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The Ingathering of the Dispersed

60 Arise, shine; for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
    and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
    and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;
    they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
    and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
    your heart shall thrill and rejoice,[a]
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
    the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
    the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
    all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
    and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you,
    the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
they shall be acceptable on my altar,
    and I will glorify my glorious house.

Who are these that fly like a cloud,
    and like doves to their windows?
For the coastlands shall wait for me,
    the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from far away,
    their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God,
    and for the Holy One of Israel,
    because he has glorified you.
10 Foreigners shall build up your walls,
    and their kings shall minister to you;
for in my wrath I struck you down,
    but in my favor I have had mercy on you.
11 Your gates shall always be open;
    day and night they shall not be shut,
so that nations shall bring you their wealth,
    with their kings led in procession.
12 For the nation and kingdom
    that will not serve you shall perish;
    those nations shall be utterly laid waste.
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
    the cypress, the plane, and the pine,
to beautify the place of my sanctuary;
    and I will glorify where my feet rest.
14 The descendants of those who oppressed you
    shall come bending low to you,
and all who despised you
    shall bow down at your feet;
they shall call you the City of the Lord,
    the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
    with no one passing through,
I will make you majestic forever,
    a joy from age to age.
16 You shall suck the milk of nations,
    you shall suck the breasts of kings;
and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior
    and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
    instead of iron I will bring silver;
instead of wood, bronze,
    instead of stones, iron.
I will appoint Peace as your overseer
    and Righteousness as your taskmaster.
18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land,
    devastation or destruction within your borders;
you shall call your walls Salvation,
    and your gates Praise.

God the Glory of Zion

19 The sun shall no longer be
    your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
    give light to you by night;[b]
but the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun shall no more go down,
    or your moon withdraw itself;
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your days of mourning shall be ended.
21 Your people shall all be righteous;
    they shall possess the land forever.
They are the shoot that I planted, the work of my hands,
    so that I might be glorified.
22 The least of them shall become a clan,
    and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will accomplish it quickly.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 60:5 Heb be enlarged
  2. Isaiah 60:19 Q Ms Gk Old Latin Tg: MT lacks by night

The Future Glory of Jerusalem

60 Arise, Jerusalem, and shine like the sun;
The glory of the Lord is shining on you!
Other nations will be covered by darkness,
But on you the light of the Lord will shine;
The brightness of his presence will be with you.
Nations will be drawn to your light,
And kings to the dawning of your new day.

(A)Look around you and see what is happening:
Your people are gathering to come home!
Your sons will come from far away;
Your daughters will be carried like children.
You will see this and be filled with joy;
You will tremble with excitement.
The wealth of the nations will be brought to you;
From across the sea their riches will come.

Great caravans of camels will come, from Midian and Ephah.
They will come from Sheba, bringing gold and incense.
People will tell the good news of what the Lord has done!
All the sheep of Kedar and Nebaioth
Will be brought to you as sacrifices
And offered on the altar to please the Lord.
The Lord will make his Temple more glorious than ever.

What are these ships that skim along like clouds,
Like doves returning home?
They are ships coming from distant lands,
Bringing God's people home.
They bring with them silver and gold
To honor the name of the Lord,
The holy God of Israel,
Who has made all nations honor his people.

10 The Lord says to Jerusalem,

“Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
And their kings will serve you.
In my anger I punished you,
But now I will show you my favor and mercy.
11 (B)Day and night your gates will be open,
So that the kings of the nations
May bring you their wealth.
12 But nations that do not serve you
Will be completely destroyed.

13 “The wood of the pine, the juniper, and the cypress,
The finest wood from the forests of Lebanon,
Will be brought to rebuild you, Jerusalem,
To make my Temple beautiful,
To make my city glorious.
14 (C)The descendants of those who oppressed you will come
And bow low to show their respect.
All who once despised you will worship at your feet.
They will call you ‘The City of the Lord,’
‘Zion, the City of Israel's Holy God.’

15 “You will no longer be forsaken and hated,
A city deserted and desolate.
I will make you great and beautiful,
A place of joy forever and ever.
16 Nations and kings will care for you
As a mother nurses her child.
You will know that I, the Lord, have saved you,
That the mighty God of Israel sets you free.

17 “I will bring you gold instead of bronze,
Silver and bronze instead of iron and wood,
And iron instead of stone.
Your rulers will no longer oppress you;
I will make them rule with justice and peace.
18 The sounds of violence will be heard no more;
Destruction will not shatter your country again.
I will protect and defend you like a wall;
You will praise me because I have saved you.

19 (D)“No longer will the sun be your light by day
Or the moon be your light by night;
I, the Lord, will be your eternal light;
The light of my glory will shine on you.
20 Your days of grief will come to an end.
I, the Lord, will be your eternal light,
More lasting than the sun and moon.
21 Your people will all do what is right,
And will possess the land forever.
I planted them, I made them,
To reveal my greatness to all.
22 Even your smallest and humblest family
Will become as great as a powerful nation.
When the right time comes,
I will make this happen quickly.
I am the Lord!”

Chapter 60

The Dawning of Divine Glory for Zion

[a]Arise! Shine, for your light has come,
    the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.(A)
Though darkness covers the earth,
    and thick clouds, the peoples,
Upon you the Lord will dawn,
    and over you his glory will be seen.
Nations shall walk by your light,
    kings by the radiance of your dawning.(B)

The Nations Come to Zion

Raise your eyes and look about;
    they all gather and come to you—
Your sons from afar,
    your daughters in the arms of their nurses.(C)
Then you shall see and be radiant,
    your heart shall throb and overflow.
For the riches of the sea shall be poured out before you,
    the wealth of nations shall come to you.
Caravans of camels shall cover you,
    dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All from Sheba shall come
    bearing gold and frankincense,
    and heralding the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered for you,
    the rams of Nebaioth shall serve your needs;
They will be acceptable offerings on my altar,
    and I will glorify my glorious house.
Who are these that fly along like a cloud,
    like doves to their cotes?
The vessels of the coastlands are gathering,
    with the ships of Tarshish in the lead,
To bring your children from afar,
    their silver and gold with them—
For the name of the Lord, your God,
    for the Holy One of Israel who has glorified you.

Honor and Service for Zion[b]

10 Foreigners shall rebuild your walls,
    their kings shall minister to you;
Though in my wrath I struck you,
    yet in my good will I have shown you mercy.(D)
11 Your gates shall stand open constantly;
    day and night they shall not be closed
So that they may bring you the wealth of nations,
    with their kings in the vanguard.(E)
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you shall perish;
    such nations shall be utterly destroyed!(F)
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you—
    the juniper, the fir, and the cypress all together—
To bring beauty to my sanctuary,
    and glory to the place where I stand.(G)
14 The children of your oppressors shall come,
    bowing before you;
All those who despised you,
    shall bow low at your feet.
They shall call you “City of the Lord,”
    “Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”
15 No longer forsaken and hated,
    with no one passing through,
Now I will make you the pride of the ages,
    a joy from generation to generation.
16 You shall suck the milk of nations,
    and be nursed at royal breasts;
And you shall know that I, the Lord, am your savior,
    your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
    instead of iron I will bring silver;
Instead of wood, bronze;
    instead of stones, iron.
I will appoint peace your governor,
    and justice your ruler.(H)
18 No longer shall violence be heard of in your land,
    or plunder and ruin within your borders.
You shall call your walls “Salvation”
    and your gates “Praise.”

Eternal Light for Zion

19 [c]No longer shall the sun
    be your light by day,
Nor shall the brightness of the moon
    give you light by night;
Rather, the Lord will be your light forever,
    your God will be your glory.(I)
20 No longer will your sun set,
    or your moon wane;
For the Lord will be your light forever,
    and the days of your grieving will be over.
21 Your people will all be just;
    for all time they will possess the land;
They are the shoot that I planted,
    the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.(J)
22 The least one shall become a clan,
    the smallest, a mighty nation;
I, the Lord, will swiftly accomplish
    these things when the time comes.(K)

Footnotes

  1. 60:1–9 The light the prophet proclaims to Zion symbolizes the blessing to come to her: the glory of the Lord, the return of her children, the wealth of nations who themselves will walk by her light. The passage is famous from its use in the Latin liturgy for the feast of Epiphany.
  2. 60:10–18 The glorious promises for the future continue: the wealth of the nations (vv. 5, 10), tribute from kings, glorification of the Temple, peace and justice (cf. Ps 85:11).
  3. 60:19–20 The theme of light is taken up again, but in an apocalyptic vein: the Lord’s radiant presence replaces physical light.

A Glorified Zion

60 (A)Arise, shine; for your (B)light has come,
And the (C)glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, (D)darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the Lord will rise upon you
And His (E)glory will appear upon you.
(F)Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.

(G)Raise your eyes all around and see;
They all gather together, they (H)come to you.
Your sons will come from afar,
And your (I)daughters will be [a]carried on the hip.
Then you will see and be (J)radiant,
And your heart will [b]thrill and rejoice;
Because the [c](K)abundance of the sea will be turned to you,
The (L)wealth of the nations will come to you.
A multitude of camels will cover you,
The young camels of Midian and (M)Ephah;
All those from (N)Sheba will come;
They will bring (O)gold and frankincense,
And (P)proclaim good news of the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of (Q)Kedar will be gathered to you,
The rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
They will go up on My (R)altar with acceptance,
And I will (S)glorify My glorious house.
(T)Who are these who fly like a cloud
And like the doves to their windows?
Certainly the (U)coastlands will wait for Me;
And the (V)ships of Tarshish will come first,
To (W)bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
For the name of the Lord your God,
And for the Holy One of Israel because He has (X)glorified you.

10 (Y)Foreigners will build up your walls,
And their (Z)kings will serve you;
For in My (AA)wrath I struck you,
And in My favor I have had compassion on you.
11 Your (AB)gates will be open continually;
They will not be closed day or night,
So that people may (AC)bring you the wealth of the nations,
With (AD)their kings led in procession.
12 For the (AE)nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish,
And the nations will be utterly ruined.
13 The (AF)glory of Lebanon will come to you,
The (AG)juniper, the elm tree and the [d]cedar together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make the (AH)place of My feet glorious.
14 The (AI)sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you will bow down at the soles of your feet;
And they will call you the (AJ)city of the Lord,
The (AK)Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Whereas you have been (AL)forsaken and (AM)hated
With no one passing through,
I will make you an (AN)object of pride forever,
A joy from generation to generation.
16 You will also (AO)suck the milk of nations,
And suck the breast of kings;
Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your (AP)Savior
And your (AQ)Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
And instead of iron I will bring silver,
And instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
And I will make peace your administrators,
And righteousness your overseers.
18 (AR)Violence will not be heard again in your land,
Nor (AS)devastation or destruction within your borders;
But you will call your (AT)walls salvation, and your (AU)gates praise.
19 No longer will you have the (AV)sun for light by day,
Nor will the moon give you light for brightness;
But you will have the (AW)Lord as an everlasting light,
And your (AX)God as your [e]glory.
20 Your (AY)sun will no longer set,
Nor will your moon wane;
For you will have the Lord as an everlasting light,
And the days of your (AZ)mourning will be over.
21 Then all your (BA)people will be righteous;
They will (BB)possess the land forever,
The branch of [f]My planting,
The (BC)work of My hands,
That I may be (BD)glorified.
22 The (BE)smallest one will become a thousand,
And the least one a mighty nation.
I, the Lord, will bring it about quickly in its time.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 60:4 Lit cared for
  2. Isaiah 60:5 Lit tremble and open wide
  3. Isaiah 60:5 Lit roar
  4. Isaiah 60:13 Or cypress
  5. Isaiah 60:19 Or beauty
  6. Isaiah 60:21 Lit His

The Glory of Zion

60 “Arise,(A) shine, for your light(B) has come,
    and the glory(C) of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness(D) covers the earth
    and thick darkness(E) is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
Nations(F) will come to your light,(G)
    and kings(H) to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble(I) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,(J)
    and your daughters(K) are carried on the hip.(L)
Then you will look and be radiant,(M)
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;(N)
the wealth(O) on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
Herds of camels(P) will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian(Q) and Ephah.(R)
And all from Sheba(S) will come,
    bearing gold and incense(T)
    and proclaiming the praise(U) of the Lord.
All Kedar’s(V) flocks will be gathered to you,
    the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings(W) on my altar,(X)
    and I will adorn my glorious temple.(Y)

“Who are these(Z) that fly along like clouds,(AA)
    like doves to their nests?
Surely the islands(AB) look to me;
    in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,[a](AC)
bringing(AD) your children from afar,
    with their silver and gold,(AE)
to the honor(AF) of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One(AG) of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.(AH)

10 “Foreigners(AI) will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings(AJ) will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
    in favor(AK) I will show you compassion.(AL)
11 Your gates(AM) will always stand open,
    they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations(AN)
    their kings(AO) led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve(AP) you will perish;
    it will be utterly ruined.(AQ)

13 “The glory of Lebanon(AR) will come to you,
    the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,(AS)
to adorn my sanctuary;(AT)
    and I will glorify the place for my feet.(AU)
14 The children of your oppressors(AV) will come bowing before you;
    all who despise you will bow down(AW) at your feet
and will call you the City(AX) of the Lord,
    Zion(AY) of the Holy One(AZ) of Israel.

15 “Although you have been forsaken(BA) and hated,
    with no one traveling(BB) through,
I will make you the everlasting pride(BC)
    and the joy(BD) of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
    and be nursed(BE) at royal breasts.
Then you will know(BF) that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(BG)
    your Redeemer,(BH) the Mighty One of Jacob.(BI)
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,(BJ)
    and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
    and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace(BK) your governor
    and well-being your ruler.(BL)
18 No longer will violence(BM) be heard in your land,
    nor ruin or destruction(BN) within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation(BO)
    and your gates Praise.(BP)
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
    nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,(BQ)
    and your God will be your glory.(BR)
20 Your sun(BS) will never set again,
    and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your days of sorrow(BT) will end.
21 Then all your people will be righteous(BU)
    and they will possess(BV) the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,(BW)
    the work of my hands,(BX)
    for the display of my splendor.(BY)
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
    the smallest a mighty nation.(BZ)
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will do this swiftly.”(CA)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 60:9 Or the trading ships