Add parallel Print Page Options

52 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit on thy throne, O Jerusalem: [a]loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

For thus saith Jehovah, Ye were sold for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there: and the Assyrian hath oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what do I here, saith Jehovah, seeing that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them do howl, saith Jehovah, and my name continually all the day is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak; behold, [b]it is I.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! The voice of thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, [c]when Jehovah returneth to Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for Jehovah hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10 Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah. 12 For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight: for Jehovah will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward.

13 Behold, my servant shall [d]deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 Like as many were astonished at thee (his visage was so marred [e]more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men), 15 so shall he [f]sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths [g]at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they [h]understand.

53 Who hath believed [i]our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed? For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; [j]and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised, and [k]rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with [l]grief: and [m]as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our [n]griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath [o]laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. [p]By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the [q]living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; [r]although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath [s]put him to grief: [t]when thou shalt make his soul [u]an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. 11 [v]He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: [w]by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant [x]justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bare the sin of many, and [y]made intercession for the transgressors.

54 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. For Jehovah hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. [z]In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith Jehovah thy Redeemer.

For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 10 For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith Jehovah that hath mercy on thee.

11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in [aa]fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. 12 And I will make thy [ab]pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. 13 And all thy children shall be [ac]taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: [ad]thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. 15 Behold, they may [ae]gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall [af]gather together against thee [ag]shall fall because of thee. 16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for [ah]his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and [ai]their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:2 Another reading is, the bonds of thy neck are loosed
  2. Isaiah 52:6 Or, here I am
  3. Isaiah 52:8 Or, how
  4. Isaiah 52:13 Or, prosper
  5. Isaiah 52:14 Or, from that of man, and his form from that of the sons of men
  6. Isaiah 52:15 Or, startle
  7. Isaiah 52:15 Or, because of
  8. Isaiah 52:15 Or, consider
  9. Isaiah 53:1 Or, that which we have heard
  10. Isaiah 53:2 Or, that we should look upon him; nor beauty etc.
  11. Isaiah 53:3 Or, forsaken
  12. Isaiah 53:3 Hebrew sickness.
  13. Isaiah 53:3 Or, he hid as it were his face from us
  14. Isaiah 53:4 Hebrew sicknesses.
  15. Isaiah 53:6 Hebrew made to light.
  16. Isaiah 53:8 Or, From
  17. Isaiah 53:8 Or, living? for the transgression of my people was he stricken
  18. Isaiah 53:9 Or, because
  19. Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew made him sick.
  20. Isaiah 53:10 Or, when his soul shall make an offering
  21. Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew a trespass-offering.
  22. Isaiah 53:11 Or, He shall see and be satisfied with the travail etc.
  23. Isaiah 53:11 Or, by his knowledge
  24. Isaiah 53:11 Or, make many righteous
  25. Isaiah 53:12 Or, maketh
  26. Isaiah 54:8 Or, In a little wrath
  27. Isaiah 54:11 Or, antimony. See 1 Chr. 29:2.
  28. Isaiah 54:12 Or, windows
  29. Isaiah 54:13 Or, disciples
  30. Isaiah 54:14 Or, be thou far
  31. Isaiah 54:15 Or, stir up strife
  32. Isaiah 54:15 Or, stir up strife
  33. Isaiah 54:15 Or, shall fall away to thee
  34. Isaiah 54:16 Or, its
  35. Isaiah 54:17 Or, their righteousness is of me

52 Awake, awake,(A) Zion,
    clothe yourself with strength!(B)
Put on your garments of splendor,(C)
    Jerusalem, the holy city.(D)
The uncircumcised(E) and defiled(F)
    will not enter you again.(G)
Shake off your dust;(H)
    rise up,(I) sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,(J)
    Daughter Zion,(K) now a captive.

For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,(L)
    and without money(M) you will be redeemed.(N)

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“At first my people went down to Egypt(O) to live;
    lately, Assyria(P) has oppressed them.

“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.(Q)
Therefore my people will know(R) my name;(S)
    therefore in that day(T) they will know
that it is I who foretold(U) it.
    Yes, it is I.”

How beautiful on the mountains(V)
    are the feet of those who bring good news,(W)
who proclaim peace,(X)
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!”(Y)
Listen! Your watchmen(Z) lift up their voices;(AA)
    together they shout for joy.(AB)
When the Lord returns(AC) to Zion,(AD)
    they will see it with their own eyes.
Burst into songs of joy(AE) together,
    you ruins(AF) of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted(AG) his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.(AH)
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm(AI)
    in the sight of all the nations,(AJ)
and all the ends of the earth(AK) will see
    the salvation(AL) of our God.

11 Depart,(AM) depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing!(AN)
Come out from it and be pure,(AO)
    you who carry the articles(AP) of the Lord’s house.
12 But you will not leave in haste(AQ)
    or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,(AR)
    the God of Israel will be your rear guard.(AS)

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

13 See, my servant(AT) will act wisely[b];
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.(AU)
14 Just as there were many who were appalled(AV) at him[c]
    his appearance was so disfigured(AW) beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness(AX)
15 so he will sprinkle(AY) many nations,[d]
    and kings(AZ) will shut their mouths(BA) because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand.(BB)

53 Who has believed our message(BC)
    and to whom has the arm(BD) of the Lord been revealed?(BE)
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,(BF)
    and like a root(BG) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance(BH) that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,(BI) and familiar with pain.(BJ)
Like one from whom people hide(BK) their faces
    he was despised,(BL) and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,(BM)
yet we considered him punished by God,(BN)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.(BO)
But he was pierced(BP) for our transgressions,(BQ)
    he was crushed(BR) for our iniquities;
the punishment(BS) that brought us peace(BT) was on him,
    and by his wounds(BU) we are healed.(BV)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,(BW)
    each of us has turned to our own way;(BX)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity(BY) of us all.

He was oppressed(BZ) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;(CA)
he was led like a lamb(CB) to the slaughter,(CC)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression[e] and judgment(CD) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;(CE)
    for the transgression(CF) of my people he was punished.[f]
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,(CG)
    and with the rich(CH) in his death,
though he had done no violence,(CI)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.(CJ)

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will(CK) to crush(CL) him and cause him to suffer,(CM)
    and though the Lord makes[g] his life an offering for sin,(CN)
he will see his offspring(CO) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper(CP) in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,(CQ)
    he will see the light(CR) of life[h] and be satisfied[i];
by his knowledge[j] my righteous servant(CS) will justify(CT) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.(CU)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[k](CV)
    and he will divide the spoils(CW) with the strong,[l]
because he poured out his life unto death,(CX)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.(CY)
For he bore(CZ) the sin of many,(DA)
    and made intercession(DB) for the transgressors.

The Future Glory of Zion

54 “Sing, barren woman,(DC)
    you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,(DD)
    you who were never in labor;(DE)
because more are the children(DF) of the desolate(DG) woman
    than of her who has a husband,(DH)
says the Lord.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,(DI)
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.(DJ)
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants(DK) will dispossess nations(DL)
    and settle in their desolate(DM) cities.

“Do not be afraid;(DN) you will not be put to shame.(DO)
    Do not fear disgrace;(DP) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth(DQ)
    and remember no more the reproach(DR) of your widowhood.(DS)
For your Maker(DT) is your husband(DU)
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One(DV) of Israel is your Redeemer;(DW)
    he is called the God of all the earth.(DX)
The Lord will call you back(DY)
    as if you were a wife deserted(DZ) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,(EA)
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
“For a brief moment(EB) I abandoned(EC) you,
    but with deep compassion(ED) I will bring you back.(EE)
In a surge of anger(EF)
    I hid(EG) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness(EH)
    I will have compassion(EI) on you,”
    says the Lord your Redeemer.(EJ)

“To me this is like the days of Noah,
    when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.(EK)
So now I have sworn(EL) not to be angry(EM) with you,
    never to rebuke(EN) you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken(EO)
    and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love(EP) for you will not be shaken(EQ)
    nor my covenant(ER) of peace(ES) be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion(ET) on you.

11 “Afflicted(EU) city, lashed by storms(EV) and not comforted,(EW)
    I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,[m](EX)
    your foundations(EY) with lapis lazuli.(EZ)
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
    your gates(FA) of sparkling jewels,
    and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,(FB)
    and great will be their peace.(FC)
14 In righteousness(FD) you will be established:(FE)
Tyranny(FF) will be far from you;
    you will have nothing to fear.(FG)
Terror(FH) 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 surrender(FI) to you.

16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith(FJ)
    who fans the coals into flame
    and forges a weapon(FK) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer(FL) to wreak havoc;
17     no weapon forged against you will prevail,(FM)
    and you will refute(FN) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants(FO) of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication(FP) from me,”
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Vulgate; Masoretic Text wail
  2. Isaiah 52:13 Or will prosper
  3. Isaiah 52:14 Hebrew you
  4. Isaiah 52:15 Or so will many nations be amazed at him (see also Septuagint)
  5. Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
  6. Isaiah 53:8 Or generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living, / that he was punished for the transgression of my people?
  7. Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
  8. Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
  9. Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
  10. Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
  11. Isaiah 53:12 Or many
  12. Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous
  13. Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.