your house; build an addition; spread out your home!
Isaiah 54 3 For you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will take over other nations and live in their cities.
Isaiah 54 4 "Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more,
Isaiah 54 5 for your Creator will be your husband. The LORD Almighty is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.
Isaiah 54 6 For the LORD has called you back from your grief--as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband," says your God.
Isaiah 54 7 "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back.
Isaiah 54 8 In a moment of anger I turned my face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer.
Isaiah 54 9 "Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth and destroy its life, so now I swear that I will never again pour out my anger on you.
Isaiah 54 10 For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but even then I will remain loyal to you. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
Isaiah 54 11 "O storm-battered city, troubled and desolate! I will rebuild you on a foundation of sapphires and make the walls of your houses from precious jewels.
Isaiah 54 12 I will make your towers of sparkling rubies and your gates and walls of shining gems.
Isaiah 54 13 I will teach all your citizens, and their prosperity will be great.
Isaiah 54 14 You will live under a government that is just and fair. Your enemies will stay far away; you will live in peace. Terror will not come near.
Isaiah 54 15 If any nation comes to fight you, it will not be because I sent them to punish you. Your enemies will always be defeated because I am on your side.
Isaiah 54 16 I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals beneath the forge and makes the weapons of destruction. And I have created the armies that destroy.
Isaiah 54 17 But in that coming day, no weapon turned against you will succeed. And everyone who tells lies in court will be brought to justice. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Isaiah 55 1 "Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink--even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk--it's all free!
Isaiah 55 2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul!
Isaiah 55 3 "Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David.
Isaiah 55 4 He displayed my power by being my witness and a leader among the nations.
Isaiah 55 5 You also will command the nations, and they will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious."
Isaiah 55 6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.
Isaiah 55 7 Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55 8 "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
Isaiah 55 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55 10 "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.
Isaiah 55 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
Isaiah 55 12 You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
Isaiah 55 13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD's name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.
Isaiah 56 1 "Be just and fair to all," says the LORD. "Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you.
Isaiah 56 2 Blessed are those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest by refusing to work. And blessed are those who keep themselves from doing wrong.
Isaiah 56 3 "And my blessings are for Gentiles, too, when they commit themselves to the LORD. Do not let them think that I consider them second-class citizens. And my blessings are also for the eunuchs. They are as much mine as anyone else.
Isaiah 56 4 For I say this to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy, who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me:
Isaiah 56 5 I will give them--in my house, within my walls--a memorial and a name far greater than the honor they would have received by having sons and daughters. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear!
Isaiah 56 6 "I will also bless the Gentiles who commit themselves to the LORD and serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who have accepted his covenant.
Isaiah 56 7 I will bring them also to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
Isaiah 56 8 For the Sovereign LORD, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel."
Isaiah 56 9 Come, wild animals of the field! Come, wild animals of the forest! Come and devour my people!
Isaiah 56 10 For the leaders of my people--the LORD's watchmen, his shepherds--are blind to every danger. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.
Isaiah 56 11 And they are as greedy as dogs, never satisfied. They are stupid shepherds, all following their own path, all of them intent on personal gain.
Isaiah 56 12 "Come," they say. "We will get some wine and have a party. Let's all get drunk. Let this go on and on, and tomorrow will be even better."
Isaiah 57 1 The righteous pass away; the godly often die before their time. And no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
Isaiah 57 2 For the godly who die will rest in peace.
Isaiah 57 3 "But you--come here, you witches' children, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
Isaiah 57 4 Whom do you mock, making faces and sticking out your tongues? You children of sinners and liars!
Isaiah 57 5 You worship your idols with great passion beneath every green tree. You slaughter your children as human sacrifices down in the valleys, under overhanging rocks.
Isaiah 57 6 Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them with drink offerings and grain offerings. They, not I, are your inheritance. Does all this make me happy?
Isaiah 57 7 You have committed adultery on the mountaintops by worshiping idols there, and so you have been unfaithful to me.
Isaiah 57 8 Behind closed doors, you have set up your idols and worship them instead of me. This is adultery, for you are loving these idols instead of loving me. You have climbed right into bed with these detestable gods.
Isaiah 57 9 You have given olive oil and perfume to Molech as your gift. You have traveled far, even into the world of the dead, to find new gods to love.
Isaiah 57 10 You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. You strengthened yourself and went on.
Isaiah 57 11 Why were you more afraid of them than of me? How is it that you don't even remember me or think about me? Is it because I have not corrected you that you have no fear of me?
Isaiah 57 12 "Now I will expose your so-called good deeds that you consider so righteous. None of them will benefit or save you.
Isaiah 57 13 Let's see if your idols can do anything for you when you cry to them for help. They are so helpless that a breath of wind can knock them down! But whoever trusts in me will possess the land and inherit my holy mountain.
Isaiah 57 14 I will say, `Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.'"
Isaiah 57 15 The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts.
Isaiah 57 16 For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always show my anger. If I did, all people would pass away--all the souls I have made.
Isaiah 57 17 I was angry and punished these greedy people. I withdrew myself from them, but they went right on sinning.
Isaiah 57 18 I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them and comfort those who mourn.
Isaiah 57 19 Then words of praise will be on their lips. May they have peace, both near and far, for I will heal them all," says the LORD.
Isaiah 57 20 "But those who still reject me are like the restless sea. It is never still but continually churns up mire and dirt.
Isaiah 57 21 There is no peace for the wicked," says my God.
Isaiah 58 1 "Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Tell my people Israel of their sins!
Isaiah 58 2 Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to hear my laws. You would almost think this was a righteous nation that would never abandon its God. They love to make a show of coming to me and asking me to take action on their behalf.
Isaiah 58 3 `We have fasted before you!' they say. `Why aren't you impressed? We have done much penance, and you don't even notice it!'"I will tell you why! It's because you are living for yourselves even while you are fasting. You keep right on oppressing your workers.
Isaiah 58 4 What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.
Isaiah 58 5 You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like a blade of grass in the wind. You dress in sackcloth and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD?
Isaiah 58 6 "No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn.
Isaiah 58 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
Isaiah 58 8 "If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind.
Isaiah 58 9 Then when you call, the LORD will answer. `Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply. "Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors!
Isaiah 58 10 Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day.
Isaiah 58 11 The LORD will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
Isaiah 58 12 Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities.
Isaiah 58 13 "Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD's holy day. Honor the LORD in everything you do, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly. If you do this,
Isaiah 58 14 the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and give you your full share of the inheritance I promised to Jacob, your ancestor. I, the LORD, have spoken!"
Isaiah 59 1 Listen! The LORD is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call.
Isaiah 59 2 But there is a problem--your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.
Isaiah 59 3 Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your mouth is full of lies, and your lips are tainted with corruption.
Isaiah 59 4 No one cares about being fair and honest. Their lawsuits are based on lies. They spend their time plotting evil deeds and then doing them.
Isaiah 59 5 They spend their time and energy spinning evil plans that end up in deadly actions.
Isaiah 59 6 They cheat and shortchange everyone. Nothing they do is productive; all their activity is filled with sin. Violence is their trademark.
Isaiah 59 7 Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning. Wherever they go, misery and destruction follow them.
Isaiah 59 8 They do not know what true peace is or what it means to be just and good. They continually do wrong, and those who follow them cannot experience a moment's peace.
Isaiah 59 9 It is because of all this evil that deliverance is far from us. That is why God doesn't punish those who injure us. No wonder we are in darkness when we expected light. No wonder we are walking in the gloom.
Isaiah 59 10 No wonder we grope like blind people and stumble along. Even at brightest noontime, we fall down as though it were dark. No wonder we are like corpses when compared to vigorous young men!
Isaiah 59 11 We growl like hungry bears; we moan like mournful doves. We look for justice, but it is nowhere to be found. We look to be rescued, but it is far away from us.
Isaiah 59 12 For our sins are piled up before God and testify against us. Yes, we know what sinners we are.
Isaiah 59 13 We know that we have rebelled against the LORD. We have turned our backs on God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies.
Isaiah 59 14 Our courts oppose people who are righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth falls dead in the streets, and fairness has been outlawed.
Isaiah 59 15 Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who tries to live a godly life is soon attacked. The LORD looked and was displeased to find that there was no justice.
Isaiah 59 16 He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his mighty power and justice.
Isaiah 59 17 He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with the robes of vengeance and godly fury.
Isaiah 59 18 He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes in distant lands.
Isaiah 59 19 Then at last they will respect and glorify the name of the LORD throughout the world. For he will come like a flood tide driven by the breath of the LORD.
Isaiah 59 20 "The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem, "says the LORD, "to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins.
Isaiah 59 21 And this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children's children forever. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Isaiah 60 1 "Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the LORD is shining upon you.
Isaiah 60 2 Darkness as black as night will cover all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD will shine over you.
Isaiah 60 3 All nations will come to your light. Mighty kings will come to see your radiance.
Isaiah 60 4 "Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home.
Isaiah 60 5 Your eyes will shine, and your hearts will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands.
Isaiah 60 6 Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. From Sheba they will bring gold and incense for the worship of the LORD.
Isaiah 60 7 The flocks of Kedar will be given to you, and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars. In that day I will make my Temple glorious.
Isaiah 60 8 "And what do I see flying like clouds to Israel, like doves to their nests?
Isaiah 60 9 They are the ships of Tarshish, reserved to bring the people of Israel home. They will bring their wealth with them, and it will bring great honor to the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he will fill you with splendor.
Isaiah 60 10 "Foreigners will come to rebuild your cities. Kings and rulers will send you aid. For though I have destroyed you in my anger, I will have mercy on you through my grace.
Isaiah 60 11 Your gates will stay open around the clock to receive the wealth of many lands. The kings of the world will be led as captives in a victory procession.
Isaiah 60 12 For the nations that refuse to be your allies will be destroyed.
Isaiah 60 13 The glory of Lebanon will be yours--the forests of cypress, fir, and pine--to beautify my sanctuary. My Temple will be glorious!
Isaiah 60 14 "The children of your tormentors will come and bow before you. Those who despised you will kiss your feet. They will call you the City of the LORD, and Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 60 15 "Though you were once despised and hated and rebuffed by all, you will be beautiful forever. You will be a joy to all generations, for I will make you so.
Isaiah 60 16 Powerful kings and mighty nations will bring the best of their goods to satisfy your every need. You will know at last that I, the LORD, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.
Isaiah 60 17 I will exchange your bronze for gold, your iron for silver, your wood for bronze, and your stones for iron. Peace and righteousness will be your leaders!
Isaiah 60 18 Violence will disappear from your land; the desolation and destruction of war will end. Salvation will surround you like city walls, and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there.
Isaiah 60 19 "No longer will you need the sun or moon to give you light, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and he will be your glory.
Isaiah 60 20 The sun will never set; the moon will not go down. For the LORD will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end.
Isaiah 60 21 All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands in order to bring myself glory.
Isaiah 60 22 The smallest family will multiply into a large clan. The tiniest group will become a mighty nation. I, the LORD, will bring it all to pass at the right time."
Isaiah 61 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.
Isaiah 61 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
Isaiah 61 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.
Isaiah 61 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities long ago destroyed. They will revive them, though they have been empty for many generations.
Isaiah 61 5 Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards.
Isaiah 61 6 You will be called priests of the LORD, ministers of our God. You will be fed with the treasures of the nations and will boast in their riches.
Isaiah 61 7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you will inherit a double portion of prosperity and everlasting joy.
Isaiah 61 8 "For I, the LORD, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Isaiah 61 9 Their descendants will be known and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
Isaiah 61 10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.
Isaiah 61 11 The Sovereign LORD will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, filled with young plants springing up everywhere.
Isaiah 62 1 Because I love Zion, because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
Isaiah 62 2 The nations will see your righteousness. Kings will be blinded by your glory. And the LORD will give you a new name.
Isaiah 62 3 The LORD will hold you in his hands for all to see--a splendid crown in the hands of God.
Isaiah 62 4 Never again will you be called the Godforsaken City or the Desolate Land. Your new name will be the City of God's Delight and the Bride of God, for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his own.
Isaiah 62 5 Your children will care for you with joy, O Jerusalem, just as a young man cares for his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.
Isaiah 62 6 O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the LORD day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray.
Isaiah 62 7 Give the LORD no rest until he makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth.
Isaiah 62 8 The LORD has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength: "I will never again hand you over to your enemies. Never again will foreign warriors come and take away your grain and wine.
Isaiah 62 9 You raised it, and you will keep it, praising the LORD. Within the courtyards of the Temple, you yourselves will drink the wine that you have pressed."
Isaiah 62 10 Go out! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see.
Isaiah 62 11 The LORD has sent this message to every land: "Tell the people of Israel, `Look, your Savior is coming. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.'"
Isaiah 62 12 They will be called the Holy People and the People Redeemed by the LORD. And Jerusalem will be known as the Desirable Place and the City No Longer Forsaken.
Isaiah 63 1 Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red? Who is this in royal robes, marching in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, the LORD, announcing your salvation! It is I, the LORD, who is mighty to save!"
Isaiah 63 2 Why are your clothes so red, as if you have been treading out grapes?
Isaiah 63 3 "I have trodden the winepress alone; no one was there to help me. In my anger I have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury I have trampled my foes. It is their blood that has stained my clothes.
Isaiah 63 4 For the time has come for me to avenge my people, to ransom them from their oppressors.
Isaiah 63 5 I looked, but no one came to help my people. I was amazed and appalled at what I saw. So I executed vengeance alone; unaided, I passed down judgment.
Isaiah 63 6 I crushed the nations in my anger and made them stagger and fall to the ground."
Isaiah 63 7 I will tell of the LORD's unfailing love. I will praise the LORD for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love.
Isaiah 63 8 He said, "They are my very own people. Surely they will not be false again." And he became their Savior.
Isaiah 63 9 In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.
Isaiah 63 10 But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. That is why he became their enemy and fought against them.
Isaiah 63 11 Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They cried out, "Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people?
Isaiah 63 12 Where is the one whose power divided the sea before them, when Moses lifted up his hand, establishing his reputation forever?
Isaiah 63 13 Where is the one who led them through the bottom of the sea? They were like fine stallions racing through the desert, never stumbling.
Isaiah 63 14 As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. You led your people, LORD, and gained a magnificent reputation."
Isaiah 63 15 LORD, look down from heaven and see us from your holy, glorious home. Where is the passion and the might you used to show on our behalf? Where are your mercy and compassion now?
Isaiah 63 16 Surely you are still our Father! Even if Abraham and Jacob would disown us, LORD, you would still be our Father. You are our Redeemer from ages past.
Isaiah 63 17 LORD, why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you? Return and help us, for we are your servants and your special possession.
Isaiah 63 18 How briefly your holy people possessed the holy place, and now our enemies have destroyed it.
Isaiah 63 19 LORD, why do you treat us as though we never belonged to you? Why do you act as though we had never been known as your people?
Isaiah 64 1 Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence!
Isaiah 64 2 As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, your coming would make the nations tremble. Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!
Isaiah 64 3 When you came down long ago, you did awesome things beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked!
Isaiah 64 4 For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!
Isaiah 64 5 You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow godly ways. But we are not godly. We are constant sinners, so your anger is heavy on us. How can people like us be saved?
Isaiah 64 6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away.
Isaiah 64 7 Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins.
Isaiah 64 8 And yet, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand.
Isaiah 64 9 Oh, don't be so angry with us, LORD. Please don't remember our sins forever. Look at us, we pray, and see that we are all your people.
Isaiah 64 10 Your holy cities are destroyed; even Jerusalem is a desolate wilderness.
Isaiah 64 11 The holy, beautiful Temple where our ancestors praised you has been burned down, and all the things of beauty are destroyed.
Isaiah 64 12 After all this, LORD, must you still refuse to help us? Will you continue to be silent and punish us?
Isaiah 65 1 The LORD says, "People who never before inquired about me are now asking about me. I am being found by people who were not looking for me. To them I have said, `I am here!'
Isaiah 65 2 "I opened my arms to my own people all day long, but they have rebelled. They follow their own evil paths and thoughts.
Isaiah 65 3 All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on the rooftops of their homes.
Isaiah 65 4 At night they go out among the graves and secret places to worship evil spirits. They also eat pork and other forbidden foods.
Isaiah 65 5 Yet they say to each other, `Don't come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!' They are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.
Isaiah 65 6 "Look, my decree is written out in front of me: I will not stand silent; I will repay them in full! Yes, I will repay them--
Isaiah 65 7 both for their own sins and for those of their ancestors," says the LORD. "For they also burned incense on the mountains and insulted me on the hills. I will pay them back in full!
Isaiah 65 8 "But I will not destroy them all," says the LORD. "For just as good grapes are found among a cluster of bad ones (and someone will say, `Don't throw them all away--there are some good grapes there!'), so I will not destroy all Israel. For I still have true servants there.
Isaiah 65 9 I will preserve a remnant of the people of Israel and of Judah to possess my land. Those I choose will inherit it and serve me there.
Isaiah 65 10 For my people who have searched for me, the plain of Sharon will again be filled with flocks, and the valley of Achor will be a place to pasture herds.
Isaiah 65 11 "But because the rest of you have forsaken the LORD and his Temple and worship the gods of Fate and Destiny,
Isaiah 65 12 I will `destine' you to the sword. All of you will bow before the executioner, for when I called, you did not answer. When I spoke, you did not listen. You deliberately sinned--before my very eyes--and chose to do what you know I despise."
Isaiah 65 13 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "You will starve, but my servants will eat. You will be thirsty, but they will drink. You will be sad and ashamed, but they will rejoice.
Isaiah 65 14 You will cry in sorrow and despair, while my servants sing for joy.
Isaiah 65 15 Your name will be a curse word among my people, for the Sovereign LORD will destroy you and call his true servants by another name.
Isaiah 65 16 All who invoke a blessing or take an oath will do so by the God of truth. For I will put aside my anger and forget the evil of earlier days.
Isaiah 65 17 "Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth--so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore.
Isaiah 65 18 Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy.
Isaiah 65 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more.
Isaiah 65 20 "No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only sinners will die that young!
Isaiah 65 21 In those days, people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards.
Isaiah 65 22 It will not be like the past, when invaders took the houses and confiscated the vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees and will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains.
Isaiah 65 23 They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed.
Isaiah 65 24 I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
Isaiah 65 25 The wolf and lamb will feed together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. Poisonous snakes will strike no more. In those days, no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the LORD, have spoken!"
Isaiah 66 1 This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you ever build me a temple as good as that? Could you build a dwelling place for me?
Isaiah 66 2 My hands have made both heaven and earth, and they are mine. I, the LORD, have spoken! "I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.
Isaiah 66 3 But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. Their offerings will not be accepted. When such people sacrifice an ox, it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice. When they sacrifice a lamb or bring an offering of grain, it is as bad as putting a dog or the blood of a pig on the altar! When they burn incense, it is as if they had blessed an idol.
Isaiah 66 4 I will send great troubles against them--all the things they feared. For when I called, they did not answer. When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned--before my very eyes--and chose to do what they know I despise."
Isaiah 66 5 Hear this message from the LORD, and tremble at his words: "Your close relatives hate you and throw you out for being loyal to my name. `Let the LORD be honored!' they scoff. `Be joyful in him!' But they will be put to shame.
Isaiah 66 6 What is all the commotion in the city? What is that terrible noise from the Temple? It is the voice of the LORD taking vengeance against his enemies.
Isaiah 66 7 "Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son.
Isaiah 66 8 Who has ever seen or heard of anything as strange as this? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem's birth pains begin, the baby will be born; the nation will come forth.
Isaiah 66 9 Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?" asks the LORD. "No! I would never keep this nation from being born," says your God.
Isaiah 66 10 "Rejoice with Jerusalem! Be glad with her, all you who love her and mourn for her.
Isaiah 66 11 Delight in Jerusalem! Drink deeply of her glory even as an infant drinks at its mother's generous breasts.
Isaiah 66 12 Peace and prosperity will overflow Jerusalem like a river," says the LORD. "The wealth of the nations will flow to her. Her children will be nursed at her breasts, carried in her arms, and treated with love.
Isaiah 66 13 I will comfort you there as a child is comforted by its mother."
Isaiah 66 14 When you see these things, your heart will rejoice. Vigorous health will be yours! Everyone will see the good hand of the LORD on his people--and his anger against his enemies.
Isaiah 66 15 See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his swift chariots of destruction roar like a whirlwind. He will bring punishment with the fury of his anger and the flaming fire of his hot rebuke.
Isaiah 66 16 The LORD will punish the world by fire and by his sword, and many will be killed by the LORD.
Isaiah 66 17 "Those who `purify' themselves in a sacred garden, feasting on pork and rats and other forbidden meats, will come to a terrible end," says the LORD.
Isaiah 66 18 "I can see what they are doing, and I know what they are thinking. So I will gather all nations and peoples together, and they will see my glory.
Isaiah 66 19 I will perform a sign among them. And I will send those who survive to be messengers to the nations--to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (who are famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to all the lands beyond the sea that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. There they will declare my glory to the nations.
Isaiah 66 20 They will bring the remnant of your people back from every nation. They will bring them to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD. They will ride on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels," says the LORD.
Isaiah 66 21 "And I will appoint some of those who return to be my priests and Levites. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Isaiah 66 22 "As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear," says the LORD.
Isaiah 66 23 "All humanity will come to worship me from week to week and from month to month.
Isaiah 66 24 And as they go out, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. For the worms that devour them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never go out. All who pass by will view them with utter horror."
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