1 The Lord says, Let your way of life be upright, and let your behaviour be rightly ordered: for my salvation is near, and my righteousness will quickly be seen. 2 Happy is the man who does this, and the son of man whose behaviour is so ordered; who keeps the Sabbath holy, and his hand from doing any evil. 3 And let not the man from a strange country, who has been joined to the Lord, say, The Lord will certainly put a division between me and his people: and let not the unsexed man say, See, I am a dry tree. 4 For the Lord says, As for the unsexed who keep my Sabbaths, and give their hearts to pleasing me, and keep their agreement with me: 5 I will give to them in my house, and inside my walls, a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an eternal name which will not be cut off. 6 And as for those from a strange country, who are joined to the Lord, to give worship to him and honour to his name, to be his servants, even everyone who keeps the Sabbath holy, and keeps his agreement with me: 7 I will make them come to my holy mountain, and will give them joy in my house of prayer; I will take pleasure in the burned offerings which they make on my altar: for my house will be named a house of prayer for all peoples. 8 The Lord God, who gets together the wandering ones of Israel, says, I will get together others in addition to those of Israel who have come back. 9 All you beasts of the field, come together for your meat, even all you beasts of the wood. 10 His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dogs without tongues, unable to make a sound; stretched out dreaming, loving sleep. 11 Yes, the dogs are for ever looking for food; while these, the keepers of the sheep, are without wisdom: they have all gone after their pleasure, every one looking for profit; they are all the same. 12 Come, they say, I will get wine, and we will take strong drink in full measure; and tomorrow will be like today, full of pleasure.
Isaiah · Bible in Basic English
Isaiah 56 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (12)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Romans 13:11–14; Psalm 85:9; Matthew 3:2; Isaiah 1:16–19; Romans 1:17
- 2 Exodus 31:13–16; Isaiah 58:13; Psalm 112:1; Ezekiel 20:12; Luke 11:28
- 3 1 Corinthians 6:17; Matthew 19:12–30; Acts 10:34; Jeremiah 50:5; Numbers 18:4
- 4 Joshua 24:15; Psalm 119:111; Luke 10:42; Isaiah 27:5; Isaiah 56:6
- 5 Revelation 3:12; Revelation 3:5; 1 John 3:1; John 1:12; 1 Timothy 3:15
- 6 Jeremiah 50:5; Isaiah 58:13; Isaiah 56:2–4; Galatians 5:6; James 2:5
- 7 Mark 11:17; Isaiah 2:2–3; Malachi 1:11; Luke 19:46; Matthew 21:13
- 8 John 10:16; Isaiah 54:7; Isaiah 60:3–11; Zechariah 10:8–10; Ephesians 2:14–16
- 9 Jeremiah 12:9; Deuteronomy 28:26; Isaiah 18:6; Ezekiel 39:17; Ezekiel 29:5
- 10 Isaiah 29:10; Ezekiel 33:6; Matthew 15:14; Philippians 3:2; Isaiah 58:1
- 11 Ezekiel 34:2–3; Ezekiel 13:19; John 8:43; Micah 3:11; Micah 3:5–6
- 12 Psalm 10:6; Luke 12:19–20; Proverbs 27:1; Isaiah 5:22; Proverbs 23:35
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The seed, then, and the name of the saints shall remain in that blessedness,--the seed, to wit, of which John says, "And his seed remaineth in him;" and the name, of which it was said through Isaiah himself, "I will give them an everlasting name." "And there shall be to them month after month, and Sabbath after Sabbath," as if …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Wherefore also He Himself sets up Isaiah against them as an accuser, saying, "My house shall be called a house of prayer." But not in this way only doth He show His authority, but also by His healing divers infirmities.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… another Psalm also said, "They shall be turned at even, and hunger they shall suffer as dogs." For even some dogs have been reproved by the Prophet Isaiah, not because they were dogs, but because they knew not how to bark, and loved to sleep. In which place indeed he hath shown, that if they had watched and barked for …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
For of these it is said elsewhere, "Dumb dogs, they know not how to bark." Of them too is that said, "Lo, how the righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart." He perished as far as lay in them who would have Him to perish; for how could He perish by dying, who in that way rather was …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)