Isaiah 60

1 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

Stand up and shine, for your light has come; the glory of the Lord has risen on you.

2 For, look, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise on you, and his glory shall be seen on you.

Even though darkness covers the earth, and deep darkness covers the people, the Lord has risen to shine on you, and his glory appears over you.

3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Nations will come to your light, and kings will come to the brightness of your shining dawn.

4 "Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms.

Look all around you, and see everyone gathering and coming to you—your sons returning from far away, your young daughters being carried on the hip.

5 Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart shall thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

Then you will see and shine brilliantly, your heart will beat wildly for joy, for the riches that cross the sea, the wealth of the nations, will be brought to you.

6 The multitude of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praises of the LORD.

Long caravans of camels will cover the land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. All the people of Sheba will come to you carrying gold and frankincense, shouting praises to the Lord.

7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar; and I will glorify the house of my glory.

All the flocks of Kedar will be brought to you, the rams of Nebaioth will be placed at your disposal. I will accept them as they are sacrificed on my altar, and I will glorify the Temple where I'm honored.

8 "Who are these who fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

What are these flying like a cloud, flying like pigeons returning to their roost?

9 Surely the islands shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you.

Coming from the islands that trust in me, these are ships led by those of Tarshish, bringing your children home from far away, carrying with them silver and gold. They come to honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has made you glorious.

10 "Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you: for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor have I had mercy on you.

Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will work for you. Even though I did hit you when I was angry with you, now I will be kind and merciful to you.

11 Your gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive.

Your gates will always be kept open. They won't ever be shut, day or night, so the wealth of the nations can be brought to you, with their kings being led along in a procession.

12 For that nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

Any nation or kingdom that does not serve you will be completely destroyed.

13 "The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the fir tree, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

The glory of Lebanon will come to you: cedars, acacias, and myrtle trees, to make my Temple beautiful and to honor the place I choose to live.

14 The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending to you; and all those who despised you shall bow themselves down at the soles of your feet; and they shall call you The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

The children of those who persecuted you will come and bow before you; everyone who looked down on you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 "Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed through you, I will make you an everlasting excellency, a joy of many generations.

Once you were abandoned and despised, somewhere people didn't go, but now I will make you a place to be proud of forever, a joy to every generation.

16 You shall also drink the milk of the nations, and shall nurse from royal breasts; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Nations will provide you with what you need, kings will take care of you as if you were their own children. You will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 For bronze I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood bronze, and for stones iron. I will also make your officers peace, and righteousness your ruler.

I will bring you gold instead of bronze, silver instead of iron, bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stone. I will appoint Peace as your watchman, and Goodness as your leader.

18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land, destruction nor calamity within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

There won't be any more violence in your land, no more devastation and destruction within your borders. You will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

19 The sun will no longer be your light by day, nor will the moon shine for illumination at night; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

You won't need the light of the sun during the day, or the light of the moon at night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

20 Your sun shall no more go down, neither shall your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended.

Your sun will never set, and your moon will never wane, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your time of mourning will end.

21 Your people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

All your people will be good, and they will own the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted with my hands, and they will reveal my glory.

22 The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation; I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time."

The smallest of your families will increase to a thousand, and the most insignificant will become a great nation. I am the Lord; at the right time I will do this quickly.