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Something New for Zion

62 Because of Zion I will not keep quiet. Because of Jerusalem I will not rest, until her being right with God shines like a bright light, and her being saved shines like fire. The nations will see that you are right and good. All kings will see your shining-greatness. And you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will give. You will be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, a king’s crown in the hand of your God. You will no longer be called “Left Alone.” Your land will no longer be called “Forgotten.” But you will be called “My joy is in her,” and your land “Married.” For the Lord finds joy in you, and to Him your land will be married. For as a young man marries a young woman who has never had a man, your sons will marry you. And as the man to be married finds joy in his bride, so your God will find joy in you.

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have put men to keep watch. All day and all night they will never be quiet. You who help the Lord remember, do not rest. And give Him no rest until He builds Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth. The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm, “I will never again give your grain to be food for those who hate you. And strangers will never again drink your new wine that you have worked hard to make. But those who have worked on it will eat it and praise the Lord. And those who gather it will drink it in the open spaces inside My holy house.”

10 Go through, go through the gates. Open the way for the people. Build up, build up the road. Take away the stones, and raise the flag over the people. 11 See, the Lord has made it known to the end of the earth: Say to the people of Zion, “Look, the One Who saves you is coming! See, He is bringing His reward that He will give.” 12 And they will call them “The holy people, the people who have been saved and set free by the Lord.” And you will be called “A city looked for, a city that God has not forgotten.”

The Lord Wins over the Nations

63 Who is this Who comes from Edom, with dark red clothing from Bozrah? Who is this One Who is beautiful in His clothing, walking in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, Who speaks what is right and good, powerful to save.” Why is Your clothing red? Why is Your clothing like his who crushes the grapes? “I have crushed the grapes alone. From the people there was no man with Me. I crushed them in My anger. I was angry as I stepped on them. And their life blood is on My clothing, and all My clothing is red. For the day of punishment was in My heart. And My year to save My people and make them free has come. I looked, and there was no one to help. I wondered that there was no one to help. So My own arm brought saving power to Me, and My anger helped Me. I crushed the nations in My anger and I made them drunk in My anger. I poured out their life blood on the earth.”

Israel Remembers God’s Loving-Kindness

I will tell of the loving-kindness of the Lord, and praise Him for all He has done. I will tell of all the Lord has given us, the great goodness He has shown to the family of Israel and given to them because of His loving-pity and His great loving-kindness. For He said, “For sure they are My people, sons who will not be false to Me.” So He saved them from the punishment of sin. He suffered with them in all their troubles, and the angel of the Lord saved them. In His loving-kindness He paid the price and made them free. He lifted them up and carried them all the days of long ago. 10 But they turned against Him and made His Holy Spirit have sorrow. So He turned Himself and hated them, and fought against them. 11 Then His people remembered the days long ago, the days of Moses. Where is He Who brought them through the sea with the shepherd of His flock? Where is He Who put His Holy Spirit among them? 12 Where is He Who caused His great arm to be at the right hand of Moses? Where is He Who divided the waters in front of them to make for Himself a name that lasts forever. 13 Who led them through the sea? Like a horse in the desert, they did not lose their step. 14 Like cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So You led Your people, to make for Yourself a great and honored name.

A Prayer for Help

15 Look down from heaven, and see from Your holy and beautiful house. Where are Your strong desires and Your powerful works? Your kindness and Your loving-pity are kept from me. 16 For You are our Father. Even though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not see who we are, You, O Lord, are our Father. The One Who bought us and made us free from long ago is Your name. 17 O Lord, why do You make us turn aside from Your ways and make our hearts hard so we do not fear You? Return because of Your servants, the families of Your promised land. 18 Your holy people kept Your holy house for a little while. But those who hate us have broken it under their feet. 19 We have become like those over whom You have never ruled, like those who were not called by Your name.

64 If only You would tear open the heavens and come down! The mountains would shake before You, as when fire burns the wood and causes the water to boil. Come and make Your name known to those who are against you, that the nations may shake in fear before You! When You did powerful things which we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains shook before You. From long ago no ear has heard and no eye has seen any God besides You, Who works for those who wait for Him. You meet him who finds joy in doing what is right and good, who remembers You in Your ways. See, You were angry because we sinned. We have been sinning for a long time, and will we be saved? All of us have become like one who is unclean. All our right and good works are like dirty pieces of cloth. And all of us dry up like a leaf. Our sins take us away like the wind. There is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us, and have given us over to the power of our sins.

But now, O Lord, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You are our pot maker. All of us are the work of Your hand. Do not be so angry, O Lord. Do not remember our sin forever. Look now, all of us are Your people. 10 Your holy cities have become a waste place. Zion has become a waste place. Jerusalem lies destroyed. 11 Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised You, has been burned by fire. And all our things of great worth have been destroyed. 12 Will You do nothing after seeing these things, O Lord? Will You keep quiet and make us suffer even more?

Zion’s New Name

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,(A)
    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication(B) shines out like the dawn,(C)
    her salvation(D) like a blazing torch.
The nations(E) will see your vindication,
    and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name(F)
    that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
You will be a crown(G) of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
    a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted,(H)
    or name your land Desolate.(I)
But you will be called Hephzibah,[a](J)
    and your land Beulah[b];
for the Lord will take delight(K) in you,
    and your land will be married.(L)
As a young man marries a young woman,
    so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom(M) rejoices over his bride,
    so will your God rejoice(N) over you.

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

The Lord has sworn(S) by his right hand
    and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain(T)
    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(U) it
    and praise the Lord,(V)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
    in the courts of my sanctuary.”(W)

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

11 The Lord has made proclamation
    to the ends of the earth:(AA)
“Say to Daughter Zion,(AB)
    ‘See, your Savior comes!(AC)
See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.’”(AD)
12 They will be called(AE) the Holy People,(AF)
    the Redeemed(AG) of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
    the City No Longer Deserted.(AH)

God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

63 Who is this coming from Edom,(AI)
    from Bozrah,(AJ) with his garments stained crimson?(AK)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
    striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(AL)

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

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

“I have trodden the winepress(AO) alone;
    from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(AP) them in my anger
    and trod them down in my wrath;(AQ)
their blood spattered my garments,(AR)
    and I stained all my clothing.
It was for me the day of vengeance;(AS)
    the year for me to redeem had come.
I looked, but there was no one(AT) to help,
    I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(AU) achieved salvation for me,
    and my own wrath sustained me.(AV)
I trampled(AW) the nations in my anger;
    in my wrath I made them drunk(AX)
    and poured their blood(AY) on the ground.”

Praise and Prayer

I will tell of the kindnesses(AZ) 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(BA)
    he has done for Israel,
    according to his compassion(BB) and many kindnesses.
He said, “Surely they are my people,(BC)
    children who will be true to me”;
    and so he became their Savior.(BD)
In all their distress he too was distressed,
    and the angel(BE) of his presence(BF) saved them.[c]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(BG) them;
    he lifted them up and carried(BH) them
    all the days of old.(BI)
10 Yet they rebelled(BJ)
    and grieved his Holy Spirit.(BK)
So he turned and became their enemy(BL)
    and he himself fought(BM) against them.

11 Then his people recalled[d] the days of old,
    the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(BN)
    with the shepherd of his flock?(BO)
Where is he who set
    his Holy Spirit(BP) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(BQ) of power
    to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters(BR) before them,
    to gain for himself everlasting renown,(BS)
13 who led(BT) them through the depths?(BU)
Like a horse in open country,
    they did not stumble;(BV)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
    they were given rest(BW) 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(BX) and see,
    from your lofty throne,(BY) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(BZ) and your might?
    Your tenderness and compassion(CA) are withheld(CB) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(CC)
    though Abraham does not know us
    or Israel acknowledge(CD) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
    our Redeemer(CE) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(CF) from your ways
    and harden our hearts(CG) so we do not revere(CH) you?
Return(CI) for the sake of your servants,
    the tribes that are your inheritance.(CJ)
18 For a little while(CK) your people possessed your holy place,
    but now our enemies have trampled(CL) down your sanctuary.(CM)
19 We are yours from of old;
    but you have not ruled over them,
    they have not been called[e] by your name.(CN)

64 [f]Oh, that you would rend the heavens(CO) and come down,(CP)
    that the mountains(CQ) would tremble before you!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze
    and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name(CR) known to your enemies
    and cause the nations to quake(CS) before you!
For when you did awesome(CT) things that we did not expect,
    you came down, and the mountains trembled(CU) before you.
Since ancient times no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,(CV)
    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.(CW)
You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(CX)
    who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
    you were angry.(CY)
    How then can we be saved?
All of us have become like one who is unclean,(CZ)
    and all our righteous(DA) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,(DB)
    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.(DC)
No one(DD) calls on your name(DE)
    or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden(DF) your face from us
    and have given us over(DG) to[g] our sins.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.(DH)
    We are the clay, you are the potter;(DI)
    we are all the work of your hand.(DJ)
Do not be angry(DK) beyond measure, Lord;
    do not remember our sins(DL) forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
    for we are all your people.(DM)
10 Your sacred cities(DN) have become a wasteland;
    even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.(DO)
11 Our holy and glorious temple,(DP) where our ancestors praised you,
    has been burned with fire,
    and all that we treasured(DQ) lies in ruins.
12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back?(DR)
    Will you keep silent(DS) and punish us beyond measure?

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 62:4 Hephzibah means my delight is in her.
  2. Isaiah 62:4 Beulah means married.
  3. Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
  4. Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
  5. Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called
  6. Isaiah 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1 is numbered 63:19b, and 64:2-12 is numbered 64:1-11.
  7. Isaiah 64:7 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew have made us melt because of

Watch for the Lord to Come Again

You do not need anyone to write to tell you when and at what kind of times these things will happen. You know for sure that the day the Lord comes back to earth will be as a robber coming in the night. When they say, “Everything is fine and safe,” then all at once they will be destroyed. It will be like pain that comes on a woman when a child is born. They will not be able to get away from it. But you are not in darkness, Christian brothers. That day will not surprise you as a robber would. For you are children of the light and of the day. We are not of darkness or of night. Keep awake! Do not sleep like others. Watch and keep your minds awake to what is happening. People sleep at night. Those who get drunk do it at night. Because we are men of the day, let us keep our minds awake. Let us cover our chests with faith and love. Let us cover our heads with the hope of being saved. God planned to save us from the punishment of sin through our Lord Jesus Christ. He did not plan for us to suffer from His anger. 10 He died for us so that, dead or alive, we will be with Him. 11 So comfort each other and make each other strong as you are already doing.

Christian Living

12 We ask you, Christian brothers, to respect those who work among you. The Lord has placed them over you and they are your teachers. 13 You must think much of them and love them because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

14 We ask you, Christian brothers, speak to those who do not want to work. Comfort those who feel they cannot keep going on. Help the weak. Understand and be willing to wait for all men. 15 Do not let anyone pay back for the bad he received. But look for ways to do good to each other and to all people.

16 Be full of joy all the time. 17 Never stop praying. 18 In everything give thanks. This is what God wants you to do because of Christ Jesus. 19 Do not try to stop the work of the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not laugh at those who speak for God. 21 Test everything and do not let good things get away from you. 22 Keep away from everything that even looks like sin.

23 May the God of peace set you apart for Himself. May every part of you be set apart for God. May your spirit and your soul and your body be kept complete. May you be without blame when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24 The One Who called you is faithful and will do what He promised. 25 Christian brothers, pray for us. 26 Greet all the Christians with a kiss of holy love. 27 I tell you to have this letter read to all the Christians. 28 May you have loving-favor from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Day of the Lord

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates(A) we do not need to write to you,(B) for you know very well that the day of the Lord(C) will come like a thief in the night.(D) While people are saying, “Peace and safety,”(E) destruction will come on them suddenly,(F) as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.(G)

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness(H) so that this day should surprise you like a thief.(I) You are all children of the light(J) and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep,(K) but let us be awake(L) and sober.(M) For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.(N) But since we belong to the day,(O) let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate,(P) and the hope of salvation(Q) as a helmet.(R) For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath(S) but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.(T) 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.(U) 11 Therefore encourage one another(V) and build each other up,(W) just as in fact you are doing.

Final Instructions

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard(X) among you, who care for you in the Lord(Y) and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.(Z) 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle(AA) and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak,(AB) be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong,(AC) but always strive to do what is good for each other(AD) and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always,(AE) 17 pray continually,(AF) 18 give thanks in all circumstances;(AG) for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit.(AH) 20 Do not treat prophecies(AI) with contempt 21 but test them all;(AJ) hold on to what is good,(AK) 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace,(AL) sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul(AM) and body be kept blameless(AN) at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.(AO) 24 The one who calls(AP) you is faithful,(AQ) and he will do it.(AR)

25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.(AS) 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.(AT) 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.(AU)

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.(AV)