1 A Rebellious People “I let Myself be sought by those who did not askfor Me;I let Myself be found by those who did not seek Me.I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’To the nation [Israel] which did not call on My Name.
2 I have spread out My hands all the day long to a rebelliousandstubborn people,Who walk in the way that is not good, [following] after their own thoughtsandintentions,
3 The people who continually provoke Me to My face,Sacrificing [to idols] in gardens and making offerings with incense on bricks [instead of at the designated altar];
4 Who sit among the graves [trying to conjure up evil spirits] and spend the night in the secret places [where spirits are thought to dwell];Who eat swine’s flesh,And their potsholdthe broth ofMeat that is ceremonially unclean or has been kept until the third day.unclean meat;
5 Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me,For IOr would transfer holiness to you (and thereby make the recipient subject to inconvenient restrictions).am too holy for you [and you might defile me]!’These [people] are smoke in My nostrils,A fire that burns all the day.
6 Indeed, it is written before Me,I will not keep silent, but I will repay;I will even repay it [directly] into theirOr bosom, i.e. the fold in the outer robe where personal items are sometimes kept.arms,
7 Both your own wickedness and the wickedness of your fathers,” says the L.“Since theytoohave made offerings with incense on the mountainsAnd scornedandtaunted Me on the hills,I therefore will measure [punishment for] their former work [directly] into theirOr bosom.arms.”
8 This is what the Lsays,“As the new wine is found in the cluster,And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessingandbenefit in it,’So I will do for the sake of My servantsIn order not to destroy all of them.
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,And an heir of My mountains from Judah;Even My chosen ones shall inherit it,And My servants will live there.
10 And [the plain of] Sharon will be a place for flocks to graze,And the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,For My people who seek Me [who long for Me and require My presence in their lives].
11 But you who abandon (turn away from) the L,Who forgetandignore My holy mountain (Zion),Who set a table for Gad [the Babylonian god of fortune],And who fill a jug of mixed wine for Meni [the god of fate],
12 I will destine you for the sword, [says the L],And all of you will bow down to the slaughter,Because when I called, you did not answer;When I spoke, you did not listenorobey.But you did [what was] evil in My sightAnd chose that in which I did not delight.”
13 Therefore, the Lord Gsays this,“Listen carefully, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry;Indeed, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty;Indeed, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.
14 Indeed, My servants will shout for joy from a happy heart,But you will cry out with a heavy heart,And you shall wailandhowl from a broken spirit.
15 And you will leave your name behind to My chosen ones [who will use it] as a curse,And the Lord Gwill put you to death,But He will call His servants by another name [a much greater name, just as the name Israel was greater than the name Jacob].
16 Because he who blesses himself on the earthWill bless himself by the God of truthandfaithfulness;And he who swears [an oath] on the earthWill swear by the God of truthandfaithfulness;Because the former troubles are forgotten,And because they are hidden from My sight.
17 New Heavens and a New Earth “Behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth;And the former things [of life] will not be remembered or come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever over what I create;Behold, I am creating Jerusalem to be asource ofrejoicingAnd her people a joy.
19 I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;And there will no longer be heard in herThe voice of weeping and the sound of crying.
20 No longer shall there beLit from there.in it an infantwho lives only a fewdays,Or an old man who does not finish his days;For the youth who dies at the age of a hundred,And the one who does not reach the age of a hundredWill bethought of asaccursed.
21 They will build houses and livein them;They will plant vineyards and eat the fruit.
22 They will not build and another occupy;They will not plant and another eat [the fruit].For as the lifetime of a tree,so will bethe days of My people,And My chosen [people] will fully enjoy [and long make use of] the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,Or bearchildrenfor disaster;For they are the descendants of those blessed by the L,And their offspring with them.
24 It shall also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox [there will no longer be predator and prey]; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain (Zion),” says the L.