Chapter Text
Judgment and Salvation
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.
2I 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;
3A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
4Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
5Which 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.
6Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
7Your 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.
8Thus 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.
9And 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.
10And 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.
11But 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.
12Therefore 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.
13Therefore 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:
14Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.
15And 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:
16That 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.
New Heavens and a New Earth
17For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
18But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19And 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.
20There 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.
21And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22They 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.
23They 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.
24And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25The 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.
Summary
The Lord declares He was sought by those who did not ask for Him and found by those who did not seek Him. He spread out His hands all day to a rebellious people who walk in a way that is not good. They provoke Him continually with their idolatrous practices, eating swine's flesh and sitting among graves. They say, 'Stand by thyself, come not near me; for I am holier than thou.' God will repay their iniquities. Yet a remnant shall be preserved as new wine is found in the cluster. God creates new heavens and a new earth.
Meaning
Paul applies the opening verse of this chapter to the inclusion of the Gentiles in Romans 10: God was found by those who were not seeking Him. This remarkable statement reveals that divine initiative precedes human response in salvation. God reaches out before we reach up.
The promise of new heavens and a new earth is the climactic vision of biblical eschatology. The former things shall not be remembered. This is not mere renovation but new creation, where weeping is abolished, life is extended, and the wolf and lamb feed together in perfect peace.
Background
The idolatrous practices described, including eating pork, burning incense in gardens, and sitting among graves for necromantic purposes, represent violations of the Mosaic law that characterized Judah's apostasy during its darkest periods.
The new heavens and new earth vision is developed fully in Revelation 21-22, where the apostle John draws directly upon Isaiah's language to describe the eternal state of the redeemed.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-7God's Indictment of a Rebellious People
- vv. 8-10A Remnant Preserved for Blessing
- vv. 11-16The Servants and the Forsakers Contrasted
- vv. 17-19New Heavens and a New Earth
- vv. 20-23Life and Labor in the Restored Creation
- vv. 24-25Answered Prayer and the Peaceable Kingdom
Key Verses
“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.”— 65:1
Quoted by Paul in Romans 10:20 as prophetic warrant for the Gentile inclusion in the gospel, this verse anticipates God's self-revelation to those outside the covenant community.
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”— 65:17
A foundational eschatological promise echoed in 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1, declaring God's intention to renew all creation and erase former sorrows.
“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”— 65:24
A treasured promise of God's anticipatory grace and intimate attentiveness to His people's prayers in the age to come.
“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.”— 65:25
Echoing Isaiah 11:6-9, this vision of restored creation portrays the peaceable kingdom where predation and violence are abolished under God's reign.
People & Places
Places
- Jacob — The patriarchal name representing the covenant people from whom God will preserve a faithful remnant.
- Judah — The southern kingdom whose surviving line will inherit God's holy mountains.
- Sharon — The fertile coastal plain of Israel, here promised renewal as pastureland for flocks.
- Valley of Achor — A valley near Jericho once associated with Achan's sin and judgment, now transformed into a place of rest for herds.
- Jerusalem — The holy city that God promises to recreate as a place of rejoicing and joy.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Verses 1-2 are explicitly cited by Paul in Romans 10:20-21 as foretelling the Gentiles' embrace of the gospel and Israel's resistance to it. The vision of new heavens and a new earth in verse 17 finds its fullest echo in 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1-4, where John sees the holy city descending and every tear wiped away. Verse 25 reprises the messianic peace of Isaiah 11, pointing to the consummated kingdom under Christ's reign where the curse on creation is reversed.
Devotional
Isaiah 65 holds together two truths the human heart struggles to balance: God's grief over rebellion and His unwavering commitment to renew all things. The Lord stretches out His hands all day long to a people who refuse Him — a portrait of love that does not give up.
Yet the chapter ends not in judgment but in a creation made new, where labor is not in vain and prayers are answered before they are spoken. Whatever sorrow you carry today, hear the promise: the former troubles will be forgotten, and God Himself will rejoice over His people.
Literary Style
Prophetic oracle alternating between judgment speech and salvation oracle, marked by direct divine first-person address. Features vivid contrast (servants vs. forsakers in vv. 13-15), eschatological imagery, and concluding poetic vision drawing on Isaiah 11's peaceable kingdom motif.