Bible in 90 Days
The Lord’s Suffering Servant
13 The Lord says, “See, my servant will act wisely.
People will greatly honor and respect him.
14 Many people were shocked when they saw him.
His appearance was so damaged he did not look like a man;
his form was so changed they could barely tell he was human.
15 But now he will surprise many nations.
Kings will be amazed and shut their mouths.
They will see things they had not been told about him,
and they will understand things they had not heard.”
53 Who would have believed what we heard?
Who saw the Lord’s power in this?
2 He grew up like a small plant before the Lord,
like a root growing in a dry land.
He had no special beauty or form to make us notice him;
there was nothing in his appearance to make us desire him.
3 He was hated and rejected by people.
He had much pain and suffering.
People would not even look at him.
He was hated, and we didn’t even notice him.
4 But he took our suffering on him
and felt our pain for us.
We saw his suffering
and thought God was punishing him.
5 But he was wounded for the wrong we did;
he was crushed for the evil we did.
The punishment, which made us well, was given to him,
and we are healed because of his wounds.
6 We all have wandered away like sheep;
each of us has gone his own way.
But the Lord has put on him the punishment
for all the evil we have done.
7 He was beaten down and punished,
but he didn’t say a word.
He was like a lamb being led to be killed.
He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut;
he never opened his mouth.
8 Men took him away roughly and unfairly.
He died without children to continue his family.
He was put to death;
he was punished for the sins of my people.
9 He was buried with wicked men,
and he died with the rich.
He had done nothing wrong,
and he had never lied.
10 But it was the Lord who decided
to crush him and make him suffer.
The Lord made his life a penalty offering,
but he will still see his descendants and live a long life.
He will complete the things the Lord wants him to do.
11 “After his soul suffers many things,
he will see life and be satisfied.
My good servant will make many people right with God;
he will carry away their sins.
12 For this reason I will make him a great man among people,
and he will share in all things with those who are strong.
He willingly gave his life
and was treated like a criminal.
But he carried away the sins of many people
and asked forgiveness for those who sinned.”
People Will Return to Jerusalem
54 The Lord says, “Sing, Jerusalem.
You are like a woman who never gave birth to children.
Start singing and shout for joy.
You never felt the pain of giving birth,
but you will have more children
than the woman who has a husband.
2 Make your tent bigger;
stretch it out and make it wider.
Do not hold back.
Make the ropes longer
and its stakes stronger,
3 because you will spread out to the right and to the left.
Your children will take over other nations,
and they will again live in cities that once were destroyed.
4 “Don’t be afraid, because you will not be ashamed.
Don’t be embarrassed, because you will not be disgraced.
You will forget the shame you felt earlier;
you will not remember the shame you felt when you lost your husband.
5 The God who made you is like your husband.
His name is the Lord All-Powerful.
The Holy One of Israel is the one who saves you.
He is called the God of all the earth.
6 You were like a woman whose husband left her,
and you were very sad.
You were like a wife who married young
and then her husband left her.
But the Lord called you to be his,”
says your God.
7 God says, “I left you for a short time,
but with great kindness I will bring you back again.
8 I became very angry
and hid from you for a time,
but I will show you mercy with kindness forever,”
says the Lord who saves you.
9 The Lord says, “This day is like the time of Noah to me.
I promised then that I would never flood the world again.
In the same way, I promise I will not be angry with you
or punish you again.
10 The mountains may disappear,
and the hills may come to an end,
but my love will never disappear;
my promise of peace will not come to an end,”
says the Lord who shows mercy to you.
11 “You poor city. Storms have hurt you,
and you have not been comforted.
But I will rebuild you with turquoise stones,
and I will build your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will use rubies to build your walls
and shining jewels for the gates
and precious jewels for all your outer walls.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,
and they will have much peace.
14 I will build you using fairness.
You will be safe from those who would hurt you,
so you will have nothing to fear.
Nothing will come to make you afraid.
15 I will not send anyone to attack you,
and you will defeat those who do attack you.
16 “See, I made the blacksmith.
He fans the fire to make it hotter,
and he makes the kind of tool he wants.
In the same way I have made the destroyer to destroy.
17 So no weapon that is used against you will defeat you.
You will show that those who speak against you are wrong.
These are the good things my servants receive.
Their victory comes from me,” says the Lord.
God Gives What Is Good
55 The Lord says, “All you who are thirsty,
come and drink.
Those of you who do not have money,
come, buy and eat!
Come buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend your money on something that is not real food?
Why work for something that doesn’t really satisfy you?
Listen closely to me, and you will eat what is good;
your soul will enjoy the rich food that satisfies.
3 Come to me and listen;
listen to me so you may live.
I will make an agreement with you that will last forever.
I will give you the blessings I promised to David.
4 I made David a witness of my power for all nations,
a ruler and commander of many nations.
5 You will call for nations that you don’t yet know.
And these nations that do not know you will run to you
because of the Lord your God,
because of the Holy One of Israel who honors you.”
6 So you should look for the Lord before it is too late;
you should call to him while he is near.
7 The wicked should stop doing wrong,
and they should stop their evil thoughts.
They should return to the Lord so he may have mercy on them.
They should come to our God, because he will freely forgive them.
8 The Lord says, “My thoughts are not like your thoughts.
Your ways are not like my ways.
9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
10 Rain and snow fall from the sky
and don’t return without watering the ground.
They cause the plants to sprout and grow,
making seeds for the farmer
and bread for the people.
11 The same thing is true of the words I speak.
They will not return to me empty.
They make the things happen that I want to happen,
and they succeed in doing what I send them to do.
12 “So you will go out with joy
and be led out in peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees in the fields will clap their hands.
13 Large cypress trees will grow where thornbushes were.
Myrtle trees will grow where weeds were.
These things will be a reminder of the Lord’s promise,
and this reminder will never be destroyed.”
All Nations Will Obey the Lord
56 This is what the Lord says:
“Give justice to all people,
and do what is right,
because my salvation will come to you soon.
Soon everyone will know that I do what is right.
2 The person who obeys the law about the Sabbath
will be blessed,
and the person who does no evil
will be blessed.”
3 Foreigners who have joined the Lord should not say,
“The Lord will not accept me with his people.”
The eunuch should not say,
“Because I cannot have children, the Lord will not accept me.”
4 This is what the Lord says:
“The eunuchs should obey the law about the Sabbath
and do what I want
and keep my agreement.
5 If they do, I will make their names remembered
within my Temple and its walls.
It will be better for them than children.
I will give them a name that will last forever,
that will never be forgotten.
6 Foreigners will join the Lord
to worship him and love him,
to serve him,
to obey the law about the Sabbath,
and to keep my agreement.
7 I will bring these people to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
The offerings and sacrifices
they place on my altar will please me,
because my Temple will be called
a house for prayer for people from all nations.”
8 The Lord God says—
he who gathers the Israelites that were forced to leave their country:
“I will bring together other people
to join those who are already gathered.”
Israel’s Leaders Are Evil
9 All you animals of the field,
all you animals of the forest, come to eat.
10 The leaders who are to guard the people are blind;
they don’t know what they are doing.
All of them are like quiet dogs
that don’t know how to bark.
They lie down and dream
and love to sleep.
11 They are like hungry dogs
that are never satisfied.
They are like shepherds
who don’t know what they are doing.
They all have gone their own way;
all they want to do is satisfy themselves.
12 They say, “Come, let’s drink some wine;
let’s drink all the beer we want.
And tomorrow we will do this again,
or, maybe we will have an even better time.”
Israel Does Not Follow God
57 Those who are right with God may die,
but no one pays attention.
Good people are taken away,
but no one understands.
Those who do right are being taken away from evil
2 and are given peace.
Those who live as God wants
find rest in death.
3 “Come here, you magicians!
Come here, you children of prostitutes and those who take part in adultery!
4 Of whom are you making fun?
Whom are you insulting?
At whom do you stick out your tongue?
You turn against God,
and you are liars.
5 You have sexual relations under every green tree
to worship your gods.
You kill children in the ravines
and sacrifice them in the rocky places.
6 You take the smooth rocks from the ravines
as your portion.
You pour drink offerings on them to worship them,
and you give grain offerings to them.
Do you think this makes me want to show you mercy?
7 You make your bed on every hill and mountain,
and there you offer sacrifices.
8 You have hidden your idols
behind your doors and doorposts.
You have left me, and you have uncovered yourself.
You have pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.
You have made an agreement with those whose beds you love,
and you have looked at their nakedness.
9 You use your oils and perfumes
to look nice for Molech.
You have sent your messengers to faraway lands;
you even tried to send them to the place of the dead.
10 You were tired from doing these things,
but you never gave up.
You found new strength,
so you did not quit.
11 “Whom were you so afraid of
that you lied to me?
You have not remembered me
or even thought about me.
I have been quiet for a long time.
Is that why you are not afraid of me?
12 I will tell about your ‘goodness’ and what you do,
and those things will do you no good.
13 When you cry out for help,
let the gods you have gathered help you.
The wind will blow them all away;
just a puff of wind will take them away.
But the person who depends on me will receive the land
and own my holy mountain.”
The Lord Will Save His People
14 Someone will say, “Build a road! Build a road! Prepare the way!
Make the way clear for my people.”
15 And this is the reason: God lives forever and is holy.
He is high and lifted up.
He says, “I live in a high and holy place,
but I also live with people who are sad and humble.
I give new life to those who are humble
and to those whose hearts are broken.
16 I will not accuse forever,
nor will I always be angry,
because then human life would grow weak.
Human beings, whom I created, would die.
17 I was angry because they were dishonest in order to make money.
I punished them and turned away from them in anger,
but they continued to do evil.
18 I have seen what they have done, but I will heal them.
I will guide them and comfort them and those who felt sad for them.
They will all praise me.
19 I will give peace, real peace, to those far and near,
and I will heal them,” says the Lord.
20 But evil people are like the angry sea,
which cannot rest,
whose waves toss up waste and mud.
21 “There is no peace for evil people,” says my God.
How to Honor God
58 The Lord says, “Shout out loud. Don’t hold back.
Shout out loud like a trumpet.
Tell my people what they have done against their God;
tell the family of Jacob about their sins.
2 They still come every day looking for me
and want to learn my ways.
They act just like a nation that does what is right,
that obeys the commands of its God.
They ask me to judge them fairly.
They want God to be near them.
3 They say, ‘To honor you we had special days when we fasted,
but you didn’t see.
We humbled ourselves to honor you,
but you didn’t notice.’”
But the Lord says, “You do what pleases yourselves on these special days,
and you are unfair to your workers.
4 On these special days when you fast, you argue and fight
and hit each other with your fists.
You cannot do these things as you do now
and believe your prayers are heard in heaven.
5 This kind of special day is not what I want.
This is not the way I want people to be sorry for what they have done.
I don’t want people just to bow their heads like a plant
and wear rough cloth and lie in ashes to show their sadness.
This is what you do on your special days when you fast,
but do you think this is what the Lord wants?
6 “I will tell you the kind of fast I want:
Free the people you have put in prison unfairly
and undo their chains.
Free those to whom you are unfair
and stop their hard labor.
7 Share your food with the hungry
and bring poor, homeless people into your own homes.
When you see someone who has no clothes, give him yours,
and don’t refuse to help your own relatives.
8 Then your light will shine like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your God will walk before you,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will answer.
You will cry out, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you stop making trouble for others,
if you stop using cruel words and pointing your finger at others,
10 if you feed those who are hungry
and take care of the needs of those who are troubled,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
and you will be bright like sunshine at noon.
11 The Lord will always lead you.
He will satisfy your needs in dry lands
and give strength to your bones.
You will be like a garden that has much water,
like a spring that never runs dry.
12 Your people will rebuild the old cities that are now in ruins;
you will rebuild their foundations.
You will be known for repairing the broken places
and for rebuilding the roads and houses.
13 “You must obey God’s law about the Sabbath
and not do what pleases yourselves on that holy day.
You should call the Sabbath a joyful day
and honor it as the Lord’s holy day.
You should honor it by not doing whatever you please
nor saying whatever you please on that day.
14 Then you will find joy in the Lord,
and I will carry you to the high places above the earth.
I will let you eat the crops of the land your ancestor Jacob had.”
The Lord has said these things.
The Evil That People Do
59 Surely the Lord’s power is enough to save you.
He can hear you when you ask him for help.
2 It is your evil that has separated
you from your God.
Your sins cause him to turn away from you,
so he does not hear you.
3 With your hands you have killed others,
and with your fingers you have done wrong.
With your lips you have lied,
and with your tongue you say evil things.
4 People take each other to court unfairly,
and no one tells the truth in arguing his case.
They accuse each other falsely and tell lies.
They cause trouble and create more evil.
5 They hatch evil like eggs from poisonous snakes.
If you eat one of those eggs, you will die,
and if you break one open, a poisonous snake comes out.
People tell lies as they would spin a spider’s web.
6 The webs they make cannot be used for clothes;
you can’t cover yourself with those webs.
The things they do are evil,
and they use their hands to hurt others.
7 They eagerly run to do evil,
and they are always ready to kill innocent people.
They think evil thoughts.
Everywhere they go they cause ruin and destruction.
8 They don’t know how to live in peace,
and there is no fairness in their lives.
They are dishonest.
Anyone who lives as they live will never have peace.
Israel’s Sin Brings Trouble
9 Fairness has gone far away;
goodness is nowhere to be found.
We wait for the light, but there is only darkness now.
We hope for a bright light, but all we have is darkness.
10 We are like the blind feeling our way along a wall.
We feel our way as if we had no eyes.
In the brightness of day we trip as if it were night.
We are like dead men among the strong.
11 All of us growl like the bears.
We call out sadly like the doves.
We look for justice, but there isn’t any.
We want to be saved, but salvation is far away.
12 We have done many wrong things against our God;
our sins show we are wrong.
We know we have turned against God;
we know the evil things we have done:
13 sinning and rejecting the Lord,
turning away from our God,
planning to hurt others and to disobey God,
planning and speaking lies.
14 So we have driven away justice,
and we have kept away from what is right.
Truth is not spoken in the streets;
what is honest is not allowed to enter the city.
15 Truth cannot be found anywhere,
and people who refuse to do evil are attacked.
The Lord looked and could not find any justice,
and he was displeased.
16 He could not find anyone to help the people,
and he was surprised that there was no one to help.
So he used his own power to save the people;
his own goodness gave him strength.
17 He covered himself with goodness like armor.
He put the helmet of salvation on his head.
He put on his clothes for punishing
and wrapped himself in the coat of his strong love.
18 The Lord will pay back his enemies for what they have done.
He will show his anger to those who were against him;
he will punish the people in faraway places as they deserve.
19 Then people from the west will fear the Lord,
and people from the east will fear his glory.
The Lord will come quickly like a fast-flowing river,
driven by the breath of the Lord.
20 “Then a Savior will come to Jerusalem
and to the people of Jacob who have turned from sin,”
says the Lord.
21 The Lord says, “This is my agreement with these people: My Spirit and my words that I give you will never leave you or your children or your grandchildren, now and forever.”
Jerusalem Will Be Great
60 “Jerusalem, get up and shine, because your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines on you.
2 Darkness now covers the earth;
deep darkness covers her people.
But the Lord shines on you,
and people see his glory around you.
3 Nations will come to your light;
kings will come to the brightness of your sunrise.
4 “Look around you.
People are gathering and coming to you.
Your sons are coming from far away,
and your daughters are coming with them.
5 When you see them, you will shine with happiness;
you will be excited and full of joy,
because the wealth of the nations across the seas will be given to you;
the riches of the nations will come to you.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
People will come from Sheba
bringing gold and incense,
and they will sing praises to the Lord.
7 All the sheep from Kedar will be given to you;
the sheep from Nebaioth will be brought to you.
They will be pleasing sacrifices on my altar,
and I will make my beautiful Temple more beautiful.
8 “The people are returning to you like clouds,
like doves flying to their nests.
9 People in faraway lands are waiting for me.
The great trading ships will come first,
bringing your children from faraway lands,
and with them silver and gold.
This will honor the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
who does wonderful things for you.
10 “Jerusalem, foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you.
When I was angry, I hurt you,
but now I want to be kind to you and comfort you.
11 Your gates will always be open;
they will not be closed day or night
so the nations can bring their wealth to you,
and their kings will be led to you.
12 The nation or kingdom that doesn’t serve you will be destroyed;
it will be completely ruined.
13 “The great trees of Lebanon will be given to you:
its pine, fir, and cypress trees together.
You will use them to make my Temple beautiful,
and I will give much honor to this place where I rest my feet.
14 The people who have hurt you will bow down to you;
those who hated you will bow down at your feet.
They will call you The City of the Lord,
Jerusalem, city of the Holy One of Israel.
15 “You have been hated and left empty
with no one passing through.
But I will make you great from now on;
you will be a place of happiness forever and ever.
16 You will be given what you need from the nations,
like a child drinking milk from its mother.
Then you will know that it is I, the Lord, who saves you.
You will know that the Powerful One of Jacob protects you.
17 I will bring you gold in place of bronze,
silver in place of iron,
bronze in place of wood,
iron in place of rocks.
I will change your punishment into peace,
and you will be ruled by what is right.
18 There will be no more violence in your country;
it will not be ruined or destroyed.
You will name your walls Salvation
and your gates Praise.
19 The sun will no longer be your light during the day
nor will the brightness from the moon be your light,
because the Lord will be your light forever,
and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will never be dark,
because the Lord will be your light forever,
and your time of sadness will end.
21 All of your people will do what is right.
They will receive the earth forever.
They are the plant I have planted,
the work of my own hands
to show my greatness.
22 The smallest family will grow to a thousand.
The least important of you will become a powerful nation.
I am the Lord,
and when it is time, I will make these things happen quickly.”
The Lord’s Message of Freedom
61 The Lord God has put his Spirit in me,
because the Lord has appointed me to tell the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts are broken,
to tell the captives they are free,
and to tell the prisoners they are released.
2 He has sent me to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness
and the time when our God will punish evil people.
He has sent me to comfort all those who are sad
3 and to help the sorrowing people of Jerusalem.
I will give them a crown to replace their ashes,
and the oil of gladness to replace their sorrow,
and clothes of praise to replace their spirit of sadness.
Then they will be called Trees of Goodness,
trees planted by the Lord to show his greatness.
4 They will rebuild the old ruins
and restore the places destroyed long ago.
They will repair the ruined cities
that were destroyed for so long.
5 My people, foreigners will come to tend your sheep.
People from other countries will tend your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called priests of the Lord;
you will be named the servants of our God.
You will have riches from all the nations on earth,
and you will take pride in them.
7 Instead of being ashamed, my people will receive twice as much wealth.
Instead of being disgraced, they will be happy because of what they receive.
They will receive a double share of the land,
so their happiness will continue forever.
8 “I, the Lord, love justice.
I hate stealing and everything that is wrong.
I will be fair and give my people what they should have,
and I will make an agreement with them that will continue forever.
9 Everyone in all nations will know the children of my people,
and their children will be known among the nations.
Anyone who sees them will know
that they are people the Lord has blessed.”
10 The Lord makes me very happy;
all that I am rejoices in my God.
He has covered me with clothes of salvation
and wrapped me with a coat of goodness,
like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding,
like a bride dressed in jewels.
11 The earth causes plants to grow,
and a garden causes the seeds planted in it to grow.
In the same way the Lord God will make goodness and praise
come from all the nations.
New Jerusalem
62 Because I love Jerusalem, I will continue to speak for her;
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not stop speaking
until her goodness shines like a bright light,
until her salvation burns bright like a flame.
2 Jerusalem, the nations will see your goodness,
and all kings will see your glory.
Then you will have a new name,
which the Lord himself will give you.
3 You will be like a beautiful crown in the Lord’s hand,
like a king’s crown in your God’s hand.
4 You will never again be called the People that God Left,
nor your land the Land that God Destroyed.
You will be called the People God Loves,
and your land will be called the Bride of God,
because the Lord loves you.
And your land will belong to him as a bride belongs to her husband.
5 As a young man marries a woman,
so your children will marry your land.
As a man rejoices over his new wife,
so your God will rejoice over you.
6 Jerusalem, I have put guards on the walls to watch.
They must not be silent day or night.
You people who remind the Lord of your needs in prayer
should never be quiet.
7 You should not stop praying to him until he builds up Jerusalem
and makes it a city all people will praise.
8 The Lord has made a promise,
and by his power he will keep his promise.
He said, “I will never again give your grain
as food to your enemies.
I will not let your enemies drink the new wine
that you have worked to make.
9 Those who gather food will eat it,
and they will praise the Lord.
Those who gather the grapes will drink the wine
in the courts of my Temple.”
10 Go through, go through the gates!
Make the way ready for the people.
Build up, build up the road!
Move all the stones off the road.
Raise the banner as a sign for the people.
11 The Lord is speaking
to all the faraway lands:
“Tell the people of Jerusalem,
‘Look, your Savior is coming.
He is bringing your reward to you;
he is bringing his payment with him.’”
12 His people will be called the Holy People,
the Saved People of the Lord,
and Jerusalem will be called the City God Wants,
the City God Has Not Rejected.
The Lord Judges His People
63 Who is this coming from Edom,
from the city of Bozrah, dressed in red?
Who is this dressed in fine clothes
and marching forward with his great power?
He says, “I, the Lord, speak what is right.
I have the power to save you.”
2 Someone asks, “Why are your clothes bright red
as if you had walked on the grapes to make wine?”
3 The Lord answers, “I have walked in the winepress alone,
and no one among the nations helped me.
I was angry and walked on the nations
and crushed them because of my anger.
Blood splashed on my clothes,
and I stained all my clothing.
4 I chose a time to punish people,
and the time has come for me to save.
5 I looked around, but I saw no one to help me.
I was surprised that no one supported me.
So I used my own power to save my people;
my own anger supported me.
6 While I was angry, I walked on the nations.
In my anger I punished them
and poured their blood on the ground.”
The Lord’s Kindness to His People
7 I will tell about the Lord’s kindness
and praise him for everything he has done.
I will praise the Lord for the many good things he has given us
and for his goodness to the people of Israel.
He has shown great mercy to us
and has been very kind to us.
8 He said, “These are my people;
my children will not lie to me.”
So he saved them.
9 When they suffered, he suffered also.
He sent his own angel to save them.
Because of his love and kindness, he saved them.
Since long ago he has picked them up and carried them.
10 But they turned against him
and made his Holy Spirit very sad.
So he became their enemy,
and he fought against them.
11 But then his people remembered what happened long ago,
in the days of Moses and the Israelites with him.
Where is the Lord who brought the people through the sea,
with the leaders of his people?
Where is the one
who put his Holy Spirit among them,
12 who led Moses by the right hand
with his wonderful power,
who divided the water before them
to make his name famous forever,
13 who led the people through the deep waters?
Like a horse walking through a desert,
the people did not stumble.
14 Like cattle that go down to the valley,
the Spirit of the Lord gave the people a place to rest.
Lord, that is the way you led your people,
and by this you won for yourself wonderful fame.
A Prayer for Help
15 Lord, look down from the heavens and see;
look at us from your wonderful and holy home in heaven.
Where is your strong love and power?
Why are you keeping your love and mercy from us?
16 You are our father.
Abraham doesn’t know we are his children,
and Israel doesn’t recognize us.
Lord, you are our father.
You are called “the one who has always saved us.”
17 Lord, why are you making us wander from your ways?
Why do you make us stubborn so that we don’t honor you?
For our sake come back to us,
your servants, who belong to you.
18 Your people had your Temple for a while,
but now our enemies have walked on your holy place and crushed it.
19 We have become like people you never ruled over,
like those who have never worn your name.
64 Tear open the skies and come down to earth
so that the mountains will tremble before you.
2 Like a fire that burns twigs,
like a fire that makes water boil,
let your enemies know who you are.
Then all nations will shake with fear when they see you.
3 You have done amazing things we did not expect.
You came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
4 From long ago no one has ever heard of a God like you.
No one has ever seen a God besides you,
who helps the people who trust you.
5 You help those who enjoy doing good,
who remember how you want them to live.
But you were angry because we sinned.
For a long time we disobeyed,
so how can we be saved?
6 All of us are dirty with sin.
All the right things we have done are like filthy pieces of cloth.
All of us are like dead leaves,
and our sins, like the wind, have carried us away.
7 No one worships you
or even asks you to help us.
That is because you have turned away from us
and have let our sins destroy us.
8 But Lord, you are our father.
We are like clay, and you are the potter;
your hands made us all.
9 Lord, don’t continue to be angry with us;
don’t remember our sins forever.
Please, look at us,
because we are your people.
10 Your holy cities are empty like the desert.
Jerusalem is like a desert;
it is destroyed.
11 Our ancestors worshiped you
in our holy and wonderful Temple,
but now it has been burned with fire,
and all our precious things have been destroyed.
12 When you see these things, will you hold yourself back from helping us, Lord?
Will you be silent and punish us beyond what we can stand?
All People Will Learn About God
65 The Lord says, “I made myself known to people who were not looking for me.
I was found by those who were not asking me for help.
I said, ‘Here I am. Here I am,’
to a nation that was not praying to me.
2 All day long I stood ready to accept
people who turned against me,
but the way they continue to live is not good;
they do anything they want to do.
3 Right in front of me
they continue to do things that make me angry.
They offer sacrifices to their gods in their gardens,
and they burn incense on altars of brick.
4 They sit among the graves
and spend their nights waiting to get messages from the dead.
They eat the meat of pigs,
and their pots are full of soup made from meat that is wrong to eat.
5 But they tell others, ‘Stay away, and don’t come near me.
I am too holy for you.’
These people are like smoke in my nose.
Like a fire that burns all the time, they continue to make me angry.
6 “Look, it is written here before me.
I will not be quiet; instead, I will repay you in full.
I will punish you for what you have done.
7 I will punish you for your sins and your ancestors’ sins,”
says the Lord.
“They burned incense to gods on the mountains
and shamed me on those hills.
So I will punish them as they should be punished
for what they did.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“When there is juice left in the grapes,
people do not destroy them,
because they know there is good left in them.
So I will do the same thing to my servants—
I will not completely destroy them.
9 I will leave some of the children of Jacob,
and some of the people of Judah will receive my mountain.
I will choose the people who will live there;
my servants will live there.
10 Then the Plain of Sharon will be a field for flocks,
and the Valley of Achor will be a place for herds to rest.
They will be for the people who want to follow me.
11 “But as for you who left the Lord,
who forgot about my holy mountain,
who worship the god Luck,
who hold religious feasts for the god Fate,
12 I decide your fate, and I will punish you with my sword.
You will all be killed,
because I called you, but you refused to answer.
I spoke to you, but you wouldn’t listen.
You did the things I said were evil
and chose to do things that displease me.”
13 So this is what the Lord God says:
“My servants will eat,
but you evil people will be hungry.
My servants will drink,
but you evil people will be thirsty.
My servants will be happy,
but you evil people will be shamed.
14 My servants will shout for joy
because of the goodness of their hearts,
but you evil people will cry,
because you will be sad.
You will cry loudly, because your spirits will be broken.
15 Your names will be like curses to my servants,
and the Lord God will put you to death.
But he will call his servants by another name.
16 People in the land who ask for blessings
will ask for them from the faithful God.
And people in the land who make a promise
will promise in the name of the faithful God,
because the troubles of the past will be forgotten.
I will make those troubles go away.
A New Time Is Coming
17 “Look, I will make new heavens and a new earth,
and people will not remember the past
or think about those things.
18 My people will be happy forever
because of the things I will make.
I will make a Jerusalem that is full of joy,
and I will make her people a delight.
19 Then I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and be delighted with my people.
There will never again be heard in that city
the sounds of crying and sadness.
20 There will never be a baby from that city
who lives only a few days.
And there will never be an older person
who doesn’t have a long life.
A person who lives a hundred years will be called young,
and a person who dies before he is a hundred will be thought of as a sinner.
21 In that city those who build houses will live there.
Those who plant vineyards will get to eat their grapes.
22 No more will one person build a house and someone else live there.
One person will not plant a garden and someone else eat its fruit.
My people will live a long time,
as trees live long.
My chosen people will live there
and enjoy the things they make.
23 They will never again work for nothing.
They will never again give birth to children who die young.
All my people will be blessed by the Lord;
they and their children will be blessed.
24 I will provide for their needs before they ask,
and I will help them while they are still asking for help.
25 Wolves and lambs will eat together in peace.
Lions will eat hay like oxen,
and a snake on the ground will not hurt anyone.
They will not hurt or destroy each other
on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.
The Lord Will Judge All Nations
66 This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
So do you think you can build a house for me?
Do I need a place to rest?
2 My hand made all things.
All things are here because I made them,”
says the Lord.
“These are the people I am pleased with:
those who are not proud or stubborn
and who fear my word.
3 But those people who kill bulls as a sacrifice to me
are like those who kill people.
Those who kill sheep as a sacrifice
are like those who break the necks of dogs.
Those who give me grain offerings
are like those who offer me the blood of pigs.[a]
Those who burn incense
are like those who worship idols.
These people choose their own ways, not mine,
and they love the terrible things they do.
4 So I will choose their punishments,
and I will punish them with what they fear most.
This is because I called to them, but they did not listen.
I spoke to them, but they did not hear me.
They did things I said were evil;
they chose to do things I did not like.”
5 You people who obey the words of the Lord,
listen to what he says:
“Your brothers hated you
and turned against you because you followed me.
Your brothers said, ‘Let the Lord be honored
so we may see you rejoice,’
but they will be punished.
6 Listen to the loud noise coming from the city;
hear the noise from the Temple.
It is the Lord punishing his enemies,
giving them the punishment they should have.
7 “A woman does not give birth before she feels the pain;
she does not give birth to a son before the pain starts.
8 No one has ever heard of that happening;
no one has ever seen that happen.
In the same way no one ever saw a country begin in one day;
no one has ever heard of a new nation beginning in one moment.
But Jerusalem will give birth to her children
just as soon as she feels the birth pains.
9 In the same way I will not cause pain
without allowing something new to be born,” says the Lord.
“If I cause you the pain,
I will not stop you from giving birth to your new nation,” says your God.
10 “Jerusalem, rejoice.
All you people who love Jerusalem, be happy.
Those of you who felt sad for Jerusalem
should now feel happy with her.
11 You will take comfort from her and be satisfied,
as a child is nursed by its mother.
You will receive her good things
and enjoy her wealth.”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“I will give her peace that will flow to her like a river.
The wealth of the nations will come to her like a river overflowing its banks.
Like babies you will be nursed and held in my arms
and bounced on my knees.
13 I will comfort you
as a mother comforts her child.
You will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
14 When you see these things, you will be happy,
and you will grow like the grass.
The Lord’s servants will see his power,
but his enemies will see his anger.
15 Look, the Lord is coming with fire
and his armies with clouds of dust.
He will punish those people with his anger;
he will punish them with flames of fire.
16 The Lord will judge the people with fire,
and he will destroy many people with his sword;
he will kill many people.
17 “These people make themselves holy and pure to go to worship their gods in their gardens. Following each other into their special gardens, they eat the meat of pigs and rats and other hateful things. But they will all be destroyed together,” says the Lord.
18 “I know they have evil thoughts and do evil things, so I am coming to punish them. I will gather all nations and all people, and they will come together and see my glory.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.