Isaiah 65

Isaiah chapter 65
Judgment and Final Salvation

The Lord says: "I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help

I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, '
Here I am! Here I am!' to a nation that did not call on my name. All
Day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people, but they followed
Their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes. All day long they
Insult me to my face. By worshiping idols in their sacred gardens
They burn incense on pagan altars. At night they go out among the
Graves, worshiping the dead. They eat the flesh of pigs and make
Stews with other forbidden foods. Yet they say to each other, 'Don'
T come too close, or you will defile me. I am holier than you!' These
People are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes

Away. 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, 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, 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; some
Of those grapes are good,' so I will not destroy all Israel. For I
Still have true servants there. I will preserve a remnant of the
People of Israel and of Judah to possess my land. Those I choose will
Inherit it, and my servants will live there. The plain of Sharon will
Again be filled with flocks for my people who have searched for me
And the Valley of Achor will be a place to pasture herds. But because

The rest of you have forsaken the Lord and have forgotten his temple
And because you have prepared feasts to honor the god of fate and
Have offered mixed wine to the god of destiny, now I will destine
You for the sword. All of you will bow down 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. Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord
Says: My servants will eat, but you will starve. My servants will
Drink, but you will be thirsty. My servants will rejoice, but you
Will be sad and ashamed. My servants will sing for joy, but you will
Cry in sorrow and despair. Your name will be a curse word among my
People, for the sovereign Lord will destroy you and will call his
True servants by another name. 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. Look! I am creating new heavens

And a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones

Anymore. 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. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and delight in my

People, and the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no

More. 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 100; only the cursed will die that young
In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat
The fruit of their own vineyards. Unlike the past, invaders will
Not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people
Will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to
Enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their
Children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are a people
Blessed by the Lord, and their children too will be blessed. I will
Answer them before they even call to me. While they are still
Talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers

The wolf and the lamb will feed together; the lion will eat hay like
A cow, but the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be
Hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the Lord, have spoken."