Introduction
In this section of Chapter 65, Yeshayahu continues to draw a sharp line of distinction between "My servants" and "those who forsake Hashem." First comes a promise of a transformed reality in the Land of Israel, followed by a description of the generation's idolatrous sins, and then the punishment - both in this world and in the World to Come - contrasted with the reward of the righteous. The chapter concludes with an extensive depiction of a world that is entirely devoted to the "God of truth," a world in which the former troubles are forgotten.
The Sharon and the Valley of Achor - A Despised Place Turned into a Blessing
וְהָיָה הַשָּׁרוֹן לִנְוֵה־צֹאן וְעֵמֶק עָכוֹר לְרֵבֶץ בָּקָר לְעַמִּי אֲשֶׁר דְּרָשׁוּנִי׃ - And the Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for My people who have sought Me.
Rashi explains that the Sharon is the name of a region in the Land of Israel, and today we also have a district called the Sharon. The Sharon was known as grazing land, as we find regarding the herds grazing in the Sharon, and the prophecy promises that the place will once again become a pasture for sheep, and even better than it once was: the flocks will lie down there securely, without fear of enemies. Valleys are also prime grazing grounds, hence "and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds" - the cattle will lie there without fear.
And why does the prophet mention the Valley of Achor specifically? Radak explains: to tell you that although the place was originally disgraced - its very name "Achor" signifying trouble and gloom - it will nevertheless become a prime, flourishing pasture, and no one will remember its gloomy reputation anymore. There is a promise here of a completely transformed reality, echoing the words of Hoshea: "And the Valley of Achor as a portal of hope." This, incidentally, is the origin of the name Petach Tikva, which was previously known as Umlebbes.
The Malbim points to the prophecy of Yirmeyahu (Chapter 33): "There shall once again be a dwelling place for shepherds resting their flocks." The Valley of Achor was named after its ruins and devastation, yet in the future it will be a place where herds rest. However, this entire promise is qualified: "For My people who have sought Me" - this blessing is reserved exclusively for the righteous, as we will see further on.
Those Who Set a Table for Fortune - The Worship of Luck
וְאַתֶּם עֹזְבֵי יְהֹוָה הַשְּׁכֵחִים אֶת־הַר קׇדְשִׁי הַעֹרְכִים לַגַּד שֻׁלְחָן וְהַמְמַלְאִים לַמְנִי מִמְסָךְ׃ - But as for you who forsake Hashem, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Gad, and who fill mixed wine for Meni.
"Those who forsake Hashem" refers to the wicked who cling to idolatry, those who died in their wickedness. "Who set a table for Gad" - there are several explanations for this. According to one interpretation, Gad is the name of an idol named after fortune or luck, for gad means good fortune: when Gad was born, his mother said, "ba gad" - good fortune has come. This is also the origin of modern lottery games, such as "Chish Gad" and the like.
In their time, there was a forbidden pagan custom: they had a small table in the house that they would set without eating from it, dedicated to the guardian spirit or luck of the house - as if the house's fortune eats from there. This was an offering to idolatry. For this reason, halachah rules that one should not bring a whole loaf of bread to the table at the conclusion of the meal (unless it is left for Birkat HaMazon or similar purposes). The exact reason is this: "who set a table for Gad" - we finished eating, and now we serve the fortune of the house.
"And who fill mixed wine for Meni" - they would pour a blend of spiced wine. According to Radak, "Meni" is the name of a star or planet, the name of an idol, to which they would pour libations of wine. Others explain "for Meni" as referring to the counted stars - namely, the seven classical planets that are counted as seven. The Malbim, who interprets "Gad" literally from the root of gathering together (hitgodedut), explains similarly here: people gather in groups and contingents, counted out in minyans, assembling to carouse and drink together. They set up taverns and various bars for themselves. A person cannot sit and drink alone at home; he needs a "minyan." He goes to a bar and finds a minyan there - whether they are fit to answer Amen remains doubtful, but a minyan it is. This points to people who endlessly pursue bodily pleasures.
By way of an allusion, one could say: in their time, they made an idol out of fortune and the constellations, whereas today one might read "and who fill mingled wine for Meni" as referring to money - the modern-day idol. People pour libations to it and bow down to it all day long; it is the golden calf of our era. And "who prepare a table for Gad" - people spend their days chasing luck, scratching lottery tickets and pursuing gambles. This is actually a decline compared to what was common in their day, for back then, idolatry stemmed from a deep-seated urge to seek divinity.
Here we should pause and reflect: we tend to feel superior to them, thinking, "Would I ever take a stone statue and bow down to it? That sounds completely irrational." In truth, however, what we do is worse. They, at least, were seeking a divine force, looking for a leader, searching for a higher power to turn to. They were mistaken, turning to pseudo-gods and substitutes instead of turning to the Source, to Hashem, blessed be He, but their very search was a quest for spiritual power. What does a person look for today? Desires, pleasures, physical gratification. People do not even try to cloak it in anything spiritual; they simply say: "Let me enjoy myself, and that is all."
The same is said of Korach. Korach is the forefather of all disputes throughout the generations, yet see how many levels we have fallen since then. What was his aspiration? A sacred role in the House of Hashem: "I too want to offer sacrifices, I too want to be close to Hashem, I too want to be the Kohen Gadol, 'for the entire congregation are all holy, and Hashem is among them.'" And when he saw someone who did not meet the standards, whose wife did not uphold the requirements of modesty, he walked away, declaring: "You do not belong with us; we came to seek divinity, not to play games." His aspiration was originally holy, but it became corrupted by base motives. And what does a person seek today? Closeness to Hashem? To be the one performing His service? No - just give him a title, money, honor, and authority. So it was in their time: their aspirations were spiritual at their core, but they lost their way and ended up in places entirely removed from what they ought to have pursued.
"And I Will Destine You to the Sword" - Measure for Measure
וּמָנִיתִי אֶתְכֶם לַחֶרֶב וְכֻלְּכֶם לַטֶּבַח תִּכְרָעוּ יַעַן קָרָאתִי וְלֹא עֲנִיתֶם דִּבַּרְתִּי וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם וַתַּעֲשׂוּ הָרַע בְּעֵינַי וּבַאֲשֶׁר לֹא־חָפַצְתִּי בְּחַרְתֶּם׃ - And I will destine (umaniti) you to the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, you did not answer, when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did that which was evil in My eyes, and chose that in which I did not delight.
Why does the verse use the word umaniti? The Radak explains that this is wordplay and poetic parallelism, much like "Gad, a troop shall press upon him (Gud yegudenu)," "Dan shall judge (yadin) his people," "Ekron shall be uprooted (te'aker)," and Shimshon's phrase "with the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps (chamor chamorotayim)," which draws upon the word for heaps (chomarim). Because the prophet had just described "those who fill mingled wine for Meni," pouring libations to idolatry, Hashem responded to them with "and I will destine (umaniti) you" - framing the punishment in the exact language of the sin. You worshiped the count of the stars, so I will count you out for the sword, and not one will be missing. Therefore he adds: "and you shall all bow down to the slaughter" - just as you counted the false gods of the idolaters, so will I count those who fall by the sword. And "chose that in which I did not delight" reflects deliberate, spiteful rebellion: you knew what I do not desire, and you chose precisely that.
The Malbim, consistent with his view that Meni refers to the quorum gathered to mix strong drink - where one drinks only in a group, refusing to drink unless ten are present - explains: corresponding to this, I will count you out in a strict tally for the sword. This counting is not meant to spare any part of the group; rather, "you shall all bow down to the slaughter," and not a single one will escape. The reason is: "because when I called" you to come to Me and hear My words, you did not answer, and then I came to you - making Myself accessible before you - and spoke My words, yet you did not listen, having already stopped up your ears. "You did that which was evil in My eyes" refers to the negative commandments you violated, and "chose that in which I did not delight" corresponds to the positive commandments, for you invented new practices that your ancestors never imagined - commandments in which I took no pleasure, fabricated out of your own hearts.
"Behold, My Servants Shall Eat, but You Shall Be Hungry" - Reward and Punishment in the World to Come
לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה הִנֵּה עֲבָדַי יֹאכֵלוּ וְאַתֶּם תִּרְעָבוּ הִנֵּה עֲבָדַי יִשְׁתּוּ וְאַתֶּם תִּצְמָאוּ הִנֵּה עֲבָדַי יִשְׂמָחוּ וְאַתֶּם תֵּבֹשׁוּ׃ - Therefore so said the Lord Hashem: Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed.
"My servants" - Rashi explains - refers to the righteous, while "you" refers to those who rebel against Me. However, the Radak raises a difficulty: to whom is this referring? If it refers to the prophet's own generation, whose sins were described above, historical reality was not like this, for the righteous also perished by the sword, as it says, "They have given the dead bodies of Your servants to be food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your pious ones to the beasts of the earth" - Hashem's faithful servants suffered and were tormented alongside everyone else. And if we say that this passage refers to those returning from the Babylonian exile, describing how Hashem would refine them afterward, this does not fit the preceding context, which is a rebuke directed at the people of that generation rather than a distant future event. Furthermore, the verse says "and you," not "and they" - and those going into exile would not return, since the exile lasted seventy years, making it unfitting to address them directly about an event seventy years later.
The Radak concludes: these verses are spoken allegorically about the matters of the World to Come. First, the prophet pronounced the punishment in this world - "and I will destine you to the sword" - and now he declares what the punishment will be in the World to Come. "Shall eat" certainly does not mean physical eating, Heaven forbid. The Rambam, when mentioning Muhammad who promised his followers seventy concubines in the afterlife, refers to him as "the madman," for only a fool could imagine that bodily lusts exist in the heavenly realm; yet that madman knew his people were equally deranged, and that this was the language that would persuade them. We know that the suicide attackers of the Twin Towers showered and shaved beforehand because of these promises, and in the end they were blown to pieces with nothing left of them. Such is sheer madness and delusion.
Therefore, the Radak says: do not be misled. "My servants shall eat" means that their intellect will attain the sublime wisdom of knowing God, and this perception is the delight of the soul just as eating and drinking are the delight of the body. So too, "and they beheld God, and ate and drank," which the Targum renders as "they rejoiced in the perception as if they were eating and drinking" - because we cannot fathom purely spiritual delights, scripture portrays them through the physical pleasure of food and drink. You find this throughout the prophets: "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water," "come, buy and eat," "listen to Me, and eat that which is good" - does this mean steaks? Good food refers to spirituality, and everything is a metaphor for wisdom. So too: "not a hunger for bread nor a thirst for water, but to hear the words of Hashem," and "my soul thirsts" - not for water, but "for God, for the living God."
And so too our Sages expound in Masechet Shabbat (153a) on the verse, "At all times let your garments be white" - this refers to repentance and good deeds. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai said: A parable of a king who invited his servants to a banquet, but did not set a specific time for them. The wise among them adorned themselves and sat at the entrance of the king's palace, saying: Does the king's palace lack anything? In the king's palace everything is prepared, there is no need to go shopping, and if they said there is a banquet - it could begin at any moment. The foolish among them donned work clothes and went about their labor, saying: Can there be a banquet without preparation and effort? One needs to cook, prepare, set tables. Suddenly the king summoned his servants: Gentlemen, enter the feast! The former entered adorned, while the latter entered in their work overalls, like someone who just crawled out from under a car covered in grease. The king rejoiced over the wise and was angry with the fools. He said: These shall sit and eat, while those shall stand and watch.
And the son-in-law of Rabbi Meir said in his name: But then they would appear as attendants - for these are eating while those stand over them, and people might say he is simply a waiter! Rather, both these and those sit; these eat while those go hungry, these drink while those thirst - and this is far more agonizing. As it says, "Therefore thus said the Lord God: Behold, My servants shall eat and you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink and you shall be thirsty" - which is our very verse. Radak cited all of this to show that Chazal speak of the reality of the World to Come in terms of eating and drinking, yet it is all an allegory.
And based on this verse, it is told as an insightful parable: The Holy One, blessed be He, seats people at a table and gives them very long forks. A person grasps the end of the fork, stabs the food, and tries to bring it to his mouth - but is unable to do so, because the fork is too long. The righteous sit opposite one another: one pierces the food and feeds the one across from him, and the other pierces the food and feeds the one opposite him. But the wicked man, who was selfish in his lifetime and remained selfish after his death - would he ever feed his fellow? Not a chance. He tries to feed himself and fails. "My servants shall eat and you shall be hungry" - when you look out for your fellow, you too have what you need; but when you look out only for yourself, you end up with nothing either.
Malbim contrasts the verse directly with the sins listed above: corresponding to "who prepare a table for Gad" - "behold, My servants shall eat"; corresponding to "who fill mixed wine for Meni," which according to his interpretation refers to gathering in a quorum (minyan) to drink intoxicating beverage - "behold, My servants shall drink"; and corresponding to "those who forsake Hashem" - "behold, My servants shall rejoice" in Hashem, "and you shall be ashamed" of the idols you chose. From that idolatry you selected, nothing will come to you but disgrace and shame, rather than the honor that My servants will receive.
Heartache versus a Crushed Spirit
הִנֵּה עֲבָדַי יָרֹנּוּ מִטּוּב לֵב וְאַתֶּם תִּצְעֲקוּ מִכְּאֵב לֵב וּמִשֵּׁבֶר רוּחַ תְּיֵלִילוּ׃ - Behold, My servants shall sing joyously from goodness of heart, and you shall cry out from heartache, and you shall wail from a crushed spirit.
Radak continues the parable of the banquet: after eating and drinking, the custom of a feast is to rejoice, play music, dance, and sing. "Behold, My servants shall sing joyously from goodness of heart" - this is the culmination of their banquet. But as for you, your voice will be a cry of anguish from heartache and a crushed spirit.
Malbim aligns this joyful singing against "who forget My holy mountain": My servants will sing over the rebuilding of Zion. And do not make the mistake of thinking they sing over the suffering of the wicked who are now paying the price for their deeds - that is not the cause for their joyful song, but rather that Zion will be rebuilt.
And what is the difference between "you shall cry out from heartache" and "you shall wail from a crushed spirit"? Malbim explains: heartache is always external pain, whereas spirit always expresses the internal realm, as in "to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite." A person whose hand was burned or who stubbed his finger cries out, and a cry is always an appeal for help, a plea that someone come and save him. But a crushed spirit is despair, and a despairing person does not cry out; rather, he wails - he has already resigned himself to his situation and sits weeping over his bitter fate. Therefore, "and you shall cry out from heartache" - over the external agony, "and from a crushed spirit," the internal breaking, when you realize that your hope is lost - "you shall wail," you will sit in despair and weep.
"And You Shall Leave Your Name for an Oath" - A Name for a Curse and a Name for a Blessing
וְהִנַּחְתֶּם שִׁמְכֶם לִשְׁבוּעָה לִבְחִירַי וֶהֱמִיתְךָ אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה וְלַעֲבָדָיו יִקְרָא שֵׁם אַחֵר׃ - And you shall leave your name as an oath to My chosen ones, and the Lord God shall slay you, but to His servants He shall give another name.
Radak explains that here the verse is speaking of bodily punishment, for no human being can perceive or know the punishment of the soul. Thus he says: when you die bodily death by the sword, the name that remains of you in the world will be a name for a curse. And this is the meaning of "the memory of the righteous is for a blessing, but the name of the wicked shall rot." When a righteous person is mentioned, people say: the sage so-and-so, or the Ben Ish Chai, may his merit protect us; or "May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe" - people bless by his name and pray that his merit serve as a shield and buckler for us. But when people wish to utter a curse, they say: may his name be blotted out like so-and-so, or may what happened to that wicked so-and-so happen to him.
And there is an explicit verse regarding this with Tzidkiyahu and Achav: "whom the king of Babylon roasted [kelam] in fire" (Yirmeyahu 29:22). "Kelam" comes from the word for parched grains [keliyot], and Chazal said that he turned them into roasted grain, like popcorn - he threw them into a pot and roasted them. And why? Because they fraudulently posed as prophets in order to solicit the king of Babylon's daughter to commit a sin, no more and no less. And concerning them it says, "And from them a curse shall be taken by all the captivity of Yehudah that is in Babylon, saying: May Hashem make you like Tzidkiyahu and like Achav, whom the king of Babylon roasted in fire." These were biblical curses: a person would not simply say, "May your name be blotted out," but rather, "May God make you" - not like Efrayim and Menasheh, but like Tzidkiyahu and Achav. This is the meaning of "a curse shall be taken": his name became a byword for anyone wishing to curse his fellow. In contrast to this, "and He will call His servants by another name" - their name and memory will be for a blessing: "By you shall Israel bless, saying: May God make you like Efrayim and Menasheh."
And what is the meaning of "an oath" [shevuah] here? The Radak explains that an oath can mean an imprecation or curse, as in the case of the sotah: "May Hashem make you an imprecation and an oath" (Bamidbar 5:21). Although an oath is not necessarily a curse, it was their custom to swear using imprecatory phrasing: "May such and such happen to me if I do not do this," along the lines of "So may God do to me and more so if the head of Elisha ben Shafat remains on him today" (II Melachim 6:31). And why did they employ such vague phrasing? Because they did not want to utter a disparaging word against themselves, as a covenant is made with the lips, and a person never mentions evil upon himself explicitly. Thus, "and you shall leave your name as an oath" means as an oath of cursing.
The Malbim is precise about the order: you do not die first; rather, first "you shall leave your name as an oath" - because of the abundance of afflictions that will come upon you while you are still alive, people will swear and curse that someone else should suffer what befell you. Only afterward, "the Lord God shall slay you" - after the afflictions, an unnatural death will come. And afterward, "and He will call His servants by another name." How so? After all, there are names shared by both the righteous and the wicked: Tzidkiyahu was the name of a righteous king, yet Tzidkiyahu was also the name of that wicked person whom the king of Babylon roasted. When people curse using the name of the wicked one, anyone bearing that name goes and changes it. This is the meaning of "He will call His servants by another name": anyone named after the wicked person will change his name, so that his name is not mentioned with bad connotations. The point of this, the Malbim adds, is to cause their name to be entirely forgotten. For as long as those names remain common, the names and sins of the wicked are remembered along with them. Today, no one curses anymore with "May Hashem make you like Tzidkiyahu and like Achav," because their name has long been forgotten. Once the names of the righteous are changed, no memory of them will remain at all - "and the name of the wicked shall rot" (Mishlei 10:7).
Elokei Amen - A World of One Faith
אֲשֶׁר הַמִּתְבָּרֵךְ בָּאָרֶץ יִתְבָּרֵךְ בֵּאלֹהֵי אָמֵן וְהַנִּשְׁבָּע בָּאָרֶץ יִשָּׁבַע בֵּאלֹהֵי אָמֵן כִּי נִשְׁכְּחוּ הַצָּרוֹת הָרִאשֹׁנוֹת וְכִי נִסְתְּרוּ מֵעֵינָי׃ - He who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself by the God of truth [Elokei Amen], and he who swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from My eyes.
The Radak applies this verse to the era after Israel's departure from exile, when Hashem's chosen ones will curse the wicked and the wicked will be utterly consumed: "and all the arrogant and all evildoers shall be stubble" (Malachi 3:19). At that time, "he who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself by the God of truth" - no other faith or reverence by which a person blesses himself will remain in the world, only the God of truth. Not by that man, not by Muhammad, and not by any idolatry. All false ideologies and corrupted paths will perish, and only one single path will remain.
And Scripture is precise in saying "in the earth" rather than "in Israel" - meaning throughout the entire world. The whole world will share a single faith, the faith of Elokei Amen, as it says: "For then I will turn to the nations a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Hashem, to serve Him with one accord" (Tzefanyah 3:9). And "Amen" is related to faith [emunah] and truth [emet] - the God of faithfulness, Who is trustworthy to fulfill His words. Anyone who wishes to be blessed, even someone deep in the rainforests of Africa, will say: May the God of truth bless me.
And likewise with an oath: they will swear only by the God of truth, as it says: "For to Me every knee shall bend, every tongue shall swear" (Yeshayahu 45:23). A person swears by what is precious to him, and often what was precious to him was an idol; but now, when the whole earth has one language and common speech and serves Him shoulder to shoulder, whoever wishes to swear will swear by the God of truth. Perhaps there is also an allusion here that the righteous alone will remain, for "and by His name shall you swear" (Devarim 10:20) was said concerning one who has reached exalted levels - "Him shall you serve, and to Him shall you cleave," and only then do you merit "and by His name shall you swear." Since it says that they will swear by the God of truth, it implies that only the righteous who are worthy of this will remain.
"Because the former troubles are forgotten" - the Radak notes that there has never been a world without troubles, nor an era without wars. It suffices to consider recent times alone: since 2006, once every three years there has been a war here - Operation Cast Lead, Operation Pillar of Defense, Operation Protective Edge; and lately, every two years. Time is accelerating, a sign that we are very close to the Geulah. In contrast, the future era will be one of serenity and peace: there will be peace throughout the world, "and he shall speak peace to the nations" (Zechariah 9:10), "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks" - metals will no longer be needed for weapons; "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Yeshayahu 2:4). Iran will stop investing in enriched uranium and begin investing in the welfare of its citizens, those who remain there. And peace will increase so greatly that the former troubles will be entirely forgotten. As for what He said, "and because they are hidden from My eyes" - surely everything came from Him, blessed be He, and nothing is hidden from His eyes; rather, it means that the troubles will be forgotten from your eyes. This testifies to the boundless goodness that will be bestowed upon us.
The Malbim explains: "He who blesses himself in the earth" will no longer bless himself through any worldly success, but only through the God of truth, Who is the source of all blessings. "And he who swears in the earth" will no longer swear by the name of those wicked people whose names were left as a curse and an oath, but by the God of truth - "because the former troubles are forgotten." For in order to swear by someone who suffered a tragedy, you must remember his suffering; you must remember that there were Tzidkiyahu and Achav whom the king of Babylon burned. And when troubles are forgotten, you will no longer be able to say, "May you suffer the afflictions of Iyov" - there are no troubles, and you do not even remember that troubles ever existed.
And regarding "and because they are hidden from My eyes," the Malbim explains: until now, the troubles were before His eyes, blessed be He, as it says: "And though I hold them innocent of other crimes, their bloodshed I will not leave unpunished, and Hashem dwells in Tziyon" (Yoel 4:21), and as in "and their lifeblood was sprinkled upon My garments" (Yeshayahu 63:3) - the blood of those slain by the nations among Israel is like stains upon His garments, as it were, which must always remain before His eyes. Likewise, "and under His feet was the likeness of a sapphire brickwork" (Shemot 24:10) - that brick with which the Egyptians tormented Israel, when they placed Jewish children as bricks in the building tiers, stood constantly before His eyes. The Holy One, blessed be He, keeps this before His eyes as long as there is still a need to exact retribution from the nations. But once all the troubles are forgotten, and everyone has paid the price - the nations have been punished and Israel has received a goodly reward - there is no longer any need. To what can this be compared? To a person who places a note before his eyes: "Call the municipality," "Go to the bank" - tasks he needs to remember and handle. The moment he takes care of them, he tears up the note and throws it into the trash. This is the meaning of "and because they are hidden from My eyes": the account has been settled, and everyone who needed to receive has received.
The Malbim further explains "Elokei Amen": today, the Holy One, blessed be He, is called "the faithful God" [HaEl HaNe'eman], and faithfulness applies to the future - He is faithful to pay reward, "Who keeps the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him... and repays His enemies" (Devarim 7:9-10) - not right now, but He is faithful to pay in the future. In the future to come, however, they will no longer need faithfulness, for they will see it with their own eyes: Hashem has exacted retribution from all the nations, "and saviors shall ascend Mount Tziyon to judge Mount Esav" (Ovadyah 1:21), and everyone has paid the price. They will no longer need to rely on faith alone; rather, through this they will bless by "Elokei Amen" - "Amen" in the sense of truth [emet], as everyone sees that what He promised has already been fulfilled and realized. Then there will be no evil in the world, only good, and in all matters, everyone will mention the name of Hashem.
In summary:
In this part of the chapter, Yeshayahu contrasts two opposing groups. On the one hand are "My people who have sought Me," who are promised that the Sharon and the Valley of Achor will become a pasture for flocks and a resting place for cattle - the disgraced place will be transformed into a blessing. On the other hand are "those who abandon Hashem," who set a table for Gad and fill mixed wine for Meni, whose punishment will correspond directly to their sin: "And I will apportion (u-maniti) you to the sword." The prophet then describes allegorically the distribution of reward and punishment in the World to Come - My servants eat, drink, rejoice, and sing for joy of heart, while you are hungry, thirsty, crying out from sorrow of heart, and wailing from a broken spirit - and the fate of the wicked's name, which will serve as an oath and a curse until it is completely forgotten. Ultimately, this leads to a world that is entirely "the God of truth (Elokei Amen)": a single faith throughout the earth, blessing and swearing by the Name of Hashem alone, and the former troubles forgotten from the heart and hidden from sight, since all accounts have already been settled.