Historical
Injustice Brings Alienation from God
59 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak[a] to deliver you;
his ear is not too deaf to hear you.[b]
2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;
your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.[c]
3 For your hands are stained with blood
and your fingers with sin;
your lips speak lies,
your tongue utters malicious words.
4 No one is concerned about justice;[d]
no one sets forth his case truthfully.
They depend on false words[e] and tell lies;
they conceive of oppression[f]
and give birth to sin.
5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake
and spin a spider’s web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
a poisonous snake is hatched.[g]
6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are sinful;
they commit violent crimes.[h]
7 They are eager to do evil,[i]
quick to shed innocent blood.[j]
Their thoughts are sinful;
they crush and destroy.[k]
8 They are unfamiliar with peace;
their deeds are unjust.[l]
They use deceitful methods,
and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.[m]
Israel Confesses its Sin
9 For this reason deliverance[n] is far from us[o]
and salvation does not reach us.
We wait for light,[p] but see only darkness;[q]
we wait for[r] a bright light,[s] but live[t] in deep darkness.[u]
10 We grope along the wall like the blind,
we grope like those who cannot see;[v]
we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.
Though others are strong, we are like dead men.[w]
11 We all growl like bears,
we coo mournfully like doves;
we wait for deliverance,[x] but there is none,
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds,[y]
and our sins testify against us;
indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;
we know our sins all too well.[z]
13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;
we turned back from following our God.
We stir up[aa] oppression and rebellion;
we tell lies we concocted in our minds.[ab]
14 Justice is driven back;
godliness[ac] stands far off.
Indeed,[ad] honesty stumbles in the city square
and morality is not even able to enter.
15 Honesty has disappeared;
the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.
The Lord watches and is displeased,[ae]
for there is no justice.
The Lord Intervenes
16 He sees there is no advocate;[af]
he is shocked[ag] that no one intervenes.
So he takes matters into his own hands;[ah]
his desire for justice drives him on.[ai]
17 He wears his desire for justice[aj] like body armor,[ak]
and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head.[al]
He puts on the garments of vengeance[am]
and wears zeal like a robe.
18 He repays them for what they have done,
dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries
and punishing his enemies.[an]
He repays the coastlands.[ao]
19 In the west, people respect[ap] the Lord’s reputation;[aq]
in the east they recognize his splendor.[ar]
For he comes like a rushing[as] stream
driven on by wind sent from the Lord.[at]
20 “A protector[au] comes to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,”[av] says the Lord.
21 “As for me, this is my promise to[aw] them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,”[ax] says the Lord.
Zion’s Future Splendor
60 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!
The splendor[ay] of the Lord shines on you!
2 For, look, darkness covers the earth
and deep darkness covers[az] the nations,
but the Lord shines on you;
his splendor[ba] appears over you.
3 Nations come to your light,
kings to your bright light.
4 Look all around you![bb]
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,[bc]
you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride.[bd]
For the riches of distant lands[be] will belong to you,
and the wealth of nations will come to you.
6 Camel caravans will cover your roads,[bf]
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All the merchants of Sheba[bg] will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing praises to the Lord.[bh]
7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices.[bi]
They will go up on my altar acceptably,[bj]
and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
8 Who are these who float along[bk] like a cloud,
who fly like doves to their shelters?[bl]
9 Indeed, the coastlands[bm] look eagerly for me;
the large ships[bn] are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to honor the Lord your God,[bo]
the Holy One of Israel,[bp] 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.[bq]
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.[br]
12 Indeed,[bs] nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;
such nations will definitely be destroyed.[bt]
13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,
its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,
to beautify my palace;[bu]
I will bestow honor on my throne room.[bv]
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.’[bw]
15 You were once abandoned
and despised, with no one passing through,
but I will make you[bx] 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.[by]
Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your Deliverer,
your Protector,[bz] the Powerful One of Jacob.[ca]
17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold;
instead of iron, I will bring you silver;
instead of wood, I will bring you[cb] bronze;
instead of stones, I will bring you[cc] iron.
I will make prosperity[cd] your overseer,
and vindication your sovereign ruler.[ce]
18 Sounds of violence will no longer be heard in your land,
or the sounds of[cf] 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.[cg]
20 Your sun will no longer set;
your moon will not disappear;[ch]
the Lord will be your permanent source of light;
your time[ci] of sorrow will be over.
21 All your people will be godly;[cj]
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.[ck]
22 The least of you will multiply into[cl] a thousand;
the smallest of you will become a large nation.
When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!”[cm]
The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen[cn] me.[co]
He has commissioned[cp] me to encourage[cq] the poor,
to help[cr] 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,[cs]
to console all who mourn,
3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy,[ct] instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise,[cu] instead of discouragement.[cv]
They will be called oaks of righteousness,[cw]
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.[cx]
4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins
and restore the places that were desolate;[cy]
they will reestablish the ruined cities,
the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
5 [cz] “Foreigners will take care of[da] your sheep;
foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,
servants of our God.’[db]
You will enjoy[dc] the wealth of nations
and boast about[dd] the riches you receive from them.[de]
7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion;[df]
instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive.[dg]
Yes,[dh] 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;[di]
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.”[dj]
10 I[dk] will greatly rejoice[dl] in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God.[dm]
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication.[dn]
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.[do]
11 For just as the ground produces its crops
and a garden yields its produce,
so the Sovereign Lord will cause deliverance[dp] to grow,
and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations.[dq]
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[dr]
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.[ds]
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,[dt] you will be called “My Delight is in Her,”[du]
and your land “Married.”[dv]
For the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be married to him.[dw]
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so your sons[dx] will marry you.
As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride,
so your God will rejoice over you.
6 I[dy] post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they should keep praying all day and all night.[dz]
You who pray to[ea] the Lord, don’t be silent!
7 Don’t allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem,[eb]
until he makes Jerusalem the pride[ec] of the earth.
8 The Lord swears an oath by his right hand,
by his strong arm:[ed]
“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[ee] will eat it,
and will praise the Lord.
Those who pick the grapes will drink the wine[ef]
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:[eg]
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘Look, your deliverer comes!
Look, his reward is with him,
and his reward goes before him!’”[eh]
12 They will be called, “The Holy People,
the Ones Protected[ei] by the Lord.”
You will be called, “Sought After,
City Not Abandoned.”
The Victorious Divine Warrior
63 Who is this who comes from Edom,[ej]
dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah?[ek]
Who[el] is this one wearing royal attire,[em]
who marches confidently[en] because of his great strength?
“It is I, the one who announces vindication,
and who is able to deliver!”[eo]
2 Why are your clothes red?
Why do you look like someone who has stomped on grapes in a vat?[ep]
3 “I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself;
no one from the nations joined me.
I stomped on them[eq] in my anger;
I trampled them down in my rage.
Their juice splashed on my garments,
and stained[er] all my clothes.
4 For I looked forward to the day of vengeance,
and then payback time arrived.[es]
5 I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was shocked because there was no one offering support.[et]
So my right arm accomplished deliverance;
my raging anger drove me on.[eu]
6 I trampled nations in my anger;
I made them drunk[ev] in my rage;
I splashed their blood on the ground.”[ew]
A Prayer for Divine Intervention
7 I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord,
of the Lord’s praiseworthy deeds.
I will tell about all[ex] the Lord did for us,
the many good things he did for the family of Israel,[ey]
because of[ez] his compassion and great faithfulness.
8 He said, “Certainly they will be my people,
children who are not disloyal.”[fa]
He became their deliverer.
9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too.[fb]
The messenger sent from his very presence[fc] delivered them.
In his love and mercy he protected[fd] them;
he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times.[fe]
10 But they rebelled and offended[ff] his holy Spirit,[fg]
so he turned into an enemy
and fought against them.
11 His people remembered the ancient times.[fh]
Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,
along with the shepherd of[fi] his flock?
Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them,[fj]
12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses,[fk]
who divided the water before them,
gaining for himself a lasting reputation,[fl]
13 who led them through the deep water?
Like a horse running through the wilderness[fm] they did not stumble.
14 As an animal that goes down into a valley to graze,[fn]
so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.
In this way[fo] you guided your people,
gaining for yourself an honored reputation.[fp]
15 Look down from heaven and take notice,
from your holy, majestic palace!
Where are your zeal[fq] and power?
Do not hold back your tender compassion![fr]
16 For you are our father,
though Abraham does not know us
and Israel does not recognize us.
You, Lord, are our father;
you have been called our Protector from ancient times.[fs]
17 Why, Lord, do you make us stray[ft] from your ways,[fu]
and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you?[fv]
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your inheritance!
18 For a short time your special[fw] nation possessed a land,[fx]
but then our adversaries knocked down[fy] your holy sanctuary.
19 We existed from ancient times,[fz]
but you did not rule over them;
they were not your subjects.[ga]
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