Year of the Bible
Isaiah 66
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Overview of Chapter 66 of the Book of Isaiah: The new temple and new form of worship:
66:1–6. These oracles seem to contain echoes of the arguments that took place. about the rebuilding of the temple after the return from exile. Physical rebuilding and external religious rites must take second place to genuine inner devotion, humility of heart and sincere acceptance of the word of the Lord.
66:7–14. This last poem about the exaltation of Zion is built around the metaphor of motherhood… The language of faith thus draws on the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first representatives of God for man.
66:15–17. The judgment of the Lord extends beyond the joy of the new Jerusalem, whose salvation is a great consolation and cause for rejoicing (66:10–14)…The passage teaches that the Lord is just: the final elimination of all evil is part of the work of redemption.
66:18–24. The book ends with a colophon, part in prose (vv. 18–21), part in verse (vv. 22–24). It begins by announcing that the glory of the Lord will be proclaimed to the nations, and they will respond by flocking in pilgrimage to the temple of the Lord.
Read: Chapter 66 of the Book of Isaiah: The Judgment of God
1 Thus says the LORD:
Heaven is my throne
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house which you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
2 All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things are mine,
says the LORD.
But this is the man to whom I will look,
he that is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word.
3 “He who slaughters an ox is like him who kills a man;
he who sacrifices a lamb, like him who breaks a dog’s neck;
he who presents a cereal offering, like him who offers swine’s blood;
he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like him who blesses an idol.
These have chosen their own ways,
and their soul delights in their abominations;
4 I also will choose affliction for them,
and bring their fears upon them;
because, when I called, no one answered,
when I spoke they did not listen;
but they did what was evil in my eyes,
and chose that in which I did not delight.”
5 Hear the word of the LORD,
you who tremble at his word:
“Your brethren who hate you
and cast you out for my name’s sake
have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified,
that we may see your joy’;
but it is they who shall be put to shame.
6 “Listen, an uproar from the city!
A voice from the temple!
The voice of the LORD,
rendering recompense to his enemies!
7 “Before she was in labor
she gave birth;
before her pain came upon her
she was delivered of a son.
8 Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?
For as soon as Zion was in labor
she brought forth her sons.
9 Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth?
says the LORD;
shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?
says your God.
10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her;
11 that you may suck and be satisfied
with her consoling breasts;
that you may drink deeply with delight
from the abundance of her glory.”
12 For thus says the LORD:
“Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall suck, you shall be carried upon her hip,
and fondled upon her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bones shall flourish like the grass;
and it shall be known that the hand of the LORD is with his servants,
and his indignation is against his enemies.
15 “For behold, the LORD will come in fire,
and his chariots like the stormwind,
to render his anger in fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire will the LORD execute judgment,
and by his sword, upon all flesh;
and those slain by the LORD shall be many.
17 “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, says the LORD.
The New Heavens and New Earth
18 “For I know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, 19 and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the islands afar off, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. 20 And they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the sons of Israel bring their cereal offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. 21 And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the LORD.
22 ‘For as the new heavens and the new earth
which I will make
shall remain before me, says the LORD;
so shall your descendants and your name remain.
23 From new moon to new moon,
and from sabbath to sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
says the LORD.
24 “And they shall go forth and look on the dead bodies of the men that have rebelled against me; for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Daily Lectio Divina Question for Today:
The Lord is coming to gather all the nations to Himself and to reveal His glory. Lord, worship is the proper response to encountering You. What does it mean to worship You, Lord? What do You want to receive from me in worship?
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this. If you're looking for a good Catholic edition of the Bible, look no further
Isaías 66
1 Esto dice el Señor: Los cielos
son mi trono,
y la tierra, el estrado de mis pies.
¿Qué Templo me vais a poder construir,
y qué lugar para mi descanso?
2 Todo esto lo ha hecho mi mano,
y todas estas cosas son mías –oráculo
del Señor–.
En esto me voy a fijar:
en el pobre y en el de espíritu contrito,
y en el que teme a mi palabra.
3 Inmola un toro, como quien mata
a un hombre,
sacrifica una oveja, como quien estrangula
un perro,
presenta una oblación, como quien
ofrece sangre de cerdo,
quema incienso, como quien bendice
a un ídolo.
Lo mismo que ellos eligen sus caminos
y su alma se complace en sus abominaciones,
4 así elegiré Yo sus desgracias
y les traeré lo que les espanta,
porque llamé y nadie respondió,
hablé y no escucharon,
sino que hicieron el mal ante mis
ojos
y eligieron lo que me disgustaba».
5 Escuchad la palabra del Señor
los que tembláis ante su palabra.
Vuestros hermanos, los que os
odian,
los que os rechazan por causa de mi
Nombre, han dicho:
¡Que el Señor manifieste su gloria
para que veamos vuestro gozo!.
Pero ellos quedarán avergonzados.
6 Una voz estruendosa sale de la ciudad,
una voz desde el Templo:
es la voz del Señor
que paga el salario a sus enemigos.
El nuevo pueblo
7 Antes de sentir los dolores de parto,
dio a luz.
Antes de venirle los dolores de parto,
alumbró a un varón.
8 ¿Quién oyó jamás cosa igual?
¿Quién vio nunca algo semejante?
¿Acaso se da a luz un país en un solo
día?
¿Se alumbra a un pueblo de una sola
vez?
Pues apenas sintió los dolores de
parto, Sión dio ya a luz a sus hijos.
9 ¿Es que Yo iba a abrir la matriz y
no dejarla dar a luz?
–dice el Señor–.
¿Acaso Yo, que hago dar a luz, la
habría de cerrar?»
–dice tu Dios–.
10 ¡Alegraos con Jerusalén y regocijaos
por ella
cuantos la amáis;
exultad de gozo con ella
cuantos le hacíais duelo!
11 Pues os amamantaréis hasta saciaros
del pecho de sus consuelos,
beberéis hasta deleitaros
de la ubre de su gloria.
12 Porque esto dice el Señor:
Mirad: Yo hago discurrir hacia ella,
como un río, la paz,
y, como un torrente desbordado, la
gloria de las naciones.
Os amamantaréis, seréis llevados en
brazos,
y acariciados sobre las rodillas.
13 Como alguien a quien su madre
consuela,
así Yo os consolaré,
y en Jerusalén seréis consolados.
14 Lo veréis y se alegrará vuestro corazón,
y vuestros huesos florecerán como
la hierba.
La mano del Señor se manifestará a
sus siervos,
y su furor, a sus enemigos».
El castigo de los malvados
15 Pues mirad: el Señor viene como
fuego,
y sus carros, como huracán,
para descargar el ardor de su cólera
y castigar con llamas de fuego.
16 Porque el Señor juzgará con fuego
y con su espada a toda carne,
y serán muchas las víctimas del Señor.
17 Los que se consagran y purifican
para entrar
en los jardines siguiendo a uno que
está en el centro,
los que comen carne de cerdo,
de animales inmundos y de ratas,
juntos terminarán
–oráculo del Señor–.
18 Yo, que conozco sus obras y sus
pensamientos, vendré para reunir a todas
las naciones y lenguas, que acudirán
y verán mi gloria. 19 Pondré en ellos
una señal y enviaré los supervivientes
de ellos a las naciones, a Tarsis, Put,
Lud, Mésec, Ros, Tubal y Yaván, a las islas
remotas, que no oyeron hablar de Mí
ni vieron mi gloria. Ellos anunciarán mi
gloria a las naciones. 20 Traerán a todos
vuestros hermanos de todas las naciones,
como ofrenda al Señor, a caballo y
en carros, en literas, en mulos y dromedarios
a mi monte santo, a Jerusalén –
dice el Señor–, del mismo modo que los
hijos de Israel traen la oblación en recipientes
puros al Templo del Señor. 21 Y
tomaré también de entre ellos sacerdotes
y levitas –dice el Señor–.
22 Porque como los cielos nuevos
y la tierra nueva que voy a hacer
permanecerán ante Mí
–oráculo del Señor–,
así permanecerá vuestro linaje y
vuestro nombre.
23 Y sucederá que de luna nueva en
luna nueva,
y de sábado en sábado,
vendrá toda carne a postrarse ante
Mí
–dice el Señor–.
24 Y saldrán a ver los cadáveres de los
hombres
que se rebelaron contra Mí,
pues su gusano no morirá,
ni su fuego se extinguirá.
Y serán abominación para toda carne.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
El Señor viene a reunir a todas las naciones para Él y revelar su gloria. Señor, la adoración es la respuesrta apropiada para encontrarte. ¿Qué significa adorarte Señor? ¿Qué quieres recibir de mí en adoración?
La Biblia de Navarra
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para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).