Isaiah 66:8–20

⁸Who has heard of such as this?

Who has seen such things?

Can a country be born in a day

or a nation be delivered in an instant?

Yet as soon as Zion was in labor,

she gave birth to her children.

⁹Shall I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?”

says the LORD.

“Or will I who deliver close the womb?”

says your God.

¹⁰Be glad for Jerusalem and rejoice over her,

all who love her.

Rejoice greatly with her,

all who mourn over her,

¹¹so that you may nurse and be satisfied

at her comforting breasts;

you may drink deeply and delight yourselves

in her glorious abundance.

¹²For this is what the LORD says:

“I will extend peace to her like a river,

and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream;

you will nurse and be carried on her arm,

and bounced upon her knees.

¹³As a mother comforts her son,

so will I comfort you,

and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”

¹⁴When you see, you will rejoice,

and you will flourish like grass;

then the hand of the LORD will be revealed to His servants,

but His wrath will be shown to His enemies.

¹⁵For behold, the LORD will come with fire—

His chariots are like a whirlwind—

to execute His anger with fury

and His rebuke with flames of fire.

¹⁶For by fire and by His sword,

the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh,

and many will be slain by the LORD.

¹⁷“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves — to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats — will perish together,” declares the LORD.

¹⁸“And I, knowing their deeds and thoughts, am coming^b to gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.

¹⁹I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations — to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands^c far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory.

So they will proclaim My glory among the nations. ²⁰And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a gift to the LORD on horses and chariots and wagons, on mules and camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the Israelites bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.”