1I allowed myself to be sought by those that asked not; I let myself be found by those that sought me not: I said, Here am I, here am I, unto a nation that called itself not by my name.
2I spread out my hands all the time unto a rebellious people, that walk in the way which is not good, after their own thoughts;
3[To] the people that provoke me to anger to my face continually; that sacrifice in gardens and burn incense upon [altars of] brick,
4That sit about among the graves, and lodge in the vaults, that eat the flesh of the swine, and [have] broth of abominations [in] their vessels;
5That say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the time.
6Behold, it is written before me; I will not keep silence, till I have recompensed, yea, recompensed into their bosom.—
7Your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, who have burnt incense upon the mountains, and upon the hills have blasphemed me: and I will measure out their work at first into their bosom.
8Thus hath said the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster of grapes, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it; so will I do for the sake of my servants, that I will not destroy the whole;
9And I let come forth out of Jacob a seed, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
10And Sharon shall become a fold of flocks, and the valley of 'Achor a resting-place for herds, for my people that have sought me.
11But ye who forsake the Lord, who forget my holy mountain, that set out a table for the god of Fortune, and that fill for Destiny the drink-offering.—
12Yea, I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall kneel down to the slaughter; because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spoke, ye did not hear; but ye did what is evil in my eyes, and that wherein I had no delight did ye choose.
13Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be made ashamed;
14Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry out from pain of heart, and from a broken spirit shall ye howl;
15And ye shall leave behind your name for an oath unto my elect ones, when the Lord Eternal will slay thee; but his servants will he call by another name.
16Whoever there be that blesseth himself on the earth shall bless himself by the true God; and that sweareth on the earth shall swear by the true God; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from my eyes.
17For, behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind;
18But be ye glad and rejoice unto all eternity in what I create; for, behold, I will create Jerusalem for rejoicing, and her people for gladness.
19And I will rejoice over Jerusalem, and be glad in my people: and there shall not be heard in her any more the voice of weeping, nor the voice of complaint.
20There shall no more come thence an infant of few days, nor an old man that shall not have the full length of his days; for as a lad shall one die a hundred years old; and as a sinner shall be accursed he who [dieth] at a hundred years old.
21And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
22They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and the work of their hands shall my elect wear out.
23They shall not toil in vain, nor bring forth unto an early death; for the seed of the blessed of the Lord are they, and their offspring with them.
24And it shall come to pass, that before yet they call will I answer; and while they are still speaking will I hear.
25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall like the bullock eat straw: and the serpent—dust shall be his food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.