Isaiah

Prophecies about judgment and salvation, promising hope and a savior.

Chapter 60

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

*Get up and shines because your light has arrived, and the greatness of God is shining on you.

2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

*See, darkness will cover the earth and make people confused, but the Lord will rise up and show his greatness on you.

3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

*And people from other nations will follow your guidance, and kings will be drawn to your increasing shine.

4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

*Look around you. Everyone is coming towards you. Your children will come from far away, and your daughters will be taken care of close to you.

5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

*Then you will see and join together, and your heart will fear and grow larger. This is because the vast amount of sea will become yours, and the armies of other nations will come to you.

6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.

*Many camels will cover you, from Midian and Ephah. Camels from Sheba will also come with gold and incense to show how great the LORD is.

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

*All of Kedar's sheep will come to you, and the sheep from Nebaioth will serve you. They will be welcomed at my altar, and I will make your special place even more amazing.

8 Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

*Who are these people flying like a cloud and returning like doves to their homes?

9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

*The islands will eagerly await me, especially the ships from Tarshish, to bring your children back from far away. They will bring their silver and gold with them to honor the LORD your God and the Holy One of Israel, as they celebrate your glory.

10 And the sons of strangers 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.

*Strangers' children will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Because when I was angry, I punished you, but now, in my kindness, I have forgiven you.

11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

*So your doors will always be open; they won't close during the day or night. This way, people can bring you the armies of non-Jewish nations, and their rulers will come to you too.

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

*If a country doesn't obey you, it will disappear, and those countries will be completely destroyed.

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

*The beauty of Lebanon's trees will be with you, fir, pine, and box trees together, to make my holy place more beautiful. I will also make the place where my feet are very special.

14 The sons also 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 the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

*The people who hurt you will bow to you in respect, and those who looked down on you will kneel at your feet. They will call you "The city of the Lord" and "the holy Zion of Israel."

15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

*Even though you were abandoned and disliked, with nobody passing through your area, I will turn you into something wonderful and enjoyable for many people to enjoy for eternity.

16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

*You will drink from the milk of non-Jewish people and nurse from the leaders' breasts. You will understand that I, the LORD, am your savior and the one who redeems you, the powerful protector of Jacob.

17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

*I will replace brass with gold, iron with silver, wood with brass, and stones with iron. I will also make your leaders peaceful and your enforcers fair.

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.

*No more violence will happen in your land. Nothing bad or destroyed will happen inside your borders. You can 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 the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

*The sun won't shine on you during the day; the moon won't brighten your night either. But the LORD will be your eternal light and your God will bring you glory forever.

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

*Your sun will always shine; your moon won't disappear. The LORD will be your constant light, ending your times of sadness.

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

*Your people will all be good: they will own the land forever, coming from my planting, my creation's work, so I can be praised.

22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.

*A tiny child will grow into a huge family, and a small group will turn into a powerful country. The Lord will quickly make this happen at the right time.

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