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Injustice and Oppression to Be Punished

59 See, the Lord’s arm is not too short to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.(A)
Rather, your iniquities have been barriers
    between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
    so that he does not hear.(B)
For your hands are defiled with blood
    and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies;
    your tongue mutters wickedness.(C)
No one brings suit justly;
    no one goes to law honestly;
they rely on empty pleas; they speak lies,
    conceiving mischief and bearing iniquity.(D)
They hatch adders’ eggs
    and weave the spider’s web;
whoever eats their eggs dies,
    and the crushed egg hatches out a viper.(E)
Their webs cannot serve as clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.
Their works are works of iniquity,
    and deeds of violence are in their hands.(F)
Their feet run to evil,
    and they rush to shed innocent blood;
their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
    desolation and destruction are in their highways.(G)
The way of peace they do not know,
    and there is no justice in their ways.
Their roads they have made crooked;
    no one who walks in them knows peace.(H)

Therefore justice is far from us,
    and deliverance does not reach us;
we wait for light, but there is only darkness;
    and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.(I)
10 We grope like the blind along a wall,
    groping like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
    among the vigorous[a] as though we were dead.(J)
11 We all growl like bears;
    like doves we moan mournfully.
We wait for justice, but there is none;
    for salvation, but it is far from us.(K)
12 For our transgressions before you are many,
    and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions indeed are with us,
    and we know our iniquities:(L)
13 transgressing and denying the Lord
    and turning away from following our God,
talking oppression and revolt,
    conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart.(M)
14 Justice is turned back,
    and deliverance stands at a distance,
for truth stumbles in the public square,
    and uprightness cannot enter.(N)
15 Truth is lacking,
    and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
    that there was no justice.(O)
16 He saw that there was no one
    and was appalled that there was no one to intervene,
so his own arm brought him victory,
    and his righteousness upheld him.(P)
17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate
    and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing
    and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle.(Q)
18 According to their deeds, so will he repay
    wrath to his adversaries, requital to his enemies;
    to the coastlands he will render requital.(R)
19 So those in the west shall fear the name of the Lord,
    and those in the east, his glory,
for he will come like a pent-up stream
    that the wind of the Lord drives on.(S)

20 And he will come to Zion as Redeemer,
    to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, says the Lord.(T)

21 And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my spirit that is upon you and my words that I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth or out of the mouths of your children or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from now on and forever.(U)

The Ingathering of the Dispersed

60 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.(V)
For darkness shall cover the earth
    and thick darkness the peoples,
but the Lord will arise upon you,
    and his glory will appear over you.(W)
Nations shall come to your light
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.(X)

Lift up your eyes and look around;
    they all gather together; they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
    and your daughters shall be carried in their nurses’ arms.(Y)
Then you shall see and be radiant;
    your heart shall thrill and rejoice,[b]
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you;
    the wealth of the nations shall come to you.(Z)
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
    the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
    all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense
    and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.(AA)
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you;
    the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
they shall be acceptable on my altar,[c]
    and I will glorify my glorious house.(AB)

Who are these that fly like a cloud
    and like doves to their windows?
For the coastlands shall wait for me,
    the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from far away,
    their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God
    and for the Holy One of Israel,
    because he has glorified you.(AC)
10 Foreigners shall build up your walls,
    and their kings shall minister to you,
for in my wrath I struck you down,
    but in my favor I have had mercy on you.(AD)
11 Your gates shall always be open;
    day and night they shall not be shut,
so that nations shall bring you their wealth,
    with their kings led in procession.(AE)
12 For the nation and kingdom
    that will not serve you shall perish;
    those nations shall be utterly laid waste.(AF)
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
    the cypress, the plane, and the pine,
to beautify the place of my sanctuary,
    and I will glorify where my feet rest.(AG)
14 The descendants of those who oppressed you
    shall come bending low to you,
and all who despised you
    shall bow down at your feet;
they shall call you the City of the Lord,
    the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.(AH)
15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
    with no one passing through,
I will make you majestic forever,
    a joy from age to age.(AI)
16 You shall suck the milk of nations;
    you shall suck the breasts of kings,
and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior
    and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.(AJ)

17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold;
    instead of iron I will bring silver;
instead of wood, bronze;
    instead of stones, iron.
I will appoint Peace as your overseer
    and Righteousness as your taskmaster.
18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land,
    devastation or destruction within your borders;
you shall call your walls Salvation
    and your gates Praise.(AK)

God the Glory of Zion

19 The sun shall no longer be
    your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
    give light to you by night,[d]
but the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your God will be your glory.(AL)
20 Your sun shall no more go down
    or your moon withdraw itself,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your days of mourning shall be ended.(AM)
21 Your people shall all be righteous;
    they shall possess the land forever.
They are the shoot that I planted, the work of my hands,
    so that I might be glorified.(AN)
22 The least of them shall become a clan
    and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will accomplish it quickly.(AO)

The Good News of Deliverance

61 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me
    because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
    to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and release to the prisoners,(AP)
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
    to comfort all who mourn,(AQ)
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.(AR)
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.(AS)

Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks;
    foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines,(AT)
but you shall be called priests of the Lord;
    you shall be named ministers of our God;
you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations,
    and in their riches you shall glory.(AU)
Because their[e] shame was double
    and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot,
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
    everlasting joy shall be theirs.(AV)

For I, the Lord, love justice,
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing;[f]
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.(AW)
Their descendants shall be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge
    that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.(AX)
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my whole being shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.(AY)
11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to spring up before all the nations.(AZ)

The Vindication and Salvation of Zion

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
    and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn
    and her salvation like a burning torch.(BA)
The nations shall see your vindication
    and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will give.(BB)
You shall be a beautiful crown in the hand of the Lord
    and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.(BC)
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
    and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her
    and your land Married,
for the Lord delights in you,
    and your land shall be married.(BD)
For as a young man marries a young woman,
    so shall your builder[g] marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
    so shall your God rejoice over you.(BE)
Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
    I have posted sentinels;
all day and all night
    they shall never be silent.
You who remind the Lord,
    take no rest,(BF)
and give him no rest
    until he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes it renowned throughout the earth.(BG)
The Lord has sworn by his right hand
    and by his mighty arm:
I will not again give your grain
    to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink the wine
    for which you have labored,(BH)
but those who harvest it shall eat it
    and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
    in my holy courts.(BI)

10 Go through, go through the gates;
    prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
    clear it of stones;
    lift up an ensign over the peoples.(BJ)
11 The Lord has proclaimed
    to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion,
    “Look, your savior comes;
his reward is with him
    and his recompense before him.”(BK)
12 They shall be called, “The Holy People,
    The Redeemed of the Lord,”
and you shall be called, “Sought Out,
    A City Not Forsaken.”(BL)

Vengeance on Edom

63 “Who is this coming from Edom,
    from Bozrah in garments stained crimson?
Who is this so splendidly robed,
    marching in his great might?”

“It is I, announcing vindication,
    mighty to save.”(BM)

“Why are your robes red
    and your garments like theirs who tread the winepress?”(BN)

“I have trodden the winepress alone,
    and from the peoples no one was with me;
I trod them in my anger
    and trampled them in my wrath;
their juice spattered on my garments,
    and I stained all my robes.(BO)
For the day of vengeance was in my mind,
    and the year for my redeeming work had come.(BP)
I looked, but there was no helper;
    I was abandoned, and there was no one to sustain me,
so my own arm brought me victory,
    and my wrath sustained me.(BQ)
I trampled down peoples in my anger;
    I crushed them[h] in my wrath,
    and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”(BR)

God’s Mercy Remembered

I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord,
    the praiseworthy acts of the Lord,
because of all that the Lord has done for us
    and the great favor to the house of Israel
that he has shown them according to his mercy,
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love.(BS)
For he said, “Surely they are my people,
    children who will not act deceitfully,”
and he became their savior
    in all their distress.
It was no messenger or angel
    but his presence that saved them;
in his love and pity it was he who redeemed them;
    he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.(BT)

10 But they rebelled
    and grieved his holy spirit;
therefore he became their enemy;
    he himself fought against them.(BU)
11 Then they[i] remembered the days of old,
    of Moses his servant.[j]
Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea
    with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is the one who put within them
    his holy spirit,(BV)
12 who caused his glorious arm
    to march at the right hand of Moses,
who divided the waters before them
    to make for himself an everlasting name,(BW)
13     who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
    they did not stumble.(BX)
14 Like cattle that go down into the valley,
    the spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
Thus you led your people,
    to make for yourself a glorious name.(BY)

A Prayer of Penitence

15 Look down from heaven and see,
    from your holy and glorious habitation.
Where are your zeal and your might?
    Your great pity and your compassion are withheld from me.(BZ)
16 For you are our father,
    though Abraham does not know us
    and Israel does not acknowledge us;
you, O Lord, are our father;
    our Redeemer from of old is your name.(CA)
17 Why, O Lord, do you let us stray from your ways
    and let our heart harden, so that we do not fear you?
Turn back for the sake of your servants,
    the tribes that are your heritage.(CB)
18 Your holy people took possession for a little while,
    but now our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.(CC)
19 We have long been like those whom you do not rule,
    like those not called by your name.(CD)

Footnotes

  1. 59.10 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 60.5 Heb be enlarged
  3. 60.7 Q ms Heb mss Gk Syr Tg: MT will ascend on the favor of my altar
  4. 60.19 Q ms Gk OL Tg: MT lacks by night
  5. 61.7 Heb your
  6. 61.8 Or robbery with a burnt offering
  7. 62.5 Cn: Heb your sons
  8. 63.6 Heb mss: MT I made them drunk
  9. 63.11 Heb he
  10. 63.11 Cn: Heb his people

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm(A) of the Lord is not too short(B) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.(C)
But your iniquities have separated(D)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.(E)
For your hands are stained with blood,(F)
    your fingers with guilt.(G)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(H)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice;(I)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(J) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(K)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(L)
They hatch the eggs of vipers(M)
    and spin a spider’s web.(N)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(O)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence(P) are in their hands.
Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.(Q)
They pursue evil schemes;(R)
    acts of violence mark their ways.(S)
The way of peace they do not know;(T)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(U)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.(V)

So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(W)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(X) we grope along the wall,
    feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(Y) as if it were twilight;
    among the strong, we are like the dead.(Z)
11 We all growl like bears;
    we moan mournfully like doves.(AA)
We look for justice, but find none;
    for deliverance, but it is far away.

12 For our offenses(AB) are many in your sight,
    and our sins testify(AC) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
    and we acknowledge our iniquities:(AD)
13 rebellion(AE) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs(AF) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(AG)
    uttering lies(AH) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(AI) is driven back,
    and righteousness(AJ) stands at a distance;
truth(AK) has stumbled in the streets,
    honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(AL) is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.(AM)
16 He saw that there was no one,(AN)
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(AO)
so his own arm achieved salvation(AP) for him,
    and his own righteousness(AQ) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(AR)
    and the helmet(AS) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(AT) of vengeance(AU)
    and wrapped himself in zeal(AV) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
    so will he repay(AW)
wrath to his enemies
    and retribution to his foes;
    he will repay the islands(AX) their due.
19 From the west,(AY) people will fear the name of the Lord,
    and from the rising of the sun,(AZ) they will revere his glory.(BA)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
    that the breath(BB) of the Lord drives along.[a]

20 “The Redeemer(BC) will come to Zion,(BD)
    to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”(BE)
declares the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant(BF) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,(BG) who is on you, will not depart from you,(BH) and my words that I have put in your mouth(BI) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

The Glory of Zion

60 “Arise,(BJ) shine, for your light(BK) has come,
    and the glory(BL) of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness(BM) covers the earth
    and thick darkness(BN) is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
Nations(BO) will come to your light,(BP)
    and kings(BQ) to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble(BR) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,(BS)
    and your daughters(BT) are carried on the hip.(BU)
Then you will look and be radiant,(BV)
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;(BW)
the wealth(BX) on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
Herds of camels(BY) will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian(BZ) and Ephah.(CA)
And all from Sheba(CB) will come,
    bearing gold and incense(CC)
    and proclaiming the praise(CD) of the Lord.
All Kedar’s(CE) flocks will be gathered to you,
    the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings(CF) on my altar,(CG)
    and I will adorn my glorious temple.(CH)

“Who are these(CI) that fly along like clouds,(CJ)
    like doves to their nests?
Surely the islands(CK) look to me;
    in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,[b](CL)
bringing(CM) your children from afar,
    with their silver and gold,(CN)
to the honor(CO) of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One(CP) of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.(CQ)

10 “Foreigners(CR) will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings(CS) will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
    in favor(CT) I will show you compassion.(CU)
11 Your gates(CV) will always stand open,
    they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations(CW)
    their kings(CX) led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve(CY) you will perish;
    it will be utterly ruined.(CZ)

13 “The glory of Lebanon(DA) will come to you,
    the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,(DB)
to adorn my sanctuary;(DC)
    and I will glorify the place for my feet.(DD)
14 The children of your oppressors(DE) will come bowing before you;
    all who despise you will bow down(DF) at your feet
and will call you the City(DG) of the Lord,
    Zion(DH) of the Holy One(DI) of Israel.

15 “Although you have been forsaken(DJ) and hated,
    with no one traveling(DK) through,
I will make you the everlasting pride(DL)
    and the joy(DM) of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
    and be nursed(DN) at royal breasts.
Then you will know(DO) that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(DP)
    your Redeemer,(DQ) the Mighty One of Jacob.(DR)
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,(DS)
    and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
    and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace(DT) your governor
    and well-being your ruler.(DU)
18 No longer will violence(DV) be heard in your land,
    nor ruin or destruction(DW) within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation(DX)
    and your gates Praise.(DY)
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
    nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,(DZ)
    and your God will be your glory.(EA)
20 Your sun(EB) will never set again,
    and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your days of sorrow(EC) will end.
21 Then all your people will be righteous(ED)
    and they will possess(EE) the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,(EF)
    the work of my hands,(EG)
    for the display of my splendor.(EH)
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
    the smallest a mighty nation.(EI)
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will do this swiftly.”(EJ)

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit(EK) of the Sovereign Lord(EL) is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed(EM) me
    to proclaim good news(EN) to the poor.(EO)
He has sent me to bind up(EP) the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom(EQ) for the captives(ER)
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[c]
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor(ES)
    and the day of vengeance(ET) of our God,
to comfort(EU) all who mourn,(EV)
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown(EW) of beauty
    instead of ashes,(EX)
the oil(EY) of joy
    instead of mourning,(EZ)
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting(FA) of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.(FB)

They will rebuild the ancient ruins(FC)
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
Strangers(FD) will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
And you will be called priests(FE) of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth(FF) of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of your shame(FG)
    you will receive a double(FH) portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit(FI) a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy(FJ) will be yours.

“For I, the Lord, love justice;(FK)
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant(FL) with them.
Their descendants(FM) will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”(FN)

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices(FO) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,(FP)
as a bridegroom adorns his head(FQ) like a priest,
    and as a bride(FR) adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden(FS) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness(FT)
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Zion’s New Name

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,(FU)
    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication(FV) shines out like the dawn,(FW)
    her salvation(FX) like a blazing torch.
The nations(FY) will see your vindication,
    and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name(FZ)
    that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
You will be a crown(GA) of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
    a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted,(GB)
    or name your land Desolate.(GC)
But you will be called Hephzibah,[d](GD)
    and your land Beulah[e];
for the Lord will take delight(GE) in you,
    and your land will be married.(GF)
As a young man marries a young woman,
    so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom(GG) rejoices over his bride,
    so will your God rejoice(GH) over you.

I have posted watchmen(GI) on your walls, Jerusalem;
    they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
    give yourselves no rest,(GJ)
and give him no rest(GK) till he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes her the praise(GL) of the earth.

The Lord has sworn(GM) by his right hand
    and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain(GN)
    as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
    for which you have toiled;
but those who harvest it will eat(GO) it
    and praise the Lord,(GP)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
    in the courts of my sanctuary.”(GQ)

10 Pass through, pass through the gates!(GR)
    Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!(GS)
    Remove the stones.
Raise a banner(GT) for the nations.

11 The Lord has made proclamation
    to the ends of the earth:(GU)
“Say to Daughter Zion,(GV)
    ‘See, your Savior comes!(GW)
See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.’”(GX)
12 They will be called(GY) the Holy People,(GZ)
    the Redeemed(HA) of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
    the City No Longer Deserted.(HB)

God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

63 Who is this coming from Edom,(HC)
    from Bozrah,(HD) with his garments stained crimson?(HE)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
    striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(HF)

“It is I, proclaiming victory,
    mighty to save.”(HG)

Why are your garments red,
    like those of one treading the winepress?(HH)

“I have trodden the winepress(HI) alone;
    from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(HJ) them in my anger
    and trod them down in my wrath;(HK)
their blood spattered my garments,(HL)
    and I stained all my clothing.
It was for me the day of vengeance;(HM)
    the year for me to redeem had come.
I looked, but there was no one(HN) to help,
    I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(HO) achieved salvation for me,
    and my own wrath sustained me.(HP)
I trampled(HQ) the nations in my anger;
    in my wrath I made them drunk(HR)
    and poured their blood(HS) on the ground.”

Praise and Prayer

I will tell of the kindnesses(HT) of the Lord,
    the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things(HU)
    he has done for Israel,
    according to his compassion(HV) and many kindnesses.
He said, “Surely they are my people,(HW)
    children who will be true to me”;
    and so he became their Savior.(HX)
In all their distress he too was distressed,
    and the angel(HY) of his presence(HZ) saved them.[f]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(IA) them;
    he lifted them up and carried(IB) them
    all the days of old.(IC)
10 Yet they rebelled(ID)
    and grieved his Holy Spirit.(IE)
So he turned and became their enemy(IF)
    and he himself fought(IG) against them.

11 Then his people recalled[g] the days of old,
    the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(IH)
    with the shepherd of his flock?(II)
Where is he who set
    his Holy Spirit(IJ) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(IK) of power
    to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters(IL) before them,
    to gain for himself everlasting renown,(IM)
13 who led(IN) them through the depths?(IO)
Like a horse in open country,
    they did not stumble;(IP)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
    they were given rest(IQ) by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is how you guided your people
    to make for yourself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven(IR) and see,
    from your lofty throne,(IS) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(IT) and your might?
    Your tenderness and compassion(IU) are withheld(IV) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(IW)
    though Abraham does not know us
    or Israel acknowledge(IX) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
    our Redeemer(IY) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(IZ) from your ways
    and harden our hearts(JA) so we do not revere(JB) you?
Return(JC) for the sake of your servants,
    the tribes that are your inheritance.(JD)
18 For a little while(JE) your people possessed your holy place,
    but now our enemies have trampled(JF) down your sanctuary.(JG)
19 We are yours from of old;
    but you have not ruled over them,
    they have not been called[h] by your name.(JH)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
  2. Isaiah 60:9 Or the trading ships
  3. Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind
  4. Isaiah 62:4 Hephzibah means my delight is in her.
  5. Isaiah 62:4 Beulah means married.
  6. Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
  7. Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
  8. Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called

59 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.

The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;

13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.

20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

60 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.

All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.

Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

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

14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee; The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 Whereas thou has been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.

61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

62 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,

And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:

But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.

10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.

11 Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

63 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?

I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.

And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.

In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?

12 That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?

13 That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?

14 As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?

16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

17 O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

18 The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.

19 We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name.