A Glorified Zion

60 (A)Arise, shine; for your (B)light has come,
And the (C)glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, (D)darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the Lord will rise upon you
And His (E)glory will appear upon you.
(F)Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.

(G)Raise your eyes all around and see;
They all gather together, they (H)come to you.
Your sons will come from afar,
And your (I)daughters will be [a]carried on the hip.
Then you will see and be (J)radiant,
And your heart will [b]thrill and rejoice;
Because the [c](K)abundance of the sea will be turned to you,
The (L)wealth of the nations will come to you.
A multitude of camels will cover you,
The young camels of Midian and (M)Ephah;
All those from (N)Sheba will come;
They will bring (O)gold and frankincense,
And (P)proclaim good news of the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of (Q)Kedar will be gathered to you,
The rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
They will go up on My (R)altar with acceptance,
And I will (S)glorify My glorious house.
(T)Who are these who fly like a cloud
And like the doves to their windows?
Certainly the (U)coastlands will wait for Me;
And the (V)ships of Tarshish will come first,
To (W)bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
For the name of the Lord your God,
And for the Holy One of Israel because He has (X)glorified you.

10 (Y)Foreigners will build up your walls,
And their (Z)kings will serve you;
For in My (AA)wrath I struck you,
And in My favor I have had compassion on you.
11 Your (AB)gates will be open continually;
They will not be closed day or night,
So that people may (AC)bring you the wealth of the nations,
With (AD)their kings led in procession.
12 For the (AE)nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish,
And the nations will be utterly ruined.
13 The (AF)glory of Lebanon will come to you,
The (AG)juniper, the elm tree and the [d]cedar together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make the (AH)place of My feet glorious.
14 The (AI)sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you will bow down at the soles of your feet;
And they will call you the (AJ)city of the Lord,
The (AK)Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Whereas you have been (AL)forsaken and (AM)hated
With no one passing through,
I will make you an (AN)object of pride forever,
A joy from generation to generation.
16 You will also (AO)suck the milk of nations,
And suck the breast of kings;
Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your (AP)Savior
And your (AQ)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 I will make peace your administrators,
And righteousness your overseers.
18 (AR)Violence will not be heard again in your land,
Nor (AS)devastation or destruction within your borders;
But you will call your (AT)walls salvation, and your (AU)gates praise.
19 No longer will you have the (AV)sun for light by day,
Nor will the moon give you light for brightness;
But you will have the (AW)Lord as an everlasting light,
And your (AX)God as your [e]glory.
20 Your (AY)sun will no longer set,
Nor will your moon wane;
For you will have the Lord as an everlasting light,
And the days of your (AZ)mourning will be over.
21 Then all your (BA)people will be righteous;
They will (BB)possess the land forever,
The branch of [f]My planting,
The (BC)work of My hands,
That I may be (BD)glorified.
22 The (BE)smallest one will become a thousand,
And the least one a mighty nation.
I, the Lord, will bring it about quickly in its time.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 60:4 Lit cared for
  2. Isaiah 60:5 Lit tremble and open wide
  3. Isaiah 60:5 Lit roar
  4. Isaiah 60:13 Or cypress
  5. Isaiah 60:19 Or beauty
  6. Isaiah 60:21 Lit His

Future Glory for Jerusalem

60 “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.
    For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.
Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth,
    but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.
All nations will come to your light;
    mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

“Look and see, for everyone is coming home!
    Your sons are coming from distant lands;
    your little daughters will be carried home.
Your eyes will shine,
    and your heart will thrill with joy,
for merchants from around the world will come to you.
    They will bring you the wealth of many lands.
Vast caravans of camels will converge on you,
    the camels of Midian and Ephah.
The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense
    and will come worshiping the Lord.
The flocks of Kedar will be given to you,
    and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars.
I will accept their offerings,
    and I will make my Temple glorious.

“And what do I see flying like clouds to Israel,
    like doves to their nests?
They are ships from the ends of the earth,
    from lands that trust in me,
    led by the great ships of Tarshish.
They are bringing the people of Israel home from far away,
    carrying their silver and gold.
They will honor the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has filled you with splendor.

10 “Foreigners will come to rebuild your towns,
    and their kings will serve you.
For though I have destroyed you in my anger,
    I will now have mercy on you through my grace.
11 Your gates will stay open day and night
    to receive the wealth of many lands.
The kings of the world will be led as captives
    in a victory procession.
12 For the nations that refuse to serve you
    will be destroyed.

13 “The glory of Lebanon will be yours—
    the forests of cypress, fir, and pine—
to beautify my sanctuary.
    My Temple will be glorious!
14 The descendants of your tormentors
    will come and bow before you.
Those who despised you
    will kiss your feet.
They will call you the City of the Lord,
    and Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Though you were once despised and hated,
    with no one traveling through you,
I will make you beautiful forever,
    a joy to all generations.
16 Powerful kings and mighty nations
    will satisfy your every need,
as though you were a child
    nursing at the breast of a queen.
You will know at last that I, the Lord,
    am your Savior and your Redeemer,
    the Mighty One of Israel.[a]
17 I will exchange your bronze for gold,
    your iron for silver,
your wood for bronze,
    and your stones for iron.
I will make peace your leader
    and righteousness your ruler.
18 Violence will disappear from your land;
    the desolation and destruction of war will end.
Salvation will surround you like city walls,
    and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there.

19 “No longer will you need the sun to shine by day,
    nor the moon to give its light by night,
for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light,
    and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never set;
    your moon will not go down.
For the Lord will be your everlasting light.
    Your days of mourning will come to an end.
21 All your people will be righteous.
    They will possess their land forever,
for I will plant them there with my own hands
    in order to bring myself glory.
22 The smallest family will become a thousand people,
    and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation.
    At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”

Footnotes

  1. 60:16 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 14:1.