True Worship
1 The Lord said:
Heaven is my throne;
the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house
could you build for me?
In what place will I rest?
2 I have made everything;
that's how it all came to be.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The people I treasure most
are the humble—
they depend only on me
and tremble when I speak.
3 You sacrifice oxen to me,
and you commit murder;
you sacrifice lambs to me
and dogs to other gods;
you offer grain to me
and pigs' blood to idols;
you burn incense to me
and praise your idols.
You have made your own choice
to do these disgusting things
that you enjoy so much.
4 You refused to answer
when I called out;
you paid no attention
to my instructions.
Instead, you did what I hated,
knowing it was wrong.
Now I will punish you
in a way you dread the most.
The Lord Will Help Jerusalem
5 If you tremble
when the Lord speaks,
listen to what he says:
“Some of your own people hate
and reject you because of me.
They make fun and say,
‘Let the Lord show his power!
Let us see him
make you truly happy.’
But those who say these things
will be terribly ashamed.”
6 Do you hear that noise
in the city and those shouts
coming from the temple?
It is the Lord shouting
as he punishes his enemies.
7 Have you ever heard of a woman
who gave birth to a child
before having labor pains?
8 Who ever heard of such a thing
or imagined it could happen?
Can a nation be born in a day
or come to life in a second?
Jerusalem is like a mother
who gave birth to her children
as soon as she was in labor.
9 The Lord is the one
who makes birth possible.
And he will see that Zion
has many more children.
The Lord has spoken.
10 If you love Jerusalem,
celebrate and shout!
If you were in sorrow
because of the city,
you can now be glad.
11 She will nurse and comfort you,
just like your own mother,
until you are satisfied.
You will fully enjoy
her wonderful glory.
12 The Lord has promised:
“I will flood Jerusalem
with the wealth of nations
and make the city prosper.
Zion will nurse you at her breast,
carry you in her arms,
and hold you in her lap.
13 I will comfort you there
like a mother
comforting her child.”
14 When you see this happen,
you will celebrate;
your strength will return
faster than grass can sprout.
Then everyone will know
that the Lord provides help
for his servants,
but he is angry
with his enemies.
15 The Lord will come down
like a whirlwind
with his flaming chariots.
He will be furiously angry
and punish his enemies
with fire.
16 The Lord's fiery sword
will bring justice
everywhere on this earth
and execute many people.
A Threat and a Promise
17 Some of you get yourselves ready and go to a garden to worship a foreign goddess. You eat the meat of pigs, lizards, and mice. But I, the Lord, will destroy you for this.
18 I know everything you do and think! The time has now come to bring together the people of every language and nation and to show them my glory 19 by proving what I can do. I will send the survivors to Tarshish, Pul, Lud, Meshech, Tubal, Javan, and to the distant islands. I will send them to announce my wonderful glory to nations that have never heard about me.
20 They will bring your relatives from the nations as an offering to me, the Lord. They will come to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, on horses, chariots, wagons, mules, and camels. It will be like the people of Israel bringing the right offering to my temple. 21 I promise that some of them will be priests and others will be helpers in my temple. I, the Lord, have spoken.
22 I also promise that you will always have descendants and will never be forgotten, just as the new heavens and the new earth that I create will last forever. 23 On the first day of each month and on each Sabbath, everyone will worship me. I, the Lord, have spoken.
24 My people will go out and look at the dead bodies of those who turned against me. The worms there never die, the fire never stops burning, and the sight of those bodies will be disgusting to everyone.
1 Thus saith the Lord, The heauen is my throne, and the earth is my footestoole: where is that house that ye will builde vnto me? and where is that place of my rest? 2 For all these things hath mine hand made, and all these things haue bene, sayth the Lord: and to him will I looke, euen to him, that is poore, and of a contrite spirite and trembleth at my wordes. 3 He that killeth a bullocke, is as if he slewe a man: he that sacrificeth a sheepe, as if he cut off a dogges necke: he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swines blood: he that remembreth incense, as if he blessed an idole: yea, they haue chosen their owne wayes, and their soule deliteth in their abominations. 4 Therefore will I chuse out their delusions, and I will bring their feare vpon them, because I called, and none woulde answere: I spake and they woulde not heare: but they did euill in my sight, and chose the things which I would not. 5 Heare the worde of the Lord, all ye that tremble at his worde, Your brethren that hated you, and cast you out for my Names sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appeare to your ioy, and they shall be ashamed. 6 A voyce soundeth from the citie, euen a voyce from the Temple, the voyce of the Lord, that recompenseth his enemies fully. 7 Before she trauailed, she brought foorth: and before her paine came, she was deliuered of a man childe. 8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seene such things? shall ye earth be brought forth in one day? or shall a nation be borne at once? for assoone as Zion trauailed, she brought foorth her children. 9 Shall I cause to trauaile, and not bring forth? shall I cause to bring forth, and shall be baren, saith thy God? 10 Reioyce ye with Ierusalem, and be gladde with her, all ye that loue her: reioyce for ioy with her, all ye that mourne for her, 11 That ye may sucke and be satisfied with the brestes of her consolation: that ye may milke out and be delited with ye brightnes of her glorie. 12 For thus saith the Lord, Beholde, I will extend peace ouer her like a flood, and the glorie of the Gentiles like a flowing streame: then shall ye sucke, ye shall be borne vpon her sides, and be ioyfull vpon her knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you, and ye shall be comforted in Ierusalem. 14 And when ye see this, your hearts shall reioyce, and your bones shall flourish like an herbe: and the hand of the Lord shall be knowen among his seruants, and his indignation against his enemies. 15 For beholde, the Lord will come with fire, and his charets like a whirlewinde, that he may recompence his anger with wrath, and his indignation with the flame of fire. 16 For the Lord will iudge with fire, and with his sworde all flesh, and the slaine of the Lord shall be many. 17 They that sanctifie themselues, and purifie themselues in the gardens behinde one tree in the middes eating swines flesh, and such abomination, euen the mouse, shall be consumed together, sayeth the Lord. 18 For I will visite their workes, and their imaginations: for it shall come that I will gather all nations, and tongues, and they shall come, and see my glorie. 19 And I will set a signe among them, and will send those that escape of them, vnto the nations of Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, and to them that drawe the bowe, to Tubal and Tauan, yles afarre off, that haue not heard my fame, neither haue seene my glorie, and they shall declare my glorie among the Gentiles. 20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering vnto the Lord out of all nations, vpon horses, and in charets, and in horse litters, and vpon mules, and swift beastes, to Ierusalem mine holy Mountaine, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel, offer in a cleane vessell in the House of the Lord. 21 And I will take of them for Priestes, and for Leuites, saith the Lord. 22 For as the newe heauens, and the newe earth which I will make, shall remaine before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seede and your name continue. 23 And from moneth to moneth, and from Sabbath to Sabbath shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. 24 And they shall goe forth, and looke vpon the carkases of the men that haue transgressed against me: for their worme shall not dye, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shalbe an abhorring vnto all flesh.