I allowed Myself to be sought by those who did not ask The Holy One, blessed be He, replies to him, It is impossible not to avenge Myself on them, for I allowed Myself to be sought by them by reproving them through My prophets, but they did not ask.

I said, “Here I am; here I am!” Return to Me, and I am ready to accept you.

to a nation not called by My name That did not wish to be called by My name.

I spread out My hands in order to accept them with repentance.

contrary Heb. סוֹרֵר, turning away from the road.

those who sacrifice in gardens They erect idols in their gardens, and there they burn incense on the bricks.

They sit among the graves so that a spirit of defilement of demons should rest upon them.

and with corpses Heb. וּבַנְּצוּרִים. They are the bodies of the dead, who are as placed in a siege (מָצוֹר), unable to get out.

and broth of abominations Heb. מְרַק, despicable broth. Comp. (Jud. 6:20) “And the broth (הַמָּרָק) pour out.”

Those who say to the righteous, קְרַב אֵלֶיךָ, “Keep to yourself and do not come near me.”

for I am holier than you Heb. כִּי קְדַשְׁתִּיךָ. For I am holier and purer than you. In this manner Jonathan renders.

these abominations that they committed are as smoke, wrath in My nostrils.

Behold it is inscribed Their sin is inscribed before Me, and their sentence has already been decreed and sealed.

Your iniquities Yours and your forefathers’ together I will recompense you.

As when wine is found in the cluster Jonathan renders: As Noah was found innocent in the generation of the Flood.

the wine This is Noah, who was sweet.

in the cluster Heb. בָּאֶשְׁכּוֹל. In the bereft (הַמְשֻׁכָּל) generation. This may also be interpreted according to its apparent meaning.

for the sake of My servants For the sake of every righteous man found among them.

the Sharon The name of a region in the land of Israel.

and the Valley of Achor As its apparent meaning.

who forsake the Lord The wicked of Israel who adopted paganism and died in their wickedness.

who set a table for Gad The name of a pagan deity on the name of the zodiac, and in the language of the mishnah, (Shabbath 67b) “May my fate be lucky (גָד גַּדִּי) and not fatigued.”

for a number Heb. לַמְנִי . According to the number of the computation of the priests, they would fill basins of mingled wine.

mingled wine Heb. מִמְסָךְ, wine mingled with water as was customary. Comp. (Prov. 23:30) “To search for mingled wine (מִמְסָךְ).” Also (ibid. 9:2), “She mingled (מָסְכָה) her wine.” Some interpret לַמְנִי, to the pagan deities that you appointed (מִנִּיתֶם) over yourselves, but וּמָנִיתִי אֶתְכֶם, which is not punctuated וּמִנִּיתִי with a ‘dagesh,’ indicates that it is an expression of counting.

My servants The righteous [of Israel].

but you who rebel against Me.

your name for an oath From your name shall be taken a curse and an oath for generations, “If it does not befall me as it befell So-and-so.”

and...shall slay you an eternal death.

but to His servants He shall call another name A good name and a mention for a blessing.

For whoever blesses himself on the earth For My fear shall be over all of them, and the earth shall be full of knowledge, and whoever praises himself or lauds himself on the earth, will bless himself by the true God, he will praise himself that he is a servant of the true God, the God of truth, Who realized and observed this, His promise.

for the first troubles have been forgotten Therefore, they shall call Me the true God.

new heavens The princes above shall be renewed, and the princes of Israel shall be the upper princes and the princes of the heathens (the nations [Parshandatha]) will be lower, and so on the earth. ([K’li Paz reads:] The princes above shall be renewed, to raise up the humble and to humble the high ones, and so on the earth.) And some say that there will actually be new heavens, and that is correct, for Scripture proves it (infra 66:22): “For as the new heavens, etc.”

a youth Heb. עוּל יָמִים, a youth. Comp. (Lam. 2:11) “young children (עוֹלֵל).” [Hence,] עוּל יָמִים means young in years.

who is one hundred years old shall die He shall be subject to punishments to be liable to death for a capital sin. So it is explained in Gen. Rabbah (26:2).

shall be cursed for a sin requiring an anathema.

like the days of the tree Jonathan renders: the tree of life.

shall eat straw and will not have to destroy animals.

and a serpent Indeed, dust is his food, which is always available for him. And the Midrash Aggadah explains: And a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw. Since we find that Esau will fall into the hands of the sons of Joseph, as it is said (Obadiah 18): “The house of Esau shall become stubble, and the house of Joseph a flame etc.” But [that they should fall] into the hands of the remaining tribes, who were compared to beasts, we do not find. It is, therefore, stated: “And a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw.” Those tribes that were compared to a lion, such as Judah and Dan, like Joseph, who was compared to an ox, shall devour Esau who was compared to straw.