כֹּה אָמַר ה' שִׁמְרוּ מִשְׁפָּט וַעֲשׂוּ צְדָקָה כִּי קְרוֹבָה יְשׁוּעָתִי לָבוֹא וְצִדְקָתִי לְהִגָּלוֹת

The following prophecy continues the call to Israel to return to God: So said the Lord: Maintain justice and act with righteousness, for it is nigh that My salvation is to come, and My righteousness, which includes My justice, is soon to be revealed.

אַשְׁרֵי אֱנוֹשׁ יַעֲשֶׂה זֹּאת וּבֶן אָדָם יַחֲזִיק בָּהּ שֹׁמֵר שַׁבָּת מחַלְּלוֹ וְשֹׁמֵר יָדוֹ מעֲשׂוֹת כָּל רָע

Happy is the man who does this and the person who upholds it, the Torah and its commandments; who keeps the Sabbath day from its desecration and stays his hand from performing any evil, any Torah prohibition. Although this call is directed primarily toward the nation of Israel, it applies to all of humanity.

וְאַל יֹאמַר בֶּן הַנֵּכָר הַנִּלְוָה אֶל ה' לֵאמֹר הַבְדֵּל יַבְדִּילַנִי ה' מֵעַל עַמּוֹ וְאַל יֹאמַר הַסָּרִיס הֵן אֲנִי עֵץ יָבֵשׁ

Even gentiles will hear the call, and some will want to come close to God: The foreigner who accompanies the Lord shall not state, saying: The Lord will separate me from His people, and there is no way that I can join His people and receive His blessing; the eunuch, who is unable to procreate, shall not state: Behold, I am a withered tree, and my attempts to draw close to God will bear no fruits.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' לַסָּרִיסִים אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁמְרוּ אֶת שַׁבְּתוֹתַי וּבָחֲרוּ בַּאֲשֶׁר חָפָצְתִּי וּמַחֲזִיקִים בִּבְרִיתִי –

For so said the Lord to the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths and choose that which I desire and uphold My covenant:

וְנָתַתִּי לָהֶם בְּבֵיתִי וּבְחוֹמֹתַי יָד וָשֵׁם טוֹב מִבָּנִים וּמִבָּנוֹת שֵׁם עוֹלָם אֶתֶּן לוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִכָּרֵת

I will give them a memorial and renown in My house and within My walls, which will be better than sons and daughters. Although children maintain the memory of their parents, the memory of those who cling to Me will last longer than descendants of flesh and blood. Eternal renown will I give him, he who embraces Me, that will not cease.

ובְנֵי הַנֵּכָר הַנִּלְוִים עַל ה' לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְאַהֲבָה אֶת שֵׁם ה' לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לַעֲבָדִים – כָּל שֹׁמֵר שַׁבָּת מֵחַלְּלוֹ וּמַחֲזִיקִים בִּבְרִיתִי

And as for the foreigners, who accompany the Lord, to serve Him and to love the name of the Lord, to be servants to Him, all who keep the Sabbath from its desecration and uphold My covenant; to those former gentiles, God promises that they will not be separated from His people:

וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל הַר קָדְשִׁי וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי עוֹלֹתֵיהֶם וְזִבְחֵיהֶם לְרָצוֹן עַל מִזְבְּחִי כִּי בֵיתִי בֵּית תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל הָעַמִּים

I will bring them to My holy mountain and I will bring them joy in My House of prayer by answering their prayers there; their burnt offerings and their peace offerings will ascend for propitiation on My altar. Even if they choose to cling to Me only partially by retaining the status of descendants of Noah, they have a place with Me, for My House will be called a House of prayer for all the peoples. Likewise, I will accept the offerings that gentiles will bring to the Temple.

נְאֻם ה' אֱלֹהִים מְקַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹד אֲקַבֵּץ עָלָיו לְנִקְבָּצָיו

This is the utterance of the Lord God who gathers the outcasts of Israel: I will yet gather others to him, Israel, in addition to those gathered to him. As part of the process of redemption, additional groups of Israel’s exiled will sometimes be discovered, and God will gather them all. Many commentaries interpret the verse as referring to converts: Members of other nations will join the nation of Israel.

כֹּל חַיְתוֹ שָׂדָי אֵתָיוּ לֶאֱכֹל כָּל חַיְתוֹ בַּיָּעַר

Aside from the people of Israel and those who join them, at the time of the redemption there will also be people who refuse to accept God’s authority, and they will be punished. The prophet compares the nation to a flock of sheep whose protection has been removed: All beasts of the field, come to eat their carcasses, all beasts in the forest; the flock is no longer protected from predators.

צֹפָיו – עִוְרִים כֻּלָּם לֹא יָדָעוּ כֻּלָּם כְּלָבִים אִלְּמִים לֹא יוּכְלוּ לִנְבֹּחַ הֹזִים שֹׁכְבִים אֹהֲבֵי לָנוּם

As his watchmen, the great political leaders who are supposed to anticipate future developments, are all blind, they do not know anything. Furthermore, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark. These leaders, who were supposed to serve as watchdogs for the people, cannot warn their communities even if they recognize approaching danger. They are like dogs that are dreaming, lying, loving to doze. Even if they are not dumb, they are too weary to alert the people of an approaching stranger or to repel him.

וְהַכְּלָבִים עַזֵּי נֶפֶשׁ לֹא יָדְעוּ שָׂבְעָה וְהֵמָּה רֹעִים לֹא יָדְעוּ הָבִין כֻּלָּם לְדַרְכָּם פָּנוּ אִישׁ לְבִצְעוֹ מִקָּצֵהוּ

The dogs are ferocious, they do not know satiation; they are like wild dogs that continuously grab as much as they can for themselves, never reaching a point of satiation. They, these dogs, are merely an analogy for the shepherds, the leaders, who do not know to understand anything. They all turn to their own way, each for his own financial gain, from his lofty station, aloof from the people. The leaders do not comprehend the changes that are occurring in front of them, and they refrain from delivering the necessary rebuke to the people because they are small-minded people involved in their own personal affairs.

אֵתָיוּ אֶקְחָה יַיִן וְנִסְבְּאָה שֵׁכָר וְהָיָה כזֶה יוֹם מָחָר גָּדוֹל יֶתֶר מְאֹד

These leaders then say to one another: Come, I will take wine and we will get drunk with drink. After spending the day expropriating whatever property they could, they are satisfied and sit down to drink, wishing for themselves: And tomorrow it will also be like this, or even much greater than today.