Isaiah 62-64

New Living Translation

62 Because I love Zion,
    I will not keep still.
Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem,
    I cannot remain silent.
I will not stop praying for her
    until her righteousness shines like the dawn,
    and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
² The nations will see your righteousness.
    World leaders will be blinded by your glory.
And you will be given a new name
    by the Lord’s own mouth.
³ The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—
    a splendid crown in the hand of God.
⁴ Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City”^[a]
    or “The Desolate Land.”^[b]
Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight”^[c]
    and “The Bride of God,”^[d]
for the Lord delights in you
    and will claim you as his bride.
⁵ Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem,
    just as a young man commits himself to his bride.
Then God will rejoice over you
    as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

63 Who is this who comes from Edom,
    from the city of Bozrah,
    with his clothing stained red?
Who is this in royal robes,
    marching in his great strength?

⁷ I will tell of the Lord’s unfailing love.
    I will praise the Lord for all he has done.
I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel,
    which he has granted according to his mercy and love.
⁸ He said, “They are my very own people.
    Surely they will not betray me again.”
    And he became their Savior.
⁹ In all their suffering he also suffered,
    and he personally^[f] rescued them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them.
    He lifted them up and carried them
    through all the years.
¹⁰ But they rebelled against him
    and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he became their enemy
    and fought against them.

¹⁵ Lord, look down from heaven;
    look from your holy, glorious home, and see us.
Where is the passion and the might
    you used to show on our behalf?
    Where are your mercy and compassion now?
¹⁶ Surely you are still our Father!
    Even if Abraham and Jacob^[g] would disown us,
Lord, you would still be our Father.
    You are our Redeemer from ages past.
¹⁷ Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path?
    Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you?
Return and help us, for we are your servants,
    the tribes that are your special possession.
¹⁸ How briefly your holy people possessed your holy place,
    and now our enemies have destroyed it.
¹⁹ Sometimes it seems as though we never belonged to you,
    as though we had never been known as your people.

64 ^[h]Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!
    How the mountains would quake in your presence!
^2 [i]As fire causes wood to burn
    and water to boil,
your coming would make the nations tremble.
    Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!
³ When you came down long ago,
    you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations.
    And oh, how the mountains quaked!
⁴ For since the world began,
    no ear has heard
and no eye has seen a God like you,
    who works for those who wait for him!
⁵ You welcome those who gladly do good,
    who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us,
    for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
    how can people like us be saved?
⁶ We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
    and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
⁷ Yet no one calls on your name
    or pleads with you for mercy.
Therefore, you have turned away from us
    and turned us over^[j] to our sins.