Isaiah Chapter 56
Showing all 12 verses for Isaiah Chapter 56.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. "
"This is what the LORD says: Maintain justice, do what is right — because my salvation is coming soon, and my righteousness is about to be revealed."
Don't wait for everything to be perfect before you start living rightly — do justice and act with integrity now, in anticipation, not as a reward for good things already having happened. The two go together, not one after the other.
"Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. "
"Blessed is the person who does this — who holds onto it firmly — who keeps the sabbath without treating it carelessly, and keeps their hands from doing any evil."
Whatever practices give your life rhythm and rest, let them actually shape how you treat people, not just be a private ritual disconnected from your daily conduct. Real goodness is consistent — it shows up in your habits and in your hands equally.
"Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. "
"Don't let the foreigner who has joined themselves to the LORD say, 'The LORD will surely exclude me from his people'; and don't let the eunuch say, 'Look, I am just a dry, dead tree.'"
Never assume you're permanently excluded from belonging or from a meaningful life just because of circumstances outside your control — your background, your body, your status. I welcome people the world writes off, and I mean it without qualification.
"For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; "
"For this is what the LORD says to the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose what pleases me, and who hold firmly to my covenant:"
What determines whether your life matters and whether you belong isn't your physical body, your social status, or things you can't control — it's the choices you actually make and the integrity you hold onto. That's always been the real measure.
"Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. "
"To them I will give, within my house and within my walls, a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters — I will give them an everlasting name that will never be cut off."
If your life doesn't look like the conventional markers of legacy or success — family, children, the expected path — that doesn't mean your life or your name won't matter or last. There are other, sometimes deeper ways of being remembered and valued.
"Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; "
"Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to serve him and love his name, to be his servants — everyone who keeps the sabbath without treating it carelessly and holds firmly to my covenant —"
Belonging isn't about where you started or what group you were born into — it's about the commitment you choose to live out. Where you come from doesn't disqualify you from a genuinely meaningful place among people who share your values.
"Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. "
"I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their offerings will be accepted on my altar — because my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples."
A genuinely good and welcoming space — whether it's a place, a community, or your own heart — shouldn't be reserved only for people who look like you or share your exact background. Aim to make room for everyone who comes sincerely, not just your own in-group.
"The Lord GOD, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him. "
"The Lord GOD, who gathers the scattered outcasts of Israel, declares: I will gather still more to them, besides those already gathered."
Whatever community of belonging and goodness you're part of, keep it open rather than treating it as complete or exclusive. There's always room for more people to be genuinely welcomed in — don't let a good thing calcify into a closed circle.
"All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. "
"Come, all you wild animals of the field, come and devour — yes, all you beasts in the forest."
When leadership or protection fails through negligence, real harm follows — that's not an abstract warning, it's how things actually work. Take responsibility seriously if people are depending on you; failing to do so leaves them exposed.
"His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. "
"Israel's watchmen are blind; they're all ignorant; they're all mute dogs that can't even bark — lying around, loving to sleep."
If you're in any position where people rely on you to speak up, pay attention and warn them of real danger, don't go quiet out of comfort or laziness. Silence when your voice is needed is its own kind of failure, not neutrality.
"Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. "
"And they're greedy dogs that never have enough; they're shepherds who don't understand — they all go their own way, every one chasing their own profit, every single one of them."
Watch out for the pull towards using a position of trust for your own gain instead of the good of the people relying on you — it's an easy drift, and this passage names it honestly as a real betrayal, not a minor lapse.
"Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. "
"'Come,' they say, 'let me get some wine, let's fill up on strong drink — and tomorrow will be just like today, only even better!'"
Be wary of the mindset that assumes today's comfort guarantees tomorrow's, without any real reflection on responsibility or consequence. A life that only chases the next indulgence, assuming it will always be there, tends to miss what actually matters until it's too late.