Isaiah 58:1--60:22 
Context58:1 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!
Yell as loud as a trumpet!
Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; 1
confront Jacob’s family with their sin! 2
58:2 They seek me day after day;
they want to know my requirements, 3
like a nation that does what is right
and does not reject the law of their God.
They ask me for just decrees;
they want to be near God.
58:3 They lament, 4 ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?
Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’
Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, 5
you oppress your workers. 6
58:4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by 7 arguments, brawls,
and fistfights. 8
Do not fast as you do today,
trying to make your voice heard in heaven.
58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? 9
Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, 10
bowing their heads like a reed
and stretching out 11 on sackcloth and ashes?
Is this really what you call a fast,
a day that is pleasing to the Lord?
58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. 12
I want you 13 to remove the sinful chains,
to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,
to set free the oppressed, 14
and to break every burdensome yoke.
58:7 I want you 15 to share your food with the hungry
and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. 16
When you see someone naked, clothe him!
Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! 17
58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; 18
your restoration will quickly arrive; 19
your godly behavior 20 will go before you,
and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. 21
58:9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;
you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’
You must 22 remove the burdensome yoke from among you
and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.
58:10 You must 23 actively help the hungry
and feed the oppressed. 24
Then your light will dispel the darkness, 25
and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. 26
58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;
he will feed you even in parched regions. 27
He will give you renewed strength, 28
and you will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring that continually produces water.
58:12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; 29
you will reestablish the ancient foundations.
You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,
the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’ 30
58:13 You must 31 observe the Sabbath 32
rather than doing anything you please on my holy day. 33
You must look forward to the Sabbath 34
and treat the Lord’s holy day with respect. 35
You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities,
and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals. 36
58:14 Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord, 37
and I will give you great prosperity, 38
and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.” 39
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. 40
59:1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak 41 to deliver you;
his ear is not too deaf to hear you. 42
59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;
your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. 43
59:3 For your hands are stained with blood
and your fingers with sin;
your lips speak lies,
your tongue utters malicious words.
59:4 No one is concerned about justice; 44
no one sets forth his case truthfully.
They depend on false words 45 and tell lies;
they conceive of oppression 46
and give birth to sin.
59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake
and spin a spider’s web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
a poisonous snake is hatched. 47
59:6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are sinful;
they commit violent crimes. 48
59:7 They are eager to do evil, 49
quick to shed innocent blood. 50
Their thoughts are sinful;
they crush and destroy. 51
59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;
their deeds are unjust. 52
They use deceitful methods,
and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. 53
59:9 For this reason deliverance 54 is far from us 55
and salvation does not reach us.
We wait for light, 56 but see only darkness; 57
we wait for 58 a bright light, 59 but live 60 in deep darkness. 61
59:10 We grope along the wall like the blind,
we grope like those who cannot see; 62
we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.
Though others are strong, we are like dead men. 63
59:11 We all growl like bears,
we coo mournfully like doves;
we wait for deliverance, 64 but there is none,
for salvation, but it is far from us.
59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, 65
and our sins testify against us;
indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;
we know our sins all too well. 66
59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;
we turned back from following our God.
We stir up 67 oppression and rebellion;
we tell lies we concocted in our minds. 68
59:14 Justice is driven back;
godliness 69 stands far off.
Indeed, 70 honesty stumbles in the city square
and morality is not even able to enter.
59:15 Honesty has disappeared;
the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.
The Lord watches and is displeased, 71
for there is no justice.
59:16 He sees there is no advocate; 72
he is shocked 73 that no one intervenes.
So he takes matters into his own hands; 74
his desire for justice drives him on. 75
59:17 He wears his desire for justice 76 like body armor, 77
and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head. 78
He puts on the garments of vengeance 79
and wears zeal like a robe.
59:18 He repays them for what they have done,
dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries
and punishing his enemies. 80
He repays the coastlands. 81
59:19 In the west, people respect 82 the Lord’s reputation; 83
in the east they recognize his splendor. 84
For he comes like a rushing 85 stream
driven on by wind sent from the Lord. 86
59:20 “A protector 87 comes to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,” 88 says the Lord.
59:21 “As for me, this is my promise to 89 them,” says the Lord. “My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,” 90 says the Lord.
60:1 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!
The splendor 91 of the Lord shines on you!
60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth
and deep darkness covers 92 the nations,
but the Lord shines on you;
his splendor 93 appears over you.
60:3 Nations come to your light,
kings to your bright light.
They all gather and come to you –
your sons come from far away
and your daughters are escorted by guardians.
60:5 Then you will look and smile, 95
you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. 96
For the riches of distant lands 97 will belong to you
and the wealth of nations will come to you.
60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, 98
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All the merchants of Sheba 99 will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing praises to the Lord. 100
60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. 101
They will go up on my altar acceptably, 102
and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
60:8 Who are these who float along 103 like a cloud,
who fly like doves to their shelters? 104
60:9 Indeed, the coastlands 105 look eagerly for me,
the large ships 106 are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to honor the Lord your God, 107
the Holy One of Israel, 108 for he has bestowed honor on you.
60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;
their kings will serve you.
Even though I struck you down in my anger,
I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. 109
60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;
they will not be shut during the day or at night,
so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,
with their kings leading the way. 110
60:12 Indeed, 111 nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;
such nations will be totally destroyed. 112
60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,
its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,
to beautify my palace; 113
I will bestow honor on my throne room. 114
60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;
all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.
They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ 115
60:15 You were once abandoned
and despised, with no one passing through,
but I will make you 116 a permanent source of pride
and joy to coming generations.
60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;
you will nurse at the breasts of kings. 117
Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,
your protector, 118 the powerful ruler of Jacob. 119
60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,
instead of iron, I will bring you silver,
instead of wood, I will bring you 120 bronze,
instead of stones, I will bring you 121 iron.
I will make prosperity 122 your overseer,
and vindication your sovereign ruler. 123
60:18 Sounds of violence 124 will no longer be heard in your land,
or the sounds of 125 destruction and devastation within your borders.
You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’
and your gates, ‘Praise.’
60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,
nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;
the Lord will be your permanent source of light –
the splendor of your God will shine upon you. 126
60:20 Your sun will no longer set;
your moon will not disappear; 127
the Lord will be your permanent source of light;
your time 128 of sorrow will be over.
60:21 All of your people will be godly; 129
they will possess the land permanently.
I will plant them like a shoot;
they will be the product of my labor,
through whom I reveal my splendor. 130
60:22 The least of you will multiply into 131 a thousand;
the smallest of you will become a large nation.
When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!” 132
1 tn Heb “declare to my people their rebellion.”
2 tn Heb “and to the house of Jacob their sin.” The verb “declare” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
3 tn Heb “ways” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV); NLT “my laws.”
4 tn The words “they lament” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
5 tn Heb “you find pleasure”; NASB “you find your desire.”
6 tn Or perhaps, “debtors.” See HALOT 865 s.v. * עָצֵב.
7 tn Heb “you fast for” (so NASB); NRSV “you fast only to quarrel.”
8 tn Heb “and for striking with a sinful fist.”
9 tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”
10 tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
11 tn Or “making [their] bed.”
12 tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
13 tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
14 tn Heb “crushed.”
15 tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”
16 tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (mÿrudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.
17 tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”
18 tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.”
sn Light here symbolizes God’s favor and restored blessing, as the immediately following context makes clear.
19 tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”
20 tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see.
21 sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.
22 tn Heb “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 9b-10 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in vv. 9b-10a), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 10b.
23 tn Heb “if you.” See the note on “you must” in v. 9b.
24 tn Heb “If you furnish for the hungry [with] your being, and the appetite of the oppressed you satisfy.”
25 tn Heb “will rise in the darkness.”
26 tn Heb “and your darkness [will be] like noonday.”
27 tn Heb “he will satisfy in parched regions your appetite.”
28 tn Heb “and your bones he will strengthen.”
29 tn Heb “and they will build from you ancient ruins.”
30 tc The Hebrew text has “the one who restores paths for dwelling.” The idea of “paths to dwell in” is not a common notion. Some have proposed emending נְתִיבוֹת (nÿtivot, “paths”) to נְתִיצוֹת (nÿtitsot, “ruins”), a passive participle from נָתַץ (natats, “tear down”; see HALOT 732 s.v. *נְתִיצָה), because tighter parallelism with the preceding line is achieved. However, none of the textual sources support this emendation. The line may mean that paths must be repaired in order to dwell in the land.
31 tn Lit., “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 13-14 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in v. 13), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 14.
32 tn Heb “if you turn from the Sabbath your feet.”
33 tn Heb “[from] doing your desires on my holy day.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa supplies the preposition מִן (min) on “doing.”
34 tn Heb “and call the Sabbath a pleasure”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “a delight.”
35 tn Heb “and [call] the holy [day] of the Lord honored.” On קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, “holy”) as indicating a time period, see BDB 872 s.v. 2.e (cf. also Neh 8:9-11).
36 tn Heb “and you honor it [by refraining] from accomplishing your ways, from finding your desire and speaking a word.” It is unlikely that the last phrase (“speaking a word”) is a prohibition against talking on the Sabbath; instead it probably refers to making transactions or plans (see Hos 10:4). Some see here a reference to idle talk (cf. 2 Sam 19:30).
37 tn For a parallel use of the phrase “find joy in” (Hitpael of עָנַג [’anag] followed by the preposition עַל [’al]), see Ps 37:4.
38 tn Heb “and I will cause you to ride upon the heights of the land.” The statement seems to be an allusion to Deut 32:13, where it is associated, as here, with God’s abundant provision of food.
39 tn Heb “and I will cause you to eat the inheritance of Jacob your father.” The Hebrew term נַחֲלָה (nakhalah) likely stands by metonymy for the crops that grow on Jacob’s “inheritance” (i.e., the land he inherited as a result of God’s promise).
40 tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the preceding promise will become reality (because it is guaranteed by the divine word).
41 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
42 tn Heb “or his ear too heavy [i.e., “dull”] to hear.”
43 tn Heb “and your sins have caused [his] face to be hidden from you so as not to hear.”
44 tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”
45 tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”
46 tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”
47 tn Heb “that which is pressed in hatches [as] a snake.”
48 tn Heb “their deeds are deeds of sin, and the work of violence [is] in their hands.”
49 tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”
50 tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”
51 tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”
52 tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”
53 tn Heb “their paths they make crooked, everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”
54 tn מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), which refers to “justice” in the earlier verses, here refers to “justice from God,” or “vindication.” Because the people are unjust, God refuses to vindicate them before their enemies. See v. 11.
55 sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.
56 sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.
57 tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”
58 tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
59 tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.
60 tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”
61 tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.
62 tn Heb “like there are no eyes.”
63 tn Heb among the strong, like dead men.”
65 tn Heb “for many are our rebellious deeds before you.”
66 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] our rebellious deeds (are) with us, and our sins, we know them.”
67 tn Heb “speaking.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
68 tn Heb “conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”
69 tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”
70 tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).
71 tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”
72 tn Heb “man” (so KJV, ASV); TEV “no one to help.”
73 tn Or “appalled” (NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “disgusted.”
74 tn Heb “and his arm delivers for him.”
75 tn Heb “and his justice [or “righteousness”] supports him.”
76 tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “goodness.”
77 tn Or “a breastplate” (traditional; so many English versions); TEV “a coat of armour.”
78 tn Heb “and [as] a helmet deliverance on his head.”
79 tn Heb “and he puts on the clothes of vengeance [as] a garment.”
80 tn Heb “in accordance with deeds, so he repays, anger to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies.”
81 tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV).
82 tc Heb “fear.” A few medieval Hebrew
83 tn Heb “and they fear from the west the name of the Lord.”
84 tn Heb “and from the rising of the sun his splendor.”
85 tn Heb “narrow”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “pent-up.”
86 tn Heb “the wind of the Lord drives it on.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh) could be translated “breath” here (see 30:28).
87 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
88 tn Heb “and to those who turn from rebellion in Jacob.”
89 tn Or “my covenant with” (so many English versions); NCV “my agreement with.”
sn The Lord promises the repentant (note “to them”) that they and their offspring will possess his spirit and function as his spokesmen. In this regard they follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s special servant. See 42:1; 49:2; 51:16.
90 tn Heb “from now and on into the future.”
91 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).
92 tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
93 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”
94 tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”
95 tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
96 tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”
97 tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.
98 tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”
99 tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”
100 tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”
101 tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.
102 tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).
103 tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”
104 tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.
105 tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”
106 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.
107 tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”
108 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
109 tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”
110 tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.
111 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”
112 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
113 tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”
114 tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”
115 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
116 tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”
117 sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.
118 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
119 sn See 1:24 and 49:26.
120 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).
121 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).
122 tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).
123 tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.
124 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
125 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
126 tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”
127 sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.
128 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
129 tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”
130 tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”
131 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
132 tn Heb “I, the Lord, in its time, I will quickly do it.”
