Judgment and Salvation
“I permitted Myself to be sought by athose who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which bdid not call on My name.
2 aI have spread out My hands all day long to a brebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own cthoughts,
3 A people who continually aprovoke Me to My face,
Offering sacrifices in bgardens and cburning incense on bricks,
4 Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places,
Who aeat swine’s flesh,
And the broth of offensive meat is in their pots,
5 Who say, ‘aKeep to yourself, do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These are smoke in My nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.
6 Behold, it is written before Me:
I will anot keep silent, but bI will repay;
I will even repay into their bosom,
7 Both their own ainiquities and the iniquities of their fathers together,” says Yahweh.
“Because they have bburned incense on the mountains
And creproached Me on the hills,
Therefore I will dmeasure their former work into their bosom.”
8 Thus says Yahweh,
“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not make it a ruin, for there is benefit in it,’
So I will act on behalf of My slaves
In order anot to make all of them a ruin.
9 I will bring forth a aseed from Jacob,
And a bpossessor of My mountains from Judah;
Even cMy chosen ones shall possess it,
And dMy slaves will dwell there.
10 aSharon will be a pasture land for flocks,
And the bvalley of Achor a resting place for herds,
For My people who cseek Me.
11 But you who aforsake Yahweh,
Who forget My bholy mountain,
Who set a table for Fortune,
And who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the asword,
And all of you will bow down to the bslaughter,
Because I called, but you cdid not answer;
I spoke, but you did not hear.
And you did what was evil in My eyes
And chose that in which I was not pleased.”
13 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh,
“Behold, My slaves will aeat, but you will be bhungry.
Behold, My slaves will cdrink, but you will be dthirsty.
Behold, My slaves will ebe glad, but you will be fput to shame.
14 Behold, My slaves will ashout joyfully with a merry heart,
But you will bcry out with a pained heart,
And you will wail with a broken spirit.
15 You will leave your name for a acurse to My chosen ones,
And Lord Yahweh will put you to death.
But My slaves will be called by banother name,
16 Because he who is blessed in the earth
Will be blessed by the aGod of truth,
And he who swears in the earth
Will bswear by the God of truth;
Because the former distresses are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “For behold, I am creating a anew heavens and a new earth;
And the bformer things will not be remembered or come upon the heart.
18 But be ajoyful and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for joy.
19 I will also arejoice in Jerusalem and be joyful in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of bweeping and the voice of crying.
20 No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,
Or an old man who does anot fulfill his days;
For the youth will die at the age of one hundred,
And the bone who does not reach the age of one hundred
Will be thought accursed.
21 They will abuild houses and inhabit them;
They will also bplant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build and aanother inhabit;
They will not plant and another eat;
For bas the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will cwear out the work of their hands.
23 They will anot labor in vain,
Or bear children for terror;
For they are the bseed of those blessed by Yahweh,
And their offspring with them.
24 And it will be that before they call, I will aanswer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear. 25 The awolf and the lamb will graze together, and the blion will eat straw like the ox; and cdust will be the serpent’s food. They will ddo no evil nor act corruptly in all My eholy mountain,” says Yahweh.