Isaiah 60
New day for a New Jerusalem
It’s a new day for Jerusalem
1It’s a new day, Jerusalem. [1] Rise and shine.
For the LORD’s shining his light on you.
And clouds blacken the sky.
But the LORD is shining his light on you.
God’s glory is lighting your way.
3Kings and nations will come to you,
Drawn to your light
And looking for guidance.
Crowds return to Jerusalem
4Open your eyes and watch them come,
Crowds from all directions.
Your sons are among them, from far away,
With young daughters, carried along.
You’ll burst with joy.
Your heart will pound
And your spirit will soar.
Rich nations are coming,
bringing you wealth as their gifts.
6Camel caravans are headed your way.
They’ll come from Midian, [2] Ephah, [3] and Sheba, [4]
Loaded with gold and frankincense,
And saying good things about God.
7Shepherds of Kedar [5] will bring their sheep.
Rams of Nebaioth [6] come, too.
I’ll accept them as animals you sacrifice.
They’ll honor my Temple when they come.
8Who are these people rushing to you
Like a cloud speeding through the sky,
Or a dove hurrying home to the roost?
9Your people are waiting at distant ports
For ships I’m sending to carry them home
With their wealth of silver and gold.
I, the LORD your God, will do it to bless them.
And to honor the name of Israel’s Holy One.
Rebuilding Jerusalem
10Foreigners will rebuild Jerusalem’s walls.
Their kings will do what you say.
In anger, I tore you down.
With mercy, I build you back.
Day and night they’ll remain open
So nations can bring you their wealth.
12Any kingdom or nation that refuses to serve you
Will be wiped off the face of the earth.
Lebanon cedar for new Temple
13The best of Lebanon will come to you:
Timber of cypress, plane, [7] and pine.
You’ll use this wood to rebuild my Temple,
Where I’ll rest my feet [8] among my people.
Will bow to you.
People who hated you
Will show you respect.
They’ll call you Jerusalem,
City of the LORD,
City of Israel’s Holy God.
15People hated you, left you,
Refused to come back.
Now I’m making you a top destination.
For generations to come,
People with visit you,
Happy, excited to be there.
16You’ll feed on the wealth of nations.
You’ll take the riches of kings.
That turn of events will remind you
I’m the LORD who came to your rescue.
Mighty God of Jacob’s descendants.
17I’ll upgrade the gifts I bring you.
For wood and stones,
I’ll trade you bronze and iron.
Then for bronze and iron,
I’ll give you silver and gold.
The peace will govern you.
Goodness will guide you.
18Your land will be safe.
No violence, disaster, destruction.
No hostilities inside your borders.
People will call your walls Safety. [9]
Your gates they’ll call Excellence. [10]
God replaces the sunshine
19The sun won’t light your day anymore [11]
The moon won’t brighten your night.
The LORD is all the light you’ll need,
Forever your source of glory.
Your moon won’t rise and fall.
The LORD will be your light forever,
When your days of mourning are done.
21Your people will all become good.
They’ll always have a home in this land.
They are small shoots I planted by hand,
To honor me as they grow.
Footnotes
The writer paints a picture of Jerusalem as a widowed mother who has had all her children taken away. Babylonian invaders in 586 BC wiped the nation of Judah off the map and exiled the Jewish survivors. But the LORD promises to bring the scattered Jews back home to rebuild the city into a glorious destination that attracts the wealth of the nations. The portrait is idealized beyond what history says happened. It’s a picture of a city of perfect safety with nothing but good souls. There’s material here that the writer of Revelation seemed to borrow to paint a picture of what Jerusalem will be like after Jesus conquers Satan and evil. In Isaiah, the picture seems intended mainly to describe Jerusalem after Jews return from exile. In Revelation, some of the same imagery seems to point to Israel and Jerusalem after the Romans leave, and then beyond life as we know it—and to life in the Kingdom of God.
Midian was a nation of nomadic herders. Some scholars put their base along the northeast bank of the Red Sea, in what is now northwestern Saudi Arabia. Others place it in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Some say the people were scattered among both. It’s hard to put roots on nomads.
Ephah was one of the tribes of the Midian people.
It’s uncertain where Sheba was. Scholars today seem to prefer locating Sheba in the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, perhaps in Yemen. Others place it in northeastern Africa, perhaps in Ethiopia.
Kedar was a nomadic tribe in the northern desert of Arabia.
Nebaioth was Abraham’s grandson. He was the first son of Ishmael, Abraham’s son born to a slave woman. The people named after him, perhaps his descendants, were a tribe or a community of nomads living in the northern desert of Arabia, apparently near the border with Israel.
A oriental plane tree, genus Platanus orientalis, is a huge tree that reaches a height of 30 meters (98 feet).
Jews taught that God’s footrest was the lid on the Ark of the Covenant, the gold-covered chest that held the Ten Commandments (1 Chronicles 28:2). Two winged beings called cherubim rested at each end of the lid. The chest disappeared by the time the Jews returned from exile in the mid-500s BC. It may have been confiscated by invading Assyrians during Isaiah’s day or by Babylonians who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC.
The Hebrew word is yᵉšûʽâ. Depending on the context, it can also mean: salvation, rescue, deliverance, and victory.
The Hebrew word is tᵉhillâ. It can also mean: praise, renown, glory.
The writer of Revelation closes the book on the Christian Bible by borrowing this idea for Revelation’s final chapter, 22:5.
Discussion Questions
- Sorry, there are currently no questions for this chapter.
Maps/Guides
