Isaiah 56:6-8

56:6 As for foreigners who become followers of the Lord and serve him,

who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants –

all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

and who are faithful to my covenant –

56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;

I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me.

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,

for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.”

56:8 The sovereign Lord says this,

the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel:

“I will still gather them up.”


tn Heb “who attach themselves to.”

tn Heb “and take hold of”; NAB “hold to”; NIV, NRSV “hold fast.”

tn Heb “in the house of my prayer.”

tn Heb “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”

tn The meaning of the statement is unclear. The text reads literally, “Still I will gather upon him to his gathered ones.” Perhaps the preposition -לְ (lamed) before “gathered ones” introduces the object of the verb, as in Jer 49:5. The third masculine singular suffix on both עָלָיו (’alayv) and נִקְבָּצָיו (niqbatsayv) probably refers to “Israel.” In this case one can translate literally, “Still I will gather to him his gathered ones.”