Isaiah 60
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 60
Zion’s Glory Dawns
1 [a]Arise and shine forth, for your light has come
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
2 Even though darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness enshrouds the peoples,
upon you the Lord will shine,
and over you his glory will appear.
3 Nations will be guided by your light
and kings by the brightness of your radiance.
4 Raise your eyes and look around;
they are all assembling and returning to you.
Your sons are coming from far away,
and your daughters will be carried
in the arms of their nurses.
5 [b]Then you will be radiant at what you behold,
and your hearts will throb and rejoice.
For the riches of the sea will be brought to you,
and the wealth of the nations will come to you.
6 Droves of camels will cover your land,
the young camels from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba will come,
laden with gold and frankincense,
while the people proclaim the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will serve your needs.
They will be acceptable offerings on my altar,
and I will enhance the splendor of my house.
8 Who are these that fly along like clouds
and like doves to their dovecotes?
9 All the vessels are assembled
from the seacoasts and the islands,
with the ships of Tarshish in the lead;
they are bringing your children from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to pay honor to the name of the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will be your servants.
Although I struck you down in my wrath,
now in my mercy I will show you my favor.
11 Your gates will always be open;
day and night they will never be shut,
so that the wealth of the nations may be brought to you,
led by their kings in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or the kingdom that refuses to serve you
will be totally destroyed
and suffer widespread devastation.
13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
the cypress, the plane tree, and the pine,
one and all,
to adorn my holy sanctuary
and to honor the place where I stand.[c]
14 The sons of those who oppressed you
will come forward and bend low before you,
and all those who despised you
will bow down at your feet;
they will call you “City of the Lord,”
“Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”
15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one traveling through you,
I will make you an object of everlasting pride
and a source of never-ending joy.
16 You will suck the milk of nations
and be nursed at royal breasts.
Then you will know
that I, the Lord, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,
instead of iron I will bring you silver;
instead of wood, bronze,
and instead of stone, iron.
I will ensure that you will be governed in peace
and be ruled with righteousness.
18 No longer will violence appear in your land,
nor will devastation and ruin occur within your borders.
You will call your walls “Salvation”
and your gates “Praise.”
19 The sun will no longer serve
as the source of your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon
afford light to you during the night.
Rather, the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your splendor.
20 Never again will your sun go down,
nor will your moon withdraw its light.
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning will be ended.
21 Your people will all be righteous
and possess the land forever.
They are the shoot that I have planted,
my handiwork to exhibit my glory.
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
and the weakest will become a mighty nation.
I am the Lord, and I will accomplish all this
at the appointed time.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 60:1 Neither the walls nor the temple of the holy city have yet been rebuilt. The repatriates are tired of waiting for the renewal whose coming is delayed. To encourage them, the poet repeats the promises made during the Exile (Isa 54) and expounds his grandiose vision of a Jerusalem restored and renewed by the Lord. For human beings who grope along, questing in darkness, this vision awaits a fulfillment that is beyond time; the Book of Revelation will repeat it (Rev 21).
- Isaiah 60:5 The sea symbolizes the maritime powers, among them Phoenicia and Greece. Midian, Ephah, and Sheba (see 1 Ki 10:1-13) are peoples of Arabia. Kedar and the Nabateans (Nebaioth) are nomadic tribes. The islands evoke distant lands. Tarshish was a trading center set up in Spain by the Phoenicians, whose ships were therefore equipped for lengthy journeys and used for trading with the western Mediterranean.
- Isaiah 60:13 The trees of Lebanon will serve in the rebuilding of Jerusalem as they did long ago for Solomon’s temple.
Isaiah 60
Easy-to-Read Version
God Is Coming
60 “Jerusalem, get up and shine![a]
Your Light is coming!
The Glory of the Lord will shine on you.
2 Darkness now covers the earth,
and the people are in darkness.
But the Lord will shine on you,
and his Glory will appear over you.
3 Then the nations will come to your light.
Kings will come to your bright sunrise.
4 Look around you!
See all the people gathering around.
Those are your sons coming from far away,
and your daughters are there beside them.
5 “At that time you will see your people,
and your faces will shine with happiness.
First, you will be afraid,
but then you will be excited.
All the riches from across the seas will be set before you.
The riches of the nations will come to you.
6 Herds of camels from Midian and Ephah
will cross your land.
Long lines of camels will come from Sheba.
They will bring gold and incense.
People will sing praises to the Lord.
7 People will collect all the sheep from Kedar and give them to you.
They will bring you rams from Nebaioth.
You will offer those animals on my altar,
and I will accept them.
I will make my wonderful Temple
even more beautiful.
8 Look at the people.
They are rushing toward you like clouds quickly crossing the sky.
They are like doves flying to their nests.
9 The faraway lands are waiting for me.
The great cargo ships are ready to sail.
They are ready to bring your children from faraway lands.
They will bring silver and gold with them
to honor the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel.
He has done wonderful things for you.
10 Children from other lands will rebuild your walls.
Their kings will serve you.
“When I was angry, I hurt you,
but now I want to be kind to you.
So I will comfort you.
11 Your gates will always be open.
They will not be closed, day or night.
Nations and kings will bring their wealth to you.
12 Any nation or kingdom that does not serve you
will be destroyed.
13 All the great things of Lebanon will be given to you.
People will bring pine trees, fir trees, and cypress trees to you.
These trees will be used for lumber
to make my Holy Place[b] more beautiful.
This place is like a stool in front of my throne,
and I will honor it.[c]
14 In the past, people hurt you,
but they will bow down before you.
In the past, people hated you,
but they will bow down at your feet.
They will call you ‘The City of the Lord’s,’
‘Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’
15 “People hated you.
You were left all alone with no one passing through.
But I will make you great from now on.
You will be happy forever and ever.
16 Nations will give you what you need,
like a child drinking milk from its mother.
But you will ‘drink’ riches from kings.
Then you will know that it is I, the Lord, who saves you.
You will know that I, the Great God of Jacob, protect you.
17 “You now have copper,
but I will bring you gold.
You now have iron,
but I will bring you silver.
I will change your wood into copper
and your rocks into iron.
I will change your punishment into peace.
And those who punished you will be replaced with those who are kind to you.
18 There will never again be news of violence in your country.
People will never again attack your country and steal from you.
You will name your walls, ‘Salvation’
and your gates, ‘Praise.’
19 “The sun will no longer be your light during the day.
The light from the moon will no longer be your light at night.
The Lord will be your light forever.
Your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never go down again.
Your moon will never again be dark.
That’s because the Lord will be your light forever,
and the dark days of mourning will end.
21 “All your people will be good.
They will get the land forever.
They are the young plant in my garden[d]
that will grow to be a wonderful tree.
I made them with my own hands.[e]
22 The smallest family will become a large family group.
The smallest tribe will become a powerful nation.
When the time is right,
I, the Lord, will come quickly.
I will make these things happen.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 60:1 Jerusalem … shine Or “Jerusalem, my light, get up!”
- Isaiah 60:13 my Holy Place This probably means the Temple in Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 60:13 I will honor it Or “I will give it glory.”
- Isaiah 60:21 young plant … garden See Isa. 4:1 and 5:7.
- Isaiah 60:21 They are … hands Or “They are the plant I planted, which I made with my own hands, to show how wonderful I am.”
Isaiah 60
New King James Version
The Gentiles Bless Zion
60 Arise, (A)shine;
For your light has come!
And (B)the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
3 The (C)Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 “Lift(D) up your eyes all around, and see:
They all gather together, (E)they come to you;
Your sons shall come from afar,
And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
5 Then you shall see and become radiant,
And your heart shall swell with joy;
Because (F)the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.
6 The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and (G)Ephah;
All those from (H)Sheba shall come;
They shall bring (I)gold and incense,
And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of (J)Kedar shall be gathered together to you,
The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
They shall ascend with (K)acceptance on My altar,
And (L)I will glorify the house of My glory.
8 “Who are these who fly like a cloud,
And like doves to their roosts?
9 (M)Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
(N)To bring your sons from afar,
(O)Their silver and their gold with them,
To the name of the Lord your God,
And to the Holy One of Israel,
(P)Because He has glorified you.
10 “The(Q) sons of foreigners shall build up your walls,
(R)And their kings shall minister to you;
For (S)in My wrath I struck you,
(T)But in My favor I have had mercy on you.
11 Therefore your gates (U)shall be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night,
That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,
And their kings in procession.
12 (V)For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish,
And those nations shall be utterly ruined.
13 “The(W) glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make (X)the place of My feet glorious.
14 Also the sons of those who afflicted you
Shall come (Y)bowing to you,
And all those who despised you shall (Z)fall prostrate at the soles of your feet;
And they shall call you The City of the Lord,
(AA)Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
So that no one went through you,
I will make you an eternal excellence,
A joy of many generations.
16 You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles,
(AB)And milk the breast of kings;
You shall know that (AC)I, the Lord, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 “Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
Instead of iron I will bring silver,
Instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
I will also make your officers peace,
And your magistrates righteousness.
18 Violence shall no longer be heard in your land,
Neither [a]wasting nor destruction within your borders;
But you shall call (AD)your walls Salvation,
And your gates Praise.
God the Glory of His People
19 “The (AE)sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,
And (AF)your God your glory.
20 (AG)Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
21 (AH)Also your people shall all be righteous;
(AI)They shall inherit the land forever,
(AJ)The branch of My planting,
(AK)The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.
22 (AL)A little one shall become a thousand,
And a small one a strong nation.
I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 60:18 devastation
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
