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 your strength, Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city, for from now on the uncircumcised and the unclean will no more come into you.
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 yourself from the dust! Arise, sit up, Jerusalem! Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, 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 the LORD says, “You were sold for nothing; and you will 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 the Lord GOD says: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there; and the Assyrian has 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 do I do here,” says the LORD, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock,” says the LORD, “and my name is blasphemed continually all day long.
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 who speaks. 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 on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
8 The city watchmen shout loudly and sing for joy together; they all see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.
Your watchmen lift up their voice. Together they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the LORD returns to 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 out into joy! Sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people. He has 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 has made his holy arm bare in the eyes of all the nations. All the ends of the earth have seen 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! Depart! Go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Go out from amongst her! Cleanse yourselves, you who carry the LORD’s vessels.
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 you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you 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 will deal wisely. He will be exalted and lifted up, and will be very high.
14 But many were horrified by him, so disfigured in appearance, no longer looking like a man, so unlike anyone human.
Just as many were astonished at you— his appearance was 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 he will cleanse many nations. Kings will shut their mouths at him; for they will see that which had not been told them, and they will understand that which they had not heard.
