The Lantern

Isaiah65

Judgments and Promises

I let myself be sought by those who did not ask; I let myself be found by those who did not seek me. I said, Here I am, here I am, to a nation not called by my name.

I have spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in the way that is not good, after their own thoughts —

the people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in the gardens and burning incense on the bricks;

who sit among the graves and lodge in secret places; who eat the flesh of the pig, and broth of foul things is in their vessels;

who say, Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you. These are smoke in my nose, a fire burning all the day.

See, it is written before me. I will not keep silent, but I will repay — and I will repay into their lap

your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together, says the LORD, who burned incense on the mountains and reproached me on the hills. And I will measure out their former recompense into their lap.

Thus says the LORD: As new wine is found in the cluster and one says, Do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it — so I will do for the sake of my servants, so as not to destroy everything.

And I will bring out from Jacob a seed, and from Judah a possessor of my mountains; and my chosen will possess it, and my servants will dwell there.

And Sharon will be a pasture of flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for cattle, for my people who have sought me.

But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill mixed wine for Destiny —

I will destine you to the sword, and all of you will bow down to the slaughter; because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not hear, and you did what is evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: See, my servants will eat, but you will hunger. See, my servants will drink, but you will thirst. See, my servants will rejoice, but you will be ashamed.

See, my servants will sing for joy of heart, but you will cry out from pain of heart, and from the breaking of spirit you will wail.

And you will leave your name as an oath for my chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will put you to death; and his servants he will call by another name.

So that whoever blesses himself in the land will bless himself by the God of Amen, and whoever swears in the land will swear by the God of Amen — because the former distresses are forgotten, and because they are hidden from my eyes.

A New Heaven and a New Earth

For see, I am creating new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered and will not come up on the heart.

Rather, be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for see, I am creating Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy.

And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; and the sound of weeping and the sound of an outcry will no longer be heard in her.

There will no longer be from there an infant of days, or an old man who does not fill out his days; for the boy will die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old will be cursed.

And they will build houses and dwell in them, and plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

They will not build and another dwell; they will not plant and another eat. For like the days of a tree will be the days of my people, and the work of their hands my chosen will use up.

They will not labor for nothing, and they will not give birth for terror; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.

And it will be that before they call, I myself will answer; while they are still speaking, I myself will hear.

A wolf and a lamb will graze as one, and a lion will eat straw like the ox, and a serpent — dust is its bread. They will not do harm and will not destroy in all my holy mountain, says the LORD.