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Isaiah 56
New King James Version

### Salvation for the Gentiles

56 Thus says the Lord:

“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
(A)For My salvation is about to come,
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who lays hold on it;
(B)Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

3 Do not let (C)the son of the foreigner
Who has joined himself to the Lord
Speak, saying,
“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;
Nor let the (D)eunuch say,
“Here I am, a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
5 Even to them I will give in (E)My house
And within My walls a place (F)and a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give [a]them an everlasting name
That shall not be cut off.

6 “Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—
7 Even them I will (G)bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My (H)house of prayer.
(I)Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be (J)accepted on My altar;
For (K)My house shall be called a house of prayer (L)for all nations.”
8 The Lord God, (M)who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says,
(N)“Yet I will gather to him
Others besides those who are gathered to him.”

### Israel’s Irresponsible Leaders

9 (O)All you beasts of the field, come to devour,
All you beasts in the forest.
10 His watchmen are (P)blind,
They are all ignorant;
(Q)They are all dumb dogs,
They cannot bark;
[b]Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
11 Yes, they are (R)greedy[c] dogs
Which (S)never[d] have enough.
And they are shepherds
Who cannot understand;
They all look to their own way,
Every one for his own gain,
From his own territory.
12 “Come,” one says, “I will bring wine,
And we will fill ourselves with intoxicating (T)drink;
(U)Tomorrow will be (V)as today,
And much more abundant.”

#### Footnotes

1. Isaiah 56:5 Lit. him
2. Isaiah 56:10 Or Dreaming
3. Isaiah 56:11 Lit. strong of soul
4. Isaiah 56:11 Lit. do not know satisfaction

#### Cross references

1. Isaiah 56:1 : Is. 46:13; Matt. 3:2; 4:17; Rom. 13:11, 12
2. Isaiah 56:2 : Ex. 20:8–11; 31:13–17; Is. 58:13; Jer. 17:21, 22; Ezek. 20:12, 20
3. Isaiah 56:3 : Is. 14:1; [Eph. 2:12–19]
4. Isaiah 56:3 : Deut. 23:1; Jer. 38:7; Acts 8:27
5. Isaiah 56:5 : 1 Tim. 3:15
6. Isaiah 56:5 : [1 John 3:1, 2]
7. Isaiah 56:7 : [Is. 2:2, 3; 60:11; Mic. 4:1, 2]
8. Isaiah 56:7 : Matt. 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46
9. Isaiah 56:7 : [Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:15; 1 Pet. 2:5]
10. Isaiah 56:7 : Is. 60:7
11. Isaiah 56:7 : Matt. 21:13
12. Isaiah 56:7 : [Mal. 1:11]
13. Isaiah 56:8 : Ps. 147:2; Is. 11:12; 27:12; 54:7
14. Isaiah 56:8 : Is. 60:3–11; 66:18–21; [John 10:16]
15. Isaiah 56:9 : Jer. 12:9
16. Isaiah 56:10 : Matt. 15:14
17. Isaiah 56:10 : Phil. 3:2
18. Isaiah 56:11 : Is. 28:7; Ezek. 13:19; [Mic. 3:5, 11]
19. Isaiah 56:11 : Ezek. 34:2–10
20. Isaiah 56:12 : Is. 28:7
21. Isaiah 56:12 : Ps. 10:6; Prov. 23:35; Is. 22:13; Luke 12:19; 1 Cor. 15:32
22. Isaiah 56:12 : 2 Pet. 3:4

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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