New Heart English Bible 1Awake, awake, put on your strength, Zion; put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city, for there shall no more enter into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2Shake yourself from the dust. Arise, sit up, Jerusalem. Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion. 3For thus says the LORD, "You were sold for nothing; and you shall be redeemed without money." 4For thus says the LORD, "My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there, and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5"Now therefore, what do I do here," says the LORD, "seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock," says the LORD, "and because of you my name is continually all the day blasphemed among the nations. 6Therefore my people shall know my name; in that day they will know that I am he who speaks; look, it is I." 7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of good things, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." 8The voice of your watchmen. They lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD returns to Zion with compassion. 9Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10The LORD has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and every part of the earth has seen the salvation of our God. 11Depart, depart, go out from there, and touch no unclean thing. Go out from their midst, and be separate, you who bear the vessels of the LORD. 12For you shall not depart in haste, nor shall you leave in flight; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. 13Look, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14Just as many were astonished at you (his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men), 15so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him. For that which was not told about him, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. |