Category: Isaiah

Israel Exhorted

1 “Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness (right standing with God),

Who seekandinquire of the Lord:

Look to the rock from which you were cut

And to the excavation of the quarry from which you were dug.

2 Look to Abraham your father

And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;

For I called him whenhe was butone,

Then I blessed him and made him many.”

3 For the Lordwill comfort Zion [in her captivity];

He will comfort all her ruins.

And He will make her wilderness like Eden,

And her desert like the garden of the Lord;

Joy and gladness will be found in her,

Thanksgiving and the voice of a melody.

4 “Listen carefully to Me [says the Lord], O My people,

And hear Me, O My nation;

For a [divine] law will go forth from Me,

And I will quicklyestablishMy justice as a light to the peoples.

5 My righteousness (justice) is near, My salvation has gone forth,

And My arms will judge the peoples;

The islandsandcoastlands will wait for Me,

And they will wait with hopeandconfident expectation for My arm.

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,

Then look to the earth beneath;

For the heavens will be torn to piecesandvanish like smoke,

And the earth will wear out like a garment

And its inhabitants will die in like manner.

But My salvation will be forever,

And My righteousness (justice) [and faithfully fulfilled promise] will not be broken.

7 Listen to Me, you who know righteousness (right standing with God),

The people in whose heart is My lawandinstruction;

Do not fear the reproachandtaunting of man,

Nor be distressed at their reviling.

8 For the moth will eat them like a garment,

And the worm will eat them like wool.

But My righteousnessandjustice [faithfully promised] will exist forever,

And My salvation to all generations.”

9 Awake, awake, put on strengthandmight, O arm of the Lord;

Awake as in the ancient days, as in the generations of long ago.

Was it not You who cut Rahab (Egypt) in pieces,

Who pierced the dragon [of Egypt]?

10 Was it not You who dried up the [Red] Sea,

The waters of the great deep,

Who made the depths of the sea a pathway

For the redeemed to cross over?

11 So the redeemed of the Lordwill return

And come with joyful shouting to Zion;

Everlasting joy will be on their heads.

They will obtain gladness and joy,

And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

12 “I, even I, am He who comforts you.

Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies

And of a son of man who is made [as destructible] as grass,

13 That you have forgotten the Lordyour Maker,

Who stretched out the heavens

And laid the foundations of the earth,

That you continually tremble with fear all day long because of the rage of the oppressor,

As he takes aim to destroy?

And where is the rage of the oppressor?

14 The [captive] exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, nor will his food be lacking.

15 For I am the Lordyour God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the Lordof hosts is His name.

16 I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, toestablish the [renewed] heavens and lay the foundations of the [renewed] earth, and to say to Zion (Jerusalem), ‘You are My people.’ ”

17 Wake yourself up! Wake yourself up! Stand up, O Jerusalem,

You who have drunk at the hand of the Lordthe cup of His wrath,

You who have drunk the cup of staggeringandintoxication to the dregs [leaving only sediment].

18 There is no one to guide her among all the sons she has borne,

Nor is there anyone to take her by the hand among all the sons she has reared.

19 These twotragedieshave befallen you;

Who will show sympathy for youandmourn with you?

The desolation and destruction [on the land and city], famine and sword [on the inhabitants];

How shall I comfort you?

20 Your sons have fainted;

They liehelplessat the head of every street,

Like an antelope in a net,

Full [from drinking] of the wrath of the Lord,

The rebuke of your God.

21 Therefore, now hear this, you who are afflicted,

Who are drunk, but not with wine [but overwhelmed by the wrath of God].

22 So says your Lord, the Lord,who isalso your God

Who pleads the cause of His people,

“Listen carefully, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggeringandintoxication,

The cup of My wrath;

You shall never drink it again.

23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,

Who have said to you, ‘Lie down so that we may walk over you.’

You have even made your back like the ground

And like the street for those who walk over it.”

Cheer for Downtrodden Zion

1 Awake, awake,

Put on your strength, O Zion;

Put on your beautiful garments,

O Jerusalem, the holy city;

For the uncircumcised and the unclean

Will no longer come into you.

2 Shake yourself from the dust, arise,

O captive Jerusalem;

Rid yourself of the chains around your neck,

O captive Daughter of Zion.

3 For the Lordsays this, “You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed, but not with money.”

4 For the Lord Godsays this, “My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there; and [many years later Sennacherib] the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

5 But now, what do I have here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that My people have been taken away without reason? Those who rule over them howl [with taunting and mockery of salvation],” declares the Lord, “and My name is continually blasphemed all day long.

6 Therefore My people shall know My Nameandwhat it means. Therefore in that day I am the One who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’ ”

7 How beautifulanddelightful on the mountains

Are the feet of him who brings good news,

Who announces peace,

Who brings good news of good [things],

Who announces salvation,

Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices,

Together they shout for joy;

For they will see face to face

The return of the Lordto Zion.

9 Break forth, shout joyfully together,

You ruins of Jerusalem;

For the Lordhas comforted His people,

He has redeemed Jerusalem.

10 The Lordhas bared His holy arm (His infinite power)

Before the eyes of all the nations [revealing Himself as the One by Whom Israel is redeemed from captivity],

That all the ends of the earth may see

The salvation of our God.

11 Depart, depart, go out from there (the lands of exile),

Touch no unclean thing;

Go out of the midst of her (Babylon), purify yourselves,

You who carry the articles of the Lord[on your journey from there].

12 For you will not go out in a hurry [as when you left Egypt],

Nor will you go in flight [fleeing, as you did from the Egyptians];

For the Lordwill go before you,

And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

The Exalted Servant

13 Indeed, My Servant (the Messiah) will act wiselyandprosper;

He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted.

14 Just as many were astonishedandappalled at you,My people,

So His appearance was marred more than any man

And His form [marred] more than the sons of men.

15 So He will sprinkle many nations [with His blood, providing salvation],

Kings will shut their mouths because of Him;

For what they had not been told they will see,

And what they had not heard they will understand.

The Suffering Servant

1 Who has believed [confidently trusted in, relied on, and adhered to] our message [of salvation]?

And to whom [if not us] has the armandinfinite power of the Lordbeen revealed?

2 For He [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender shoot (plant),

And like a root out of dry ground;

He has nostatelyform ormajesticsplendor

That we would look at Him,

Nor [handsome] appearance that we wouldbe attracted to Him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrowsandpain and acquainted with grief;

And like One from whom men hide their faces

He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worthoresteem Him.

4 But [in fact] He has borne our griefs,

And He has carried our sorrowsandpains;

Yet we [ignorantly] assumed that He was stricken,

Struck down by God and degradedandhumiliated [by Him].

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing];

The punishment [required] for our well-beingfellon Him,

And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.

6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,

We have turned, each one, to his own way;

But the Lordhas caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]

To fall on Him [instead of us].

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth [to complain or defend Himself];

Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before her shearers,

So He did not open His mouth.

8 After oppression and judgment He was taken away;

Andas for His generation [His contemporaries], who [among them] concerned himselfwith the fact

That He was cut off from the land of the living [by His death]

For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke [of death]was due?

9 His grave was assigned with the wicked,

But He was with a rich man in His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet the Lordwaswilling

To crush Him,causing Him to suffer;

IfHe would give Himself as a guilt offering [an atonement for sin],

He shall seeHis[spiritual] offspring,

He shall prolongHisdays,

And the will (good pleasure) of the Lordshall succeedandprosper in His hand.

11 As a result of theanguish of His soul,

He shall see it and be satisfied;

By His knowledge [of what He has accomplished] the Righteous One,

My Servant, shall justify the many [making them righteous—upright before God, in right standing with Him],

For He shall bear [the responsibility for] their sins.

12 Therefore, I will divideandgive Him a portion with the great [kings and rulers],

And He shall divide the spoils with the mighty,

Because He [willingly] poured out His life to death,

And was counted among the transgressors;

Yet He Himself boreandtook away the sin of many,

And interceded [with the Father] for the transgressors.

The Fertility of Zion

1 “Shout for joy, O barren one, she who has not given birth;

Break forth into joyful shouting and rejoice, she who has not gone into labor [with child]!

For the [spiritual] sons of the desolate onewill bemore numerous

Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.

2 “Enlarge the site of your tent [to make room for more children];

Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them;

Lengthen your tent ropes

And make your pegs (stakes) firm [in the ground].

3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;

And your descendants will take possession of nations

And will inhabit deserted cities.

4 “Do not fear, for you will not be put to shame,

And do not feel humiliatedorashamed, for you will not be disgraced.

For you will forget the shame of your youth,

And you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.

5 For your husband is your Maker,

The Lordof hosts is His name;

And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,

Who is called the God of the whole earth.

6 For the Lordhas called you,

Like a wife who has been abandoned, grieved in spirit,

And like a wife [married] in her youth when she is [later] rejectedandscorned,”

Says your God.

7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you,

But with great compassionandmercy I will gather you [to Myself again].

8 In an outburst of wrath

I hid My face from you for a moment,

But with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,”

Says the Lordyour Redeemer.

9 “For this islikethe waters of Noah to Me,

As I swore [an oath] that the waters of Noah

Would not flood the earth again;

In the same way I have sworn that I will not be angry with you

Nor will I rebuke you.

10 For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,

But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,

Nor will My covenant of peace be shaken,”

Says the Lordwho has compassion on you.

11 “O you afflicted [city], storm-tossed, and not comforted,

Listen carefully, I will set your [precious] stones in mortar,

And lay your foundations with sapphires.

12 And I will make your battlements of rubies,

And your gates of [shining] beryl stones,

And all your [barrier]walls of precious stones.

13 And all your [spiritual] sons will be disciples [of the Lord],

And great will be thewell-being of your sons.

14 You will be firmly established in righteousness:

You will be far from [even the thought of] oppression, for you will not fear,

And from terror, for it will not come near you.

15 If anyone fiercely attacks you it will not be from Me.

Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.

16 Listen carefully, I have created the smith who blows on the fire of coals

And who produces a weapon for its purpose;

And I have created the destroyer to inflict ruin.

17 No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;

And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn.

This [peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

Andthis istheir vindication from Me,” says the Lord.

The Free Offer of Mercy

1 “Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;

And you who have no money come, buy grain and eat.

Come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without cost [simply accept it as a gift from God].

2 Why do you spend money for that which is not bread,

And your earnings for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And let your soul delight inabundance.

3 Incline your ear [to listen] and come to Me;

Hear, so that your soul may live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

According tothe faithful mercies [promised and] shown to David.

4 Listen carefully, I have appointedhim [David, representing the Messiah] to be a witness to the nations [regarding salvation],

A leader and commander to the peoples.

5 In fact, you[Israel] will call a nation that you do not know,

And a nation that does not know you will run to you,

Because of the Lordyour God, even the Holy One of Israel;

For He has glorified you.”

6 Seek the Lordwhile He may be found;

Call on Him [for salvation] while He is near.

7 Let the wicked leave (behind) his way

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,

And He will have compassion (mercy) on him,

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways

And My thoughtshigherthan your thoughts.

10 For as the rain and snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth,

Making it bear and sprout,

And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11 So will My word be which goes out of My mouth;

It will not return to Me void (useless, without result),

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeedingin the matterfor which I sent it.

12 For you will go out [from exile] with joy

And be led forth [by the LordHimself] with peace;

The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,

And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn bush the cypress tree will grow,

And instead of the nettle the myrtle tree will grow;

And it will be a memorial to the Lord,

For an everlasting sign [of His mercy] which will not be cut off.”

Rewards for Obedience to God

1 This is what the Lordsays,

“Maintain justice and do righteousness,

For My salvation is soon to come,

And My righteousnessandjusticeis soonto be revealed.

2 Blessed (happy, fortunate) is the man who does this,

And the son of man who takes hold of it,

Who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it,

And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

3 Do not let the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lordsay,

“The Lordwill most certainly separate me from His people.”

And do not let the eunuch say, “Look, I am a dry tree.”

4 This is what the Lordsays,

“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths

And choose what pleases Me,

And hold firmly to My covenant,

5 To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial,

And a name better than that of sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.

6 “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,

To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord,

To be His servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it

And holds fast to My covenant [by conscientious obedience];

7 All these I will bring to My holy mountain

And make them joyful in My house of prayer.

Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices willbe accepted on My altar;

For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

8 The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares:

“I will gather yetothersto them (Israel), to those [already] gathered.”

9 All you beasts of the field,

All you beasts (hostile nations) in the forest,

Come to eat.

10 Israel’s watchmen are blind,

They are all without knowledge.

They are all mute dogs, they cannot bark;

Panting, lying down, they love to slumber.

11 And the dogs are greedy; theynever have enough.

They are shepherds who have no understanding;

They have all turned to their own way,

Each one to his unlawful gain, without exception.

12 “Come,” [they say,] “let us get wine, and let us fill ourselves with strong drink;

And tomorrow will be like today, very great indeed.”

Evil Leaders Rebuked

1 The righteous man perishes [at the hand of evil], and no one takes it to heart;

Faithfulanddevout men are taken away, while no one understands

That the righteous person is taken away [to be spared] from disasterandevil.

2 He enters into peace [through death];

They rest in their beds (graves),

Each onewho walked uprightly [following God’s will, living with integrity].

3 “But come here, you sons of a sorceress [raised in deception and superstition],

Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.

4 Of whom do you make fun?

Against whom do you open wide your mouth

And stick out your tongue?

Are you not children of rebellion (sin),

Offspring of deceit,

5 Who inflame yourselves [with lust in pagan rites] among the oaks (terebinth trees),

Under every greenandleafy tree,

Who slaughter the children [in sacrifice] in the ravines

Under the clefts of the rocks?

6 Among the smoothstonesof the ravine

Is your portion, they (the idols) are your lot;

Even to them you have poured out a drink offering,

You have offered a grain offering.

Should I be quiet concerning these things [leaving them unpunished—bearing them with patience]?

7 Upon a high and lofty mountain

You have [openly and shamelessly] made your [idolatrous and adulterous] bed;

Even there you went up to offer sacrifice [to idols, in spiritual unfaithfulness to Me].

8 Behind the door and the doorpost

You have set up your [pagan] symbol;

Indeed, far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself,

And have gone up and made your bed wide.

And you have made a [new] agreement for yourself with the adulterers,

You have loved their bed,

You have looked [with passion] on theirmanhood.

9 You have gone tothe king [of a pagan land] with oil

And increased yourperfumes;

You have sent your messengers a great distance

And madethemgo down to Sheol (the realm of the dead).

10 You were wearied by the length of your road,

Yetyou did not say, ‘It is no use.’

You foundrenewed strength,

Therefore you did not grow weak.

11 “About whom were you worried and fearful

That you lied and did notremember Me,

Norgive Me a thought?

Was I not silent even for a long time

And [as a result] you do not fear Me?

12 I will declare your [hypocritical] righteousness and your deeds,

But they will not benefit you.

13 When you cry out [for help], let your [ridiculous] collectionof idolssave you.

But the wind will carry them all away,

A [mere] breath will take them.

But he who takes refuge in Me will possess the land [Judea]

And will inherit My holy mountain.”

14 And it will be said,

“Build up, build up, clear the way.

Remove the stumbling block out of the way [of the spiritual return] of My people.”

15 For the high and exalted One

He who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy says this,

“I dwell on the high and holy place,

Butalsowith thecontrite and humble in spirit

In order to revive the spirit of the humble

And to revive the heart of the contrite [overcome with sorrow for sin].

16 For I will not contend forever,

Nor will I always be angry;

For [if I did stay angry] the spirit [of man] would grow weak before Me,

And the breathof those whomI have created.

17 Because of the wickedness of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him;

I hidMy faceand was angry,

And he went on turning awayandbacksliding, in the way of his [own willful] heart.

18 I have seen his [willful] ways, but I will heal him;

I will lead him [also] and will restore comfort to him and to those who mourn for him,

19 As I create thepraise of his lips,

Peace, peace, to him who is far away [both Jew and Gentile] and to him who is near!”

Says the Lord;

“And I will heal him [making his lips blossom anew with thankful praise].”

20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea,

For it cannot be quiet,

And its waters toss up mire and mud.

21 “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Observances of Fasts

1 “Cry aloud, do not hold back;

Lift up your voice like a trumpet,

And declare to My people their transgression

And to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 Yet they seek Me day by day and delight [superficially] to know My ways,

As [if they were in reality] a nation that has done righteousness

And has not abandoned (turned away from) the ordinance of their God.

They ask of Me righteous judgments,

They delight in the nearness of God.

3 ‘Why have we fasted,’they say,‘and You do not see it?

Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’

Hear this [O Israel], on the day of your fast [when you should be grieving for your sins] you findsomething youdesire [to do],

And you force your hired servants to work [instead of stopping all work, as the law teaches].

4 The facts are that you fastonlyfor strife and brawling and to strike with the fist of wickedness.

You do not fast asyou dotoday to make your voice heard on high.

5 Is a fast such as this what I have chosen, a day for a man to humble himself [with sorrow in his soul]?

Is itonlyto bow down his head like a reed

And to make sackcloth and ashes as a bed [pretending to have a repentant heart]?

Do you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord?

6 [Rather] is this not the fast which I choose,

To undo the bonds of wickedness,

To tear to pieces the ropes of the yoke,

To let the oppressed go free

And break apart every [enslaving] yoke?

7 Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry

And bring the homeless poor into the house;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

And not to hide yourself from [the needs of] your own fleshandblood?

8 Then your light will break out like the dawn,

And your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth;

Your righteousness will go before you [leading you to peace and prosperity],

The glory of the Lordwill be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the Lordwill answer;

You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you take away from your midst the yoke [of oppression],

The finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and [every form of] wicked (sinful, unjust) speech,

10 And if you offer yourself to [assist] the hungry

And satisfy theneed of the afflicted,

Then your light will rise in darkness

And your gloomwill becomelike midday.

11 And the Lordwill continually guide you,

And satisfy your soul in scorchedanddry places,

And give strength to your bones;

And you will be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

12 And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins;

You will raise upandrestore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste];

You will be called Repairer of the Breach,

Restorer of Streetswith Dwellings.

Keeping the Sabbath

13 “If you turn back your foot from [unnecessary travel on] the Sabbath,

From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,

And call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, and the holy day of the Lordhonorable,

And honor it, not going your own way

Orengaging in your own pleasure

Or speaking your own [idle] words,

14 Then you will take pleasure in the Lord,

And I will make you ride on the high places of the earth,

And I will feed you with the [promised] heritage of Jacob your father;

For the mouth of the Lordhas spoken.”

Separation from God

1 Behold, the Lord’shand is not so short

That it cannot save,

Nor His ear soimpaired

That it cannot hear.

2 But your wickedness has separated you from your God,

And your sins have hiddenHisface from you so that He does not hear.

3 For your hands are defiled with blood

And your fingers with wickedness [with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing];

Your lips have spoken lies,

Your tongue mutters wickedness.

4 No one sues righteously [but for the sake of doing injury to others—to take some undue advantage], and no one pleads [his case] in truth; [but rather]

They trust in emptyargumentsand speak lies;

They conceive trouble and bring forth injustice.

5 They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s webs;

He who eats of their eggs dies,

Andfrom an eggwhich is crushed a viper breaks out.

6 Their webs will not serve as clothing,

Nor will they cover themselves with what they make;

Their works are works of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing],

And the act of violence is in their hands.

7 Their feet run to evil,

And they rush to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing];

Devastation and destruction are in their highways.

8 They do not know the way of peace,

And there is no justice in their tracks.

They have made them into crooked paths;

Whoever walks on them does not know peace.

A Confession of Wickedness

9 Therefore justice is far from us,

And righteousness does not overtake us.

We [expectantly] hope for light, but only see darkness;

We hopefor gleam of light,butwe walk in darknessandgloom.

10 We grope for a wall like the blind,

We grope like those who have no eyes.

We stumble at midday as in the twilight;

Among those who are healthywe arelike dead men.

11 We all groanandgrowl like bears,

And coo sadly like doves;

We hope for justice, but there is none,

For salvation, but it is far from us.

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You [O Lord],

And our sins testify against us;

For our transgressions are with us,

And we knowandrecognize our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]:

13 Rebelling against and denying the Lord,

Turning away from [following] our God,

Speaking oppression and revolt,

Conceiving and muttering from the heart lying words.

14 Justice is pushed back,

And righteous behavior stands far away;

For truth has fallen in the city square,

Andintegrity cannot enter.

15 Yes, truth is missing;

And he who turns away from evil makes himself a prey.

Now the Lordsaw it,

And itdispleased Him that there was no justice.

16 He saw that there was no man,

And was amazed that there was no one to intercede [on behalf of truth and right];

Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him,

And His own righteousness sustained Him.

17 For He [the Lord] put on righteousness like a coat of armor,

And salvation like a helmet on His head;

He put on garments of vengeance for clothing

And covered Himself with zeal [and great love for His people] as a cloak.

18 As their deeds deserve, so He will repay:

Wrath to His adversaries, retribution to His enemies;

To the islandsandcoastlands He will repay.

19 So they will fear the name of the Lordfrom the west

And His glory from the rising of the sun.

For He will come in like a narrow, rushing stream

Which thebreath of the Lorddrives [overwhelming the enemy].

20 “A Redeemer (Messiah) will come to Zion,

And to those in Jacob (Israel) who turn from transgression (sin),” declares the Lord.

21 “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit which is upon you [writing the law of God on the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your [true, spiritual]children, nor from the mouth of your children’s children,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”

A Glorified Zion

1 “Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the gloryandbrilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come,

And the gloryandbrilliance of the Lordhas risen upon you.

2 For in fact, darkness will cover the earth

And deep darknesswill coverthe peoples;

But the Lordwill rise upon you [Jerusalem]

And His gloryandbrilliance will be seen on you.

3 Nations will come to your light,

And kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 “Lift up your eyes around you and see;

They all gather together, they come to you.

Your sons will come from far away,

And your daughters will be looked after attheirside.

5 Then you will see and be radiant,

And your heart will tremble [with joy] and rejoice

Because the abundant wealth of the seas willbe brought to you,

The wealth of the nations will come to you.

6 A multitude of camels [from the eastern trading tribes] will cover you [Jerusalem],

The young camels of Midian and Ephah;

All those from Sheba [who once came to trade] will come

Bringing gold and frankincense

And proclaiming the praises of the Lord.

7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you [as the eastern pastoral tribes join the trading tribes],

The rams of Nebaioth will serve you;

They will go up with acceptance [as sacrifices] on My altar,

And I will glorify the house of My honorandsplendor.

8 Who are these who fly like a cloud

And like doves to their windows?

9 The islandsandcoastlands will confidently wait for Me;

And the ships of Tarshishwill comefirst,

To bring your sons from far away,

Their silver and gold with them,

For the name of the Lordyour God,

For the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.

10 “Foreigners will build up your walls,

And their kings will serve you;

For in My [righteous] wrath I struck you,

But in My favorandgrace I have had compassion on you.

11 Your gates will be open continually;

They shall not be shut day or night,

So that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations—

With their kings led in procession.

12 For the nation or the kingdom which will not serve you [Jerusalem] shall perish,

And the nations [that refuse to serve] shall be utterly ruined.

13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you,

Thecypress, the juniper, and the cedar together,

To beautify the place of My sanctuary;

And I will honorandmake the place of My feet glorious.

14 The sons of those who oppressed you will come bowing down to you [in submission],

And all those who despised youandtreated you disrespectfully will bow down at the soles of your feet,

And they will call you the City of the Lord,

The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Whereas you [Jerusalem] have been abandoned and hated

With no one passing through,

I will make you an object of pride forever,

A joy from generation to generation.

16 You will suck the milk of the [Gentile] nations

And suck the breast (abundance) of kings;

Then you will recognizeandknow that I, the Lord, am your Savior

And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,

And instead of iron I will bring silver,

And instead of wood, bronze,

And instead of stones, iron.

And [instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers,

And righteousness your rulers.

18 Violence will not be heard again in your land,

Nor devastation or destruction within your borders;

But you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise [to God].

19 The sun will no longer be your light by day,

Nor shall the bright glow of the moon give light to you,

But the Lordwill be an everlasting light for you;

And your God will be your gloryandsplendor.

20 Your sun will no longer set,

Nor will your moon wane;

For the Lordwill be your everlasting light,

And the days of your mourning will be over.

21 Then all your people will be [uncompromisingly and consistently] righteous;

They will possess the land forever,

The branch of My planting,

The work of My hands,

That I may be glorified.

22 The smallest one will become a thousand (a clan),

And the least one a mighty nation.

I, the Lord, will quicken it in its [appointed] time.”