Isaiah 60

1 Arise, shine! for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee.

Stand up and shine, for your light has come; the glory of the Lord has risen on you.

2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen on thee.

Even though darkness covers the earth, and deep darkness covers the people, the Lord has risen to shine on you, and his glory appears over you.

3 And the nations shall walk by thy light, and kings by the brightness of thy rising.

Nations will come to your light, and kings will come to the brightness of your shining dawn.

4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons come from afar, and thy daughters are carried upon the side.

Look all around you, and see everyone gathering and coming to you—your sons returning from far away, your young daughters being carried on the hip.

5 Then thou shalt see, and shalt be brightened, and thy heart shall throb, and be enlarged; for the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee, the wealth of the nations shall come unto thee.

Then you will see and shine brilliantly, your heart will beat wildly for joy, for the riches that cross the sea, the wealth of the nations, will be brought to you.

6 A multitude of camels shall cover thee, young camels of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall publish the praises of Jehovah.

Long caravans of camels will cover the land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. All the people of Sheba will come to you carrying gold and frankincense, shouting praises to the Lord.

7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall serve thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will beautify the house of my magnificence.

All the flocks of Kedar will be brought to you, the rams of Nebaioth will be placed at your disposal. I will accept them as they are sacrificed on my altar, and I will glorify the Temple where I'm honored.

8 Who are these that come flying as a cloud, and as doves to their dove-cotes?

What are these flying like a cloud, flying like pigeons returning to their roost?

9 For the isles shall await me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of Jehovah thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee.

Coming from the islands that trust in me, these are ships led by those of Tarshish, bringing your children home from far away, carrying with them silver and gold. They come to honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has made you glorious.

10 And the sons of the alien shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee. For in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will work for you. Even though I did hit you when I was angry with you, now I will be kind and merciful to you.

11 And thy gates shall stand open continually: (they shall not be shut day nor night, ) that the wealth of the nations may be brought unto thee, and that their kings may be led [to thee].

Your gates will always be kept open. They won't ever be shut, day or night, so the wealth of the nations can be brought to you, with their kings being led along in a procession.

12 For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; and those nations shall be utterly wasted.

Any nation or kingdom that does not serve you will be completely destroyed.

13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the cypress, pine, and box-tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

The glory of Lebanon will come to you: cedars, acacias, and myrtle trees, to make my Temple beautiful and to honor the place I choose to live.

14 And the children of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee The city of Jehovah, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

The children of those who persecuted you will come and bow before you; everyone who looked down on you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 Instead of thy being forsaken and hated, so that no one went through [thee], I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy from generation to generation.

Once you were abandoned and despised, somewhere people didn't go, but now I will make you a place to be proud of forever, a joy to every generation.

16 And thou shalt suck the milk of the nations, and shalt suck the breast of kings; and thou shalt know that I, Jehovah, [am] thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Nations will provide you with what you need, kings will take care of you as if you were their own children. You will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 For bronze I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood bronze, and for stones iron; and I will make thine officers peace, and thy rulers righteousness.

I will bring you gold instead of bronze, silver instead of iron, bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stone. I will appoint Peace as your watchman, and Goodness as your leader.

18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

There won't be any more violence in your land, no more devastation and destruction within your borders. You will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but Jehovah shall be thine everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

You won't need the light of the sun during the day, or the light of the moon at night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

20 Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for Jehovah shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

Your sun will never set, and your moon will never wane, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your time of mourning will end.

21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall possess the land for ever — the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

All your people will be good, and they will own the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted with my hands, and they will reveal my glory.

22 The little one shall become a thousand, and the smallest a mighty nation: I, Jehovah, will hasten it in its time.

The smallest of your families will increase to a thousand, and the most insignificant will become a great nation. I am the Lord; at the right time I will do this quickly.