Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

50 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorcen

with which I sent her away?

Or to which of my creditors

did I sello you?

Because of your sinsp you were sold;q

because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.

2 When I came, why was there no one?

When I called, why was there no one to answer?r

Was my arm too shorts to deliver you?

Do I lack the strengtht to rescue you?

By a mere rebukeu I dry up the sea,v

I turn rivers into a desert;w

their fish rot for lack of water

and die of thirst.

3 I clothe the heavens with darknessx

and make sackclothy its covering.”

4 The Sovereign Lordz has given me a well-instructed tongue,a

to know the word that sustains the weary.b

He wakens me morning by morning,c

wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.d

5 The Sovereign Lorde has opened my ears;f

I have not been rebellious,g

I have not turned away.

6 I offered my back to those who beath me,

my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;i

I did not hide my face

from mocking and spitting.j

7 Because the Sovereign Lordk helpsl me,

I will not be disgraced.

Therefore have I set my face like flint,m

and I know I will not be put to shame.n

8 He who vindicateso me is near.p

Who then will bring charges against me?q

Let us face each other!r

Who is my accuser?

Let him confront me!

9 It is the Sovereign Lords who helpst me.

Who will condemnu me?

They will all wear out like a garment;

the mothsv will eat them up.

10 Who among you fearsw the Lord

and obeysx the word of his servant?y

Let the one who walks in the dark,

who has no light,z

trusta in the name of the Lord

and rely on their God.

11 But now, all you who light fires

and provide yourselves with flaming torches,b

go, walk in the light of your firesc

and of the torches you have set ablaze.

This is what you shall receive from my hand:d

You will lie down in torment.e

Everlasting Salvation for Zion

51 “Listenf to me, you who pursue righteousnessg

and who seekh the Lord:

Look to the rocki from which you were cut

and to the quarry from which you were hewn;

2 look to Abraham,j your father,

and to Sarah, who gave you birth.

When I called him he was only one man,

and I blessed him and made him many.k

3 The Lord will surely comfortl Zionm

and will look with compassion on all her ruins;n

he will make her deserts like Eden,o

her wastelandsp like the garden of the Lord.

Joy and gladnessq will be found in her,

thanksgivingr and the sound of singing.

4 “Listen to me, my people;s

hear me,t my nation:

Instructionu will go out from me;

my justicev will become a light to the nations.w

5 My righteousness draws near speedily,

my salvationx is on the way,y

and my armz will bring justice to the nations.

The islandsa will look to me

and wait in hopeb for my arm.

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,

look at the earth beneath;

the heavens will vanish like smoke,c

the earth will wear out like a garmentd

and its inhabitants die like flies.

But my salvatione will last forever,f

my righteousness will never fail.g

7 “Hear me, you who know what is right,h

you people who have taken my instruction to heart:i

Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals

or be terrified by their insults.j

8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;k

the worml will devour them like wool.

But my righteousness will last forever,m

my salvation through all generations.”

9 Awake, awake,n armo of the Lord,

clothe yourself with strength!p

Awake, as in days gone by,

as in generations of old.q

Was it not you who cut Rahabr to pieces,

who pierced that monsters through?

10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,t

the waters of the great deep,u

who made a road in the depths of the seav

so that the redeemedw might cross over?

11 Those the Lord has rescuedx will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;y

everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joyz will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee away.a

12 “I, even I, am he who comfortsb you.

Who are you that you fearc mere mortals,d

human beings who are but grass,e

13 that you forgetf the Lord your Maker,g

who stretches out the heavensh

and who lays the foundations of the earth,

that you live in constant terrori every day

because of the wrath of the oppressor,

who is bent on destruction?

For where is the wrath of the oppressor?j

14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;k

they will not die in their dungeon,

nor will they lack bread.l

15 For I am the Lord your God,

who stirs up the seam so that its waves roarn—

the Lord Almightyo is his name.

16 I have put my words in your mouthp

and covered you with the shadow of my handq—

I who set the heavens in place,

who laid the foundations of the earth,r

and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.s’ ”

The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath

17 Awake, awake!t

Rise up, Jerusalem,

you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord

the cupu of his wrath,v

you who have drained to its dregsw

the goblet that makes people stagger.x

18 Among all the childreny she bore

there was none to guide her;z

among all the children she reared

there was none to take her by the hand.a

19 These double calamitiesb have come upon you—

who can comfort you?c—

ruin and destruction,d faminee and swordf—

who cana console you?

20 Your children have fainted;

they lie at every street corner,g

like antelope caught in a net.h

They are filled with the wrathi of the Lord,

with the rebukej of your God.

21 Therefore hear this, you afflictedk one,

made drunk,l but not with wine.

22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,

your God, who defendsm his people:

“See, I have taken out of your hand

the cupn that made you stagger;

from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,

you will never drink again.

23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,o

who said to you,

‘Fall prostratep that we may walkq on you.’

And you made your back like the ground,

like a street to be walked on.”r

52 Awake, awake,s Zion,

clothe yourself with strength!t

Put on your garments of splendor,u

Jerusalem, the holy city.v

The uncircumcisedw and defiledx

will not enter you again.y

2 Shake off your dust;z

rise up,a sit enthroned, Jerusalem.

Free yourself from the chains on your neck,b

Daughter Zion,c now a captive.

3 For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,d

and without moneye you will be redeemed.f”

4 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“At first my people went down to Egyptg to live;

lately, Assyriah has oppressed them.

5 “And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.

“For my people have been taken away for nothing,

and those who rule them mock,a”

declares the Lord.

“And all day long

my name is constantly blasphemed.i

6 Therefore my people will knowj my name;k

therefore in that dayl they will know

that it is I who foretoldm it.

Yes, it is I.”

7 How beautiful on the mountainsn

are the feet of those who bring good news,o

who proclaim peace,p

who bring good tidings,

who proclaim salvation,

who say to Zion,

“Your God reigns!”q

8 Listen! Your watchmenr lift up their voices;s

together they shout for joy.t

When the Lord returnsu to Zion,v

they will see it with their own eyes.

9 Burst into songs of joyw together,

you ruinsx of Jerusalem,

for the Lord has comfortedy his people,

he has redeemed Jerusalem.z

10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arma

in the sight of all the nations,b

and all the ends of the earthc will see

the salvationd of our God.

11 Depart,e depart, go out from there!

Touch no unclean thing!f

Come out from it and be pure,g

you who carry the articlesh of the Lord’s house.

12 But you will not leave in hastei

or go in flight;

for the Lord will go before you,j

the God of Israel will be your rear guard.k

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

13 See, my servantl will act wiselyb;

he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.m

14 Just as there were many who were appalledn at himc—

his appearance was so disfiguredo beyond that of any human being

and his form marred beyond human likenessp—

15 so he will sprinkleq many nations,d

and kingsr will shut their mouthss because of him.

For what they were not told, they will see,

and what they have not heard, they will understand.t

53 Who has believed our messageu

and to whom has the armv of the Lord been revealed?w

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,x

and like a rooty out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

nothing in his appearancez that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,

a man of suffering,a and familiar with pain.b

Like one from whom people hidec their faces

he was despised,d and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain

and bore our suffering,e

yet we considered him punished by God,f

stricken by him, and afflicted.g

5 But he was piercedh for our transgressions,i

he was crushedj for our iniquities;

the punishmentk that brought us peacel was on him,

and by his woundsm we are healed.n

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,o

each of us has turned to our own way;p

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquityq of us all.

7 He was oppressedr and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;s

he was led like a lambt to the slaughter,u

and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppressiona and judgmentv he was taken away.

Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;w

for the transgressionx of my people he was punished.b

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,y

and with the richz in his death,

though he had done no violence,a

nor was any deceit in his mouth.b

10 Yet it was the Lord’s willc to crushd him and cause him to suffer,e

and though the Lord makesc his life an offering for sin,f

he will see his offspringg and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosperh in his hand.

11 After he has suffered,i

he will see the lightj of lifed and be satisfiede;

by his knowledgef my righteous servantk will justifyl many,

and he will bear their iniquities.m

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,g n

and he will divide the spoilso with the strong,h

because he poured out his life unto death,p

and was numbered with the transgressors.q

For he borer the sin of many,s

and made intercessiont for the transgressors.

The Future Glory of Zion

54 “Sing, barren woman,u

you who never bore a child;

burst into song, shout for joy,v

you who were never in labor;w

because more are the childrenx of the desolatey woman

than of her who has a husband,z”

says the Lord.

2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,a

stretch your tent curtains wide,

do not hold back;

lengthen your cords,

strengthen your stakes.b

3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;

your descendantsc will dispossess nationsd

and settle in their desolatee cities.

4 “Do not be afraid;f you will not be put to shame.g

Do not fear disgrace;h you will not be humiliated.

You will forget the shame of your youthi

and remember no more the reproachj of your widowhood.k

5 For your Makerl is your husbandm—

the Lord Almighty is his name—

the Holy Onen of Israel is your Redeemer;o

he is called the God of all the earth.p

6 The Lord will call you backq

as if you were a wife desertedr and distressed in spirit—

a wife who married young,s

only to be rejected,” says your God.

7 “For a brief momentt I abandonedu you,

but with deep compassionv I will bring you back.w

8 In a surge of angerx

I hidy my face from you for a moment,

but with everlasting kindnessz

I will have compassiona on you,”

says the Lord your Redeemer.b

9 “To me this is like the days of Noah,

when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.c

So now I have swornd not to be angrye with you,

never to rebukef you again.

10 Though the mountains be shakeng

and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing loveh for you will not be shakeni

nor my covenantj of peacek be removed,”

says the Lord, who has compassionl on you.

11 “Afflictedm city, lashed by stormsn and not comforted,o

I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,a p

your foundationsq with lapis lazuli.r

12 I will make your battlements of rubies,

your gatess of sparkling jewels,

and all your walls of precious stones.

13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,t

and great will be their peace.u

14 In righteousnessv you will be established:w

Tyrannyx will be far from you;

you will have nothing to fear.y

Terrorz will be far removed;

it will not come near you.

15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;

whoever attacks you will surrendera to you.

16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmithb

who fans the coals into flame

and forges a weaponc fit for its work.

And it is I who have created the destroyerd to wreak havoc;

17 no weapon forged against you will prevail,e

and you will refutef every tongue that accuses you.

This is the heritage of the servantsg of the Lord,

and this is their vindicationh from me,”

declares the Lord.

Invitation to the Thirsty

55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,i

come to the waters;j

and you who have no money,

come, buyk and eat!

Come, buy wine and milkl

without money and without cost.m

2 Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?n

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,o

and you will delight in the richestp of fare.

3 Give ear and come to me;

listen,q that you may live.r

I will make an everlasting covenants with you,

my faithful lovet promised to David.u

4 See, I have made him a witnessv to the peoples,

a ruler and commanderw of the peoples.

5 Surely you will summon nationsx you know not,

and nations you do not know will come running to you,y

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy Onez of Israel,

for he has endowed you with splendor.”a

6 Seekb the Lord while he may be found;c

calld on him while he is near.

7 Let the wicked forsakee their ways

and the unrighteous their thoughts.f

Let them turng to the Lord, and he will have mercyh on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.i

8 “For my thoughtsj are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”k

declares the Lord.

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,l

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.m

10 As the rainn and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,o

so that it yields seedp for the sower and bread for the eater,q

11 so is my wordr that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,s

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purposet for which I sent it.

12 You will go out in joyu

and be led forth in peace;v

the mountains and hills

will burst into songw before you,

and all the treesx of the field

will clap their hands.y

13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,

and instead of briersz the myrtlea will grow.

This will be for the Lord’s renown,b

for an everlasting sign,

that will endure forever.”

Salvation for Others

56 This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justicec

and do what is right,d

for my salvatione is close at hand

and my righteousnessf will soon be revealed.

2 Blessedg is the one who does this—

the person who holds it fast,

who keeps the Sabbathh without desecrating it,

and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”

3 Let no foreigneri who is bound to the Lord say,

“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”j

And let no eunuchk complain,

“I am only a dry tree.”

4 For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchsl who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose what pleases me

and hold fast to my covenantm—

5 to them I will give within my temple and its wallsn

a memorialo and a name

better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting namep

that will endure forever.q

6 And foreignersr who bind themselves to the Lord

to ministers to him,

to love the namet of the Lord,

and to be his servants,

all who keep the Sabbathu without desecrating it

and who hold fast to my covenant—

7 these I will bring to my holy mountainv

and give them joy in my house of prayer.

Their burnt offerings and sacrificesw

will be accepted on my altar;

for my house will be called

a house of prayer for all nations.x”y

8 The Sovereign Lord declares—

he who gathers the exiles of Israel:

“I will gatherz still others to them

besides those already gathered.”

God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

9 Come, all you beasts of the field,a

come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!

10 Israel’s watchmenb are blind,

they all lack knowledge;c

they are all mute dogs,

they cannot bark;

they lie around and dream,

they love to sleep.d

11 They are dogs with mighty appetites;

they never have enough.

They are shepherdse who lack understanding;f

they all turn to their own way,g

they seek their own gain.h

12 “Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!i

Let us drink our fill of beer!

And tomorrow will be like today,

or even far better.”j

57 The righteous perish,k

and no one takes it to heart;l

the devout are taken away,

and no one understands

that the righteous are taken away

to be spared from evil.m

2 Those who walk uprightlyn

enter into peace;

they find resto as they lie in death.

3 “But you—come here, you children of a sorceress,p

you offspring of adulterersq and prostitutes!r

4 Who are you mocking?

At whom do you sneer

and stick out your tongue?

Are you not a brood of rebels,s

the offspring of liars?

5 You burn with lust among the oakst

and under every spreading tree;u

you sacrifice your childrenv in the ravines

and under the overhanging crags.

6 The idolsw among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;

indeed, they are your lot.

Yes, to them you have poured out drink offeringsx

and offered grain offerings.

In view of all this, should I relent?y

7 You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;z

there you went up to offer your sacrifices.a

8 Behind your doors and your doorposts

you have put your pagan symbols.

Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed,

you climbed into it and opened it wide;

you made a pact with those whose beds you love,b

and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.c

9 You went to Moleka d with olive oil

and increased your perfumes.e

You sent your ambassadorsb f far away;

you descended to the very realm of the dead!g

10 You weariedh yourself by such going about,

but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’i

You found renewal of your strength,j

and so you did not faint.

11 “Whom have you so dreaded and fearedk

that you have not been true to me,

and have neither rememberedl me

nor taken this to heart?m

Is it not because I have long been silentn

that you do not fear me?

12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,o

and they will not benefit you.

13 When you cry outp for help,

let your collection of idols saveq you!

The wind will carry all of them off,

a mere breath will blowr them away.

But whoever takes refuges in me

will inherit the landt

and possess my holy mountain.”u

Comfort for the Contrite

14 And it will be said:

“Build up, build up, prepare the road!v

Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”w

15 For this is what the high and exaltedx One says—

he who lives forever,y whose name is holy:

“I live in a highz and holy place,

but also with the one who is contritea and lowly in spirit,b

to revive the spirit of the lowly

and to revive the heart of the contrite.c

16 I will not accused them forever,

nor will I always be angry,e

for then they would faint away because of me—

the very peoplef I have created.

17 I was enraged by their sinful greed;g

I punished them, and hidh my face in anger,

yet they kept on in their willful ways.i

18 I have seen their ways, but I will healj them;

I will guidek them and restore comfortl to Israel’s mourners,

19 creating praise on their lips.m

Peace, peace,n to those far and near,”o

says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”

20 But the wickedp are like the tossing sea,q

which cannot rest,

whose waves cast up mirer and mud.

21 “There is no peace,”s says my God, “for the wicked.”t

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud,u do not hold back.

Raise your voice like a trumpet.v

Declare to my people their rebellionw

and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.x

2 For day after day they seeky me out;

they seem eager to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that does what is right

and has not forsakenz the commands of its God.

They ask me for just decisions

and seem eager for God to come neara them.

3 ‘Why have we fasted,’b they say,

‘and you have not seen it?

Why have we humbledc ourselves,

and you have not noticed?’d

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you pleasee

and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,f

and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

and expect your voice to be heardg on high.

5 Is this the kind of fasth I have chosen,

only a day for people to humblei themselves?

Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reedj

and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?k

Is that what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 “Is not this the kind of fastingl I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injusticem

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressedn free

and break every yoke?o

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungryp

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelterq—

when you see the naked, to clother them,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?s

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,t

and your healingu will quickly appear;

then your righteousnessa v will go before you,

and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.w

9 Then you will call,x and the Lord will answer;y

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing fingerz and malicious talk,a

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,b

then your lightc will rise in the darkness,

and your night will become like the noonday.d

11 The Lord will guidee you always;

he will satisfy your needsf in a sun-scorched landg

and will strengthenh your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,i

like a springj whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruinsk

and will raise up the age-old foundations;l

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,m

Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbathn

and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delighto

and the Lord’s holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way

and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,p

14 then you will find your joyq in the Lord,

and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heightsr of the land

and to feast on the inheritances of your father Jacob.”

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.t

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the armu of the Lord is not too shortv to save,

nor his ear too dull to hear.w

2 But your iniquities have separatedx

you from your God;

your sins have hidden his face from you,

so that he will not hear.y

3 For your hands are stained with blood,z

your fingers with guilt.a

Your lips have spoken falsely,b

and your tongue mutters wicked things.

4 No one calls for justice;c

no one pleads a case with integrity.

They relyd on empty arguments, they utter lies;e

they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.f

5 They hatch the eggs of vipersg

and spin a spider’s web.h

Whoever eats their eggs will die,

and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.

6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;

they cannot cover themselves with what they make.i

Their deeds are evil deeds,

and acts of violencej are in their hands.

7 Their feet rush into sin;

they are swift to shed innocent blood.k

They pursue evil schemes;l

acts of violence mark their ways.m

8 The way of peace they do not know;n

there is no justice in their paths.

They have turned them into crooked roads;o

no one who walks along them will know peace.p

9 So justice is far from us,

and righteousness does not reach us.

We look for light, but all is darkness;q

for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.

10 Like the blindr we grope along the wall,

feeling our way like people without eyes.

At midday we stumbles as if it were twilight;

among the strong, we are like the dead.t

11 We all growl like bears;

we moan mournfully like doves.u

We look for justice, but find none;

for deliverance, but it is far away.

12 For our offensesv are many in your sight,

and our sins testifyw against us.

Our offenses are ever with us,

and we acknowledge our iniquities:x

13 rebelliony and treachery against the Lord,

turning our backsz on our God,

inciting revolt and oppression,a

uttering liesb our hearts have conceived.

14 So justicec is driven back,

and righteousnessd stands at a distance;

truthe has stumbled in the streets,

honesty cannot enter.

15 Truthf is nowhere to be found,

and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased

that there was no justice.g

16 He saw that there was no one,h

he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;i

so his own arm achieved salvationj for him,

and his own righteousnessk sustained him.

17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,l

and the helmetm of salvation on his head;

he put on the garmentsn of vengeanceo

and wrapped himself in zealp as in a cloak.

18 According to what they have done,

so will he repayq

wrath to his enemies

and retribution to his foes;

he will repay the islandsr their due.

19 From the west,s people will fear the name of the Lord,

and from the rising of the sun,t they will revere his glory.u

For he will come like a pent-up flood

that the breathv of the Lord drives along.a

20 “The Redeemerw will come to Zion,x

to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”y

declares the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my covenantz with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,a who is on you, will not depart from you,b and my words that I have put in your mouthc 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,d shine, for your lighte has come,

and the gloryf of the Lord rises upon you.

2 See, darknessg covers the earth

and thick darknessh is over the peoples,

but the Lord rises upon you

and his glory appears over you.

3 Nationsi will come to your light,j

and kingsk to the brightness of your dawn.

4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:

All assemblel and come to you;

your sons come from afar,m

and your daughtersn are carried on the hip.o

5 Then you will look and be radiant,p

your heart will throb and swell with joy;q

the wealthr on the seas will be brought to you,

to you the riches of the nations will come.

6 Herds of camelss will cover your land,

young camels of Midiant and Ephah.u

And all from Shebav will come,

bearing gold and incensew

and proclaiming the praisex of the Lord.

7 All Kedar’sy flocks will be gathered to you,

the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;

they will be accepted as offeringsz on my altar,a

and I will adorn my glorious temple.b

8 “Who are thesec that fly along like clouds,d

like doves to their nests?

9 Surely the islandse look to me;

in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,a f

bringingg your children from afar,

with their silver and gold,h

to the honori of the Lord your God,

the Holy Onej of Israel,

for he has endowed you with splendor.k

10 “Foreignersl will rebuild your walls,

and their kingsm will serve you.

Though in anger I struck you,

in favorn I will show you compassion.o

11 Your gatesp will always stand open,

they will never be shut, day or night,

so that people may bring you the wealth of the nationsq—

their kingsr led in triumphal procession.

12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serves you will perish;

it will be utterly ruined.t

13 “The glory of Lebanonu will come to you,

the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,v

to adorn my sanctuary;w

and I will glorify the place for my feet.x

14 The children of your oppressorsy will come bowing before you;

all who despise you will bow downz at your feet

and will call you the Citya of the Lord,

Zionb of the Holy Onec of Israel.

15 “Although you have been forsakend and hated,

with no one travelinge through,

I will make you the everlasting pridef

and the joyg of all generations.

16 You will drink the milk of nations

and be nursedh at royal breasts.

Then you will knowi that I, the Lord, am your Savior,j

your Redeemer,k the Mighty One of Jacob.l

17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,m

and silver in place of iron.

Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,

and iron in place of stones.

I will make peacen your governor

and well-being your ruler.o

18 No longer will violencep be heard in your land,

nor ruin or destructionq within your borders,

but you will call your walls Salvationr

and your gates Praise.s

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,t

and your God will be your glory.u

20 Your sunv will never set again,

and your moon will wane no more;

the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and your days of sorroww will end.

21 Then all your people will be righteousx

and they will possessy the land forever.

They are the shoot I have planted,z

the work of my hands,a

for the display of my splendor.b

22 The least of you will become a thousand,

the smallest a mighty nation.c

I am the Lord;

in its time I will do this swiftly.”d

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirite of the Sovereign Lordf is on me,

because the Lord has anointedg me

to proclaim good newsh to the poor.i

He has sent me to bind upj the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedomk for the captivesl

and release from darkness for the prisoners,a

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favorm

and the day of vengeancen of our God,

to comforto all who mourn,p

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crownq of beauty

instead of ashes,r

the oils of joy

instead of mourning,t

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a plantingu of the Lord

for the display of his splendor.v

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruinsw

and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities

that have been devastated for generations.

5 Strangersx will shepherd your flocks;

foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

6 And you will be called priestsy of the Lord,

you will be named ministers of our God.

You will feed on the wealthz of nations,

and in their riches you will boast.

7 Instead of your shamea

you will receive a doubleb portion,

and instead of disgrace

you will rejoice in your inheritance.

And so you will inheritc a double portion in your land,

and everlasting joyd will be yours.

8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;e

I hate robbery and wrongdoing.

In my faithfulness I will reward my people

and make an everlasting covenantf with them.

9 Their descendantsg 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.”h

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;

my soul rejoicesi in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,j

as a bridegroom adorns his headk like a priest,

and as a bridel adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up

and a gardenm causes seeds to grow,

so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousnessn

and praise spring up before all nations.

Zion’s New Name

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,o

for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,

till her vindicationp shines out like the dawn,q

her salvationr like a blazing torch.

2 The nationss will see your vindication,

and all kings your glory;

you will be called by a new namet

that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.

3 You will be a crownu of splendor in the Lord’s hand,

a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

4 No longer will they call you Deserted,v

or name your land Desolate.w

But you will be called Hephzibah,a x

and your land Beulahb;

for the Lord will take delighty in you,

and your land will be married.z

5 As a young man marries a young woman,

so will your Builder marry you;

as a bridegrooma rejoices over his bride,

so will your God rejoiceb over you.

6 I have posted watchmenc on your walls, Jerusalem;

they will never be silent day or night.

You who call on the Lord,

give yourselves no rest,d

7 and give him no reste till he establishes Jerusalem

and makes her the praisef of the earth.

8 The Lord has sworng by his right hand

and by his mighty arm:

“Never again will I give your grainh

as food for your enemies,

and never again will foreigners drink the new wine

for which you have toiled;

9 but those who harvest it will eati it

and praise the Lord,j

and those who gather the grapes will drink it

in the courts of my sanctuary.”k

10 Pass through, pass through the gates!l

Prepare the way for the people.

Build up, build up the highway!m

Remove the stones.

Raise a bannern for the nations.

11 The Lord has made proclamation

to the ends of the earth:o

“Say to Daughter Zion,p

‘See, your Savior comes!q

See, his reward is with him,

and his recompense accompanies him.’ ”r

12 They will be calleds the Holy People,t

the Redeemedu of the Lord;

and you will be called Sought After,

the City No Longer Deserted.v

God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

63 Who is this coming from Edom,w

from Bozrah,x with his garments stained crimson?y

Who is this, robed in splendor,

striding forward in the greatness of his strength?z

“It is I, proclaiming victory,

mighty to save.”a

2 Why are your garments red,

like those of one treading the winepress?b

3 “I have trodden the winepressc alone;

from the nations no one was with me.

I trampledd them in my anger

and trod them down in my wrath;e

their blood spattered my garments,f

and I stained all my clothing.

4 It was for me the day of vengeance;g

the year for me to redeem had come.

5 I looked, but there was no oneh to help,

I was appalled that no one gave support;

so my own armi achieved salvation for me,

and my own wrath sustained me.j

6 I trampledk the nations in my anger;

in my wrath I made them drunkl

and poured their bloodm on the ground.”

Praise and Prayer

7 I will tell of the kindnessesn 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 thingso

he has done for Israel,

according to his compassionp and many kindnesses.

8 He said, “Surely they are my people,q

children who will be true to me”;

and so he became their Savior.r

9 In all their distress he too was distressed,

and the angels of his presencet saved them.a

In his love and mercy he redeemedu them;

he lifted them up and carriedv them

all the days of old.w

10 Yet they rebelledx

and grieved his Holy Spirit.y

So he turned and became their enemyz

and he himself foughta against them.

11 Then his people recalledb the days of old,

the days of Moses and his people—

where is he who brought them through the sea,b

with the shepherd of his flock?c

Where is he who set

his Holy Spiritd among them,

12 who sent his glorious arme of power

to be at Moses’ right hand,

who divided the watersf before them,

to gain for himself everlasting renown,g

13 who ledh them through the depths?i

Like a horse in open country,

they did not stumble;j

14 like cattle that go down to the plain,

they were given restk by the Spirit of the Lord.

This is how you guided your people

to make for yourself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heavenl and see,

from your lofty throne,m holy and glorious.

Where are your zealn and your might?

Your tenderness and compassiono are withheldp from us.

16 But you are our Father,q

though Abraham does not know us

or Israel acknowledger us;

you, Lord, are our Father,

our Redeemers from of old is your name.

17 Why, Lord, do you make us wandert from your ways

and harden our heartsu so we do not reverev you?

Returnw for the sake of your servants,

the tribes that are your inheritance.x

18 For a little whiley your people possessed your holy place,

but now our enemies have trampledz down your sanctuary.a

19 We are yours from of old;

but you have not ruled over them,

they have not been calledc by your name.b

64 a Oh, that you would rend the heavensc and come down,d

that the mountainse would tremble before you!

2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze

and causes water to boil,

come down to make your namef known to your enemies

and cause the nations to quakeg before you!

3 For when you did awesomeh things that we did not expect,

you came down, and the mountains trembledi before you.

4 Since ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,j

who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.k

5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right,l

who remember your ways.

But when we continued to sin against them,

you were angry.m

How then can we be saved?

6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,n

and all our righteouso acts are like filthy rags;

we all shrivel up like a leaf,p

and like the wind our sins sweep us away.q

7 No oner calls on your names

or strives to lay hold of you;

for you have hiddent your face from us

and have given us overu tob our sins.

8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father.v

We are the clay, you are the potter;w

we are all the work of your hand.x

9 Do not be angryy beyond measure, Lord;

do not remember our sinsz forever.

Oh, look on us, we pray,

for we are all your people.a

10 Your sacred citiesb have become a wasteland;

even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.c

11 Our holy and glorious temple,d where our ancestors praised you,

has been burned with fire,

and all that we treasurede lies in ruins.

12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back?f

Will you keep silentg and punish us beyond measure?

Judgment and Salvation

65 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;

I was found by those who did not seek me.h

To a nationi that did not call on my name,j

I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’

2 All day long I have held out my hands

to an obstinate people,k

who walk in ways not good,

pursuing their own imaginationsl—

3 a people who continually provoke me

to my very face,m

offering sacrifices in gardensn

and burning incenseo on altars of brick;

4 who sit among the gravesp

and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;

who eat the flesh of pigs,q

and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;

5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,

for I am too sacredr for you!’

Such people are smokes in my nostrils,

a fire that keeps burning all day.

6 “See, it stands written before me:

I will not keep silentt but will pay backu in full;

I will pay it back into their lapsv—

7 both your sinsw and the sins of your ancestors,”x

says the Lord.

“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains

and defied me on the hills,y

I will measure into their laps

the full paymentz for their former deeds.”

8 This is what the Lord says:

“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapesa

and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,

there is still a blessing in it,’

so will I do in behalf of my servants;b

I will not destroy them all.

9 I will bring forth descendantsc from Jacob,

and from Judah those who will possessd my mountains;

my chosene people will inherit them,

and there will my servants live.f

10 Sharong will become a pasture for flocks,h

and the Valley of Achori a resting place for herds,

for my people who seekj me.

11 “But as for you who forsakek the Lord

and forget my holy mountain,l

who spread a table for Fortune

and fill bowls of mixed winem for Destiny,

12 I will destine you for the sword,n

and all of you will fall in the slaughter;o

for I called but you did not answer,p

I spoke but you did not listen.q

You did evil in my sight

and chose what displeases me.”r

13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“My servants will eat,s

but you will go hungry;t

my servants will drink,u

but you will go thirsty;v

my servants will rejoice,w

but you will be put to shame.x

14 My servants will singy

out of the joy of their hearts,

but you will cry outz

from anguish of heart

and wail in brokenness of spirit.

15 You will leave your name

for my chosen ones to use in their curses;a

the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,

but to his servants he will give another name.b

16 Whoever invokes a blessingc in the land

will do so by the one true God;d

whoever takes an oath in the land

will sweare by the one true God.

For the past troublesf will be forgotten

and hidden from my eyes.

New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “See, I will create

new heavens and a new earth.g

The former things will not be remembered,h

nor will they come to mind.

18 But be glad and rejoicei forever

in what I will create,

for I will create Jerusalemj to be a delight

and its people a joy.

19 I will rejoicek over Jerusalem

and take delightl in my people;

the sound of weeping and of cryingm

will be heard in it no more.

20 “Never again will there be in it

an infantn who lives but a few days,

or an old man who does not live out his years;o

the one who dies at a hundred

will be thought a mere child;

the one who fails to reacha a hundred

will be considered accursed.

21 They will build housesp and dwell in them;

they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.q

22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,r

or plant and others eat.

For as the days of a tree,s

so will be the dayst of my people;

my chosenu ones will long enjoy

the work of their hands.

23 They will not labor in vain,v

nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;w

for they will be a people blessedx by the Lord,

they and their descendantsy with them.

24 Before they callz I will answer;a

while they are still speakingb I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lambc will feed together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox,d

and dust will be the serpent’se food.

They will neither harm nor destroy

on all my holy mountain,”f

says the Lord.

Judgment and Hope

66 This is what the Lord says:

“Heaven is my throne,g

and the earth is my footstool.h

Where is the housei you will build for me?

Where will my resting place be?

2 Has not my hand made all these things,j

and so they came into being?”

declares the Lord.

“These are the ones I look on with favor:

those who are humble and contrite in spirit,k

and who tremble at my word.l

3 But whoever sacrifices a bullm

is like one who kills a person,

and whoever offers a lamb

is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;

whoever makes a grain offering

is like one who presents pig’sn blood,

and whoever burns memorial incenseo

is like one who worships an idol.

They have chosen their own ways,p

and they delight in their abominations;q

4 so I also will choose harsh treatment for them

and will bring on them what they dread.r

For when I called, no one answered,s

when I spoke, no one listened.

They did evilt in my sight

and chose what displeases me.”u

5 Hear the word of the Lord,

you who tremble at his word:v

“Your own people who hatew you,

and exclude you because of my name, have said,

‘Let the Lord be glorified,

that we may see your joy!’

Yet they will be put to shame.x

6 Hear that uproar from the city,

hear that noise from the temple!

It is the soundy of the Lord

repayingz his enemies all they deserve.

7 “Before she goes into labor,a

she gives birth;

before the pains come upon her,

she delivers a son.b

8 Who has ever heard of such things?

Who has ever seenc things like this?

Can a country be born in a dayd

or a nation be brought forth in a moment?

Yet no sooner is Zion in labor

than she gives birth to her children.e

9 Do I bring to the moment of birthf

and not give delivery?” says the Lord.

“Do I close up the womb

when I bring to delivery?” says your God.

10 “Rejoiceg with Jerusalem and be glad for her,

all you who loveh her;

rejoice greatly with her,

all you who mourni over her.

11 For you will nursej and be satisfied

at her comforting breasts;k

you will drink deeply

and delight in her overflowing abundance.”l

12 For this is what the Lord says:

“I will extend peacem to her like a river,n

and the wealtho of nations like a flooding stream;

you will nurse and be carriedp on her arm

and dandled on her knees.

13 As a mother comforts her child,q

so will I comfortr you;

and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

14 When you see this, your heart will rejoices

and you will flourisht like grass;

the handu of the Lord will be made known to his servants,v

but his furyw will be shown to his foes.

15 See, the Lord is coming with fire,x

and his chariotsy are like a whirlwind;z

he will bring down his anger with fury,

and his rebukea with flames of fire.

16 For with fireb and with his swordc

the Lord will execute judgmentd on all people,

and many will be those slaine by the Lord.

17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens,f following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs,g ratsh and other unclean things—they will meet their endi together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.

18 “And I, because of what they have planned and done,j am about to comea and gather the people of all nationsk and languages, and they will come and see my glory.l

19 “I will set a signm among them, and I will send some of those who surviven to the nations—to Tarshish,o to the Libyansb and Lydiansp (famous as archers), to Tubalq and Greece,r and to the distant islandss that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.t They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bringu all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountainv in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,”w says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.x 21 And I will select some of them also to be priestsy and Levites,” says the Lord.

22 “As the new heavens and the new earthz that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.a 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbathb to another, all mankind will come and bow downc before me,” says the Lord. 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodiesd of those who rebellede against me; the wormsf that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched,g and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”