Isaiah 66

¹ Thus says Yahweh :With heaven my throne and earth my footstool, what house could you build me, what place could you make for my rest?

² All of this was made by my hand and all of this is mine – it is Yahweh who speaks. But my eyes are drawn to the man of humbled and contrite spirit, who trembles at my word.

³ Some immolate an ox, some slaughter a man, some sacrifice a lamb, some strangle a dog. Some offer oblations of pig’s blood, some burn memorial incense, some consecrate idols Since they elect to follow their own ways and their souls delight in their abominations,

⁴ I in my turn will select hardships for them and bring them what they dread; for I called and no one would answer, I spoke and they would not listen. They did what I consider evil, they chose to do what displeases me.

⁵ Listen to the word of Yahweh, you who tremble at his word. Your brothers say, who hate you, who reject you because of my name, ‘Let Yahweh show his glory, let us witness your joy!’ But they shall be put to shame.

⁶ Listen. An uproar from the city! A voice from the Temple! The voice of Yahweh bringing retribution on his enemies.

⁷ Long before being in labour she has given birth. Before being overtaken by birth pangs, she has been delivered of a boy.

⁸ Who ever heard of such a thing, who ever saw anything like this? Is a country born in one day? Is a nation brought forth all at once, that Zion only just in labour should bring forth sons?

⁹ Am I to open the womb and not bring to birth? says Yahweh. Or I, who bring to birth, am I to close it? says your God.

¹⁰ Rejoice, Jerusalem, be glad for her, all you who love her! Rejoice, rejoice for her, all you who mourned her!

¹¹ That you may be suckled, filled, from her consoling breast, that you may savour with delight her glorious breasts.

¹² For thus says Yahweh: Now towards her I send flowing peace, like a river, and like a stream in spate the glory of the nations. At her breast will her nurslings be carried and fondled in her lap.

¹³ Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you. (And by Jerusalem you will be comforted.)

¹⁴ At the sight your heart will rejoice, and your bones flourish like the grass. To his servants Yahweh will reveal his hand, but to his enemies his fury.

¹⁵ For see how Yahweh comes in fire, his chariots like the tempest, to assuage his anger with burning, his threats with flaming fire.

¹⁶ For by fire will Yahweh execute judgement, and by his sword, against all mankind. The victims of Yahweh will be many.

¹⁷ As for those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves to enter the gardens, following the one in the centre, who eat the flesh of pigs, reptiles, rats: their deeds and their thoughts shall end all at once – it is Yahweh who speaks.

¹⁸ I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory.

¹⁹ will give them a sign and send some of their survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moshech, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant islands[*a] that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations.

²⁰ As an offering to Yahweh they will bring all your brothers, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on dromedaries, from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says Yahweh, like Israelites bringing oblations in clean vessels to the Temple of Yahweh.

²¹ And of some of them I will make priests and Levites, says Yahweh.

²² For as the new heavens and the new earth I shall make will endure before me – it is Yahweh who speaks – so will your race and name endure.

²³ From New Moon to New Moon, from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down in my presence, says Yahweh.

²⁴ And on their way out they will see the corpses of men who have rebelled against me. Their worm will not die nor their fire go out; they will be loathsome to all mankind.