Isaiah 52
1 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.
Wake up, wake up, Zion! Be strong! Put on your best clothes, Jerusalem, the holy city. Heathen foreigners won't ever enter you again.
2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, [and] sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
Shake yourself free from the dust and get up. Sit on your throne, Jerusalem. Throw off the chains around your neck, captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
This is what the Lord says: You were sold for nothing, and you will be bought back without money.
4 For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
This is what the Lord God says: First of all, my people went to live in Egypt, then Assyria conquered them for no reason.
5 Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day [is] blasphemed.
What do have I to do now? asks the Lord. My people have been taken into captivity for no reason. Those who rule them mock them, and I'm treated with contempt that whole time, says the Lord.
6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore [they shall know] in that day that I [am] he that doth speak: behold, [it is] I.
So I'm going to make sure my people know me; at that time they will know that I am the one who means what he says. Yes, it's me!
7 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!
What a wonderful sight in the mountains is the one running to bring good news, announcing peace and good news, announcing salvation, telling Zion, “Your God reigns!”
8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
The city watchmen shout loudly and sing for joy together; they all see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.
9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
Let Jerusalem's ruins all sing for joy for the Lord has come to care for his people; he has set Jerusalem free.
10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
The Lord has demonstrated his holy power to all the nations; the whole world will see our God's salvation.
11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean [thing; ] go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
Leave, leave, get out of there! Don't bring anything pagan; come out and leave it all behind. Those of you who carry the Lord's sacred articles are to purify yourselves.
12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel [will be] your rereward.
But don't leave in a hurry, don't be in a rush as if you're running away, for the Lord will go ahead of you, and he will also protect those at the back.
13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
Look: my servant will act wisely; he will be praised highly, he will be elevated in position, and seen as someone people look up to.
14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
But many were horrified by him, so disfigured in appearance, no longer looking like a man, so unlike anyone human.
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for [that] which had not been told them shall they see; and [that] which they had not heard shall they consider.
He will surprise many nations, and kings will keep quiet because of him—for they'll see what they haven't been told, and they'll understand what they hadn't heard.
