Live for Jesus – Isaiah 56:1-57:2
56 This is what Jehovah says, Maintain justice and practice righteousness; for my salvation is coming soon and my righteousness is about to be revealed. (2) Blessed is the man who does this, the man who adheres to these things, the one who observes the Sabbath and does not profane it, the one who restrains his hand from doing any evil thing.
(3) Do not let the foreigner who has committed himself to Jehovah say, Jehovah will surely separate me from his people. Neither let the eunuch say, Look, I am a dry tree. (4) This is what Jehovah says about the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths, and who choose the things that please me, and adhere to my covenant: (5) I will give to them in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name that is better than sons and daughters—I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. (6) And the foreigners who commit themselves to Jehovah to minister to him, and to love the name of Jehovah, to be his servants, everyone who observes the Sabbath and does not profane it, and who adheres to my covenant—(7) these I will bring to my holy mountain and I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called “a house of prayer for all nations.” (8) The Lord Jehovah, who gathers the exiles of Israel, says, I will still gather others to him, besides his own people who have already been gathered.
(9) All you beasts of the field, come to devour! Come, all you beasts in the forest! (10) Israel’s watchmen are blind, all of them lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark. They lie around dreaming; they love to sleep. (11) Indeed, these dogs are greedy, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds who are unable to understand; they have all gone their own way, each one seeks his own gain from every quarter. (12) Come, they say, let us get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! Tomorrow will be like today, or even better!
57 The righteous man perishes, but no one takes it to heart; devout men are removed, but no one understands that the righteous are removed in order that they may be spared from the coming calamity. (2) The righteous enters into peace; they rest in their death beds, each one who walked in the way of righteousness.
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
