52 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.

Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.

12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward.

13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Yahweh Redeems Zion

52 Awake! Awake; put on your strength, Zion!
    Put on the garments of your beauty, Jerusalem, holy city![a]
        For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall not continue to[b] enter you any longer.
Shake yourself free from the dust! Rise up; sit, Jerusalem!
    Free yourselves from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion!

For thus says Yahweh:

“You were sold for nothing,
    and you shall be redeemed without money.”

For thus says the Lord Yahweh:

“My people went down to Egypt in the beginning, to dwell as aliens there, and Assyria oppressed him without cause.[c] And now what do I have here?”declares[d] Yahweh, “for my people is taken without cause. Its rulers howl,” declares[e] Yahweh—“and my name is reviled continually, all day. Therefore my people shall know my name, therefore in that day, that I am the one who speaks. Here am I.”[f]

How delightful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,
    who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns as a king.”
The voices[g] of your watchmen! They lift up their voices;[h]
    together they sing for joy;
        for they clearly[i] see Yahweh’s return to Zion.
Break forth,
    sing for joy together, ruins of Jerusalem,
for Yahweh has comforted his people;
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 Yahweh has bared his holy arm[j] to the eyes of all the nations,
    and all the ends[k] of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
11 Depart, depart, go out from there! You must not touch any unclean thing.
    Go out from the midst of it, keep clean, you who carry the vessels of Yahweh.
12 For you shall not go out in haste,
    and you shall not go in flight,
for Yahweh is going before you,
    and your rear guard is the God of Israel.

The Servant’s Suffering and Exaltation

13 Look, my servant shall achieve success;
    he shall be exalted,
and he shall be lifted up,
    and he shall be very high.
14 Just as many were appalled at you—
    such was his appearance beyond human disfigurement,
        and his form beyond the sons of mankind—
15 so he shall sprinkle many nations;
    because of him, kings shall shut their mouths.[l]
For they shall see what has not been told them,
    and they shall consider with full attention what they have not heard.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:1 Literally “city of the holiness”
  2. Isaiah 52:1 Literally “do again he shall”
  3. Isaiah 52:4 Literally “in nothing”
  4. Isaiah 52:5 Literally “declaration of”
  5. Isaiah 52:5 Literally “declaration of”
  6. Isaiah 52:6 Literally “Look at me”
  7. Isaiah 52:8 Hebrew “voice”
  8. Isaiah 52:8 Hebrew “voice”
  9. Isaiah 52:8 Literally “eye in eye “
  10. Isaiah 52:10 Literally “the arm of his holiness”
  11. Isaiah 52:10 Hebrew “end”
  12. Isaiah 52:15 Hebrew “mouth”