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Let Zion Rejoice

52 Awake; awake;
    put on your strength, O Zion!
Put on your beautiful garments,
    O Jerusalem, the holy city,
for the uncircumcised and the unclean
    shall enter you no more.(A)
Shake yourself from the dust; rise up,
    O captive[a] Jerusalem;
loose the bonds from your neck,
    O captive daughter Zion!(B)

For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.(C) For thus says the Lord God: Long ago, my people went down into Egypt to reside there as aliens; the Assyrian, too, has oppressed them without cause.(D) Now therefore what am I doing here, says the Lord, seeing that my people are taken away without cause? Their rulers howl, says the Lord, and continually, all day long, my name is despised.(E) Therefore my people shall know my name; on[b] that day they shall know that it is I who speak—it is I!(F)

How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
    who announces salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”(G)
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices;
    together they shout for joy,
for in plain sight they see
    the return of the Lord to Zion.(H)
Break forth; shout together for joy,
    you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people;
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.(I)
10 The Lord has bared his holy arm
    before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
    the salvation of our God.(J)

11 Depart, depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing;
go out from the midst of it; purify yourselves,
    you who carry the vessels of the Lord.(K)
12 For you shall not go out in haste,
    and you shall not go in flight,
for the Lord will go before you,
    and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. 52.2 Cn: Heb rise up, sit
  2. 52.6 Q ms Syr Vg Tg: MT therefore on

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.

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God Will Rescue Jerusalem

52 (A)Jerusalem, be strong and great again!
    Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendor!
The heathen will never enter your gates again.
Shake yourself free, Jerusalem!
    Rise from the dust and sit on your throne!
Undo the chains that bind you,
    captive people of Zion!

The Sovereign Lord says to his people, “When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same way nothing will be paid to set you free. When you went to live in Egypt as foreigners, you did so of your own free will; Assyria, however, took you away by force and paid nothing for you. (B)And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened: you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for me. In time to come you will acknowledge that I am God and that I have spoken to you.”

(C)How wonderful it is to see
    a messenger coming across the mountains,
    bringing good news, the news of peace!
He announces victory and says to Zion,
    “Your God is king!”
Those who guard the city are shouting,
    shouting together for joy.
They can see with their own eyes
    the return of the Lord to Zion.

Break into shouts of joy,
    you ruins of Jerusalem!
The Lord will rescue his city
    and comfort his people.
10 The Lord will use his holy power;
    he will save his people,
    and all the world will see it.
11 (D)Be sure to leave Babylonia,
    all you that carry the Temple equipment.
Touch no forbidden thing;[a]
    keep yourselves holy and leave.
12 This time you will not have to leave in a hurry;
    you will not be trying to escape.
The Lord your God will lead you
    and protect you on every side.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:11 Any object that was considered ritually unclean.