Isaiah 52
1 Wake up, wake up, Zion! Be strong! Put on your best clothes, Jerusalem, the holy city. Heathen foreigners won't ever enter you again.
Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2 Shake yourself free from the dust and get up. Sit on your throne, Jerusalem. Throw off the chains around your neck, captive daughter of Zion.
Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
3 This is what the Lord says: You were sold for nothing, and you will be bought back without money.
For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nothing; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
4 This is what the Lord God says: First of all, my people went to live in Egypt, then Assyria conquered them for no reason.
For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down in times past into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5 What do have I to do now? asks the Lord. My people have been taken into captivity for no reason. Those who rule them mock them, and I'm treated with contempt that whole time, says the Lord.
Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nothing? they that rule over them make them to wail, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
6 So I'm going to make sure my people know me; at that time they will know that I am the one who means what he says. Yes, it's me!
Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.
7 What a wonderful sight in the mountains is the one running to bring good news, announcing peace and good news, announcing salvation, telling Zion, “Your God reigns!”
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that proclaimeth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that proclaimeth salvation; that saith to Zion, Thy God reigneth!
8 The city watchmen shout loudly and sing for joy together; they all see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.
Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
9 Let Jerusalem's ruins all sing for joy for the Lord has come to care for his people; he has set Jerusalem free.
Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has demonstrated his holy power to all the nations; the whole world will see our God's salvation.
The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
11 Leave, leave, get out of there! Don't bring anything pagan; come out and leave it all behind. Those of you who carry the Lord's sacred articles are to purify yourselves.
Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from there, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
12 But don't leave in a hurry, don't be in a rush as if you're running away, for the Lord will go ahead of you, and he will also protect those at the back.
For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
13 Look: my servant will act wisely; he will be praised highly, he will be elevated in position, and seen as someone people look up to.
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14 But many were horrified by him, so disfigured in appearance, no longer looking like a man, so unlike anyone human.
As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15 He will surprise many nations, and kings will keep quiet because of him—for they'll see what they haven't been told, and they'll understand what they hadn't heard.
So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
