Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today we conclude the book of Isaiah
with chapters 63 through 66. Chapter 63 Who is
this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments
from Bozrah? This one who is glorious in his
apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength.
I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
Why is your apparel red, and your garments like
one who treads in the winepress? I have trodden
the winepress alone, and from the peoples no
one was with me. For I have trodden them in my
anger, and trampled them in my fury. Their blood
is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained
all my robes. For the day of vengeance is in
my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come.
i looked but there was no one to help and i wondered
that there was no one to uphold therefore my
own arm brought salvation for me and my own fury
it sustained me i have trodden down the peoples
in my anger made them drunk in my fury and brought
down their strength to the earth I will mention
the lovingkindness of the Lord and the praises
of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has
bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward
the house of Israel, which He has bestowed on
them according to His mercies, according to the
multitude of His lovingkindness. For He said,
Surely they are My people, children who will
not lie. So He became their Savior in all their
affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of
His presence saved them. In his love and in his
pity he redeemed them, and he bore them and carried
them all the days of old. But they rebelled and
grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned himself
against them as an enemy, and he fought against
them. Then he remembered the days of old, Moses
and his people saying, Where is he who brought
them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his
flock? Where is he who put his Holy Spirit within
them? who led them by the right hand of Moses
with his glorious arm dividing the water before
them to make for himself an everlasting name,
who led them through the deep as a horse in the
wilderness that they might not stumble. As a
beast goes down into the valley and the Spirit
of the Lord causes him to rest, so you lead your
people to make yourself a glorious name. Look
down from heaven and see from your habitation
holy and glorious? Where are your zeal and your
strength, the yearning of your heart and your
mercies toward me? Are they restrained? Doubtless
you are our Father, though Abraham was ignorant
of us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You,
O Lord, are our Father. Our Redeemer from everlasting
is your name. O Lord, why have you made us stray
from your ways and hardened our heart from your
fear? Return for your servants' sake, the tribes
of your inheritance. Your holy people have possessed
it but a little while. Our adversaries have trodden
down your sanctuary. We have become like those
of old, over whom you never ruled, those who
were never called by your name. brushwood, as
fire causes water to boil, to make your name
known to your adversaries, that the nations may
tremble at your presence. When you did awesome
things for which we did not look, you came down,
the mountains shook at your presence. For since
the beginning of the world, men have not heard
nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen
any God besides you, who acts for the one who
waits for him. You meet him who rejoices and
does righteousness, who remembers you in your
ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned.
In these ways we continue, and we need to be
saved. But we are all like an unclean thing,
and all our righteousness are like filthy rags.
We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like
the wind have taken us away. And there is no
one who calls on your name, who stirs himself
up to take hold of you. For you have hidden your
face from us and have consumed us because of
our iniquities. But now, O Lord, you are our
Father. We are the clay and you are the potter.
And all we are the work of your hand. Do not
be furious, O Lord, nor remember iniquity forever.
Indeed, please look. We all are your people.
Your holy cities are a wilderness. Zion is a
wilderness. Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy
and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised
you, is burnt up with fire, and all our pleasant
things are laid waste. Will you restrain yourself
because of these things, O Lord? Will you hold
your peace and afflict us very severely? I was
sought by those who did not ask for me. I was
found by those who did not seek me. I said, Here
I am, here I am. to a nation that was not called
by my name. I have stretched out my hands all
day long to a rebellious people, who walk in
a way that is not good, according to their own
thoughts, a people who provoke me to anger continually
to my face, who sacrifice in gardens and burn
incense on altars of brick, who sit among the
graves and spend the night in the tombs, who
eat swine's flesh and the broth of abominable
things is in their vessels. who say keep to yourself
do not come near me for i am holier than you
these are smoke in my nostrils a fire that burns
all the day behold it is written before me i
will not keep silence but will repay even repay
into their bosom your iniquities and iniquities
of your fathers together says the lord who have
burned incense on the mountains and blasphemed
me on the hills therefore i will measure their
former work into their bosom thus says the lord
as the new wine is found in the cluster and one
says do not destroy it for a blessing is in it
so will i do for my servants sake that i may
not destroy them all i will bring forth descendants
from jacob and from judah and heir of my mountains
my elect shall inherit it and my servants shall
dwell there sharon shall be a fold of flocks
and the valley of Achor, a place for herds to
lie down, for my people who have sought me. But
you are those who forsake the Lord, who forget
my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Gad,
and who furnish a drink offering for many. Therefore
I will number you for the sword, and you shall
all bow down to the slaughter. Because when I
called, you did not answer. When I spoke, you
did not hear. but did evil before my eyes, and
chose that in which I do not delight. Therefore
thus says the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall
eat, but you shall be hungry. Behold, my servants
shall drink, but you shall be thirsty. Behold,
my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed.
Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart,
but you shall cry of sorrow of heart, and wail
for grief of spirit. You shall leave your name
as a curse to my chosen. For the Lord God will
slay you and call his servants by another name,
so that he who blesses himself in the earth shall
bless himself in the God of truth, and he who
swears in the earth shall swear by the God of
truth, because the former troubles are forgotten
and because they are hidden from my eyes. For
behold, I create new heavens and a new earth
and the former shall not be remembered or come
to mind but be glad and rejoice forever in what
i create for behold i create jerusalem as a rejoicing
and her people a joy i will rejoice in jerusalem
and joy in my people the voice of weeping shall
no longer be heard in her nor the voice of crying
no more shall an infant from there live but a
few days nor an old man who has not fulfilled
his days. For the child shall die one hundred
years old, but the sinner, being one hundred
years old, shall be accursed. They shall build
houses and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards
and eat their fruit. They shall not build and
another inhabit. They shall not plant and another
eat. For as the days of a tree, so shall be the
days of my people. and my elect shall long enjoy
the work of their hands. They shall not labor
in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble,
for they shall be the descendants of the blessed
of the Lord and their offspring with them. It
shall come to pass that before they call I will
answer, and while they are still speaking I will
hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust
shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt
nor destroy in all my holy mountain, says the
Lord. Chapter 66 Thus says the Lord, Heaven is
my throne and earth is my footstool. Where is
the house that you will build me? And where is
the place of my rest? For all those things my
hand has made, and all those things exist, says
the Lord. But on this one will I look. on him
who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who
trembles at my word. He who kills a bull is as
if he slays a man. He who sacrifices a lamb,
as if he breaks a dog's neck. He who offers a
grain offering, as if he offers swine's blood.
He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol.
Just as they have chosen their own ways, and
their soul delights in their abominations, so
will I choose their delusions, and bring their
fears on them. Because when I called, no one
answered. When I spoke, they did not hear. But
they did evil before my eyes, and chose that
in which I do not delight. Hear the word of the
Lord, you who tremble at his word. Your brethren
who hated you, who cast you out for my name's
sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified, that we
may see your joy, but they shall be ashamed.
The sound of noise from the city, a voice from
the temple, the voice of the Lord who fully repays
his enemies. Before she was in labor, she gave
birth. Before her pain came, she delivered a
male child. Who has heard such a thing? Who has
seen such things? Shall the earth be made to
give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born
at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she
gave birth to her children. Shall I bring to
the time of birth and not cause delivery, says
the Lord? Shall I who cause delivery shut up
the womb, says your God? Rejoice with Jerusalem,
and be glad with her all who love her. Rejoice
for joy with her all you who mourn for her, that
you may feed and be satisfied. with the consolation
of her bosom, that you may drink deeply and be
delighted with the abundance of her glory. For
thus says the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace
to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles
like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed. On
her sides shall you be carried and be dandled
on her knees, as one whom his mother comforts.
So I will comfort you, and you shall be comforted
in Jerusalem. When you see this, Your heart shall
rejoice and your bones shall flourish like grass.
The hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants
and his indignation to his enemies. For behold,
the Lord will come with fire and with his chariots
like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury
and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire
and by his sword, the Lord will judge all flesh
and the slain of the Lord shall be many. Those
who sanctify themselves and purify themselves
to go to the gardens after an idol in the midst,
eating swine's flesh and abomination and the
mouse, shall be consumed together, says the Lord.
For I know their works and their thoughts. It
shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues,
and they shall come and see my glory. I will
set a sign among them, and those among them who
escape I will send to the nations. to Tarshish,
and Pol, and Lod, who draw the bow, and Tubal,
and Javan, to the coastlands afar off, who have
not heard my fame, nor seen my glory. And they
shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. Then
they shall bring all your brethren for an offering
to the Lord out of all nations, on horses, and
in chariots, and in litters, on mules, and on
camels, to my holy mountain Jerusalem. says the
Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering
in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.
And I will also take some of them for priests
and Levites, says the Lord. 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. And it shall come to pass
that from one new moon to another, and from one
Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship
before me, says the Lord, and they shall go forth
and look upon the corpses of the men who have
transgressed against me. For their worm does
not die, and their fire is not quenched. They
shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. I hope you
enjoyed today's reading as much as I did, and
I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow to
continue on our journey. God bless you and have
a great day.