• Please see License for Copyright notice and Licensing information.
• [ Previous | Next ]

1 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.

2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;

3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;

4 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,

7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.

8 Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.

9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

10 And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.

11 But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.

12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:

14 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.

15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:

16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.

17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.

19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.

22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.

24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.

<html><b>I allowed Myself to be sought by those who did not ask</b> The Holy One, blessed be He, replies to him, It is impossible not to avenge Myself on them, for I allowed Myself to be sought by them by reproving them through My prophets, but they did not ask. <b>I said, “Here I am; here I am!”</b> Return to Me, and I am ready to accept you. <b>to a nation not called by My name</b> That did not wish to be called by My name.</html>

<html><b>I spread out My hands</b> in order to accept them with repentance. <b>contrary</b> Heb. סוֹרֵר, turning away from the road.</html>

<html><b>those who sacrifice in gardens</b> They erect idols in their gardens, and there they burn incense on the bricks.</html>

<html><b>They sit among the graves</b> so that a spirit of defilement of demons should rest upon them. <b>and with corpses</b> Heb. וּבַנְּצוּרִים. They are the bodies of the dead, who are as placed in a siege (מָצוֹר), unable to get out. <b>and broth of abominations</b> Heb. מְרַק, despicable broth. Comp. (Jud. 6:20) “And the broth (הַמָּרָק) pour out.”</html>

<html><b>Those who say</b> to the righteous, קְרַב אֵלֶיךָ, “Keep to yourself and do not come near me.” <b>for I am holier than you</b> Heb. כִּי קְדַשְׁתִּיךָ. For I am holier and purer than you. In this manner Jonathan renders. <b>these</b> abominations that they committed are as smoke, wrath in My nostrils.</html>

<html><b>Behold it is inscribed</b> Their sin is inscribed before Me, and their sentence has already been decreed and sealed.</html>

<html><b>Your iniquities</b> Yours and your forefathers’ together I will recompense you.</html>

<html><b>As when wine is found in the cluster</b> Jonathan renders: As Noah was found innocent in the generation of the Flood. <b>the wine</b> This is Noah, who was sweet. <b>in the cluster</b> Heb. בָּאֶשְׁכּוֹל. In the bereft (הַמְשֻׁכָּל) generation. This may also be interpreted according to its apparent meaning. <b>for the sake of My servants</b> For the sake of every righteous man found among them.</html>

<html><b>the Sharon</b> The name of a region in the land of Israel. <b>and the Valley of Achor</b> As its apparent meaning.</html>

<html><b>who forsake the Lord</b> The wicked of Israel who adopted paganism and died in their wickedness. <b>who set a table for Gad</b> The name of a pagan deity on the name of the zodiac, and in the language of the mishnah, (Shabbath 67b) “May my fate be lucky (גָד גַּדִּי) and not fatigued.” <b>for a number</b> Heb. לַמְנִי . According to the number of the computation of the priests, they would fill basins of mingled wine. <b>mingled wine</b> Heb. מִמְסָךְ, wine mingled with water as was customary. Comp. (Prov. 23:30) “To search for mingled wine (מִמְסָךְ).” Also (ibid. 9:2), “She mingled (מָסְכָה) her wine.” Some interpret לַמְנִי, to the pagan deities that you appointed (מִנִּיתֶם) over yourselves, but וּמָנִיתִי אֶתְכֶם, which is not punctuated וּמִנִּיתִי with a ‘dagesh,’ indicates that it is an expression of counting.</html>

<html><b>My servants</b> The righteous [of Israel]. <b>but you</b> who rebel against Me.</html>

<html><b>your name for an oath</b> From your name shall be taken a curse and an oath for generations, “If it does not befall me as it befell So-and-so.” <b>and…shall slay you</b> an eternal death. <b>but to His servants He shall call another name</b> A good name and a mention for a blessing.</html>

<html><b>For whoever blesses himself on the earth</b> For My fear shall be over all of them, and the earth shall be full of knowledge, and whoever praises himself or lauds himself on the earth, will bless himself by the true God, he will praise himself that he is a servant of the true God, the God of truth, Who realized and observed this, His promise. <b>for the first troubles have been forgotten</b> Therefore, they shall call Me the true God.</html>

<html><b>new heavens</b> The princes above shall be renewed, and the princes of Israel shall be the upper princes and the princes of the heathens (the nations [Parshandatha]) will be lower, and so on the earth. ([K’li Paz reads:] The princes above shall be renewed, to raise up the humble and to humble the high ones, and so on the earth.) And some say that there will actually be new heavens, and that is correct, for Scripture proves it (infra 66:22): “For as the new heavens, etc.”</html>

<html><b>a youth</b> Heb. עוּל יָמִים, a youth. Comp. (Lam. 2:11) “young children (עוֹלֵל).” [Hence,] עוּל יָמִים means young in years. <b>who is one hundred years old shall die</b> He shall be subject to punishments to be liable to death for a capital sin. So it is explained in Gen. Rabbah (26:2). <b>shall be cursed</b> for a sin requiring an anathema.</html>

<html><b>like the days of the tree</b> Jonathan renders: the tree of life.</html>

<html><b>shall eat straw</b> and will not have to destroy animals. <b>and a serpent</b> Indeed, dust is his food, which is always available for him. And the Midrash Aggadah explains: And a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw. Since we find that Esau will fall into the hands of the sons of Joseph, as it is said (Obadiah 18): “The house of Esau shall become stubble, and the house of Joseph a flame etc.” But [that they should fall] into the hands of the remaining tribes, who were compared to beasts, we do not find. It is, therefore, stated: “And a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw.” Those tribes that were compared to a lion, such as Judah and Dan, like Joseph, who was compared to an ox, shall devour Esau who was compared to straw.</html>