Isaiah 56 (NET)

The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote1 justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly.2

2 The people who do this will be blessed,3

the people who commit themselves to obedience,4

who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

who refrain from doing anything that is wrong.5

3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of6 the Lord should say,

‘The Lord will certainly7 exclude me from his people.’

The eunuch should not say,

‘Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’”

4 For this is what the Lord says:

“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths

and choose what pleases me

and are faithful to8 my covenant,

5 I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument9

that will be better than sons and daughters.

I will set up a permanent monument10 for them that will remain.

6 As for foreigners who become followers of11 the Lord and serve him,

who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants –

all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

and who are faithful to12 my covenant –

7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;

I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me.13

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,

for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.”14

8 The sovereign Lord says this,

the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel:

“I will still gather them up.”15

The Lord Denounces Israel’s Paganism

9 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour,

all you wild animals in the forest!

10 All their watchmen16 are blind,

they are unaware.17

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant,18 lie down,

and love to snooze.

11 The dogs have big appetites;

they are never full.19

They are shepherds who have no understanding;

they all go their own way,

each one looking for monetary gain.20

12 Each one says,21

‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!

Let’s guzzle some beer!

Tomorrow will be just like today!

We’ll have everything we want!’22

156:1tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.” 256:1tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.” 356:2tn Heb “blessed is the man who does this.” 456:2tn Heb “the son of mankind who takes hold of it.” 556:2tn Heb and who keeps his hand from doing any evil.” 656:3tn Heb “who attaches himself to.” 756:3tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis. 856:4tn Heb “and take hold of” (so KJV); NASB “hold fast.” 956:5tn Heb “a hand and a name.” For other examples where יָד (yad) refers to a monument, see HALOT 388 s.v. 1056:5tn Heb “name” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV). 1156:6tn Heb “who attach themselves to.” 1256:6tn Heb “and take hold of”; NAB “hold to”; NIV, NRSV “hold fast.” 1356:7tn Heb “in the house of my prayer.” 1456:7tn Heb “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.” 1556:8tn The meaning of the statement is unclear. The text reads literally, “Still I will gather upon him to his gathered ones.” Perhaps the preposition -לְ (lamed) before “gathered ones” introduces the object of the verb, as in Jer 49:5. The third masculine singular suffix on both עָלָיו (’alayv) and נִקְבָּצָיו (niqbatsayv) probably refers to “Israel.” In this case one can translate literally, “Still I will gather to him his gathered ones.” 1656:10sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction. 1756:10tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.” 1856:10tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy. 1956:11sn The phrase never full alludes to the greed of the leaders. 2056:11tn Heb “for his gain from his end.” 2156:12tn The words “each one says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. 2256:12tn Heb “great, [in] abundance, very much,” i.e., “very great indeed.” See HALOT 452 s.v. יֶתֶר.