Jerusalem will Regain Its Glory and Its People

Isaiah 52:1–10|54:1–10

ca. 1200–332 BCE

Chapter 52

1Awake, awake, O Zion!
Clothe yourself in splendor;
Put on your robes of majesty,
Jerusalem, holy city!
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
Shall never enter you again.
2Arise, shake off the dust,
Sit [on your throne], Jerusalem!
Loose the bonds from your neck,
O captive one, Fair Zion!
3For thus said the Lord:
You were sold for no price,
And shall be redeemed without money.
4For thus said the Lord God:
Of old, My people went down
To Egypt to sojourn there;
But Assyria has robbed them,
Giving nothing in return.a
5What therefore do I gain here?
—declares the Lord—
For My people has been carried off for nothing,
Their mockers howl
—declares the Lord—
And constantly, unceasingly,
My name is reviled.
6Assuredly, My people shall learn My name,
Assuredly [they shall learn] on that day
That I, the One who promised,
Am now at hand.
7How welcome on the mountain
Are the footsteps of the herald
Announcing happiness,
Heralding good fortune,
Announcing victory,
Telling Zion, “Your God is King!”
8Hark!
Your watchmen raise their voices,
As one they shout for joy;
For every eye shall behold
The Lord’s return to Zion.
9Raise a shout together,
O ruins of Jerusalem!
For the Lord will comfort His people,
Will redeem Jerusalem.
10The Lord will bare His holy arm
In the sight of all the nations,
And the very ends of earth shall see
The victory of our God. [ . . . ]

Chapter 54

1Shout, O barren one,
You who bore no child!
Shout aloud for joy,
You who did not travail!
For the children of the wife forlorn
Shall outnumber those of the espoused
—said the Lord.
2Enlarge the site of your tent,
Extend the size of your dwelling,
Do not stint!
Lengthen the ropes, and drive the pegs firm.
3For you shall spread out to the right and the left;
Your offspring shall dispossess nationsb
And shall people the desolate towns.
4Fear not, you shall not be shamed;
Do not cringe, you shall not be disgraced.
For you shall forget
The reproach of your youth,
And remember no more
The shame of your widowhood.
5For He who made you will espouse you—
His name is “Lord of Hosts.”
The Holy One of Israel will redeem you—
He is called “God of all the Earth.”
6The Lord has called you back
As a wife forlorn and forsaken.
Can one cast off the wife of his youth?
—said your God.
7For a little while I forsook you,
But with vast love I will bring you back.
8In slight anger, for a moment,
I hid My face from you;
But with kindness everlasting
I will take you back in love
—said the Lord your Redeemer.
9For this to Me is like the watersc of Noah:
As I swore that the waters of Noah
Nevermore would flood the earth,
So I swear that I will not
Be angry with you or rebuke you.
10For the mountains may move
And the hills be shaken,
But my loyalty shall never move from you,
Nor My covenant of friendship be shaken
—said the Lord, who takes you back in love.
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Notes

Whereas the Israelites themselves sought hospitality in Egypt, Assyria (i.e., the Chaldean Empire) has exiled them by force.

I.e., the foreigners who had occupied regions from which Israelites had been exiled.

Other Heb. mss. and the ancient versions read “days.”

Credits

Reprinted from Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures by permission of the University of Nebraska Press. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 1.

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