Isaiah 60
1599 Geneva Bible
60 3 The Gentiles shall come to the knowledge of the Gospel. 8 They shall come to the Church in abundance. 16 They shall have abundance though they suffer for a time.
1 Arise, O Jerusalem; be bright, for thy [a]light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the [b]earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
3 And the Gentiles shall walk in [c]thy light, and Kings at the brightness of thy rising up.
4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all [d]these are gathered, and come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nourished at thy side.
5 Then thou shalt see and shine: thine heart shall be astonied [e]and enlarged, because the multitude of the sea shall be converted unto thee, and the riches of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
6 The [f]multitude of camels shall cover thee: and the dromedaries of Midian and of Ephah: all they of Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense, and show forth the praises of the Lord.
7 All the sheep of [g]Kedar shall be gathered unto thee: the rams of Nebajoth shall serve thee: they shall come up to be accepted upon mine [h]altar: and I will beautify the house of my glory.
8 Who are these [i]that fly like a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?
9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships [j]of Tarshish, as at the beginning, that they may bring thy sons from far, and 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 [k]Kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my mercy I had compassion on thee.
11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually: neither day nor night shall they be shut, that men may bring unto thee the riches of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.
12 For the nation and the [l]kingdom, that will not serve thee, shall perish: and those nations shall be utterly destroyed.
13 The [m]glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the elm and the box tree together to beautify the place of my Sanctuary: for I will glorify the place of my [n]feet.
14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee, shall come and bow unto thee: and all they that despised thee, shall fall [o]down at the soles of thy feet: and they shall call thee; The city of the Lord, Zion of the Holy one of Israel.
15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went by thee, I will make thee an eternal glory, and a joy from generation to generation.
16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the [p]breasts of Kings: and thou shalt know, that I the Lord am thy Savior, and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.
17 For brass will I bring gold, and for iron will I bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron. I will also make thy government [q]peace, and thine exactors righteousness.
18 Violence shall no more be heard of in thy land, neither desolation, nor destruction within thy borders: but thou shalt [r]call salvation, thy walls, and praise, thy gates.
19 Thou shalt have no more Sun to shine by day, neither shall the brightness of the [s]Moon shine unto thee: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and thy God, thy glory.
20 Thy Sun shall never go down, neither shall thy Moon be hid: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy sorrow shall be ended.
21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall possess the land forever, the [t]grass of my planting shall be the work of mine hands, that I may be glorified.
22 A little one shall become as a [u]thousand, and a small one as a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in due time.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 60:1 The time of thy prosperity and felicity: whereas speaking of Babylon, he commanded her to go down, Isa. 47:1.
- Isaiah 60:2 Signifying, that all men are in darkness till God give them the light of his Spirit, and that this light shineth to none, but to those that are in his Church.
- Isaiah 60:3 Meaning, that Judea should be as the morning star, and that the Gentiles should receive light of her.
- Isaiah 60:4 An infinite number from all countries, as Isa. 49:18.
- Isaiah 60:5 For joy, as the heart is drawn in for sorrow.
- Isaiah 60:6 Meaning, that everyone shall honor the Lord with what wherewith he is able: signifying, that it is no true serving of God, except we offer ourselves to serve his glory, and all that we have.
- Isaiah 60:7 That is, the Arabians, that have great abundance of cattle.
- Isaiah 60:7 Because the Altar was a figure of Christ, Heb. 13:10, he showeth that nothing can be acceptable to him, which is not offered to him by this Altar, who was both the offering and the altar itself.
- Isaiah 60:8 Showing what great number shall come to the Church, and with what great diligence and zeal.
- Isaiah 60:9 The Gentiles that are now enemies, shall become friends and setters forth of the Church.
- Isaiah 60:10 Meaning, Cyrus and his successors, but chiefly this is accomplished in them that serve Christ, being converted by his Gospel.
- Isaiah 60:12 He showeth that God hath given all power and authority here in earth for the use of his Church, and that they which will not serve and profit the same, shall be destroyed.
- Isaiah 60:13 There is nothing so excellent which shall not serve the necessity of the Church.
- Isaiah 60:13 Signifying, that God’s Majesty is not included in the Temple, which is but the place for his feet, that we may learn to rise us to the heavens.
- Isaiah 60:14 To worship their head Christ, by obeying his doctrine.
- Isaiah 60:16 Both high and low shall be ready to help and succor thee.
- Isaiah 60:17 Thy governors shall love thee, and seek thy wealth and prosperity.
- Isaiah 60:18 Meaning, not a temporal felicity, but a spiritual, which is fulfilled in Christ’s kingdom.
- Isaiah 60:19 Signifying, that all worldly means shall cease, and that Christ shall be all in all, as Rev. 21:23 and 22:5.
- Isaiah 60:21 The children of the Church.
- Isaiah 60:22 Meaning, that the Church should be miraculously multiplied.
Isaiah 60
The Voice
Once again the scene shifts. The exile is receding in the past and the remnant of Israel—those who survived God’s judgment and Babylon’s cruelty—are working hard to rebuild their lives and communities. But life back in Jerusalem under Persian rule is not faring as well as they hoped. So once again a prophetic voice breaks the silence to address a discouraged population. Most people are facing terrific difficulties. Despite what their prophets have spoken, Jerusalem is a mere shadow of the great city their parents and grandparents knew. People doubt whether God is really alive, or really all that powerful, or really even cares. But the faithful know that God is powerful and does care; they are determined to convince their countrymen that He has their well-being in mind. He can make this people and this place great again, if they just trust and follow Him. Soon the whole world will be caught up in this brand new thing God is doing.
This section of Isaiah is written to a singular female as if she is the mother of the Jews. But this woman isn’t just any woman—she is Jerusalem. Cities are often described as female because they are like mothers supporting a brood of children (the population). This capital city of God’s special favor, of God’s presence, is filled with His people of the promise and is poised to become something new and glorious.
60 Arise, shine, for your light has broken through!
The Eternal One’s brilliance has dawned upon you.
2 See truly; look carefully—darkness blankets the earth;
people all over are cloaked in darkness.
But God will rise and shine on you;
the Eternal’s bright glory will shine on you, a light for all to see.
3 Nations north and south, peoples east and west, will be drawn to your light,
will find purpose and direction by your light.
In the radiance of your rising, you will enlighten the leaders of nations.
4 Don’t be shy; don’t be doubtful; lift up your eyes and look around.
They have gathered all around you, eager to come and be close to you.
And your children will come back to this land:
your sons from the farthest places of wandering,
and your daughters gently carried home.
5 And when you see it, your face will glow;
your heart will race and be filled with joy;
For great ships will arrive with gifts from across the sea,
and the wealth of nations will make their way to you.
6 Herd after herd of camels will cover the land,
caravans arriving daily from south and southwest: Midian, Ephah,
Even Sheba with gifts of gold and frankincense.
They will announce for all the world to hear, “The Eternal be praised!”
7 Kedar’s flocks will be gathered for you;
Nebaioth’s rams will be available for sacrifices.
Eternal One: When they are offered on My altar, I will accept them.
I will make My glorious house even more glorious.
8 Who are these sailing to our ports like clouds through the sky,
like doves winging their way home to their window sills?
9 Breezy coastlands will wait expectantly for Me; the ships of Tarshish arrive first
to bring your children back from distant lands
Carrying in their holds the silver and gold—
to honor the name of the Eternal your God,
The Holy One of Israel who has made you beautiful.
10 People will come from different countries and different cultures
to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and make her strong again.
Their kings will help you however you need.
Eternal One: I punished you because I was furious with you,
reduced you to little on account of your persistent wrongdoing;
But I will restore you, reclaim you, and rebuild you because I cannot help but love you.
11 Now your gates will stay open to a constant stream of gifts;
all day and night they will not be shut
As the wealth of nations is brought to you
with their kings leading the processions.
12 Any nations that abstain, any peoples who decline from serving you
will simply disappear;
they will be destroyed.
13 Eternal One: Meanwhile, the most beautiful materials will arrive from Lebanon—
cypress, box, and pine—to rebuild and decorate the place where I promised to be,
My house where I will rest in glory among you.
14 And all the children of those who had bullied you, attacked and abused you,
all those who hated you will come crawling on their knees and bowing at your feet.
And they will address you as “city of God, place of the Eternal,
the Holy One of Israel’s Zion, sweet heaven on earth.”
15 Eternal One: Although you have suffered abandonment, hatred, and hopeless despair,
and no one dared to pass through,
I will make you a place of lofty beauty for all time,
filled and overflowing with joy from generation to generation.
16 You will be enriched by the world and its kings,
and you will know for certain that I am the Eternal,
Your Liberator, your Redeemer, the Strong One of Jacob.
17 I will bring you gold instead of bronze, silver instead of iron,
bronze instead of wood, iron instead of stone.
Your government will be founded and grounded;
I will make peace your governor, and righteousness your ruler.
18 You’ll never hear again, “Help! Call the guards!”
Violence, destruction, and ruin will be things of the past in Jerusalem.
You will name the city walls Salvation, and the city gates Praise.
19 You won’t need the sun to brighten the day
or the moon and lamps to give you light.
This Hebrew title “Messiah” is based on a verb rightly translated “to anoint.” Kings and priests are “messiah-ed” during this period. But prophets like Isaiah and those who stand in the tradition of the great Hebrew prophets are also anointed. Living and working in Jerusalem in these days is much different than in earlier times. Wracked by the ages and ruined by overt destruction and covert neglect, the citizens of the holy city face disillusionment and disappointment. The people who come back after exile in Babylon do not return to a gloriously restored city and temple, but to a difficult land and contentious neighbors. The prophet is inspired by the spirit of God to restore hope, to help, and to comfort. As a spiritual guide he is compelled to convince people that God remains with them and that He still desires what is good, right, and true for and within them. Centuries later, in a synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus will pick up the scroll of Isaiah and read these inspiring words. He will say in no uncertain terms that the Scriptures are being fulfilled right then and there in their hearing (Luke 4:16-21). The year of jubilee will have arrived.
The Eternal One will be all the light you ever need.
Your God will provide your glory, brilliance for all time.
20 Your sun will never set;
your moon will never be eclipsed in shadow,
For you’ll bask in the Eternal’s light and silver splendor forever.
Never again will you suffer the dark night of despair and gloom of mourning.
21 All the people will be right with God,
and they’ll stay in the land they possess forever.
Eternal One: I will plant them there like a sturdy sapling with My own hands.
I will tend them and take pride in their growing.
22 Just watch, they will develop robustly;
from so small a beginning, they will multiply and become a mighty nation.
I, the Eternal One, will make it happen soon.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.