Isaiah 65:1

The Lord Will Distinguish Between Sinners and the Godly

65:1 “I made myself available to those who did not ask for me; ¹ 

I appeared to those who did not look for me. ² 

I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’

to a nation that did not invoke ³  my name.

Amos 9:12

9:12 As a result they ⁴  will conquer those left in Edom ⁵ 

and all the nations subject to my rule.” ⁶ 

The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking!

Acts 15:17

15:17 so that the rest of humanity ⁷  may seek the Lord,

namely, ⁸  all the Gentiles ⁹  I have called to be my own,’ ¹⁰  says the Lord, ¹¹  who makes these things

[65:1]  ¹ tn Heb “I allowed myself to be sought by those who did not ask.”

[65:1]  ² tn Heb “I allowed myself to be found by those who did not seek.”

[65:1]  ³ tn Heb “call out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “call on.”

[9:12]  ⁴ sn They probably refers to the Israelites or to the Davidic rulers of the future.

[9:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “take possession of the remnant of Edom”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “possess the remnant of Edom.”

[9:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “nations over whom my name is proclaimed.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership, sometimes as a result of conquest. See 2 Sam 12:28.

[15:17]  ⁷ tn Or “so that all other people.” The use of this term follows Amos 9:11 LXX.

[15:17]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) introduces an explanatory clause that explains the preceding phrase “the rest of humanity.” The clause introduced by καί (kai) could also be punctuated in English as a parenthesis.

[15:17]  ⁹ tn Or “all the nations” (in Greek the word for “nation” and “Gentile” is the same).

[15:17]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “all the Gentiles on whom my name has been called.” Based on well-attested OT usage, the passive of ἐπικαλέω (epikalew) here indicates God’s ownership (“all the Gentiles who belong to me”) or calling (“all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own”). See L&N 11.28.

[15:17]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Amos 9:11-12 LXX. James demonstrated a high degree of cultural sensitivity when he cited a version of the text (the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament) that Gentiles would use.