65 The Lord says,
‘I was ready to answer,
even when my people did not ask me anything.
I showed myself to people
who were not even looking for me.
I said, “Look! Here I am!” to a nation
who did not even use my name to pray.
2 All the time, I have been ready to help my people,
even though they turned against me.
But they continue to live in a way that is not good.
They do whatever they want to do.
3 They continue to make me angry,
as they insult me without shame.
They offer sacrifices to their idols in their gardens.
They burn incense to them
on altars that are made from bricks.
4 They sit among the graves
and they hide in caves. [ a ]
They eat meat from pigs.
They use unclean meat to make their soup.
5 They say to each other,
“Keep away from me! Do not come near me!
I am too holy for you!”
These people are like smoke in my nose!
They are like a fire that burns all day.’
6 The Lord says,
‘Look! I have decided what I will do,
and I have written it down:
I will not keep quiet.
I will punish them completely.
I will give them everything that they deserve,
7 as punishment for their sins
and for the sins of their ancestors.
They burned incense to their idols on the mountains,
and they insulted me on the hills.
So I will punish them completely,
as much as they deserve.’
8 This is what the Lord says:
‘If grapes still have some juice in them,
someone will say, “Do not destroy them.
There is some juice there that we can use.”
I will do the same thing for my servants.
I will not destroy them all.
9 I will cause Jacob's family to have descendants.
There will be people of Judah's family
who will live on my mountains.
The land will belong to the people that I have chosen.
My servants will live there.
10 Sharon will become a field where sheep safely eat grass.
Cows will rest in the Valley of Achor.
Those places will belong to my people,
those who want to serve me.
11 But punishment will come
to those people who turn away from the Lord .
You forget to worship me on my holy mountain. [ b ]
Instead, you prepare food and wine
to offer to your false gods called “Luck” and “Fate”.
12 So this will be your fate:
a sword will kill you.
You will all bend down low for someone to kill you.
This will happen because you did not answer me
when I spoke to you.
You did not even listen to my words.
You did evil things against me.
You chose to do things that I would hate.’
13 So the Almighty Lord says this:
‘Look! My servants will eat,
but you will be hungry.
Look! My servants will drink,
but you will be thirsty.
Look! My servants will be happy,
but you will be ashamed.
14 Yes, my servants will sing with joy
because they are so happy.
But you will cry aloud
because you are so sad.
You will weep
because you are very upset.
15 My own people will use your names when they curse others.
The Almighty Lord will kill you,
but he will give to his servants another name.
16 People in the land will use the name of the true God,
when they want to say a blessing.
People in the land who want to make a strong promise
will also use the name of the true God.
I will forget the troubles that happened in past years.
I will no longer even think about them.
17 Listen! I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
People will not remember what things were like before.
Those thoughts will not be in their minds at all.
18 But be happy about what I will create!
Be happy for ever!
I will create Jerusalem as a happy place.
The people who live there will be full of joy.
19 And Jerusalem will cause me to be happy.
My people will give me joy.
There will be no noise of people who are weeping.
People will not be sad in Jerusalem again.
20 Never again will there be a baby
who only lives for a few days.
Old men will continue to live a long life.
People will live until they are 100 years old
and they will still seem young.
If anyone dies before he is 100 years old,
people will think that God has cursed him.
21 My people will build houses
and they will live in them.
They will plant vineyards
and they will eat the fruit from them.
22 They will no longer build houses
and then other people live in them.
They will not plant trees
and then other people to eat the fruit.
My people will have long lives,
as long as trees live.
My own people will live to enjoy the things
that they have worked hard to get.
23 Their work will not be useless.
They will not give birth to children
who will live in fear.
Instead, the Lord will bless their children.
He will bless them
and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call to me for help,
I will answer them.
While they are still praying,
I will hear them.
25 At that time,
wolves and lambs will eat together.
Lions will eat straw like cows.
A snake's food will be dirt.
Nothing will hurt or destroy anything else
anywhere on my holy mountain.’
That is what the Lord says. [ c ]
65 “I helped people who had not come to me for advice. Those who found me were not looking for me. [ a ] I spoke to a nation that does not use my name. I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
2 “All day long I stood ready to accept those who turned against me. But they kept doing whatever they wanted to do, and all they did was wrong. 3 They keep doing things, right in front of me, that make me angry. They offer sacrifices and burn incense in their special gardens. [ b ] 4 They sit among the graves, waiting to get messages from the dead. They eat the meat of pigs, and their pots are full of soup made from unclean meat. 5 But they tell others, ‘Don’t come near me! Don’t touch me because I am holy!’ They are like smoke in my eyes, and their fire burns all the time.”
6 “Look, here is a letter that lists all your sins. I will not be quiet until I pay you back for these sins. I will do it by punishing you. 7 I, the Lord , am doing this because of your sins and the sins of your ancestors. They did these sins when they burned incense in the mountains. They shamed me on those hills, and I punished them first.”
8 The Lord says, “When there is new wine in the grapes, people squeeze out the wine. But they don’t completely destroy the grapes because the grapes can still be used. I will do the same thing to my servants. I will not destroy them completely. 9 I will keep some of the people of Jacob. Some of the people of Judah will get my mountains. I will choose the people who will get the land. My servants will live there. 10 Then Sharon Valley will be a field for sheep. The Valley of Achor [ c ] will be a place for cattle to rest. All this will be for my people—for the people who come to me for help.
11 “But you people left the Lord , so you will be punished. You forgot about my holy mountain. [ d ] You began to worship Luck. You held feasts for the false god, Fate. [ e ] 12 But I decided what would happen to you: you will be killed with a sword. You will all be killed because I called to you, but you refused to answer me. I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You did what I said is evil and chose to do what I did not like.”
13 So this is what the Lord God says:
“My servants will eat,
but you evil people will be hungry.
My servants will drink,
but you will be thirsty.
My servants will be happy,
but you will suffer shame.
14 My servants will shout for joy,
but you will cry out in pain. [ f ]
Your spirits will be broken,
and you will be very sad.
15 Your names will be like curses to my chosen servants.”
The Lord God will kill you,
and then he will call his servants by a new name.
16 The Lord says, “People now ask blessings from the earth.
But in the future they will ask blessings from the faithful God.
People now trust in the power of the earth when they make a promise.
But in the future they will trust in the God who is faithful.
That’s because the troubles in the past will all be forgotten.
They will be hidden from my sight.”
17 “I am creating a new heaven and a new earth.
The troubles of the past will be forgotten.
No one will remember them.
18 My people will be happy and rejoice forever and ever
because of what I will make.
I will make a Jerusalem that is full of joy,
and I will make her people happy.
19 “Then I will rejoice with Jerusalem.
I will be happy with my people.
There will never again be crying
and sadness in that city.
20 In that city there will never be a baby who lives only a few days,
and every older person will live for a long, long time.
A person who lives 100 years will be called young.
And whoever doesn’t live that long will be considered cursed.
21 “In that city whoever builds a house will live there;
whoever plants a vineyard will eat the grapes from that garden.
22 Never again will one person build a house
and another person live there.
Never again will one person plant a garden
and another eat the fruit from it.
My people will live as long as the trees.
My chosen people will get full use of whatever they make.
23 Never again will a woman suffer childbirth
and have her baby die.
Women will not fear childbirth.
I, the Lord , will bless all my people and their children.
24 I will answer them before they call for help.
I will help them before they finish asking.
25 Wolves and little lambs will eat together.
Lions will eat hay like cattle,
and snakes will eat only dust.
They will not hurt or destroy each other on my holy mountain.”
This is what the Lord said.
65 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
4 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord , which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.
8 Thus saith the Lord , As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
10 And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.
11 But ye are they that forsake the Lord , that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.
12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God , Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:
14 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.
15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:
16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord , and their offspring with them.
24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord .
65 “I permitted Myself to be sought by ( A ) those who did not ask for Me ;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which ( B ) did not call on My name.
2 ( C ) I have spread out My hands all day long to a ( D ) rebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, [ a ] following their own ( E ) thoughts,
3 A people who continually ( F ) provoke Me to My face,
Offering sacrifices in ( G ) gardens and ( H ) burning incense on bricks;
4 Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places;
Who ( I ) eat pig’s flesh,
And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots.
5 Who say, ‘ ( J ) Keep to yourself, do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These are smoke in My [ b ] nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.
6 Behold, it is written before Me:
I will ( K ) not keep silent, but ( L ) I will repay;
I will even repay [ c ] into their laps,
7 Both your own ( M ) wrongdoings and the wrongdoings of your fathers together,” says the Lord .
“Because they have ( N ) burned incense on the mountains
And ( O ) scorned Me on the hills,
Therefore I will ( P ) measure their former work [ d ] into their laps.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“Just as the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is [ e ] benefit in it,’
So I will act in behalf of My servants
In order ( Q ) not to destroy [ f ] all of them.
9 I will bring forth [ g ] ( R ) offspring from Jacob,
And an ( S ) heir of My mountains from Judah;
( T ) My chosen ones shall inherit it,
And ( U ) My servants will live there.
10 ( V ) Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks,
And the ( W ) Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
For My people who ( X ) seek Me.
11 But as for you who ( Y ) abandon the Lord ,
Who forget My ( Z ) holy mountain,
Who set a table for [ h ] Fortune,
And fill a jug of mixed wine for [ i ] Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the ( AA ) sword,
And all of you will bow down to the ( AB ) slaughter.
Because I called, but you ( AC ) did not answer;
I spoke, but you did not listen.
Instead, you did evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”
13 Therefore, this is what the Lord [ j ] God says:
“Behold, My servants will ( AD ) eat, but you will be ( AE ) hungry.
Behold, My servants will ( AF ) drink, but you will be ( AG ) thirsty.
Behold, My servants will ( AH ) rejoice, but you will be ( AI ) put to shame.
14 Behold, My servants will ( AJ ) shout joyfully with a glad heart,
But you will ( AK ) cry out from a painful heart,
And you will wail from a broken spirit.
15 You will leave your name as a ( AL ) curse to My chosen ones,
And the Lord [ k ] God will put you to death.
But [ l ] My servants will be called by ( AM ) another name.
16 Because the one who [ m ] is blessed on the earth
Will [ n ] be blessed by the ( AN ) God of truth;
And the one who swears an oath on the earth
Will ( AO ) swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!
17 “For behold, I create ( AP ) new heavens and a new earth;
And the ( AQ ) former things will not be remembered or come to [ o ] mind.
18 But be ( AR ) glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
19 I will also ( AS ) rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of ( AT ) weeping and the sound of crying.
20 No longer will there be [ p ] in it an infant who lives only a few days,
Or an old person who does ( AU ) not [ q ] live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of a hundred,
And the [ r ] ( AV ) one who does not reach the age of a hundred
Will be thought accursed.
21 They will ( AW ) build houses and inhabit them ;
They will also ( AX ) plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build and ( AY ) another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For ( AZ ) as the [ s ] lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will ( BA ) fully enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They will ( BB ) not labor in vain,
Or give birth to children for disaster;
For they are the [ t ] ( BC ) descendants of those blessed by the Lord ,
And their descendants with them.
24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will ( BD ) answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen. 25 The ( BE ) wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the ( BF ) lion will eat straw like the ox; and ( BG ) dust will be the serpent’s food. They will ( BH ) do no evil or harm on all My ( BI ) holy mountain,” says the Lord .
65 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me. ( A )
To a nation ( B ) that did not call on my name, ( C )
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
2 All day long I have held out my hands
to an obstinate people, ( D )
who walk in ways not good,
pursuing their own imaginations ( E ) —
3 a people who continually provoke me
to my very face, ( F )
offering sacrifices in gardens ( G )
and burning incense ( H ) on altars of brick;
4 who sit among the graves ( I )
and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs, ( J )
and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
for I am too sacred ( K ) for you!’
Such people are smoke ( L ) in my nostrils,
a fire that keeps burning all day.
6 “See, it stands written before me:
I will not keep silent ( M ) but will pay back ( N ) in full;
I will pay it back into their laps ( O ) —
7 both your sins ( P ) and the sins of your ancestors,” ( Q )
says the Lord .
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
and defied me on the hills, ( R )
I will measure into their laps
the full payment ( S ) for their former deeds.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes ( T )
and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,
there is still a blessing in it,’
so will I do in behalf of my servants; ( U )
I will not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants ( V ) from Jacob,
and from Judah those who will possess ( W ) my mountains;
my chosen ( X ) people will inherit them,
and there will my servants live. ( Y )
10 Sharon ( Z ) will become a pasture for flocks, ( AA )
and the Valley of Achor ( AB ) a resting place for herds,
for my people who seek ( AC ) me.
11 “But as for you who forsake ( AD ) the Lord
and forget my holy mountain, ( AE )
who spread a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine ( AF ) for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword, ( AG )
and all of you will fall in the slaughter; ( AH )
for I called but you did not answer, ( AI )
I spoke but you did not listen. ( AJ )
You did evil in my sight
and chose what displeases me.” ( AK )
13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“My servants will eat, ( AL )
but you will go hungry; ( AM )
my servants will drink, ( AN )
but you will go thirsty; ( AO )
my servants will rejoice, ( AP )
but you will be put to shame. ( AQ )
14 My servants will sing ( AR )
out of the joy of their hearts,
but you will cry out ( AS )
from anguish of heart
and wail in brokenness of spirit.
15 You will leave your name
for my chosen ones to use in their curses; ( AT )
the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,
but to his servants he will give another name. ( AU )
16 Whoever invokes a blessing ( AV ) in the land
will do so by the one true God; ( AW )
whoever takes an oath in the land
will swear ( AX ) by the one true God.
For the past troubles ( AY ) will be forgotten
and hidden from my eyes.
17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth. ( AZ )
The former things will not be remembered, ( BA )
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice ( BB ) forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem ( BC ) to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice ( BD ) over Jerusalem
and take delight ( BE ) in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying ( BF )
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant ( BG ) who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years; ( BH )
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach [ a ] a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses ( BI ) and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ( BJ )
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, ( BK )
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree, ( BL )
so will be the days ( BM ) of my people;
my chosen ( BN ) ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain, ( BO )
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; ( BP )
for they will be a people blessed ( BQ ) by the Lord ,
they and their descendants ( BR ) with them.
24 Before they call ( BS ) I will answer; ( BT )
while they are still speaking ( BU ) I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb ( BV ) will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox, ( BW )
and dust will be the serpent’s ( BX ) food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,” ( BY )
says the Lord .
