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A Glorified Zion

60 (A)Arise, shine, for your (B)light has come,
And the (C)glory of Yahweh has risen upon you.
For behold, (D)darkness will cover the earth
And dense gloom the peoples;
But Yahweh 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)Lift up your eyes round about 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 nurses’ hip.
Then you will see and be (J)radiant,
And your heart will tremble and be large with joy;
Because the (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 will (P)bear good news of the praises of Yahweh.
All the flocks of (Q)Kedar will be gathered together to you;
The rams of Nebaioth will minister to you;
They will go up with acceptance on My (R)altar,
And I shall [b](S)adorn My [c]glorious house with beautiful glory.
(T)Who are these who fly like a cloud
And like the doves to their [d]lattices?
Surely the (U)coastlands will hope in 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 Yahweh your God,
And for the Holy One of Israel because He has [e](X)adorned you with beautiful glory.

10 (Y)Foreigners will build up your walls,
And their (Z)kings will minister to 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 men may (AC)bring to 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 surely be laid waste.
13 The (AF)glory of Lebanon will come to you,
The (AG)juniper, the box tree, and the cypress together,
To adorn the place of My sanctuary with beautiful glory;
And I shall 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 spurned you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet;
And they will call you the (AJ)City of Yahweh,
The (AK)Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Instead of being (AL)forsaken and (AM)hated
With no one passing through,
I will make you an everlasting (AN)pride,
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, Yahweh, 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 overseers
And righteousness your taskmasters.
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 for brightness will the moon give you light;
But you will have (AW)Yahweh for an everlasting light,
And your (AX)God for your [f]glory.
20 Your (AY)sun will no longer set,
Nor will your moon wane;
For you will have Yahweh for an everlasting light,
And the days of your (AZ)mourning will be finished.
21 Then all your (BA)people will be righteous;
They will (BB)possess the land forever,
The branch of [g]My planting,
The (BC)work of My hands,
That I may show forth My (BD)beautiful glory.
22 The (BE)smallest one will become a [h]clan,
And the miniscule one a mighty nation.
I, Yahweh, will hasten it in its time.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 60:4 Lit nursed upon the side
  2. Isaiah 60:7 Or beautify
  3. Isaiah 60:7 Or beautiful
  4. Isaiah 60:8 Or dovecotes, windows
  5. Isaiah 60:9 Lit beautified
  6. Isaiah 60:19 Or beauty
  7. Isaiah 60:21 Lit His
  8. Isaiah 60:22 Or thousand

People Returning for the Reunion

60 1-7 “Get out of bed, Jerusalem!
    Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight.
    God’s bright glory has risen for you.
The whole earth is wrapped in darkness,
    all people sunk in deep darkness,
But God rises on you,
    his sunrise glory breaks over you.
Nations will come to your light,
    kings to your sunburst brightness.
Look up! Look around!
    Watch as they gather, watch as they approach you:
Your sons coming from great distances,
    your daughters carried by their nannies.
When you see them coming you’ll smile—big smiles!
    Your heart will swell and, yes, burst!
All those people returning by sea for the reunion,
    a rich harvest of exiles gathered in from the nations!
And then streams of camel caravans as far as the eye can see,
    young camels of nomads in Midian and Ephah,
Pouring in from the south from Sheba,
    loaded with gold and frankincense,
    preaching the praises of God.
And yes, a great roundup
    of flocks from the nomads in Kedar and Nebaioth,
Welcome gifts for worship at my altar
    as I bathe my glorious Temple in splendor.

What’s That We See in the Distance?

8-22 “What’s that we see in the distance,
    a cloud on the horizon, like doves darkening the sky?
It’s ships from the distant islands,
    the famous Tarshish ships
Returning your children from faraway places,
    loaded with riches, with silver and gold,
And backed by the name of your God, The Holy of Israel,
    showering you with splendor.
Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings assist you in the conduct of worship.
When I was angry I hit you hard.
    It’s my desire now to be tender.
Your Jerusalem gates will always be open
    —open house day and night!—
Receiving deliveries of wealth from all nations,
    and their kings, the delivery boys!
Any nation or kingdom that doesn’t deliver will perish;
    those nations will be totally wasted.
The rich woods of Lebanon will be delivered
    —all that cypress and oak and pine—
To give a splendid elegance to my Sanctuary,
    as I make my footstool glorious.
The descendants of your oppressor
    will come bowing and scraping to you.
All who looked down at you in contempt
    will lick your boots.
They’ll confer a title on you: City of God,
    Zion of The Holy of Israel.
Not long ago you were despised refuse—
    out-of-the-way, unvisited, ignored.
But now I’ve put you on your feet,
    towering and grand forever, a joy to look at!
When you suck the milk of nations
    and the breasts of royalty,
You’ll know that I, God, am your Savior,
    your Redeemer, Champion of Jacob.
I’ll give you only the best—no more hand-me-downs!
    Gold instead of bronze, silver instead of iron,
    bronze instead of wood, iron instead of stones.
I’ll install Peace to run your country,
    make Righteousness your boss.
There’ll be no more stories of crime in your land,
    no more robberies, no more vandalism.
You’ll name your main street Salvation Way,
    and install Praise Park at the center of town.
You’ll have no more need of the sun by day
    nor the brightness of the moon at night.
God will be your eternal light,
    your God will bathe you in splendor.
Your sun will never go down,
    your moon will never fade.
I will be your eternal light.
    Your days of grieving are over.
All your people will live right and well,
    in permanent possession of the land.
They’re the green shoot that I planted,
    planted with my own hands to display my glory.
The runt will become a great tribe,
    the weakling become a strong nation.
I am God.
    At the right time I’ll make it happen.”