The Word Brings Salvation (Isaiah 65:1–16)
1 UDB My fellow believers, what I greatly desire and what I pray to God earnestly for is that he will save my own people, the Jews. BSB BSB: Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is for their salvation.
2 UDB I declare truthfully about them that although they earnestly go after God, they do not understand how to go after him in the right way. BSB BSB: For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge.
3 UDB They do not know how God puts people right with himself. They want to put themselves right with God, so they do not accept what God wishes to do for them. BSB BSB: Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
4 UDB Christ has perfectly obeyed the law in order to put everyone who believes in him right with God. So the law is no longer necessary. BSB BSB: For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 UDB Moses wrote about people who tried to obey all of God's laws: "It is the people who have done perfectly the things that the law requires who will live forever." BSB BSB: For concerning the righteousness that is by the law, Moses writes: “The man who does these things will live by them.”
6 UDB But those whom God puts right with himself because they trust in Christ—to them Moses says, "No one should try to go to heaven," that is, in order to bring Christ down to us. BSB BSB: But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down)
7 UDB Moses also says this to them: "No one should try to go down to where the dead are," that is, in order to bring Christ back from the dead for us. BSB BSB: or, ‘Who will descend into the Abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
8 UDB But instead, those who believe in Christ can say what Moses wrote: "You can find out about God's message very easily. You can speak about it and think about it." This is the message that we proclaim: People must believe in Christ. BSB BSB: But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
9 UDB This message is that if anyone of you confirms that Jesus is Lord, and if you truly believe that God raised him from the dead, he will save you. BSB BSB: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 UDB If people believe these things, God will put them right with himself. And for those who state publicly that Jesus is Lord—God will save them. BSB BSB: For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
11 UDB It is written in the scriptures about the Christ, "Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed or ashamed." BSB BSB: It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
12 UDB In this way, God treats the Jews and the Gentiles the same. Because he is the same Lord for all people who believe in him, he greatly helps all who ask him to help them. BSB BSB: For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him,
14 UDB Most people have certainly not believed in Christ, and some people might try to explain why they have not done so. They might say, "People certainly cannot ask Christ to help them if they have not first believed in him! And they certainly cannot believe in him if they have not heard about him! And they certainly cannot hear about him if someone does not preach to them about him! BSB BSB: How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?
15 UDB And those who could preach to them about Christ certainly cannot do so if God does not send them. But if some believers preached to them, it would be just like the scriptures say: 'It is wonderful when people come and bring good news!'" BSB BSB: And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
16 UDB I would reply in this way to those who say such things: God has indeed sent people to preach the message about Christ. But not all the people of Israel have paid attention to the good news! It is like what Isaiah said when he felt very discouraged: "Lord, it seems as if hardly anyone believed what they heard us preach!" BSB BSB: But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”
17 UDB So then, I tell you that people are believing in Christ because they hear about him, and people are hearing the message because others are preaching about Christ! BSB BSB: Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
18 UDB But if someone said to those people, "Of course they have heard this message," I would say, "Yes, indeed! It is like what the scriptures say: 'The people living all over the world have seen the creation and what it proves about who God is—even the people living in the most remote places in the world have understood this!'" BSB BSB: But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
19 UDB Furthermore, it is true that the people of Israel really did hear this message. They understood it, too, but they refused to believe it. Remember that Moses was the first one to warn the people like this. He told them that God said, "There are some people who have no nation at all. But some of their people will believe in me, and I will bless them. Then you will envy them and be angry with them, people who you do not think understand me." BSB BSB: I ask instead, did Israel not understand? First, Moses says: “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation without understanding.”
20 UDB Remember also that God said very boldly through Isaiah, "People who did not try to know me will surely find me! I will surely reveal what I am like to those who did not ask for me!" BSB BSB: And Isaiah boldly says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 UDB But God also speaks about Israel when he says, "For a long time I have held out my arms to the people who disobeyed and rebelled against me in order to invite them to return to me." BSB BSB: But as for Israel he says: “All day long I have held out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.