Isaiah 56
Salvation for Foreigners
1 Thus says the Lord:“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
afor soon my salvation will come,
and my righteousness be revealed.
2Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast,
bwho keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Let not cthe foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am da dry tree.”
4For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs ewho keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
5 fI will give in my house and within my walls
a gmonument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
hI will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
6 “And ithe foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
everyone jwho keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
7 kthese I will bring to lmy holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
mtheir burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for nmy house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
8The Lord God,
owho gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
p“I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered.”
Israel’s Irresponsible Leaders
9 qAll you beasts of the field, come to devour—all you beasts in the forest.
10 rHis watchmen are blind;
they are all without knowledge;
they are all silent sdogs;
they cannot bark,
dreaming, lying down,
loving to slumber.
11 tThe dogs have a mighty appetite;
they never have enough.
But uthey are shepherds who have no understanding;
they have all turned to their own way,
veach to his own gain, one and all.
12 w“Come,” they say, “let me get wine;
let us fill ourselves with strong drink;
xand tomorrow will be like this day,
great beyond measure.”
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