Isaiah 52 DBY
Summary: Zion is called to awake, put on strength and beautiful garments, and shake off the dust of captivity, for the uncircumcised and unclean will no longer enter her, and she is told she was sold for nothing and will be redeemed without money. The chapter includes the celebrated image of the messenger on the mountains bringing good tidings of peace and salvation, proclaiming "Thy God reigneth!" (v. 7), as watchmen lift their voices together seeing the LORD returning to Zion, and the LORD baring His holy arm before all nations so "all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God" (v. 10). The people are urged to depart Babylon, touching nothing unclean, going out not in haste but with the LORD going before and behind them as rearguard. The chapter closes introducing the Servant who will be exalted and very high, though many will be astonished at his marred appearance, setting up the Servant Song that follows in chapter 53.
1Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, captive daughter of Zion.
3For thus saith Jehovah: Ye have sold yourselves for nought, and ye shall be redeemed without money.
4For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and Assyria oppressed them without cause;
5and now, what have I here, saith Jehovah, that my people hath been taken away for nought? They that rule over them make them to howl, saith Jehovah; and continually all the day is my name scorned.
6Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore [they shall know] in that day that I [am] HE, that saith, Here am I.
7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that announceth glad tidings, that publisheth peace; that announceth glad tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, ThyGod reigneth!
8— The voice of thy watchmen, they lift up the voice, they sing aloud together; for they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah shall bring again Zion.
9Break forth, sing aloud together, waste places of Jerusalem; for Jehovah comforteth his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of ourGod.
11— Depart, depart, go out from thence, touch not what is unclean; go out of the midst of her, be ye clean, that bear the vessels of Jehovah.
12For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for Jehovah will go before you, and theGod of Israel will be your rear-guard.
13Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and be lifted up, and be very high.
14As many were astonished at thee — his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the children of men
15— so shall he astonish many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for what had not been told them shall they see, and what they had not heard shall they consider.
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