Isaiah 59-63
GOD’S WORD Translation
The Lord Will Turn His People from Wrongdoing
59 The Lord is not too weak to save
or his ear too deaf to hear.
2 But your wrongs have separated you from your God,
and your sins have made him hide his face
so that he doesn’t hear you.
3 Your hands are stained with blood,
and your fingers are stained with sin.
You speak lies,
and you mutter wicked things.
4 No one calls for justice,
and no one pleads his case truthfully.
People trust pointless arguments and speak lies.
They conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
5 They hatch viper eggs
and weave spiderwebs.
Those who eat their eggs will die.
When an egg is crushed, a poisonous snake is hatched.
6 Their webs can’t be used for clothes,
nor can they cover themselves with their works.
Their works are evil.
Their hands have committed acts of violence.
7 Their feet run to do evil.
They hurry to shed innocent blood.
Their plans are evil.
Ruin and destruction are on their highways.
8 They don’t know the way of peace.
There’s no justice on their highways.
They’ve made their paths crooked.
Whoever walks on them will never know peace.
9 That is why justice is far from us,
and righteousness doesn’t reach us.
We hope for light, but we walk in darkness.
We hope for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We grope like blind men along a wall.
We grope like people without eyes.
We stumble at noon as if it were twilight.
We are like dead people among healthy people.
11 We all growl like bears.
We coo like doves.
We hope for justice, but there is none.
We hope for salvation, but it’s far from us.
12 You are aware of our many rebellious acts.
Our sins testify against us.
Our rebellious acts are with us.
We know our wrongdoings.
13 We have rebelled and denied the Lord.
We have turned away from our God.
We have spoken about oppression and revolt.
We have conceived and uttered lies in our hearts.
14 Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far away.
Truth has fallen in the street,
and honesty can’t come in.
15 Truth is missing.
Those who turn away from evil make themselves victims.
The Lord sees it, and he’s angry
because there’s no justice.
16 He sees that there’s no one to help.
He’s astounded that there’s no one to intercede.
So with his own power he wins a victory.
His righteousness supports him.
17 He puts on righteousness like a coat of armor
and a helmet of salvation on his head.
He wears clothes of vengeance.
He wraps himself with fury as a coat.
18 He will pay them back according to their deeds.
He will pay back his opponents with wrath and punish his enemies.
He will pay back the people who live on the coastlands.
19 The people of the west will fear the name of the Lord.
Those in the east will fear his glory.
He will come like a rushing stream.
The wind of the Lord pushes him.
20 “Then a Savior will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who turn from rebellion,” declares the Lord.
21 “This is my promise [a] to them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I put in your mouth will not leave you. They will be with your children and your grandchildren permanently,” says the Lord.
The Lord Will Be Jerusalem’s Glory
60 Arise! Shine! Your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has dawned.
2 Darkness now covers the earth,
and thick darkness covers the nations.
But the Lord dawns,
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings will come to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Look up, look around, and watch.
All of your people assemble and come to you.
Your sons come from far away.
Your daughters are carried in their arms.
5 Then you will see this and rejoice,
and your heart will be thrilled with joy,
because the riches of the sea will be brought to you.
The wealth of the nations will come to you.
6 “Many camels will cover your ⌞land⌟,
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
Everyone from Sheba will come.
They will bring gold and incense.
They will sing the praises of the Lord.
7 All of the flocks from Kedar will gather and come to you.
The rams of Nebaioth will serve you.
They will be sacrificed as acceptable ⌞offerings⌟ on my altar.
So I will honor my beautiful temple.
8 “Who are these people that fly by like clouds,
like doves to their nests?
9 Certainly, the coastlands wait with hope for me.
The ships from Tarshish are the first to bring your children
from far away.
Their silver and their gold comes with them
to honor the name of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
because he has honored you.
10 “Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you.
In my anger I struck you,
but in my favor I have compassion on you.
11 Your gates will always be open.
They will never be closed day or night
so that people may bring you the wealth of nations,
with their kings led as prisoners.
12 Nations and kingdoms that do not serve you will be destroyed.
The nations will certainly be ruined.
13 “Lebanon’s glory will come to you:
Cedar, fir, and cypress trees will come to beautify my holy place,
and I will honor the place where my feet rest.
14 The descendants of those who oppress you will bow in front of you.
All who despise you will bow at your feet.
They will call you the city of the Lord,
Zion, the city of the Holy One of Israel.
15 “You have been abandoned and hated; no one has passed through you.
But now I will make you a source of everlasting pride,
a joy for all generations.
16 You will drink milk from other nations
and nurse at royal breasts.
Then you will know that I am the Lord, your Savior,
the Mighty One of Jacob, your Defender.
17 I will bring gold instead of bronze.
I will bring silver instead of iron,
bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stone.
I will appoint peace as your governor and righteousness as your ruler.
18 No longer will you hear about violence in your land
or desolation and destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
19 The sun will no longer be your light during the day,
nor will the brightness of the moon give you light,
But the Lord will be your everlasting light.
Your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will no longer go down,
nor will your moon disappear.
The Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sadness will be over.
21 Then all your people will be righteous,
and they will possess the land permanently.
They will be the seedling I have planted,
the honored work of my hands.
22 The smallest of them will become a family.
The weakest of them will become a mighty nation.
At the right time I, the Lord, will make it happen quickly.”
The Lord Will Anoint His Servant with His Spirit
61 The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is with me
because the Lord has anointed me
to deliver good news to humble people.
He has sent me
to heal those who are brokenhearted,
to announce that captives will be set free
and prisoners will be released.
2 ⌞He has sent me⌟
to announce the year of the Lord’s good will
and the day of our God’s vengeance,
to comfort all those who grieve.
3 ⌞He has sent me⌟
to provide for all those who grieve in Zion,
to give them crowns instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of ⌞tears of⌟ grief,
and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness.
They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
the Plantings of the Lord,
so that he might display his glory.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins.
They will restore the places destroyed long ago.
They will renew the ruined cities, the places destroyed generations ago.
5 Foreigners will come forward and become shepherds for your flocks,
and children of foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called the priests of the Lord.
You will be called the servants of our God.
You will consume the wealth of the nations.
You will boast in their splendor.
7 You will receive a double measure of wealth instead of your shame.
You will sing about your wealth instead of being disgraced.
That is why you will have a double measure of wealth in your land.
You will have everlasting joy.
8 I, the Lord, love justice.
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will faithfully reward my people’s work.
I will make an everlasting promise [b] to them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations
and their descendants among the people.
Everyone who sees them will recognize
that they are the descendants whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I will find joy in the Lord.
I will delight in my God.
He has dressed me in the clothes of salvation.
He has wrapped me in the robe of righteousness
like a bridegroom with a priest’s turban,
like a bride with her jewels.
11 Like the ground that brings forth its crops
and like a garden that makes the seed in it grow,
so the Almighty Lord will make righteousness and praise
spring up in front of all nations.
Jerusalem’s Salvation Is Coming
62 For Zion’s sake I will not remain silent.
For Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until its righteousness shines like the dawn
and its salvation burns brightly like a torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness.
All kings will see your glory.
You will be given a new name
that the Lord will announce.
3 Then you will be a beautiful crown in the hand of the Lord,
a royal crown in the hand of your God.
4 You will no longer be called Deserted,
and your land will no longer be called Destroyed.
But you will be named My Delight,
and your land will be named Married.
The Lord is delighted with you,
and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a woman,
so your sons will marry you.
As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so your God will rejoice over you.
6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem.
They will never be silent day or night.
Whoever calls on the Lord, do not give yourselves any rest,
7 and do not give him any rest until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it an object of praise throughout the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn with his right hand and with his mighty arm,
“I will never again let your enemies eat your grain,
nor will foreigners drink the new wine which you made.”
9 Those who harvest grain
will eat it and praise the Lord.
Those who gather grapes
will drink wine in my holy courtyards.
10 Go through! Go through the gates!
Prepare a way for the people!
Build up! Build up the highway!
Clear away the stones!
Raise a flag for the people!
11 The Lord has announced to the ends of the earth:
“Tell my people Zion,
‘Your Savior is coming.
His reward is with him,
and the people he has won arrive ahead of him.’ ”
12 They will be called Holy People, Those Reclaimed by the Lord,
and you will be called Sought After, a City Not Deserted.
The Lord Alone Wins His Victory
63 Who is this coming from Bozrah in Edom
with his clothes stained bright red?
Who is this dressed in splendor,
going forward with great strength?
“It is I, the Lord. I am coming to announce my victory.
I am powerful enough to save ⌞you⌟.”
2 Why are your clothes red
and your garments like those who trample grapes in a winepress?
3 “I have trampled alone in the winepress.
No one was with me.
In my anger I trampled on people.
In my wrath I stomped on them.
Their blood splattered my clothes
so all my clothing has been stained.
4 I planned the day of vengeance.
The year for my reclaiming ⌞you⌟ has come.
5 I looked, but there was no help.
I was astounded that there was no ⌞outside⌟ support.
So with my own power I won a victory.
My anger supported me.
6 In my anger I trampled on people.
In my wrath I made them drunk
and poured their blood on the ground.”
The Lord’s People Pray for His Help
7 I will acknowledge the Lord’s acts of mercy,
and ⌞sing⌟ the praises of the Lord,
because of everything that the Lord has done for us.
He has done many good things for the nation of Israel
because of his compassion and his unlimited mercy.
8 He said, “They are my people,
children who will not lie to me.”
So he became their Savior.
9 In all their troubles he was troubled,
and he was the Messenger who saved them.
In his love and compassion he reclaimed them.
He always held them and carried them in the past.
10 But they rebelled and offended his Holy Spirit.
So he turned against them as their enemy; he fought against them.
11 Then his people remembered Moses and the distant past.
Where is the one who brought them out of the sea
with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is the one who put his Holy Spirit in them?
12 Where is the one who sent his powerful arm
to support the right hand of Moses?
Where is the one who divided the water in front of them
to make an everlasting name for himself?
13 Where is the one who led them through the deep water?
Like horses in the wilderness,
they didn’t stumble.
14 Like animals going down into a valley,
they were given rest by the Lord’s Spirit.
In this way you guided your people
to make an honored name for yourself.
15 Look down and see from heaven, from your holy and beautiful dwelling.
Where is your determination and might?
Where is the longing of your heart and your compassion?
Don’t hold back.
16 You are our Father.
Even though Abraham doesn’t know us
and Israel doesn’t pay attention to us,
O Lord, you are our Father.
Your name is our Defender From Everlasting.
17 O Lord, why do you let us wander from your ways
and become so stubborn that we are unable to fear you?
Return for the sake of your servants.
They are the tribes that belong to you.
18 Your holy people possessed the land for a little while.
Our enemies have trampled on your holy place.
19 We have become like those whom you never ruled,
like those who are not called by your name.
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