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The Evil That People Do

59 Surely the Lord’s power is enough to save you.
    He can hear you when you ask him for help.
It is your evil that has separated
    you from your God.
Your sins cause him to turn away from you,
    so he does not hear you.
With your hands you have killed others,
    and with your fingers you have done wrong.
With your lips you have lied,
    and with your tongue you say evil things.
People take each other to court unfairly,
    and no one tells the truth in arguing his case.
They accuse each other falsely and tell lies.
    They cause trouble and create more evil.
They hatch evil like eggs from poisonous snakes.
    If you eat one of those eggs, you will die,
    and if you break one open, a poisonous snake comes out.
People tell lies as they would spin a spider’s web.
The webs they make cannot be used for clothes;
    you can’t cover yourself with those webs.
The things they do are evil,
    and they use their hands to hurt others.
They eagerly run to do evil,
    and they are always ready to kill innocent people.
They think evil thoughts.
    Everywhere they go they cause ruin and destruction.
They don’t know how to live in peace,
    and there is no fairness in their lives.
They are dishonest.
    Anyone who lives as they live will never have peace.

Israel’s Sin Brings Trouble

Fairness has gone far away;
    goodness is nowhere to be found.
We wait for the light, but there is only darkness now.
    We hope for a bright light, but all we have is darkness.
10 We are like the blind feeling our way along a wall.
    We feel our way as if we had no eyes.
In the brightness of day we trip as if it were night.
    We are like dead men among the strong.
11 All of us growl like the bears.
    We call out sadly like the doves.
We look for justice, but there isn’t any.
    We want to be saved, but salvation is far away.

12 We have done many wrong things against our God;
    our sins show we are wrong.
We know we have turned against God;
    we know the evil things we have done:
13 sinning and rejecting the Lord,
    turning away from our God,
planning to hurt others and to disobey God,
    planning and speaking lies.
14 So we have driven away justice,
    and we have kept away from what is right.
Truth is not spoken in the streets;
    what is honest is not allowed to enter the city.
15 Truth cannot be found anywhere,
    and people who refuse to do evil are attacked.

The Lord looked and could not find any justice,
    and he was displeased.
16 He could not find anyone to help the people,
    and he was surprised that there was no one to help.
So he used his own power to save the people;
    his own goodness gave him strength.
17 He covered himself with goodness like armor.
    He put the helmet of salvation on his head.
He put on his clothes for punishing
    and wrapped himself in the coat of his strong love.
18 The Lord will pay back his enemies for what they have done.
    He will show his anger to those who were against him;
    he will punish the people in faraway places as they deserve.
19 Then people from the west will fear the Lord,
    and people from the east will fear his glory.
The Lord will come quickly like a fast-flowing river,
    driven by the breath of the Lord.

20 “Then a Savior will come to Jerusalem
    and to the people of Jacob who have turned from sin,”
    says the Lord.

21 The Lord says, “This is my agreement with these people: My Spirit and my words that I give you will never leave you or your children or your grandchildren, now and forever.”

Jerusalem Will Be Great

60 “Jerusalem, get up and shine, because your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord shines on you.
Darkness now covers the earth;
    deep darkness covers her people.
But the Lord shines on you,
    and people see his glory around you.
Nations will come to your light;
    kings will come to the brightness of your sunrise.

“Look around you.
    People are gathering and coming to you.
Your sons are coming from far away,
    and your daughters are coming with them.
When you see them, you will shine with happiness;
    you will be excited and full of joy,
because the wealth of the nations across the seas will be given to you;
    the riches of the nations will come to you.
Herds of camels will cover your land,
    young camels from Midian and Ephah.
People will come from Sheba
    bringing gold and incense,
    and they will sing praises to the Lord.
All the sheep from Kedar will be given to you;
    the sheep from Nebaioth will be brought to you.
They will be pleasing sacrifices on my altar,
    and I will make my beautiful Temple more beautiful.

“The people are returning to you like clouds,
    like doves flying to their nests.
People in faraway lands are waiting for me.
    The great trading ships will come first,
bringing your children from faraway lands,
    and with them silver and gold.
This will honor the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel,
    who does wonderful things for you.

10 “Jerusalem, foreigners will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings will serve you.
When I was angry, I hurt you,
    but now I want to be kind to you and comfort you.
11 Your gates will always be open;
    they will not be closed day or night
so the nations can bring their wealth to you,
    and their kings will be led to you.
12 The nation or kingdom that doesn’t serve you will be destroyed;
    it will be completely ruined.

13 “The great trees of Lebanon will be given to you:
    its pine, fir, and cypress trees together.
You will use them to make my Temple beautiful,
    and I will give much honor to this place where I rest my feet.
14 The people who have hurt you will bow down to you;
    those who hated you will bow down at your feet.
They will call you The City of the Lord,
    Jerusalem, city of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “You have been hated and left empty
    with no one passing through.
But I will make you great from now on;
    you will be a place of happiness forever and ever.
16 You will be given what you need from the nations,
    like a child drinking milk from its mother.
Then you will know that it is I, the Lord, who saves you.
    You will know that the Powerful One of Jacob protects you.
17 I will bring you gold in place of bronze,
    silver in place of iron,
bronze in place of wood,
    iron in place of rocks.
I will change your punishment into peace,
    and you will be ruled by what is right.
18 There will be no more violence in your country;
    it will not be ruined or destroyed.
You will name your walls Salvation
    and your gates Praise.
19 The sun will no longer be your light during the day
    nor will the brightness from the moon be your light,
because the Lord will be your light forever,
    and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never set again,
    and your moon will never be dark,
because the Lord will be your light forever,
    and your time of sadness will end.
21 All of your people will do what is right.
    They will receive the earth forever.
They are the plant I have planted,
    the work of my own hands
    to show my greatness.
22 The smallest family will grow to a thousand.
    The least important of you will become a powerful nation.
I am the Lord,
    and when it is time, I will make these things happen quickly.”

The Lord’s Message of Freedom

61 The Lord God has put his Spirit in me,
    because the Lord has appointed me to tell the good news to the poor.
    He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts are broken,
to tell the captives they are free,
    and to tell the prisoners they are released.
He has sent me to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness
    and the time when our God will punish evil people.
He has sent me to comfort all those who are sad
and to help the sorrowing people of Jerusalem.
I will give them a crown to replace their ashes,
    and the oil of gladness to replace their sorrow,
    and clothes of praise to replace their spirit of sadness.
Then they will be called Trees of Goodness,
    trees planted by the Lord to show his greatness.

They will rebuild the old ruins
    and restore the places destroyed long ago.
They will repair the ruined cities
    that were destroyed for so long.

My people, foreigners will come to tend your sheep.
    People from other countries will tend your fields and vineyards.
You will be called priests of the Lord;
    you will be named the servants of our God.
You will have riches from all the nations on earth,
    and you will take pride in them.
Instead of being ashamed, my people will receive twice as much wealth.
    Instead of being disgraced, they will be happy because of what they receive.
They will receive a double share of the land,
    so their happiness will continue forever.
“I, the Lord, love justice.
    I hate stealing and everything that is wrong.
I will be fair and give my people what they should have,
    and I will make an agreement with them that will continue forever.
Everyone in all nations will know the children of my people,
    and their children will be known among the nations.
Anyone who sees them will know
    that they are people the Lord has blessed.”

10 The Lord makes me very happy;
    all that I am rejoices in my God.
He has covered me with clothes of salvation
    and wrapped me with a coat of goodness,
like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding,
    like a bride dressed in jewels.
11 The earth causes plants to grow,
    and a garden causes the seeds planted in it to grow.
In the same way the Lord God will make goodness and praise
    come from all the nations.

New Jerusalem

62 Because I love Jerusalem, I will continue to speak for her;
    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not stop speaking
until her goodness shines like a bright light,
    until her salvation burns bright like a flame.
Jerusalem, the nations will see your goodness,
    and all kings will see your glory.
Then you will have a new name,
    which the Lord himself will give you.
You will be like a beautiful crown in the Lord’s hand,
    like a king’s crown in your God’s hand.
You will never again be called the People that God Left,
    nor your land the Land that God Destroyed.
You will be called the People God Loves,
    and your land will be called the Bride of God,
because the Lord loves you.
    And your land will belong to him as a bride belongs to her husband.
As a young man marries a woman,
    so your children will marry your land.
As a man rejoices over his new wife,
    so your God will rejoice over you.

Jerusalem, I have put guards on the walls to watch.
    They must not be silent day or night.
You people who remind the Lord of your needs in prayer
    should never be quiet.
You should not stop praying to him until he builds up Jerusalem
    and makes it a city all people will praise.

The Lord has made a promise,
    and by his power he will keep his promise.
He said, “I will never again give your grain
    as food to your enemies.
I will not let your enemies drink the new wine
    that you have worked to make.
Those who gather food will eat it,
    and they will praise the Lord.
Those who gather the grapes will drink the wine
    in the courts of my Temple.”

10 Go through, go through the gates!
    Make the way ready for the people.
Build up, build up the road!
    Move all the stones off the road.
Raise the banner as a sign for the people.

11 The Lord is speaking
    to all the faraway lands:
“Tell the people of Jerusalem,
    ‘Look, your Savior is coming.
He is bringing your reward to you;
    he is bringing his payment with him.’”
12 His people will be called the Holy People,
    the Saved People of the Lord,
and Jerusalem will be called the City God Wants,
    the City God Has Not Rejected.

The Lord Judges His People

63 Who is this coming from Edom,
    from the city of Bozrah, dressed in red?
Who is this dressed in fine clothes
    and marching forward with his great power?

He says, “I, the Lord, speak what is right.
    I have the power to save you.”

Someone asks, “Why are your clothes bright red
    as if you had walked on the grapes to make wine?”

The Lord answers, “I have walked in the winepress alone,
    and no one among the nations helped me.
I was angry and walked on the nations
    and crushed them because of my anger.
Blood splashed on my clothes,
    and I stained all my clothing.
I chose a time to punish people,
    and the time has come for me to save.
I looked around, but I saw no one to help me.
    I was surprised that no one supported me.
So I used my own power to save my people;
    my own anger supported me.
While I was angry, I walked on the nations.
    In my anger I punished them
    and poured their blood on the ground.”

The Lord’s Kindness to His People

I will tell about the Lord’s kindness
    and praise him for everything he has done.
I will praise the Lord for the many good things he has given us
    and for his goodness to the people of Israel.
He has shown great mercy to us
    and has been very kind to us.
He said, “These are my people;
    my children will not lie to me.”
    So he saved them.
When they suffered, he suffered also.
    He sent his own angel to save them.
Because of his love and kindness, he saved them.
    Since long ago he has picked them up and carried them.
10 But they turned against him
    and made his Holy Spirit very sad.
So he became their enemy,
    and he fought against them.

11 But then his people remembered what happened long ago,
    in the days of Moses and the Israelites with him.
Where is the Lord who brought the people through the sea,
    with the leaders of his people?
Where is the one
    who put his Holy Spirit among them,
12 who led Moses by the right hand
    with his wonderful power,
who divided the water before them
    to make his name famous forever,
13 who led the people through the deep waters?
Like a horse walking through a desert,
    the people did not stumble.
14 Like cattle that go down to the valley,
    the Spirit of the Lord gave the people a place to rest.
Lord, that is the way you led your people,
    and by this you won for yourself wonderful fame.

A Prayer for Help

15 Lord, look down from the heavens and see;
    look at us from your wonderful and holy home in heaven.
Where is your strong love and power?
    Why are you keeping your love and mercy from us?
16 You are our father.
    Abraham doesn’t know we are his children,
    and Israel doesn’t recognize us.
Lord, you are our father.
    You are called “the one who has always saved us.”
17 Lord, why are you making us wander from your ways?
    Why do you make us stubborn so that we don’t honor you?
For our sake come back to us,
    your servants, who belong to you.
18 Your people had your Temple for a while,
    but now our enemies have walked on your holy place and crushed it.
19 We have become like people you never ruled over,
    like those who have never worn your name.

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm(A) of the Lord is not too short(B) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.(C)
But your iniquities have separated(D)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.(E)
For your hands are stained with blood,(F)
    your fingers with guilt.(G)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(H)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice;(I)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(J) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(K)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(L)
They hatch the eggs of vipers(M)
    and spin a spider’s web.(N)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(O)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence(P) are in their hands.
Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.(Q)
They pursue evil schemes;(R)
    acts of violence mark their ways.(S)
The way of peace they do not know;(T)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(U)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.(V)

So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(W)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(X) we grope along the wall,
    feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(Y) as if it were twilight;
    among the strong, we are like the dead.(Z)
11 We all growl like bears;
    we moan mournfully like doves.(AA)
We look for justice, but find none;
    for deliverance, but it is far away.

12 For our offenses(AB) are many in your sight,
    and our sins testify(AC) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
    and we acknowledge our iniquities:(AD)
13 rebellion(AE) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs(AF) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(AG)
    uttering lies(AH) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(AI) is driven back,
    and righteousness(AJ) stands at a distance;
truth(AK) has stumbled in the streets,
    honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(AL) is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.(AM)
16 He saw that there was no one,(AN)
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(AO)
so his own arm achieved salvation(AP) for him,
    and his own righteousness(AQ) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(AR)
    and the helmet(AS) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(AT) of vengeance(AU)
    and wrapped himself in zeal(AV) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
    so will he repay(AW)
wrath to his enemies
    and retribution to his foes;
    he will repay the islands(AX) their due.
19 From the west,(AY) people will fear the name of the Lord,
    and from the rising of the sun,(AZ) they will revere his glory.(BA)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
    that the breath(BB) of the Lord drives along.[a]

20 “The Redeemer(BC) will come to Zion,(BD)
    to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”(BE)
declares the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant(BF) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,(BG) who is on you, will not depart from you,(BH) and my words that I have put in your mouth(BI) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

The Glory of Zion

60 “Arise,(BJ) shine, for your light(BK) has come,
    and the glory(BL) of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness(BM) covers the earth
    and thick darkness(BN) is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
Nations(BO) will come to your light,(BP)
    and kings(BQ) to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble(BR) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,(BS)
    and your daughters(BT) are carried on the hip.(BU)
Then you will look and be radiant,(BV)
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;(BW)
the wealth(BX) on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
Herds of camels(BY) will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian(BZ) and Ephah.(CA)
And all from Sheba(CB) will come,
    bearing gold and incense(CC)
    and proclaiming the praise(CD) of the Lord.
All Kedar’s(CE) flocks will be gathered to you,
    the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings(CF) on my altar,(CG)
    and I will adorn my glorious temple.(CH)

“Who are these(CI) that fly along like clouds,(CJ)
    like doves to their nests?
Surely the islands(CK) look to me;
    in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,[b](CL)
bringing(CM) your children from afar,
    with their silver and gold,(CN)
to the honor(CO) of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One(CP) of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.(CQ)

10 “Foreigners(CR) will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings(CS) will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
    in favor(CT) I will show you compassion.(CU)
11 Your gates(CV) will always stand open,
    they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations(CW)
    their kings(CX) led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve(CY) you will perish;
    it will be utterly ruined.(CZ)

13 “The glory of Lebanon(DA) will come to you,
    the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,(DB)
to adorn my sanctuary;(DC)
    and I will glorify the place for my feet.(DD)
14 The children of your oppressors(DE) will come bowing before you;
    all who despise you will bow down(DF) at your feet
and will call you the City(DG) of the Lord,
    Zion(DH) of the Holy One(DI) of Israel.

15 “Although you have been forsaken(DJ) and hated,
    with no one traveling(DK) through,
I will make you the everlasting pride(DL)
    and the joy(DM) of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
    and be nursed(DN) at royal breasts.
Then you will know(DO) that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(DP)
    your Redeemer,(DQ) the Mighty One of Jacob.(DR)
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,(DS)
    and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
    and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace(DT) your governor
    and well-being your ruler.(DU)
18 No longer will violence(DV) be heard in your land,
    nor ruin or destruction(DW) within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation(DX)
    and your gates Praise.(DY)
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
    nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,(DZ)
    and your God will be your glory.(EA)
20 Your sun(EB) will never set again,
    and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your days of sorrow(EC) will end.
21 Then all your people will be righteous(ED)
    and they will possess(EE) the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,(EF)
    the work of my hands,(EG)
    for the display of my splendor.(EH)
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
    the smallest a mighty nation.(EI)
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will do this swiftly.”(EJ)

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit(EK) of the Sovereign Lord(EL) is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed(EM) me
    to proclaim good news(EN) to the poor.(EO)
He has sent me to bind up(EP) the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom(EQ) for the captives(ER)
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[c]
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor(ES)
    and the day of vengeance(ET) of our God,
to comfort(EU) all who mourn,(EV)
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown(EW) of beauty
    instead of ashes,(EX)
the oil(EY) of joy
    instead of mourning,(EZ)
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting(FA) of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.(FB)

They will rebuild the ancient ruins(FC)
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
Strangers(FD) will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
And you will be called priests(FE) of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth(FF) of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of your shame(FG)
    you will receive a double(FH) portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit(FI) a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy(FJ) will be yours.

“For I, the Lord, love justice;(FK)
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant(FL) with them.
Their descendants(FM) will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”(FN)

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices(FO) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,(FP)
as a bridegroom adorns his head(FQ) like a priest,
    and as a bride(FR) adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden(FS) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness(FT)
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Zion’s New Name

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,(FU)
    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication(FV) shines out like the dawn,(FW)
    her salvation(FX) like a blazing torch.
The nations(FY) will see your vindication,
    and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name(FZ)
    that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
You will be a crown(GA) of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
    a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted,(GB)
    or name your land Desolate.(GC)
But you will be called Hephzibah,[d](GD)
    and your land Beulah[e];
for the Lord will take delight(GE) in you,
    and your land will be married.(GF)
As a young man marries a young woman,
    so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom(GG) rejoices over his bride,
    so will your God rejoice(GH) over you.

I have posted watchmen(GI) on your walls, Jerusalem;
    they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
    give yourselves no rest,(GJ)
and give him no rest(GK) till he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes her the praise(GL) of the earth.

The Lord has sworn(GM) by his right hand
    and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain(GN)
    as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
    for which you have toiled;
but those who harvest it will eat(GO) it
    and praise the Lord,(GP)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
    in the courts of my sanctuary.”(GQ)

10 Pass through, pass through the gates!(GR)
    Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!(GS)
    Remove the stones.
Raise a banner(GT) for the nations.

11 The Lord has made proclamation
    to the ends of the earth:(GU)
“Say to Daughter Zion,(GV)
    ‘See, your Savior comes!(GW)
See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.’”(GX)
12 They will be called(GY) the Holy People,(GZ)
    the Redeemed(HA) of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
    the City No Longer Deserted.(HB)

God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

63 Who is this coming from Edom,(HC)
    from Bozrah,(HD) with his garments stained crimson?(HE)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
    striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(HF)

“It is I, proclaiming victory,
    mighty to save.”(HG)

Why are your garments red,
    like those of one treading the winepress?(HH)

“I have trodden the winepress(HI) alone;
    from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(HJ) them in my anger
    and trod them down in my wrath;(HK)
their blood spattered my garments,(HL)
    and I stained all my clothing.
It was for me the day of vengeance;(HM)
    the year for me to redeem had come.
I looked, but there was no one(HN) to help,
    I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(HO) achieved salvation for me,
    and my own wrath sustained me.(HP)
I trampled(HQ) the nations in my anger;
    in my wrath I made them drunk(HR)
    and poured their blood(HS) on the ground.”

Praise and Prayer

I will tell of the kindnesses(HT) of the Lord,
    the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things(HU)
    he has done for Israel,
    according to his compassion(HV) and many kindnesses.
He said, “Surely they are my people,(HW)
    children who will be true to me”;
    and so he became their Savior.(HX)
In all their distress he too was distressed,
    and the angel(HY) of his presence(HZ) saved them.[f]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(IA) them;
    he lifted them up and carried(IB) them
    all the days of old.(IC)
10 Yet they rebelled(ID)
    and grieved his Holy Spirit.(IE)
So he turned and became their enemy(IF)
    and he himself fought(IG) against them.

11 Then his people recalled[g] the days of old,
    the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(IH)
    with the shepherd of his flock?(II)
Where is he who set
    his Holy Spirit(IJ) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(IK) of power
    to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters(IL) before them,
    to gain for himself everlasting renown,(IM)
13 who led(IN) them through the depths?(IO)
Like a horse in open country,
    they did not stumble;(IP)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
    they were given rest(IQ) by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is how you guided your people
    to make for yourself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven(IR) and see,
    from your lofty throne,(IS) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(IT) and your might?
    Your tenderness and compassion(IU) are withheld(IV) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(IW)
    though Abraham does not know us
    or Israel acknowledge(IX) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
    our Redeemer(IY) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(IZ) from your ways
    and harden our hearts(JA) so we do not revere(JB) you?
Return(JC) for the sake of your servants,
    the tribes that are your inheritance.(JD)
18 For a little while(JE) your people possessed your holy place,
    but now our enemies have trampled(JF) down your sanctuary.(JG)
19 We are yours from of old;
    but you have not ruled over them,
    they have not been called[h] by your name.(JH)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
  2. Isaiah 60:9 Or the trading ships
  3. Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind
  4. Isaiah 62:4 Hephzibah means my delight is in her.
  5. Isaiah 62:4 Beulah means married.
  6. Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
  7. Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
  8. Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called

59 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.

The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;

13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.

20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

60 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.

All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.

Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee; The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 Whereas thou has been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.

61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

62 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,

And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:

But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.

10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.

11 Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

63 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?

I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.

And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.

In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?

12 That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?

13 That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?

14 As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?

16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

17 O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

18 The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.

19 We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name.