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Isaiah 60-62
New English Translation

Zion’s Future Splendor

60 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!
The splendor[a] of the Lord shines on you!
2 For, look, darkness covers the earth
and deep darkness covers[b] the nations,
but the Lord shines on you;
his splendor[c] appears over you.
3 Nations come to your light,
kings to your bright light.
4 Look all around you![d]
They all gather and come to you—
your sons come from far away,
and your daughters are escorted by guardians.
5 Then you will look and smile,[e]
you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride.[f]
For the riches of distant lands[g] will belong to you,
and the wealth of nations will come to you.
6 Camel caravans will cover your roads,[h]
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All the merchants of Sheba[i] will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing praises to the Lord.[j]
7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices.[k]
They will go up on my altar acceptably,[l]
and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
8 Who are these who float along[m] like a cloud,
who fly like doves to their shelters?[n]
9 Indeed, the coastlands[o] look eagerly for me;
the large ships[p] are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to honor the Lord your God,[q]
the Holy One of Israel,[r] for he has bestowed honor on you.
10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;
their kings will serve you.
Even though I struck you down in my anger,
I will restore my favor and have compassion on you.[s]
11 Your gates will remain open at all times;
they will not be shut during the day or at night,
so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,
with their kings leading the way.[t]
12 Indeed,[u] nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;
such nations will definitely be destroyed.[v]
13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,
its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,
to beautify my palace;[w]
I will bestow honor on my throne room.[x]
14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;
all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.
They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’[y]
15 You were once abandoned
and despised, with no one passing through,
but I will make you[z] a permanent source of pride
and joy to coming generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations;
you will nurse at the breasts of kings.[aa]
Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your Deliverer,
your Protector,[ab] the Powerful One of Jacob.[ac]
17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold;
instead of iron, I will bring you silver;
instead of wood, I will bring you[ad] bronze;
instead of stones, I will bring you[ae] iron.
I will make prosperity[af] your overseer,
and vindication your sovereign ruler.[ag]
18 Sounds of violence will no longer be heard in your land,
or the sounds of[ah] destruction and devastation within your borders.
You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’
and your gates, ‘Praise.’
19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,
nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;
the Lord will be your permanent source of light—
the splendor of your God will shine upon you.[ai]
20 Your sun will no longer set;
your moon will not disappear;[aj]
the Lord will be your permanent source of light;
your time[ak] of sorrow will be over.
21 All your people will be godly;[al]
they will possess the land permanently.
I will plant them like a shoot;
they will be the product of my labor,
through whom I reveal my splendor.[am]
22 The least of you will multiply into[an] a thousand;
the smallest of you will become a large nation.
When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!”[ao]

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen[ap] me.[aq]
He has commissioned[ar] me to encourage[as] the poor,
to help[at] the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,
the day when our God will seek vengeance,[au]
to console all who mourn,
3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy,[av] instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise,[aw] instead of discouragement.[ax]
They will be called oaks of righteousness,[ay]
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.[az]
4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins
and restore the places that were desolate;[ba]
they will reestablish the ruined cities,
the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
5 [bb] “Foreigners will take care of[bc] your sheep;
foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,
servants of our God.’[bd]
You will enjoy[be] the wealth of nations
and boast about[bf] the riches you receive from them.[bg]
7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion;[bh]
instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive.[bi]
Yes,[bj] they will possess a double portion in their land
and experience lasting joy.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice
and hate robbery and sin.
I will repay them because of my faithfulness;[bk]
I will make a permanent covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,
their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize that
the Lord has blessed them.”[bl]
10 I[bm] will greatly rejoice[bn] in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God.[bo]
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication.[bp]
I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;
I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry.[bq]
11 For just as the ground produces its crops
and a garden yields its produce,
so the Sovereign Lord will cause deliverance[br] to grow,
and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations.[bs]

The Lord Takes Delight in Zion

62 For the sake of Zion I will not be silent;
for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be quiet,
until her vindication shines brightly[bt]
and her deliverance burns like a torch.
2 Nations will see your vindication,
and all kings your splendor.
You will be called by a new name
that the Lord himself will give you.[bu]
3 You will be a majestic crown in the hand of the Lord,
a royal turban in the hand of your God.
4 You will no longer be called, “Abandoned,”
and your land will no longer be called “Desolate.”
Indeed,[bv] you will be called “My Delight is in Her,”[bw]
and your land “Married.”[bx]
For the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be married to him.[by]
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so your sons[bz] will marry you.
As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride,
so your God will rejoice over you.
6 I[ca] post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they should keep praying all day and all night.[cb]
You who pray to[cc] the Lord, don’t be silent!
7 Don’t allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem,[cd]
until he makes Jerusalem the pride[ce] of the earth.
8 The Lord swears an oath by his right hand,
by his strong arm:[cf]
“I will never again give your grain
to your enemies as food,
and foreigners will not drink your wine,
which you worked hard to produce.

9 But those who harvest the grain[cg] will eat it,
and will praise the Lord.
Those who pick the grapes will drink the wine[ch]
in the courts of my holy sanctuary.”
10 Come through! Come through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people!
Build it—Build the roadway!
Remove the stones.
Lift a signal flag for the nations.
11 Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth:[ci]
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘Look, your deliverer comes!
Look, his reward is with him,
and his reward goes before him!’”[cj]
12 They will be called, “The Holy People,
the Ones Protected[ck] by the Lord.”
You will be called, “Sought After,
City Not Abandoned.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 60:1 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).
  2. Isaiah 60:2 tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  3. Isaiah 60:2 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”
  4. Isaiah 60:4 tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”
  5. Isaiah 60:5 tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  6. Isaiah 60:5 tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”
  7. Isaiah 60:5 tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.
  8. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”
  9. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”
  10. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”
  11. Isaiah 60:7 tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.
  12. Isaiah 60:7 tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (ʿal) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [yaʿalu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (leratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleting the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (ʿal) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111), and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).
  13. Isaiah 60:8 tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”
  14. Isaiah 60:8 tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.
  15. Isaiah 60:9 tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”
  16. Isaiah 60:9 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.
  17. Isaiah 60:9 tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”
  18. Isaiah 60:9 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
  19. Isaiah 60:10 tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”
  20. Isaiah 60:11 tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.
  21. Isaiah 60:12 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”
  22. Isaiah 60:12 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
  23. Isaiah 60:13 tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”
  24. Isaiah 60:13 tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”
  25. Isaiah 60:14 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
  26. Isaiah 60:15 tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”
  27. Isaiah 60:16 sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.
  28. Isaiah 60:16 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
  29. Isaiah 60:16 sn See 1:24 and 49:26.
  30. Isaiah 60:17 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).
  31. Isaiah 60:17 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).
  32. Isaiah 60:17 tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).
  33. Isaiah 60:17 tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.
  34. Isaiah 60:18 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  35. Isaiah 60:19 tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”
  36. Isaiah 60:20 sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.
  37. Isaiah 60:20 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  38. Isaiah 60:21 tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”
  39. Isaiah 60:21 tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”
  40. Isaiah 60:22 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
  41. Isaiah 60:22 tn Heb “I, the Lord, in its time, I will quickly do it.”
  42. Isaiah 61:1 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
  43. Isaiah 61:1 sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
  44. Isaiah 61:1 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
  45. Isaiah 61:1 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
  46. Isaiah 61:1 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
  47. Isaiah 61:2 tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.
  48. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”
  49. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “garment of praise.”
  50. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
  51. Isaiah 61:3 tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”
  52. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
  53. Isaiah 61:4 tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”
  54. Isaiah 61:5 sn The Lord speaks in vv. 7-8 (and possibly v. 9). It is not clear where the servant’s speech (see vv. 1-3a) ends and the Lord’s begins. Perhaps the direct address to the people signals the beginning of the Lord’s speech.
  55. Isaiah 61:5 tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.”
  56. Isaiah 61:6 tn The Hebrew text adds, “it will be said concerning you.”
  57. Isaiah 61:6 tn Heb “eat” (KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “feed on”; NLT “be fed with.”
  58. Isaiah 61:6 tc The form in the Hebrew text probably needs to be emended to יִתְאַמְּרוּ (yitʾammeru), a Hitpael from אָמַר (ʾamar), meaning “boast about” (see HALOT 67 s.v. II אמר, HALOT 416 s.v. ימר, and BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר).
  59. Isaiah 61:6 tn Heb “their glory” (i.e., riches).
  60. Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”
  61. Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “and [instead of] humiliation they will rejoice [over] their portion.” The term תַחַת (takhat, “instead of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  62. Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.”
  63. Isaiah 61:8 tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”
  64. Isaiah 61:9 tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”
  65. Isaiah 61:10 sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration.
  66. Isaiah 61:10 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
  67. Isaiah 61:10 tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
  68. Isaiah 61:10 tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
  69. Isaiah 61:10 tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.
  70. Isaiah 61:11 tn Or perhaps, “righteousness,” but the context seems to emphasize deliverance and restoration (see v. 10 and 62:1).
  71. Isaiah 61:11 tn Heb “and praise before all the nations.”
  72. Isaiah 62:1 tn Heb “goes forth like brightness.”
  73. Isaiah 62:2 tn Heb “which the mouth of the Lord will designate.”
  74. Isaiah 62:4 tn Or “for”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “but.”
  75. Isaiah 62:4 tn Hebrew חֶפְצִי־בָהּ (kheftsi vah), traditionally transliterated “Hephzibah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).
  76. Isaiah 62:4 tn Hebrew בְּעוּלָה (beʿulah), traditionally transliterated “Beulah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).
  77. Isaiah 62:4 tn That is, the land will be restored to the Lord’s favor and once again enjoy his blessing and protection. To indicate the land’s relationship to the Lord, the words “to him” have been supplied at the end of the clause.
  78. Isaiah 62:5 tc The Hebrew text has “your sons,” but this produces an odd metaphor and is somewhat incongruous with the parallelism. In the context (v. 4b, see also 54:5-7) the Lord is the one who “marries” Zion. Therefore several prefer to emend “your sons” to בֹּנָיִךְ (bonayikh, “your builder”; e.g., NRSV). In Ps 147:2 the Lord is called the “builder of Jerusalem.” However, this emendation is not the best option for at least four reasons. First, although the Lord is never called the “builder” of Jerusalem in Isaiah, the idea of Zion’s children possessing the land does occur (Isa 49:20; 54:3; cf. also 14:1; 60:21). Secondly, all the ancient versions support the MT reading. Thirdly, although the verb בָּעַל (baʿal) can mean “to marry,” its basic idea is “to possess.” Consequently, the verb stresses a relationship more than a state. All the ancient versions render this verb “to dwell in” or “to dwell with.” The point is not just that the land will be reinhabited, but that it will be in a relationship of “belonging” to the Israelites. Hence a relational verb like בָּעַל is used (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:581). Finally, “sons” is a well-known metaphor for “inhabitants” (J. de Waard, Isaiah, 208).
  79. Isaiah 62:6 sn The speaker here is probably the prophet.
  80. Isaiah 62:6 tn Heb “all day and all night continually they do not keep silent.” The following lines suggest that they pray for the Lord’s intervention and restoration of the city.
  81. Isaiah 62:6 tn Or “invoke”; NIV “call on”; NASB, NRSV “remind.”
  82. Isaiah 62:7 tn “Jerusalem” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; note the following line.
  83. Isaiah 62:7 tn Heb “[the object of] praise.”
  84. Isaiah 62:8 tn The Lord’s right hand and strong arm here symbolize his power and remind the audience that his might guarantees the fulfillment of the following promise.
  85. Isaiah 62:9 tn Heb “it,” the grain mentioned in v. 8a.
  86. Isaiah 62:9 tn Heb “and those who gather it will drink it.” The masculine singular pronominal suffixes attached to “gather” and “drink” refer back to the masculine noun תִּירוֹשׁ (tirosh, “wine”) in v. 8b.
  87. Isaiah 62:11 tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so NASB, NRSV).
  88. Isaiah 62:11 sn As v. 12 indicates, the returning exiles are the Lord’s reward/prize. See also 40:10 and the note there.
  89. Isaiah 62:12 tn Or “the redeemed of the Lord” (KJV, NAB).
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