Isaiah 52
1 Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion, Put on the garments of your beauty, Jerusalem—the Holy City; For the uncircumcised and unclean no longer enter into you again.
Wake up, wake up, Zion! Be strong! Put on your best clothes, Jerusalem, the holy city. Heathen foreigners won't ever enter you again.
2 Shake yourself from dust, arise, sit, O Jerusalem, Bands of your neck have loosed themselves, O captive daughter of Zion.
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.
3 For thus said YHWH: “You have been sold for nothing, And you are redeemed without money.”
This is what the Lord says: You were sold for nothing, and you will be bought back without money.
4 For thus said Lord YHWH: “My people went down at first To Egypt to sojourn there, And Asshur—he has oppressed it for nothing.
This is what the Lord God says: First of all, my people went to live in Egypt, then Assyria conquered them for no reason.
5 And now, what [have] I here,” A declaration of YHWH, “That My people are taken for nothing? Its rulers cause howling,” A declaration of YHWH, “And My Name is continually despised all the day.
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.
6 Therefore My people know My Name, Therefore, in that day, Surely I [am] He who is speaking, behold Me.”
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!
7 How lovely on the mountains, Have been the feet of one proclaiming tidings, Sounding peace, proclaiming good tidings, Sounding salvation, Saying to Zion, “Your God has reigned.”
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!”
8 The voice of your watchmen! They have lifted up the voice, together they cry aloud, Because they see eye to eye, In YHWH’s turning back [to] Zion.
The city watchmen shout loudly and sing for joy together; they all see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.
9 Break forth, sing together, O ruins of Jerusalem, For YHWH has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.
Let Jerusalem's ruins all sing for joy for the Lord has come to care for his people; he has set Jerusalem free.
10 YHWH has made His holy arm bare Before the eyes of all the nations, And all the ends of the earth have seen The salvation of our God.
The Lord has demonstrated his holy power to all the nations; the whole world will see our God's salvation.
11 Turn aside, turn aside, go out from there, Do not touch the unclean, Go out from her midst, Be pure, who are carrying the weapons of YHWH.
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.
12 For you do not go out in haste, Indeed, you do not go on with flight, For YHWH [is] going before you, And the God of Israel [is] gathering you!
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.
13 “Behold, My Servant acts wisely, He is high, and has been lifted up, And has been very high.”
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.
14 As many have been astonished at You (His appearance so marred by man, And His form by sons of men),
But many were horrified by him, so disfigured in appearance, no longer looking like a man, so unlike anyone human.
15 So He sprinkles many nations. Kings shut their mouth concerning Him, For that which was not recounted to them they have seen, And that which they had not heard they have understood!
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.
