Isaiah 65-66
1599 Geneva Bible
65 1 The vocation of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews. 13 The joy of the elect, and the punishment of the wicked.
1 I have been sought of them that [a]asked not: I was found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that called not upon my Name.
2 I have [b]spread out mine hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walked in a way that was not good, even after their own [c]imaginations.
3 A people that provoked me ever unto my face: that sacrificeth in [d]gardens, and burneth incense upon [e]bricks.
4 Which remain among the [f]graves, and lodge in the deserts, which eat [g]swine’s flesh, and the broth of things polluted are in their vessels.
5 Which say, [h]Stand apart, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou; these are a smoke in my wrath, and a fire that [i]burneth all the day.
6 Behold, it is [j]written before me; I will not keep silence, but will render it and recompense it into their bosom.
7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers, shall be [k]together (saith the Lord) which have burnt incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills; therefore will I measure their old work into their bosom.
8 Thus saith the Lord, As the wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a [l]blessing is in it, so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them whole.
9 But I will bring a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah that shall inherit my mountain; and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
10 And [m]Sharon shall be a sheepfold, and the valley of Achor shall be a resting place for the cattle of my people, that have sought me.
11 But ye are they that have forsaken the Lord, and forgotten mine holy Mountain, and have prepared a table for the [n]multitude, and furnish the drink offerings unto the number.
12 Therefore will I [o]number you to the sword, and all you shall bow down to the slaughter, because I called, and ye did not answer; I [p]spake, and ye heard not, but did evil in my sight, and did choose that thing which I would not.
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall [q]eat, and ye shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, and ye shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, and ye shall be ashamed.
14 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, and ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of mind.
15 And ye shall leave your name as a curse unto my [r]chosen; for the Lord God shall slay you, and call his servants by [s]another name.
16 He that shall bless in the [t]earth, shall bless himself in the true God; and he that sweareth in the earth, shall swear by the true God; for the former [u]troubles are forgotten, and shall surely hide themselves from mine eyes.
17 For lo, I will create [v]new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind.
18 But be you glad and rejoice forever in the things that I shall create; for behold, I will create Jerusalem, as a rejoicing, and her people as a joy.
19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people, and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
20 There shall be no more there a child of years, nor an old man that hath [w]not filled his days: for he that shall be an hundred years old, shall die as a young man: but the sinner being [x]an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 And they shall [y]build houses, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22 They shall not build, and another inhabit: they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of the tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall enjoy in old age the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth in fear: for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their buds with them.
24 Yea, before they call, I will answer, and whiles they speak, I will hear.
25 The [z]wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and to the serpent dust shall be his meat. They shall no more hurt nor destroy in all mine holy Mountain, saith the Lord.
66 1 God dwelleth not in Temples made with hands. 3 He despiseth sacrifices done without mercy and faith. 5 God comforteth them that are troubled for his sake. 19 The vocation of the Gentiles. 23 The perpetual Sabbath. 24 The punishment of the wicked is everlasting.
1 Thus saith the Lord, (A)The [aa]heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is that house that ye will build unto me? and where is that place of my rest?
2 For all these things hath mine hand made, [ab]and all these things have been, saith the Lord: and to him will I look, even to him that is poor, and of [ac]a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my words.
3 He that killeth a bullock, is as if he [ad]slew a man: he that sacrificeth a sheep, as if he cut off a dog’s neck: he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood: he that remembereth incense, as if he blessed an idol: yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
4 Therefore will I [ae]choose out their delusions, and I will bring their fear upon them, because I called and none would answer: I speak, and they would not hear: but they did evil in my sight, and chose the things which I would not.
5 Hear the word of the Lord, all ye that tremble at his [af]word, Your brethren that hated you, and cast you out for my Name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
6 [ag]A voice soundeth from the city, even a voice from the Temple, the voice of the Lord, that recompenseth his enemies fully.
7 Before [ah]she travailed, she brought forth: and before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? shall the earth be brought forth in one [ai]day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I [aj]cause to travail, and not bring forth? shall I cause to bring forth, and shall be barren, saith thy God?
10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her,
11 That ye may suck, [ak]and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolation: that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the brightness of her glory.
12 For thus saith the Lord, behold, I will extend [al]peace over her like a flood, and the glory of the [am]Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be [an]born upon her sides, and be joyful upon her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you, and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 And when ye see this, your hearts shall rejoice, and your [ao]bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the Lord shall be known among his servants, and his indignation against his enemies.
15 For behold, the Lord will come with fire, and his chariots like a whirlwind, that he may [ap]recompense his anger with wrath, and his indignation with the flame of fire.
16 For the Lord will judge with fire, and with his sword all flesh, and the flame of the Lord shall be many.
17 They that sanctify [aq]themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst eating [ar]swine’s flesh, and such abomination, even the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.
18 For I will visit their works, and their imaginations, for it shall come that I will gather all nations, and tongues, and they shall come, and see my [as]glory.
19 And I will set a [at]sign among them, and will send those that [au]escape of them unto the nations of [av]Tarshish, [aw]Pul, and [ax]Lud, and to them that draw the [ay]bow, to [az]Tubal and [ba]Javan, isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory, and [bb]they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20 And they shall bring all your [bc]brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations, upon [bd]horses, and in chariots, and in horse litters, and upon mules, and swift beasts, to Jerusalem mine holy Mountain, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel offer in a clean vessel in the House of the Lord.
21 And I will take of them for [be]Priests, and for Levites, saith the Lord.
22 For as the new [bf]heavens, and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name continue.
23 And from month to month, and from Sabbath to Sabbath shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the [bg]carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their [bh]worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring [bi]unto all flesh.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 65:1 Meaning, the Gentiles which knew not God, should seek after him, when he had moved their heart with his holy Spirit, Rom. 10:20.
- Isaiah 65:2 He showeth the cause of the rejection of the Jews, because they would not obey him for any admonition of his Prophets, by whom he called them continually and stretched out his hand to draw them.
- Isaiah 65:2 He showeth that to delight in our own fantasies, is the declining from God and the beginning of all superstition and Idolatry.
- Isaiah 65:3 Which were dedicated to idols.
- Isaiah 65:3 Meaning, their altars, which he thus named by contempt.
- Isaiah 65:4 To consult with spirits, and to conjure devils, which was forbidden, Deut.18:11.
- Isaiah 65:4 Which was contrary to God’s Commandment, Lev. 11:7; Deut. 14:8.
- Isaiah 65:5 He showeth that hypocrisy is ever joined with pride and contempt of others.
- Isaiah 65:5 Their punishment shall never have end.
- Isaiah 65:6 So that the remembrance thereof cannot be forgotten.
- Isaiah 65:7 Shall be both punished together: and this declareth how the children are punished for their fathers’ faults, to wit, when the same faults or like are found in them.
- Isaiah 65:8 That is, it is profitable: meaning, that God will not destroy the faithful branches of his vineyard, when he destroyeth the rotten stocks, that is, the hypocrites.
- Isaiah 65:10 Which was a plentiful place in Judea to feed sheep, as Achor was for cattle.
- Isaiah 65:11 By the multitude and number he meaneth their innumerable idols of whom they thought they could never have enough.
- Isaiah 65:12 Seeing you cannot number your gods, I will number you with the sword.
- Isaiah 65:12 By my Prophets, whom ye would not obey.
- Isaiah 65:13 By these words, Eat and drink, he meaneth, the blessed life of the faithful, which have always consolation and full contentment of all things in their God, though sometimes they lack these corporal things.
- Isaiah 65:15 Meaning, that he would call the Gentiles, who should abhor even the very name of the Jews for their infidelities’ sake.
- Isaiah 65:15 Than by the name of the Jews.
- Isaiah 65:16 By blessing, and by swearing is meant the praising of God for his benefits, and the true worshipping of him, which shall not be only in Judea, but through all the world.
- Isaiah 65:16 I will no more suffer my Church to be desolate as in times past.
- Isaiah 65:17 I will so alter and change the state of my church, that it shall seem to dwell in a new world.
- Isaiah 65:20 Meaning, in this wonderful restoration of the Church there should be no weakness of youth, nor infirmities of age, but all should be fresh and flourishing: and this is accomplished in the heavenly Jerusalem, when all sin shall cease, and the tears shall be wiped away.
- Isaiah 65:20 Whereby he showeth that the infidels and unrepentant sinners have no part of this benediction.
- Isaiah 65:21 He proposeth to the faithful the blessings which are contained in the Law, and so under temporal things comprehendeth the spiritual promises.
- Isaiah 65:25 Read Isa. 11:6.
- Isaiah 66:1 My majesty is so great, that it filleth both heaven and earth, and therefore cannot be included in a temple like an idol: condemning hereby their vain confidence, which trusted in the Temple and sacrifices.
- Isaiah 66:2 Seeing that both the Temple and the things therein, with the sacrifices, were made and done by his appointment, he showeth that he hath no need thereof, and that he can be without them, Ps. 50:10.
- Isaiah 66:2 To him that is humble and pure in heart, which receiveth my doctrine with reverence and fear.
- Isaiah 66:3 Because the Jews thought themselves holy by offering of their sacrifices, and in the mean season had neither faith nor repentance, God showeth that he doth no less detest these ceremonies than he doth the sacrifices of the heathen, who offered men, dogs, and swine to their idols, which things were expressly forbidden in the Law.
- Isaiah 66:4 I will discover their wickedness and hypocrisy, wherewith they think to blind mine eyes, to all the world.
- Isaiah 66:5 He encourageth the faithful by promising to destroy their enemies, which pretended to be as brethren, but were hypocrites, and hated them that feared God.
- Isaiah 66:6 The enemies shall shortly hear a more terrible voice, even fire and slaughter, seeing they would not hear the gentle voice of the Prophets, which called them to repentance.
- Isaiah 66:7 Meaning, that the restoration of the Church should be so sudden and contrary to all men’s opinions, as when a woman is delivered before she looked for it, and that without pain in travail.
- Isaiah 66:8 This shall pass the capacity of man to see such a multitude that shall come up at once, meaning, under the preaching of the Gospel, whereof they that came up out of Babylon were a sign.
- Isaiah 66:9 Declaring hereby, that as in his power and providence women travailed and delivered, so he giveth the power to bring forth the Church at his time appointed.
- Isaiah 66:11 That is, may rejoice for all the benefits that God bestoweth upon his Church.
- Isaiah 66:12 I will give her felicity and prosperity in great abundance.
- Isaiah 66:12 Read Isa. 60:16.
- Isaiah 66:12 Ye shall be cherished as her dearly beloved children.
- Isaiah 66:14 Ye shall have new strength and new beauty.
- Isaiah 66:15 This vengeance God began to execute at the destruction of Babylon, and hath ever continued it against the enemies of his Church, and will do till the last day, which shall be the accomplishment thereof.
- Isaiah 66:17 Meaning, the hypocrites.
- Isaiah 66:17 Whereby are meant them that did maliciously transgress the Law, by eating beasts forbidden, even to the mouse, which nature abhoreth.
- Isaiah 66:18 The Gentiles shall be partakers of that glory, which before I showed to the Jews.
- Isaiah 66:19 I will make these that I chose, that they perish not with the rest of the infidels: whereby he alludeth to the marking of the posts of his people, whom he preserved, Exod. 12:7.
- Isaiah 66:19 I will scatter the rest of the Jews, which escaped destruction, into divers nations.
- Isaiah 66:19 That is, Cilicia.
- Isaiah 66:19 Meaning Africa.
- Isaiah 66:19 To wit, Lydia, or Asia minor.
- Isaiah 66:19 Signifying the Parthians.
- Isaiah 66:19 Italy.
- Isaiah 66:19 Greece.
- Isaiah 66:19 Meaning, the Apostles, Disciples, and others, which he did first choose of the Jews to preach unto the Gentiles.
- Isaiah 66:20 That is, the Gentiles, which by faith shall be made the children of Abraham as you are.
- Isaiah 66:20 Whereby he meaneth that no necessary means shall want, when God shall call the Gentiles to the knowledge of the Gospel.
- Isaiah 66:21 To wit, of the Gentiles, as he did Luke, Timothy, and Titus first, and others after to preach his word.
- Isaiah 66:22 Hereby he signifieth the kingdom of Christ wherein his Church shall be renewed, and whereas before there were appointed seasons to sacrifice, in this there shall be one continual Sabbath, so that all times and seasons shall be meet.
- Isaiah 66:24 As he that declared the felicity that shall be within the Church for the comfort of the godly, so doth he show what horrible calamity shall come to the wicked, that are out of the Church.
- Isaiah 66:24 Meaning, a continual torment of conscience, which shall ever gnaw them, and never suffer them to be at rest, Mark 9:44.
- Isaiah 66:24 This is the just recompense for the wicked, which contemning God and his word, shall be by God’s just judgment abhorred of all his creatures.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
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