Yesaya 65:11-15

65:11 But as for you who abandon the Lord

and forget about worshiping at ¹  my holy mountain,

who prepare a feast for the god called ‘Fortune,’ ² 

and fill up wine jugs for the god called ‘Destiny’ ³  –

65:12 I predestine you to die by the sword, ⁴ 

all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, ⁵ 

because I called to you, and you did not respond,

I spoke and you did not listen.

You did evil before me; ⁶ 

you chose to do what displeases me.”

65:13 So this is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry!

Look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty!

Look, my servants will rejoice, but you will be humiliated!

65:14 Look, my servants will shout for joy as happiness fills their hearts! ⁷ 

But you will cry out as sorrow fills your hearts; ⁸ 

you will wail because your spirits will be crushed. ⁹ 

65:15 Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones. ¹⁰ 

The sovereign Lord will kill you,

but he will give his servants another name.

[65:11]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text has simply, “forget.” The words “about worshiping at” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[65:11]  ² tn The Hebrew has לַגַּד (laggad, “for Gad”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 176 s.v. II גַּד 2.

[65:11]  ³ tn The Hebrew has לַמְנִי (lamni, “for Meni”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 602 s.v. מְגִי.

[65:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “I assign you to the sword.” Some emend the Qal verb form מָנִיתִי (maniti, “I assign”) to the Piel מִנִּיתִי (minniti, “ I ordain”). The verb sounds like the name of the god Meni (מְנִי, mÿni, “Destiny, Fate”). The sound play draws attention to the irony of the statement. The sinners among God’s people worship the god Meni, apparently in an effort to ensure a bright destiny for themselves. But the Lord is the one who really determines their destiny and he has decreed their demise.

[65:12]  ⁵ tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”

[65:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”

[65:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “from the good of the heart.”

[65:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “from the pain of the heart.”

[65:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “from the breaking of the spirit.”

[65:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you will leave your name for an oath to my chosen ones.”

[65:15]  sn For an example of such a curse formula see Jer 29:22.