Yesaya 65:8-16

65:8 This is what the Lord says:

“When ¹  juice is discovered in a cluster of grapes,

someone says, ‘Don’t destroy it, for it contains juice.’ ² 

So I will do for the sake of my servants –

I will not destroy everyone. ³ 

65:9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,

and from Judah people to take possession of my mountains.

My chosen ones will take possession of the land; ⁴ 

my servants will live there.

65:10 Sharon ⁵  will become a pasture for sheep,

and the Valley of Achor ⁶  a place where cattle graze; ⁷ 

they will belong to my people, who seek me. ⁸ 

65:11 But as for you who abandon the Lord

and forget about worshiping at ⁹  my holy mountain,

who prepare a feast for the god called ‘Fortune,’ ¹⁰ 

and fill up wine jugs for the god called ‘Destiny’ ¹¹  –

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

all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, ¹³ 

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

I spoke and you did not listen.

You did evil before me; ¹⁴ 

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! ¹⁵ 

But you will cry out as sorrow fills your hearts; ¹⁶ 

you will wail because your spirits will be crushed. ¹⁷ 

65:15 Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones. ¹⁸ 

The sovereign Lord will kill you,

but he will give his servants another name.

65:16 Whoever pronounces a blessing in the earth ¹⁹ 

will do so in the name of the faithful God; ²⁰ 

whoever makes an oath in the earth

will do so in the name of the faithful God. ²¹ 

For past problems will be forgotten;

I will no longer think about them. ²² 

[65:8]  ¹ tn Heb “just as.” In the Hebrew text the statement is one long sentence, “Just as…, so I will do….”

[65:8]  ² tn Heb “for a blessing is in it.”

[65:8]  ³ tn Heb “by not destroying everyone.”

[65:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to the land which contains the aforementioned mountains.

[65:10]  ⁵ sn Sharon was a plain located to the west, along the Mediterranean coast north of Joppa and south of Carmel.

[65:10]  ⁶ sn The Valley of Achor (“Achor” means “trouble” in Hebrew) was the site of Achan’s execution. It was located to the east, near Jericho.

[65:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “a resting place for cattle”; NASB, NIV “for herds.”

[65:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “for my people who seek me.”

[65:11]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew text has simply, “forget.” The words “about worshiping at” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[65:11]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew has לַגַּד (laggad, “for Gad”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 176 s.v. II גַּד 2.

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

[65:12]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”

[65:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”

[65:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from the good of the heart.”

[65:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “from the pain of the heart.”

[65:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “from the breaking of the spirit.”

[65:15]  ¹⁸ 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.

[65:16]  ¹⁹ tn Or “in the land” (NIV, NCV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs again later in this verse, with the same options.

[65:16]  ²⁰ tn Heb “will pronounce a blessing by the God of truth.”

[65:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “will take an oath by the God of truth.”

[65:16]  ²² tn Heb “for the former distresses will be forgotten, and they will be hidden from my eyes.”