Isaiah 52
1 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion, Put on the garments of thy beauty, Jerusalem — the Holy City; For enter no more into thee again, Do the uncircumcised and unclean.
[You people who live in the] holy city of Jerusalem [APO], wake up! Be strong again! Show that [MTY] your city is beautiful and glorious; foreigners who do not believe in God will not enter your city again [to attack you].
2 Shake thyself from dust, arise, sit, O Jerusalem, Bands of thy neck have loosed themselves, O captive, daughter of Zion.
People of Jerusalem, get up from [humbly] sitting in the dust and sit in places where people are honored! You people who have returned from being exiled, take off from your neck the chains which were fastened around you [as slaves in Babylonia],
3 For thus said Jehovah: 'For nought ye have been sold, And not by money are ye redeemed.'
because this is what Yahweh says: “[When you were taken to Babylonia], no one paid me for doing that. So now I will bring you back without [being required to] pay for you!”
4 For thus said the Lord Jehovah: 'To Egypt My people went down at first to sojourn there, And Asshur — for nought he hath oppressed it.
Yahweh [our] Lord [also] says this: “Long ago, my people went to Egypt to live there. [Later] they were being (oppressed/treated cruelly) by [the soldiers of] Assyria.
5 And now, what — to Me here, An affirmation of Jehovah, That taken is My people for nought? Its rulers cause howling, — an affirmation of Jehovah, And continually all the day My name is despised.
But now think about what is happening: My people are being forced to be slaves again, this time by the [people of Babylonia]. And [those who have conquered them this time have also] paid me nothing, and they despise me [MTY] continually [DOU].
6 Therefore doth My people know My name, Therefore, in that day, Surely I [am] He who is speaking, behold Me.'
But my people will then have a close relationship with [MTY] me, and when that happens, they will know that I am the one who predicted/promised [that it would happen]. It is I, [Yahweh, who will do it].”
7 How comely on the mountains, Have been the feet of one proclaiming tidings, Sounding peace, proclaiming good tidings, Sounding salvation, Saying to Zion, 'Reigned hath thy God.'
It is a wonderful thing when messengers [MTY] arrive on the mountains/hills, bringing good news, the news about [God giving us] peace and saving us, the news that the God to whom we [Israeli people] belong is now ruling/king!
8 The voice of thy watchmen! They have lifted up the voice, together they cry aloud, Because eye to eye they see, in Jehovah's turning back [to] Zion.
The watchmen [who are guarding the city] will shout and sing joyfully, because while they are watching they will see Yahweh returning to Jerusalem.
9 Break forth, sing together, O wastes of Jerusalem, For Jehovah hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem.
Jerusalem has been ruined, but the people who are there now should start to sing joyfully, because Yahweh will encourage his people; he will set his people free and bring them back to Jerusalem.
10 Jehovah hath made bare His holy arm Before the eyes of all the nations, And seen have all the ends of the earth, The salvation of our God.
Yahweh will show all the nations that he is holy and powerful. People in the most remote/distant places on earth will know that he has rescued his people.
11 Turn aside, turn aside, go out thence, The unclean touch not, go out from her midst, Be ye pure, who are bearing the weapons of Jehovah.
So, leave [the places where you were taken to when you were captured], where [everything is] unacceptable to God. You men who carry the items used for the worship of Yahweh, leave there [and return to Jerusalem], and purify yourselves [in order to be acceptable to worship God].
12 For not in haste do ye go out, Yea, with flight ye go not on, For going before you [is] Jehovah, And gathering you [is] the God of Israel!
But it will not [be necessary] for you to leave suddenly, to flee in panic, because Yahweh will (go in front of/lead) you; and he will [also] protect you [from being attacked] at the rear [while you travel].
13 Lo, My servant doth act wisely, He is high, and hath been lifted up, And hath been very high.
[Yahweh says], “Listen carefully! My servant will act wisely (OR, do the right things to accomplish what he wants to), and I will highly exalt him.”
14 As astonished at thee have been many, (So marred by man his appearance, And his form by sons of men.)
But many people will be appalled when they see what has happened to him. [Because of his being beaten very badly], his appearance will be changed; people will hardly recognize that he is a human.
15 So doth he sprinkle many nations. Concerning him kings shut their mouth, For that which was not recounted to them they have seen, And that which they had not heard they have understood!
But he will cause [people of] many nations to be surprised; [even] kings will be silent when they stand in front of him, because they will see someone that no one had told them about [previously], and they will understand things that they had not heard about [before].
