1
The LORD says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name.
2
All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.
3
All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on pagan altars.
4
At night they go out among the graves, worshiping the dead. They eat the flesh of pigs and make stews with other forbidden foods.
5
Yet they say to each other, ‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!’ These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.
Footnotes 1
[a].
Greek version reads I was found by people who were not looking for me. / I showed myself to those who were not asking for me. / All day long I opened my arms to them, / but they were disobedient and rebellious. Compare Rom 10:20-21 .