57:19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. 1
Complete prosperity 2 is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,”
says the Lord, “and I will heal them.
60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. 3
They will go up on my altar acceptably, 4
and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
65:1 “I made myself available to those who did not ask for me; 5
I appeared to those who did not look for me. 6
I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
to a nation that did not invoke 7 my name.
1 tc The Hebrew text has literally, “one who creates fruit of lips.” Perhaps the pronoun אֲנִי (’ani) should be inserted after the participle; it may have been accidentally omitted by haplography: נוּב שְׂפָתָיִם[אֲנִי] בּוֹרֵא (bore’ [’ani] nuv sÿfatayim). “Fruit of the lips” is often understood as a metonymy for praise; perhaps it refers more generally to joyful shouts (see v. 18).
2 tn Heb “Peace, peace.” The repetition of the noun emphasizes degree.
3 tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.
4 tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).
5 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be sought by those who did not ask.”
6 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be found by those who did not seek.”
7 tn Heb “call out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “call on.”