2. Post-Exile: The Blessing & Judgment Cycles ( 40:1 - 66:24 ) - 701-681 B.C., Israel

(These 8 groups of prophecies alternate between blessings on Israel and judgment on God's enemies.)

E. Cycle 5 (52:1 - 57:13)

1. Blessing on God's People and on the Nations (52:1 - 56:8)

(Zion and Foreign Converts will be Blessed by the Redeemer)

d. Blessing of an Everlasting Covenant of Redemption (56:1-8)

¹ Thus saith the LORD,
Keep ye judgment,
and do justice:
for my salvation is near to come,
and my righteousness to be revealed.
² 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.

³ Neither let the son of the stranger,
that hath joined himself to the LORD,
speak,
saying,
The LORD hath utterly separated me [dividing he divided me] from his people:
neither let the eunuch say,
Behold,
I am a dry tree.
⁴ For thus saith the LORD
unto the eunuchs that keep[this] my sabbaths,
and choose the things that please me,
and take hold of my covenant;
⁵ 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.

⁶ Also the sons of the stranger,
that join themselves to the LORD,
to serve him,
and to love [this] the name of the LORD,
to be his servants,
every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it,
and taketh hold of my covenant;
⁷ Even them will I bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer:
their burnt sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar;
for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
⁸ The Lord GOD
which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith,
Yet will I gather others to him,
beside those that are gathered unto him.

2. Judgment On Israel's Evil Rulers and Evil Inhabitants (56:9 - 57:13)

⁹ All ye beasts of the field,
come to devour,
yea,
all ye beasts in the forest.
¹⁰ His watchmen are blind:
they are all ignorant [they know not],
they are all dumb dogs,
they cannot bark;
sleeping,
lying down,
loving to slumber.
¹¹ Yea, they are greedy [strong of soul] dogs
which can never have enough,
and they are shepherds that cannot [they know not to] understand:
they all look to their own way,
every one for his gain,
from his quarter.
¹² 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.