Isaiah 66

Isaiah Chapter 66
This is what the Lord says
Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. Could you
Build me a temple as good as that? Could you build me such
A resting place? My hands have made both heaven and earth
They and everything in them are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken
I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble
At my word. But those who choose their own ways, delighting in
Their detestable sins, will not have their offerings accepted
When such people sacrifice a bull, it is no more acceptable than
A human sacrifice. When they sacrifice a lamb, it is as though
They had sacrificed a dog! When they bring an offering of grain
They might as well offer the blood of a pig! When they burn
Frankincense, it's as if they had blessed an idol! I will send them
Great trouble, 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
Hear this message from the Lord, all you who tremble at his words
Your own people 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
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
Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a
Son! Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever
Heard of such a thing? 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, her children will be born
"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
Rejoice with Jerusalem! Be glad with her, all you who love
Her and all you who mourn for her! Drink deeply of her glory
Even as an infant drinks at its mother's comforting breasts
This is what the Lord says
I will give Jerusalem a river of peace and prosperity. The wealth
Of the nations will flow to her. Her children will be nursed at
Her breasts, carried in her arms, and held on her lap. I will
Comfort you there in Jerusalem, as a mother comforts her child
When you see these things, your heart will rejoice. You will
Flourish like the grass. Everyone will see the Lord's hand
Of blessing on his servant and his anger against his enemies
See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his swift chariots
Roar like a whirlwind. He will bring punishment with the
Fury of his anger and the flaming fire of his hot rebuke
The Lord will punish the world by fire and by his sword
He will judge the earth, and many will be killed by him
Those who consecrate and purify themselves in a sacred garden with
Its idol in the center, feasting on pork and rats and other
Detestable meats, will come to a terrible end, says the Lord. 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
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. 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 and chariots and wagons and
On mules and camels, says the Lord. And I will appoint some of
Them to be my priests and Levites. I, the Lord, have spoken
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. All humanity will come to worship me, from week to week
And from month to month. 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