Isaiah
Select chapter 56

Isaiah 56

Rewards for Obedience to God

1Thus says the Lord,
“Preserve justice and do righteousness,
For My salvation is about to come
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 “How blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who takes hold of it;
Who keeps from profaning the sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from His people.”
Nor let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”

4 For thus says the Lord,

“To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
5 To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give [a]them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.

6 “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord,
To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath
And holds fast My covenant;
7 Even those I will bring to My holy mountain
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar;
For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
8 The Lord [b]God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares,
“Yet others I will gather to [c]them, to those already gathered.”

9 All you beasts of the field,
All you beasts in the forest,
Come to eat.
10 His watchmen are blind,
All of them know nothing.
All of them are mute dogs unable to bark,
[d]Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
11 And the dogs are [e]greedy, they [f]are not satisfied.
And they are shepherds who have no understanding;
They have all turned to their own way,
Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.
12 “Come,” they say, “let [g]us get wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink;
And tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 56:5 So DSS; M.T. reads him
  2. Isaiah 56:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  3. Isaiah 56:8 Lit him
  4. Isaiah 56:10 So DSS; M.T. Ravers
  5. Isaiah 56:11 Lit strong of soul/appetite
  6. Isaiah 56:11 Lit do not know satisfaction
  7. Isaiah 56:12 So DSS and many versions; M.T. me
Isaiah 56