< Isaiah 52 >
1 Rise up, Rise up! Clothe yourself in strength, O Zion! Put on the garments of your glory, O Jerusalem, the city of the Holy One! For the uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer pass through you.
Awake, awake, put on your strength, Zion; put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, holy city; for never again will the uncircumcised or the unclean enter you.
2 Shake yourself from the dust! Arise and sit up, O Jerusalem! Loose the chains from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!
Shake yourself off from the dust; arise and sit, Jerusalem; take off the chain from your neck, captive, daughter of Zion.
3 For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without money.
For this is what Yahweh says, “You were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without money.”
4 For thus says the Lord God: My people descended into Egypt, in the beginning, in order to sojourn there. But the Assyrian oppressed them, without any cause at all.
For this is what the Lord Yahweh says, “In the beginning my people went down to live temporarily in Egypt; and Assyria has oppressed them for no good reason.
5 And now, what is left for me here, says the Lord? For my people have been taken away without cause. Their lords treat them unjustly, says the Lord. And my name is being continually blasphemed all day long.
Now what do I have here—this is Yahweh's declaration—seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock—this is Yahweh's declaration—and my name is blasphemed continually all day long.
6 Because of this, my people will know my name, in that day. For it is I myself who is speaking. Behold, I am here.
Therefore my people will know my name; they will know in that day that I am the one who says, “Yes, it is I!”
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger and the preacher of peace! Announcing good and preaching peace, they are saying to Zion, “Your God will reign!”
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, who announces peace, who bears good tidings, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
8 It is the voice of your watchmen. They have lifted up their voice. They will praise together. For they will see eye to eye, when the Lord converts Zion.
Listen, your watchmen raise their voices, together they shout for joy, for they will see, every eye of theirs, Yahweh's return to Zion.
9 Be glad and rejoice together, O deserts of Jerusalem! For the Lord has consoled his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.
Break out into joyful singing together, you ruins of Jerusalem; for Yahweh has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has prepared his holy arm, in the sight of all the Gentiles. And all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
Yahweh has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the earth will see the salvation of our God.
11 Depart, depart, get out of here! Do not be willing to touch what is polluted. Go out from her midst! Be cleansed, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.
Leave, leave, go out from there; touch nothing unclean; leave from her midst; purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of Yahweh.
12 For you will not go out in a tumult, nor will you take flight in a hurry. For the Lord will precede you, and the God of Israel will gather you.
For you will not go out in a rush, nor will you leave in a panic; for Yahweh will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearguard.
13 Behold, my servant will understand; he will be exalted and lifted up, and he will be very sublime.
Look, my servant will act wisely; he will be high and lifted up, and he will be exalted.
14 Just as they were stupefied over you, so will his countenance be without glory among men, and his appearance, among the sons of men.
As many were horrified at you— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man, and his form no longer looked like anything human.
15 He will sprinkle many nations; kings will close their mouth because of him. And those to whom he was not described, have seen. And those who have not heard, have considered.
Even so, my servant will sprinkle many nations and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For that which they had not been told, they will see, and that which they had not heard, they will understand.