Isaiah 52
New Living Translation
Deliverance for Jerusalem
52 Wake up, wake up, O Zion!
Clothe yourself with strength.
Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem,
for unclean and godless people will enter your gates no longer.
2 Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem.
Sit in a place of honor.
Remove the chains of slavery from your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For this is what the Lord says:
“When I sold you into exile,
I received no payment.
Now I can redeem you
without having to pay for you.”
4 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Long ago my people chose to live in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria. 5 What is this?” asks the Lord. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation.[a] My name is blasphemed all day long.[b] 6 But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.”
7 How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation,
the news that the God of Israel[c] reigns!
8 The watchmen shout and sing with joy,
for before their very eyes
they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.[d]
9 Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song,
for the Lord has comforted his people.
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has demonstrated his holy power
before the eyes of all the nations.
All the ends of the earth will see
the victory of our God.
11 Get out! Get out and leave your captivity,
where everything you touch is unclean.
Get out of there and purify yourselves,
you who carry home the sacred objects of the Lord.
12 You will not leave in a hurry,
running for your lives.
For the Lord will go ahead of you;
yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind.
The Lord’s Suffering Servant
13 See, my servant will prosper;
he will be highly exalted.
14 But many were amazed when they saw him.[e]
His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human,
and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.
15 And he will startle[f] many nations.
Kings will stand speechless in his presence.
For they will see what they had not been told;
they will understand what they had not heard about.[g]
Footnotes
- 52:5a As in Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text reads Those who rule them wail.
- 52:5b Greek version reads The Gentiles continually blaspheme my name because of you. Compare Rom 2:24.
- 52:7 Hebrew of Zion.
- 52:8 Hebrew to Zion.
- 52:14 As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads you.
- 52:15a Or cleanse.
- 52:15b Greek version reads Those who have never been told about him will see, / and those who have never heard of him will understand. Compare Rom 15:21.
Isaiah 52
Expanded Bible
Jerusalem Will Be Saved
52 Wake up, wake up, ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]! ·Become strong [L Clothe yourself with/Put on strength]!
·Be beautiful again [L Put on beautiful/glorious clothes],
holy city of Jerusalem.
The ·people who do not worship God and who are not pure [L uncircumcised and defiled/unclean]
will not enter you again.
2 Jerusalem, ·you once were a prisoner [or be enthroned/seated].
Now shake off the dust and ·stand up [arise].
·Jerusalem, you once were a prisoner [L Captive daughter of Zion,].
Now free yourself from the chains around your neck.
3 This is what the Lord says:
“You were ·not sold for a price [L sold for nothing],
so you will be ·saved [redeemed] without cost.”
4 This is what the Lord God says:
“First my people went down to Egypt to live.
Later Assyria ·made them slaves [oppressed them].
5 “Now ·see what has happened [what do I have here…?],” says the Lord.
“Another nation has taken away my people for nothing.
Those who rule them ·make fun of me [mock; taunt][a],” says the Lord.
“All day long they ·speak against [slander; blaspheme] me.
6 This has happened so my people will know ·who I am [L my name],
and so, ·on that future [L in that] day, they will know
that I am the one speaking to them.
·It will really be me [L Look/T Behold, I].”
7 ·How beautiful [or How beautiful on the mountains] ·is the person [L are the feet of him]
who ·comes over the mountains to bring [or brings] good news,
who announces peace
and brings good news,
who announces salvation [Nah. 1:15]
and says to ·Jerusalem [L Zion; v. 1],
“Your God ·is King [or reigns].”
8 Listen! Your ·guards [watchmen] ·are shouting [raise their voices].
They are all shouting [L together] for joy!
They all will see ·with their own eyes [right in front of their eyes; L eye in eye]
when the Lord returns to ·Jerusalem [L Zion; v. 1].
9 ·Jerusalem, although your buildings are destroyed now [L You ruins of Jerusalem],
shout and rejoice together,
because the Lord has comforted his people.
He has ·saved [redeemed] Jerusalem.
10 The Lord ·will show his holy power [flexes his holy muscles; L bared his holy arm]
·to [L to the eyes of] all the nations.
Then ·everyone on [L all the ends of the] earth
will see the salvation of our God.
11 You people, leave, leave; get out ·of Babylon [L from there]!
Touch nothing that is ·unclean [defiled].
You who carry the ·Lord’s things used in worship [articles/vessels of the Lord],
leave there and make yourselves pure.
12 You will not ·be forced to leave Babylon quickly [leave in haste];
you will not be forced to run away,
because the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will ·guard you from behind [be your rear guard].
The Lord’s Suffering Servant
13 The Lord says, “See, my servant will ·act wisely [or have success].
·People will greatly honor and respect him [He will be raised and exalted; C 52:13—53:12 is the fourth of four “servant songs” in Isaiah; see 42:1].
14 Many people were ·shocked [astonished; appalled] when they saw him.
His appearance was so ·damaged [disfigured; marred] he did not look like a man;
his form ·was so changed they could barely tell he was human [L beyond the sons of man/children of humanity].
15 But now he will ·surprise [startle; or sprinkle; C as the blood of a sacrifice sprinkled on the altar; Lev. 4:6, 17] many nations.
Kings will ·be amazed [L shut their mouths because of him].
They will see things they had not been ·told about him [L told],
and they will understand things they had not heard.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 52:5 taunt The Dead Sea Scrolls read “wail.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.