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Wake Up, Zion

52 Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, Zion!
    Put on your beautiful clothes, holy city of Jerusalem.
    Godless and evil people will no longer come to you.
Shake the dust from yourselves.
    Get up, captive Jerusalem.
    Free yourself from the chains around your neck, captive people of Zion.

This is what Yahweh says: You were sold, but no price was paid. You will be bought back, but without money.

This is what Adonay Yahweh says: In the beginning my people went to Egypt to live there as foreigners. Later the Assyrians oppressed them for no reason. So what do I find here? asks Yahweh. My people are taken away for no reason. Their rulers are screaming, declares Yahweh. And my name is cursed all day long. Now my people will know my name. When that day comes, they will know that I am the one who says, “Here I am!”

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger
    who announces the good news, “All is well.”
        He brings the good news,
            announces salvation,
                and tells Zion that its Elohim rules as king.
Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices
    and shout together joyfully.
        When Yahweh brings Zion back,
            they will see it with their own eyes.
Break out into shouts of joy, ruins of Jerusalem.
    Yahweh will comfort his people.
        He will reclaim Jerusalem.
10 Yahweh will show his holy power to all the nations.
    All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our Elohim.

11 Run away! Run away!
    Get away from there!
    Do not touch anything unclean.[a]
    Get away from it!
    Make yourselves pure,
    you Levites who carry the utensils for Yahweh’s temple.

12 You will not go away in a hurry,
    nor will you go away quickly.
    Yahweh will go ahead of you.
    The Elohim of Israel will guard you from behind.

The Suffering Servant

13 My servant will be successful.
    He will be respected, praised, and highly honored.
14 Many will be shocked by him.[b]
    His appearance will be so disfigured
        that he won’t look like any other man.
        His looks will be so disfigured
            that he will hardly look like a human.
15 He will cleanse many nations with his blood.
    Kings will shut their mouths because of him.
        They will see things that they had never been told.
        They will understand things that they had never heard.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:11 “Unclean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is not presentable to God.
  2. Isaiah 52:14 Two Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Targum; Masoretic Text “you.”

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.

The Suffering Servant

13 The Lord says,

“My servant will succeed in his task;
    he will be highly honored.[b]
14 Many people were shocked when they saw him;
    he was so disfigured that he hardly looked human.
15 (E)But now many nations will marvel at him,
    and kings will be speechless with amazement.
They will see and understand
    something they had never known.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:11 Any object that was considered ritually unclean.
  2. Isaiah 52:13 he will be highly honored; or he will be restored to greatness and honor.