Isaiah - The Old Testament

¹ Arise, shine out, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you.

² Look! though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples, on you Yahweh is rising and over you his glory can be seen.

³ The nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness.

⁴ Lift up your eyes and look around: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons coming from far away and your daughters being carried on the hip.

⁵ At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart will throb and dilate, since the riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you;

⁶ camels in throngs will fill your streets, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; everyone in Saba will come, bringing gold and incense and proclaiming Yahweh's praises.

⁷ All the flocks of Kedar will gather inside you, the rams of Nebaioth will be at your service as acceptable victims on my altar, and I shall glorify my glorious house.

⁸ Who are these flying like a cloud, like doves to their dovecote?

⁹ Why, the coasts and islands put their hope in me and the vessels of Tarshish take the lead in bringing your children from far away, and their silver and gold with them, for the sake of the name of Yahweh your God, of the Holy One of Israel who has made you glorious.

¹⁰ Foreigners will rebuild your walls and their kings will serve you. For though I struck you in anger, in mercy I have pitied you.

¹¹ Your gates will always be open, never closed, either day or night, for the riches of the nations to be brought you and their kings to be let in.

¹² For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you will perish, and the nations will be utterly destroyed.

¹³ The glory of the Lebanon will come to you, cypress, plane-tree, box-tree, one and all, to adorn the site of my sanctuary, for me to honour the place where I stand.

¹⁴ Your oppressors' children will humbly approach you, at your feet all who despised you will fall addressing you as 'City of Yahweh', 'Zion of the Holy One of Israel'.

¹⁵ Instead of your being forsaken and hated, avoided by everyone, I will make you an object of eternal pride, a source of joy from age to age.

¹⁶ You will suck the milk of nations, you will suck the wealth of kings, and you will know that I, Yahweh, am your Saviour, that your redeemer is the Mighty One of Jacob.

¹⁷ For bronze I shall bring gold and for iron I shall bring silver, and for wood, bronze, and for stone, iron; I shall make Peace your administration and Saving Justice your government.

¹⁸ Violence will no longer be heard of in your country, nor devastation and ruin within your frontiers. You will call your walls 'Salvation' and your gates 'Praise'.

¹⁹ No more will the sun give you daylight, nor moonlight shine on you, but Yahweh will be your everlasting light, your God will be your splendour.

²⁰ Your sun will set no more nor will your moon wane, for Yahweh will be your everlasting light and your days of mourning will be over.

²¹ Your people, all of them upright, will possess the country for ever, the shoot I myself have planted, my handiwork, for my own glory.

²² The smallest will grow into a thousand, the weakest one into a mighty nation. When the time is ripe, I, Yahweh, shall quickly bring it about.