Jerusalem Will Be Saved
52 Wake up, wake up, ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]! ·Become strong [L Clothe yourself with/Put on strength]!
·Be beautiful again [L Put on beautiful/glorious clothes],
holy city of Jerusalem.
The ·people who do not worship God and who are not pure [L uncircumcised and defiled/unclean]
will not enter you again.
2 Jerusalem, ·you once were a prisoner [or be enthroned/seated].
Now shake off the dust and ·stand up [arise].
·Jerusalem, you once were a prisoner [L Captive daughter of Zion,].
Now free yourself from the chains around your neck.
3 This is what the Lord says:
“You were ·not sold for a price [L sold for nothing],
so you will be ·saved [redeemed] without cost.”
4 This is what the Lord God says:
“First my people went down to Egypt to live.
Later Assyria ·made them slaves [oppressed them].
5 “Now ·see what has happened [what do I have here…?],” says the Lord.
“Another nation has taken away my people for nothing.
Those who rule them ·make fun of me [mock; taunt][a],” says the Lord.
“All day long they ·speak against [slander; blaspheme] me.
6 This has happened so my people will know ·who I am [L my name],
and so, ·on that future [L in that] day, they will know
that I am the one speaking to them.
·It will really be me [L Look/T Behold, I].”
7 ·How beautiful [or How beautiful on the mountains] ·is the person [L are the feet of him]
who ·comes over the mountains to bring [or brings] good news,
who announces peace
and brings good news,
who announces salvation [Nah. 1:15]
and says to ·Jerusalem [L Zion; v. 1],
“Your God ·is King [or reigns].”
8 Listen! Your ·guards [watchmen] ·are shouting [raise their voices].
They are all shouting [L together] for joy!
They all will see ·with their own eyes [right in front of their eyes; L eye in eye]
when the Lord returns to ·Jerusalem [L Zion; v. 1].
9 ·Jerusalem, although your buildings are destroyed now [L You ruins of Jerusalem],
shout and rejoice together,
because the Lord has comforted his people.
He has ·saved [redeemed] Jerusalem.
10 The Lord ·will show his holy power [flexes his holy muscles; L bared his holy arm]
·to [L to the eyes of] all the nations.
Then ·everyone on [L all the ends of the] earth
will see the salvation of our God.
11 You people, leave, leave; get out ·of Babylon [L from there]!
Touch nothing that is ·unclean [defiled].
You who carry the ·Lord’s things used in worship [articles/vessels of the Lord],
leave there and make yourselves pure.
12 You will not ·be forced to leave Babylon quickly [leave in haste];
you will not be forced to run away,
because the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will ·guard you from behind [be your rear guard].
The Lord’s Suffering Servant
13 The Lord says, “See, my servant will ·act wisely [or have success].
·People will greatly honor and respect him [He will be raised and exalted; C 52:13—53:12 is the fourth of four “servant songs” in Isaiah; see 42:1].
14 Many people were ·shocked [astonished; appalled] when they saw him.
His appearance was so ·damaged [disfigured; marred] he did not look like a man;
his form ·was so changed they could barely tell he was human [L beyond the sons of man/children of humanity].
15 But now he will ·surprise [startle; or sprinkle; C as the blood of a sacrifice sprinkled on the altar; Lev. 4:6, 17] many nations.
Kings will ·be amazed [L shut their mouths because of him].
They will see things they had not been ·told about him [L told],
and they will understand things they had not heard.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 52:5 taunt The Dead Sea Scrolls read “wail.”