65
God's punishment of the rebellious Israelis
1 This is what Yahweh said:
“I was ready to reply to my people,
but no one asked me for help.
I was ready to help those who would call out to me.
I kept saying, 'I am here to help you!'
2 I have always been ready to help my people who rebelled against me,
who continually did the evil things that they wanted to do.
3 They boldly do things that cause me to be angry:
they offer sacrifices to their idols in their gardens
and they burn incense to them on altars made of bricks.
4 They secretly remain awake at night in burial caves,
talking with the spirits of their ancestors.
They eat the meat of pigs,
and their pots are full of meat that is unacceptable to me.
5 Then they say to others,
'Stay away from me; do not come near me,
because I am very holy,
with the result that you should not touch me.'
People like that are like smoke in my nose
from a fire that burns continually.
6 I have written down all the evil things that they have done;
I will not remain silent.
I will certainly punish them
7 for their sins and for the sins of their ancestors.
They have mocked/insulted me by burning incense to their idols on the hilltops.
8 “This is also what Yahweh said:
“When there is a cluster of nice grapes on a vine,
people do not throw them away,
because they know that there is good juice in those grapes.
Similarly, because there are some people in Judah who faithfully serve/worship me,
I will not get rid of everyone.
9 I will spare some of the descendants of Jacob
who are living on the hills of Judah.
The people whom I have chosen will possess that land;
those who worship/serve me will live there.
10 Then all the land from the Sharon Plain near the Mediterranean Sea and as far east as Achor Valley near Jericho will become pastureland
where cattle and sheep will rest.
11 But it will be different for you who have abandoned me,
you who ignore Zion my sacred hill,
you who worship Gad and Meni, the gods who you think will bring you good luck and fortune.
12 It is I, not Meni, who will decide what will happen to you;
you will all be slaughtered with swords.
I called out to you,
but you did not answer.
I spoke to you,
but you did not pay attention.
Instead, you did things that I said are evil;
you chose to do things that displease me.
13 I, Yahweh the Lord, will give to those who worship and obey me things to eat and drink,
and they will be happy;
but all you evil people will be hungry and thirsty,
and you will be sad and disgraced.
14 Those who worship and obey me will sing joyfully,
but you evil people will wail loudly
because you will be suffering in your inner beings.
15 Those whom I have chosen will use your names when they curse people
because I, Yahweh the Lord, will get rid of you'.
But I will give to those who worship and obey me a new name that they will use when they bless people.
16 The people in this land have had many troubles,
but I will cause those troubles to disappear.
Therefore those who ask ask me for blessings and those who solemnly promise to do something
should keep in mind that I am God, who faithfully do what I promise.
Yahweh's new creation
17 Note this: Some day I will create a new heaven and new earth.
They will be very wonderful, with the result that you will no longer think about all the troubles you had previously.
18 Jerusalem will be a place where people rejoice;
its people will always be happy.
19 I will rejoice about Jerusalem
and I will be delighted with my people.
People will no longer weep or cry because of being distressed.
20 No child will die when it is still an infant;
and all people will live until they are very old.
People will consider that anyone who is a hundred years old is still young;
people will consider that anyone who dies who is younger than that has been cursed.
21 My people will live in the houses that they themselves have built,
and they will eat grapes from their own vineyards.
22 If someone has built a house, no one will take that house away from him and live in it.
No one will take a vineyard away from its owner.
My chosen people will live a long time, like trees do,
and they will enjoy the things that they have done —
the houses that they have built and the crops that they have planted.
23 They will not work hard in vain,
and their children will not die from some calamity.
I will certainly bless their children and their grandchildren.
24 I will answer their prayers while they are still praying for something.
25 Wolves and lambs will eat grass together peacefully;
lions and oxen will both eat from the same bundle of hay.
Snakes will lie on the ground and eat only dirt.
No one will be harmed or injured anywhere on Zion, my sacred hill.
That is surely what it will be like because I, Yahweh, have said it.
Note: The Old Testament in this translation is still being worked on, and is in draft form. Updates will be posted at eBible.org/t4t/.