Isaiah 56

A House of Prayer for All Peoples

1This is what the LORD says:
“Keep justice and do righteousness,
for my salvation is near to coming
and my righteousness to being revealed. 2Happy is the person who does this,
the human being who holds firmly to it,
keeping the Sabbath from profanation
and their hand from doing any evil.” 3Let no foreigner who has joined the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely separate me from his people.”
And let no eunuch say,
“Look, I am a dry tree.” 4For this is what the LORD says:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
choose what pleases me
and hold firmly to my covenant,

5I will give within my house and my walls
a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters.
I will give each one an everlasting name
that will not be cut off. 6And the foreigners who join the LORD to serve him,
to love the LORD’s name and become his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath from profanation
and hold firmly to my covenant— 7I will bring them to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar,
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.” 8The Lord GOD, who gathers Israel’s outcasts, declares,
“I will gather still others to him,
besides those already gathered.”

9All you beasts of the field, come and eat,
all you beasts in the forest! 10His watchmen are blind;
all of them lack knowledge.
They are all silent dogs, unable to bark,
dreaming, lying down, loving sleep. 11These dogs have fierce appetites;
they never know satisfaction.
They are shepherds without understanding.
All have turned to their own way,
each seeking gain, every last one. 12“Come, let me get wine;
let us fill ourselves with strong drink!
Tomorrow will be like today,
only much, much better.”