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

Chapter 60

The Dawning of Divine Glory for Zion

[a]Arise! Shine, for your light has come,
    the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.(A)
Though darkness covers the earth,
    and thick clouds, the peoples,
Upon you the Lord will dawn,
    and over you his glory will be seen.
Nations shall walk by your light,
    kings by the radiance of your dawning.(B)

The Nations Come to Zion

Raise your eyes and look about;
    they all gather and come to you—
Your sons from afar,
    your daughters in the arms of their nurses.(C)
Then you shall see and be radiant,
    your heart shall throb and overflow.
For the riches of the sea shall be poured out before you,
    the wealth of nations shall come to you.
Caravans of camels shall cover you,
    dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All from Sheba shall come
    bearing gold and frankincense,
    and heralding the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered for you,
    the rams of Nebaioth shall serve your needs;
They will be acceptable offerings on my altar,
    and I will glorify my glorious house.
Who are these that fly along like a cloud,
    like doves to their cotes?
The vessels of the coastlands are gathering,
    with the ships of Tarshish in the lead,
To bring your children from afar,
    their silver and gold with them—
For the name of the Lord, your God,
    for the Holy One of Israel who has glorified you.

Honor and Service for Zion[b]

10 Foreigners shall rebuild your walls,
    their kings shall minister to you;
Though in my wrath I struck you,
    yet in my good will I have shown you mercy.(D)
11 Your gates shall stand open constantly;
    day and night they shall not be closed
So that they may bring you the wealth of nations,
    with their kings in the vanguard.(E)
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you shall perish;
    such nations shall be utterly destroyed!(F)
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you—
    the juniper, the fir, and the cypress all together—
To bring beauty to my sanctuary,
    and glory to the place where I stand.(G)
14 The children of your oppressors shall come,
    bowing before you;
All those who despised you,
    shall bow low at your feet.
They shall call you “City of the Lord,”
    “Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”
15 No longer forsaken and hated,
    with no one passing through,
Now I will make you the pride of the ages,
    a joy from generation to generation.
16 You shall suck the milk of nations,
    and be nursed at royal breasts;
And you shall know that I, the Lord, am your savior,
    your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
    instead of iron I will bring silver;
Instead of wood, bronze;
    instead of stones, iron.
I will appoint peace your governor,
    and justice your ruler.(H)
18 No longer shall violence be heard of in your land,
    or plunder and ruin within your borders.
You shall call your walls “Salvation”
    and your gates “Praise.”

Eternal Light for Zion

19 [c]No longer shall the sun
    be your light by day,
Nor shall the brightness of the moon
    give you light by night;
Rather, the Lord will be your light forever,
    your God will be your glory.(I)
20 No longer will your sun set,
    or your moon wane;
For the Lord will be your light forever,
    and the days of your grieving will be over.
21 Your people will all be just;
    for all time they will possess the land;
They are the shoot that I planted,
    the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.(J)
22 The least one shall become a clan,
    the smallest, a mighty nation;
I, the Lord, will swiftly accomplish
    these things when the time comes.(K)

Footnotes

  1. 60:1–9 The light the prophet proclaims to Zion symbolizes the blessing to come to her: the glory of the Lord, the return of her children, the wealth of nations who themselves will walk by her light. The passage is famous from its use in the Latin liturgy for the feast of Epiphany.
  2. 60:10–18 The glorious promises for the future continue: the wealth of the nations (vv. 5, 10), tribute from kings, glorification of the Temple, peace and justice (cf. Ps 85:11).
  3. 60:19–20 The theme of light is taken up again, but in an apocalyptic vein: the Lord’s radiant presence replaces physical light.