66 This is what the Lord says:
‘Heaven is my throne.
The earth is the place where I put my feet.
So you could not build a house for me to live in.
Where would I lie down to rest?
2 I made all these things with my own hands.
That is how everything began.’
The Lord says,
‘I am pleased with people who are humble.
Those people are sorry when they do wrong things.
They respect my teaching.
3 You may kill a bull as a sacrifice to me,
but you might also kill a man.
You may offer a lamb to me as a sacrifice,
but you might also break a dog's neck to offer to your idols.
You may give me a grain offering,
but you also offer pigs' blood.
You may burn incense to worship me
but you also worship false gods.
Yes, these people have chosen how they want to live.
They love to do these disgusting things.
4 So I will cause great trouble to come to them.
It will be the trouble that they are so afraid of.
When I called out to them,
nobody answered me.
When I spoke to them,
nobody listened.
They did evil things against me.
They chose to do things that I would hate.’
5 Hear this message from the Lord , you people who respect his teaching. Some of your own people hate you. They throw you out, because you are faithful to me. They laugh at you and they say, ‘Let the Lord show how great he is! We want to see him make you happy!’
But it is those people who will be ashamed.
6 Listen to the loud noise that is coming from the city! It is a noise that comes from the temple. The Lord is punishing his enemies as they deserve. That is what is making the noise!
7 What is happening? Zion is giving birth to a son before she has her birth pains! 8 Nobody has ever heard of anything like that. Nobody has ever seen that happen before. Can a country be born in just one day? Can a nation be born in a moment? But as soon as Zion's birth pains begin, she has already given birth to her children!
9 The Lord your God says, ‘When I bring a baby to the moment of birth, the child is always born. I do not stop its birth.’
10 All you people who love Jerusalem, join together with its people and be happy. You have been sad to see what has happened to the city, but now you should shout with joy! 11 Jerusalem will take care of you like a mother. She will give you all that you need, like a mother that feeds her baby with milk. The great blessing that comes from her full breasts will make you very happy.
12 The Lord says,
‘Look! I will give peace to Jerusalem,
like a great river.
Riches from other nations will pour into the city,
like a stream that is full of water.
Jerusalem will take care of you like a mother that feeds her baby.
She will carry you in her arms,
and she will hold you on her knees.
13 I will comfort you,
as a mother comforts her child.
As you live in Jerusalem,
you will be happy again.’
14 And when you see these things happen, you will feel very happy! You will become strong and healthy, like fresh grass. The Lord 's servants will know that he is there to bless them. But his enemies will see that he is angry with them.
15 Look! The Lord is coming with fire. His chariots will blow in like a strong storm. People will see his great anger, as he comes to punish his enemies with flames of fire. 16 The Lord will use fire and his sword to judge all people. The Lord will kill many people.
17 The Lord says, ‘I will destroy people who prepare themselves to worship their false gods. They make themselves clean and they follow one another into their special gardens. They eat unclean meat from pigs and rats and other disgusting animals. They will all come to their deaths together. 18 I know everything that they do and everything that they think. So I will come. I will bring together the people from all nations and those who speak all languages. I will show them how great I am.
19 I will do a great thing among them, to show them my power. I will send some of the people who are still alive to other nations. They will go to:
Tarshish,
Libya,
Lydia (where their soldiers shoot arrows very well),
Tubal,
Greece,
and lands far away, where people have never heard about me and they do not know how great I am.
Those people will tell other nations about my great glory.’
20 The Lord says, ‘They will bring back all your relatives who still live in other countries. They will bring them to my holy hill in Jerusalem, as a gift to me, the Lord . They will come on horses, in chariots, in carts, on mules and on camels. They will bring them in the way that the Israelites bring grain offerings to me in my temple. They bring their offerings in holy dishes.’
21 The Lord says, ‘I will choose some of them to be priests. And I will choose some of them to serve me as Levites.’
22 The Lord says, ‘The new heavens and the new earth that I will make will always be there. In the same way, your descendants and your family name will always continue.’
23 The Lord says, ‘Everybody will come to worship me. They will come at each New Moon and on every Sabbath day. 24 When they go out of the city, they will see the dead bodies of the people who turned against me. In that heap of bodies, the worms never die and the fire never stops burning. [ a ] Everybody will see that it is disgusting.’
66 This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is where I rest my feet.
So do you think you can build a house for me?
Do I need a place to rest?
2 I am the one who made all things.
They are all here because I made them,” says the Lord .
“These are the people I care for:
the poor, humble people who obey my commands.
3 Some people kill bulls as a sacrifice,
but they also beat people.
They kill sheep as a sacrifice,
but they also break the necks of dogs.
They offer up grain offerings,
but they also offer the blood of pigs. [ a ]
They burn incense,
but they also love their worthless idols.
They choose their own ways,
and they love their terrible idols.
4 So I decided to use their own tricks.
I will punish them using what they are most afraid of.
I will do this because I called to them,
but they did not answer.
I spoke to them,
but they did not listen.
They did what I said is evil.
They chose to do what I did not like.”
5 You who obey the Lord ’s commands,
listen to what he says:
“Your brothers hated you.
They turned against you because you followed me.
Your brothers said, ‘When the Lord shows his glory,
then we will rejoice with you.’
But they will be punished.”
6 Listen! There is a loud noise coming from the city and from the Temple. It is the Lord punishing his enemies. He is giving them the punishment they deserve.
7-8 “A woman does not give birth before she feels the pain. A woman must feel the pain of childbirth before she can see the boy she gives birth to. Who ever heard of such a thing? In the same way, no one ever saw a new world begin in one day. No one has ever heard of a new nation that began in one day. But when Zion feels the pain, she will give birth to her children. 9 In the same way, I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born.”
The Lord says this: “I promise that if I cause you the pain of birth, I will not stop you from having your new nation.” Your God said this.
10 Jerusalem and all her friends, be happy!
All of you who were sad for her, be happy and rejoice with her!
11 Be happy that you will receive mercy
like milk coming from her breast.
Jerusalem’s “milk” will satisfy you!
You will drink it and enjoy her glory.
12 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, I will give Jerusalem peace that will flow in like a river.
Wealth from all the nations will come flowing into her like a flood.
And like little babies, you will drink that ‘milk.’
I will hold you in my arms,
and bounce you on my knees.
13 I will comfort you like a mother comforting her child.
You will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
14 When you see these things, you will be happy.
You will be free and grow like grass.
The Lord ’s servants will see his power,
but his enemies will see his anger.
15 Look, the Lord is coming with fire.
His armies are coming with clouds of dust.
He is angry,
and he will punish his enemies with flames.
16 The Lord will judge the people
and will punish them with fire and his sword.
There will be many people killed by the Lord .
17 The Lord says, “These are the people who wash themselves and make themselves pure so that they can go into their special gardens [ b ] to worship their idols. They follow each other into the gardens to eat meat from pigs, rats, and other dirty things. But they will all be destroyed together.
18 “They have evil thoughts and do evil things, so I am coming to punish them. I will gather all nations and all people. Everyone will be gathered together to see my Glory. [ c ] 19 I will put a mark on some of the people. I will send some of these saved people to the nations of Tarshish, Libya, [ d ] Lud [ e ] (the land of archers), Tubal, [ f ] Greece, and all the faraway lands. Those people have never heard my teachings. They have never seen my Glory. So the saved people will tell the nations about my glory. 20 And they will bring all your brothers and sisters from those other nations to my holy mountain [ g ] Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord . Your brothers and sisters will ride on horses, mules, camels, and in chariots and wagons. They will be like the gifts that the Israelites bring on clean plates to the Temple of the Lord . 21 I will also choose some of these people to be priests and Levites.” The Lord himself said this.
22 The Lord says, “I will make a new world—new heavens and a new earth—that will last forever. In the same way, your names and your children will always be with me. 23 Everyone will come to worship me on every worship day; they will come every Sabbath and every first day of the month. [ h ] This is what I, the Lord , have said.
24 “Whoever goes out of the city will see the dead bodies of those who sinned against me. The worms eating those bodies will never die, and the fires burning them will never go out. It will be horrible to anyone who sees it.”
66 Thus saith the Lord , The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord : but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.
5 Hear the word of the Lord , ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies.
7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord : shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
12 For thus saith the Lord , Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
15 For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord .
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord , as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord .
21 And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord .
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord , so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord .
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
66 This is what the Lord says:
“ ( A ) Heaven is My throne and the earth is the footstool for My feet.
Where then is a ( B ) house you could build for Me?
And where is a place that [ a ] I may rest?
2 For ( C ) My hand made all these things,
So all these things came into being,” declares the Lord .
“But I will look to this one,
At one who is humble and ( D ) contrite in spirit, and who ( E ) trembles at My word.
3 “ But the one who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a person;
The one who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
One who offers a grain offering is like one who offers ( F ) pig’s blood;
One who [ b ] ( G ) burns incense is like one who blesses an idol.
As they have chosen their ( H ) own ways,
And their souls delight in their ( I ) abominations,
4 So I will ( J ) choose their [ c ] punishments
And ( K ) bring on them what they dread.
Because I called, but ( L ) no one answered;
I spoke, but they did not listen.
Instead, they did ( M ) evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”
5 Hear the word of the Lord , you who ( N ) tremble at His word:
“Your brothers who ( O ) hate you, who ( P ) exclude you on account of My name,
Have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, so that we may see your joy.’
But ( Q ) they will be put to shame.
6 A sound of uproar from the city, a voice from the temple,
The voice of the Lord who is ( R ) dealing retribution to His enemies.
7 “Before she was in labor, ( S ) she delivered;
Before her pain came, ( T ) she gave birth to a boy.
8 ( U ) Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Can a land be [ d ] born in one day?
Can a nation be given birth all at once?
As soon as Zion was in labor, she also delivered her sons.
9 Shall I bring to the point of birth but ( V ) not give delivery?” says the Lord .
“Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb ?” says your God.
10 “Be ( W ) joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who ( X ) love her;
Be exceedingly ( Y ) glad with her, all you who mourn over her,
11 So that you may nurse and ( Z ) be satisfied with her comforting breasts,
So that you may drink fully and be delighted with her ( AA ) bountiful breasts.”
12 For this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I extend ( AB ) peace to her like a river,
And the ( AC ) glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
And you will [ e ] be nursed, you will be ( AD ) carried on the [ f ] hip and rocked back and forth on the knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts, so I will ( AE ) comfort you;
And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
14 Then you will ( AF ) see this , and your ( AG ) heart will be glad,
And your ( AH ) bones will flourish like the new grass;
And the ( AI ) hand of the Lord will be made known to His servants,
But He will be ( AJ ) indignant toward His enemies.
15 For behold, the Lord will come in ( AK ) fire,
And His ( AL ) chariots like the whirlwind,
To render His anger with fury,
And His rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For the Lord will execute judgment by ( AM ) fire
And by His ( AN ) sword on [ g ] humanity,
And those put to death by the Lord will be many.
17 “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the ( AO ) gardens,
[ h ] Following one in the center,
Who eat ( AP ) pig’s flesh, detestable things, and mice,
Will ( AQ ) come to an end altogether,” declares the Lord .
18 “For I [ i ] know their works and their ( AR ) thoughts; [ j ] the time is coming to ( AS ) gather all the nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory. 19 And I will put a ( AT ) sign among them and send survivors from them to the nations: ( AU ) Tarshish, [ k ] Put, ( AV ) Lud, [ l ] Meshech, ( AW ) Tubal, and [ m ] Javan, to the distant ( AX ) coastlands that have neither heard of My fame nor seen My glory. And they will ( AY ) declare My glory among the nations. 20 Then they shall ( AZ ) bring all your countrymen from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord , on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, and on camels, to My ( BA ) holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord , “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a ( BB ) clean vessel to the house of the Lord . 21 I will also take some of them as ( BC ) priests and Levites,” says the Lord .
22 “For just as the ( BD ) new heavens and the new earth,
Which I make, will endure before Me,” declares the Lord ,
“So will your ( BE ) descendants and your ( BF ) name endure.
23 And it shall be from ( BG ) new moon to new moon
And from Sabbath to Sabbath,
All [ n ] mankind will come to ( BH ) bow down before Me,” says the Lord .
24 “Then they will go out and look
At the ( BI ) corpses of the people
Who have ( BJ ) rebelled against Me.
For their ( BK ) worm will not die
( BL ) And their fire will not be extinguished;
And they will be an ( BM ) abhorrence to all [ o ] mankind.”
66 This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne, ( A )
and the earth is my footstool. ( B )
Where is the house ( C ) you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things, ( D )
and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord .
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit, ( E )
and who tremble at my word. ( F )
3 But whoever sacrifices a bull ( G )
is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
is like one who presents pig’s ( H ) blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense ( I )
is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways, ( J )
and they delight in their abominations; ( K )
4 so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and will bring on them what they dread. ( L )
For when I called, no one answered, ( M )
when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil ( N ) in my sight
and chose what displeases me.” ( O )
5 Hear the word of the Lord ,
you who tremble at his word: ( P )
“Your own people who hate ( Q ) you,
and exclude you because of my name, have said,
‘Let the Lord be glorified,
that we may see your joy!’
Yet they will be put to shame. ( R )
6 Hear that uproar from the city,
hear that noise from the temple!
It is the sound ( S ) of the Lord
repaying ( T ) his enemies all they deserve.
7 “Before she goes into labor, ( U )
she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
she delivers a son. ( V )
8 Who has ever heard of such things?
Who has ever seen ( W ) things like this?
Can a country be born in a day ( X )
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children. ( Y )
9 Do I bring to the moment of birth ( Z )
and not give delivery?” says the Lord .
“Do I close up the womb
when I bring to delivery?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice ( AA ) with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love ( AB ) her;
rejoice greatly with her,
all you who mourn ( AC ) over her.
11 For you will nurse ( AD ) and be satisfied
at her comforting breasts; ( AE )
you will drink deeply
and delight in her overflowing abundance.” ( AF )
12 For this is what the Lord says:
“I will extend peace ( AG ) to her like a river, ( AH )
and the wealth ( AI ) of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried ( AJ ) on her arm
and dandled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child, ( AK )
so will I comfort ( AL ) you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice ( AM )
and you will flourish ( AN ) like grass;
the hand ( AO ) of the Lord will be made known to his servants, ( AP )
but his fury ( AQ ) will be shown to his foes.
15 See, the Lord is coming with fire, ( AR )
and his chariots ( AS ) are like a whirlwind; ( AT )
he will bring down his anger with fury,
and his rebuke ( AU ) with flames of fire.
16 For with fire ( AV ) and with his sword ( AW )
the Lord will execute judgment ( AX ) on all people,
and many will be those slain ( AY ) by the Lord .
17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, ( AZ ) following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, ( BA ) rats ( BB ) and other unclean things—they will meet their end ( BC ) together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord .
18 “And I, because of what they have planned and done, ( BD ) am about to come [ a ] and gather the people of all nations ( BE ) and languages, and they will come and see my glory. ( BF )
19 “I will set a sign ( BG ) among them, and I will send some of those who survive ( BH ) to the nations—to Tarshish, ( BI ) to the Libyans [ b ] and Lydians ( BJ ) (famous as archers), to Tubal ( BK ) and Greece, ( BL ) and to the distant islands ( BM ) that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. ( BN ) They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring ( BO ) all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain ( BP ) in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord —on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” ( BQ ) says the Lord . “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels. ( BR ) 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests ( BS ) and Levites,” says the Lord .
22 “As the new heavens and the new earth ( BT ) that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord , “so will your name and descendants endure. ( BU ) 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath ( BV ) to another, all mankind will come and bow down ( BW ) before me,” says the Lord . 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies ( BX ) of those who rebelled ( BY ) against me; the worms ( BZ ) that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, ( CA ) and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
