52 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.

Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

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.

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.

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 reward.

13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

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:

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.

53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

52 1 A consolation to the people of God. 7 Of the messengers thereof.

Arise, arise: put on thy strength, O Zion: put on the garments of thy beauty, O Jerusalem, the holy City: for henceforth there shall no [a]more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Shake thyself from the [b]dust, arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose the bands of thy neck, O thou captive daughter Zion.

For thus saith the Lord, Ye were sold for [c]naught; therefore shall ye be redeemed without money.

For thus saith the Lord God, My people went [d]down afore time into Egypt to sojourn there, and Assyria [e]oppressed them without cause.

Now therefore what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for naught, and they that rule over them, make them to howl, saith the Lord? and my Name all the day continually is [f]blasphemed?

Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day, that I am he that do speak: behold, it is I.

How [g]beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him, that declareth and publisheth peace! that declareth good tidings, and publisheth salvation, saying unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

[h]The voice of thy watchmen shall be heard: they shall lift up their voice, and shout together: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

O ye desolate places of Jerusalem, be glad and rejoice together, for the Lord hath comforted his people: he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

10 The Lord hath made [i]bare his holy arm in the sight of all the Gentiles, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

11 [j]Depart, depart ye: go ye out from thence, and touch no unclean thing, go out of the midst of her, be ye clean, that [k]bear the vessels of the Lord.

12 For ye shall not go out [l]with haste, nor depart by fleeing away: but the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will gather you together.

13 Behold, my [m]servant shall prosper: he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

14 As many were astonied at thee (his visage was so [n]deformed of men, and his form of the sons of men) so [o]shall he sprinkle many nations: the Kings shall shut their [p]mouths at him: for that which had not been told them, shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they [q]understand.

53 1 Of Christ and his kingdom, whose word few will believe. 6 All men are sinners. 11 Christ is our righteousness, 12 and is dead for our sins.

Who [r]will believe our report? and to whom is the [s]arm of the Lord revealed?

But he shall grow up before him as a branch, and as a [t]root out of a dry [u]ground; he hath neither form nor beauty: when we shall see him, there shall be no form that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men: he is a man full of sorrows, and hath experience of [v]infirmities: we hid as it were our faces from him: he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely, he hath born our infirmities, and carried [w]our sorrows, yet we did judge him as [x]plagued and smitten of God, and humbled.

But he was wounded for our transgressions: he was broken for our iniquities: the [y]chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes are we healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid upon him the [z]iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet did he not [aa]open his mouth: he is brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

He was taken out from [ab]prison, and from judgment: [ac]and who shall declare his age? for he was cut out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he plagued.

[ad]And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no wickedness, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet the Lord would break him and make him subject to infirmities: when [ae]he shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed and shall prolong his days, and the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the [af]travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my [ag]righteous servant justify many: for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I give him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because [ah]he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was counted with the transgressors, and he bare the sin [ai]of many, and prayed for the trespassers.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:1 No wicked tyrant, which shall subvert God’s true religion, and oppress the conscience.
  2. Isaiah 52:2 Put off the garments of sorrow and heaviness, and put on the apparel of joy and gladness.
  3. Isaiah 52:3 The Babylonians paid nothing to me for you: therefore I will take you again without ransom.
  4. Isaiah 52:4 When Jacob went thither in time of famine.
  5. Isaiah 52:4 The Egyptians might pretend some cause to oppress my people because they went thither, and remained among them, but the Assyrians have no title to excuse their tyranny by, and therefore will I punish them more than I did the Egyptians.
  6. Isaiah 52:5 To wit, by the wicked, which think that I have no power to deliver them.
  7. Isaiah 52:7 Signifying, that the joy and good tidings of their deliverance should make their affliction in the mean time more easy: but this is chiefly meant of the spiritual joy, as Nah. 1:15; Rom. 10:15.
  8. Isaiah 52:8 The Prophets which are thy watchmen shall publish this thy deliverance: this was begun under Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, but was accomplished under Christ.
  9. Isaiah 52:10 As ready to smite his enemies, and to deliver his people.
  10. Isaiah 52:11 He warneth the faithful not to pollute themselves with the superstitions of the Babylonians, as Isa. 48:20; 2 Cor. 6:17.
  11. Isaiah 52:11 For the time is at hand that the Priests and Levites chiefly (and so by them all the people, which shall be as the Levites in this office) shall carry home vessels of the Temple which Nebuchadnezzar had taken away.
  12. Isaiah 52:12 As your fathers did out of Egypt.
  13. Isaiah 52:13 Meaning, Christ, by whom our spiritual deliverance should be wrought, whereof this was a figure.
  14. Isaiah 52:14 In the corrupt judgment of man, Christ in his person was not esteemed.
  15. Isaiah 52:14 He shall spread his word through many nations.
  16. Isaiah 52:14 In sign of reverence, and as being astonished at his excellency.
  17. Isaiah 52:14 By the preaching of the Gospel.
  18. Isaiah 53:1 The Prophet showeth that very few shall receive this their preaching of Christ, and of their deliverance by him, John 12:38; Rom. 10:16.
  19. Isaiah 53:1 Meaning, that none can believe, but whose hearts God toucheth with the virtue of his holy Spirit.
  20. Isaiah 53:2 The beginning of Christ’s kingdom shall be small and contemptible in the sight of man, but it shall grow wonderfully, and flourish before God.
  21. Isaiah 53:2 Read Isa. 11:1.
  22. Isaiah 53:3 Which was by God’s singular providence for the comfort of sinners, Heb. 4:15.
  23. Isaiah 53:4 That is, the punishment due to our sins: for the which he hath both suffered and made satisfaction, Matt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24.
  24. Isaiah 53:4 We judgeth evil, thinking that he was punished for his own sins, and not for ours.
  25. Isaiah 53:5 He was chastised for our reconciliation, 1 Cor. 15:3.
  26. Isaiah 53:6 Meaning, the punishment of our iniquity, and not the fault itself.
  27. Isaiah 53:7 But willingly and patiently obeyed his father’s appointment, Matt. 26:63; Acts 8:32.
  28. Isaiah 53:8 From the cross and grave, after that he was condemned.
  29. Isaiah 53:8 Though he died for sin, yet after his resurrection he shall live forever and this his death is to restore life to his members, Rom. 6:9.
  30. Isaiah 53:9 God the Father delivered him into the hands of the wicked, and to the powers of the world to do with him what they would.
  31. Isaiah 53:10 Christ by offering up himself shall give life to his Church, and so cause them to live with him forever.
  32. Isaiah 53:11 That is, the fruit and effect of his labor, which is the salvation of his Church.
  33. Isaiah 53:11 Christ shall justify by faith through his word, whereas Moses could not justify by the law.
  34. Isaiah 53:12 Because he humbled himself, therefore he shall be extolled to glory, Phil. 2:7-12.
  35. Isaiah 53:12 That is, of all that believe in him.

52 Awake, awake,(A) Zion,
    clothe yourself with strength!(B)
Put on your garments of splendor,(C)
    Jerusalem, the holy city.(D)
The uncircumcised(E) and defiled(F)
    will not enter you again.(G)
Shake off your dust;(H)
    rise up,(I) sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,(J)
    Daughter Zion,(K) now a captive.

For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,(L)
    and without money(M) you will be redeemed.(N)

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“At first my people went down to Egypt(O) to live;
    lately, Assyria(P) has oppressed them.

“And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.

“For my people have been taken away for nothing,
    and those who rule them mock,[a]
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
    my name is constantly blasphemed.(Q)
Therefore my people will know(R) my name;(S)
    therefore in that day(T) they will know
that it is I who foretold(U) it.
    Yes, it is I.”

How beautiful on the mountains(V)
    are the feet of those who bring good news,(W)
who proclaim peace,(X)
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!”(Y)
Listen! Your watchmen(Z) lift up their voices;(AA)
    together they shout for joy.(AB)
When the Lord returns(AC) to Zion,(AD)
    they will see it with their own eyes.
Burst into songs of joy(AE) together,
    you ruins(AF) of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted(AG) his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.(AH)
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm(AI)
    in the sight of all the nations,(AJ)
and all the ends of the earth(AK) will see
    the salvation(AL) of our God.

11 Depart,(AM) depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing!(AN)
Come out from it and be pure,(AO)
    you who carry the articles(AP) of the Lord’s house.
12 But you will not leave in haste(AQ)
    or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,(AR)
    the God of Israel will be your rear guard.(AS)

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

13 See, my servant(AT) will act wisely[b];
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.(AU)
14 Just as there were many who were appalled(AV) at him[c]
    his appearance was so disfigured(AW) beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness(AX)
15 so he will sprinkle(AY) many nations,[d]
    and kings(AZ) will shut their mouths(BA) because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand.(BB)

53 Who has believed our message(BC)
    and to whom has the arm(BD) of the Lord been revealed?(BE)
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,(BF)
    and like a root(BG) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance(BH) that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,(BI) and familiar with pain.(BJ)
Like one from whom people hide(BK) their faces
    he was despised,(BL) and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,(BM)
yet we considered him punished by God,(BN)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.(BO)
But he was pierced(BP) for our transgressions,(BQ)
    he was crushed(BR) for our iniquities;
the punishment(BS) that brought us peace(BT) was on him,
    and by his wounds(BU) we are healed.(BV)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,(BW)
    each of us has turned to our own way;(BX)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity(BY) of us all.

He was oppressed(BZ) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;(CA)
he was led like a lamb(CB) to the slaughter,(CC)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression[e] and judgment(CD) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;(CE)
    for the transgression(CF) of my people he was punished.[f]
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,(CG)
    and with the rich(CH) in his death,
though he had done no violence,(CI)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.(CJ)

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will(CK) to crush(CL) him and cause him to suffer,(CM)
    and though the Lord makes[g] his life an offering for sin,(CN)
he will see his offspring(CO) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper(CP) in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,(CQ)
    he will see the light(CR) of life[h] and be satisfied[i];
by his knowledge[j] my righteous servant(CS) will justify(CT) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.(CU)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[k](CV)
    and he will divide the spoils(CW) with the strong,[l]
because he poured out his life unto death,(CX)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.(CY)
For he bore(CZ) the sin of many,(DA)
    and made intercession(DB) for the transgressors.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Vulgate; Masoretic Text wail
  2. Isaiah 52:13 Or will prosper
  3. Isaiah 52:14 Hebrew you
  4. Isaiah 52:15 Or so will many nations be amazed at him (see also Septuagint)
  5. Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
  6. Isaiah 53:8 Or generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living, / that he was punished for the transgression of my people?
  7. Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
  8. Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
  9. Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
  10. Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
  11. Isaiah 53:12 Or many
  12. Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous