Bible Reading Plan – Day 239

₁Arise, Jerusalem, and shine like the sun;

The glory of the LORD is shining on you!

₂Other nations will be covered by darkness,

But on you the light of the LORD will shine;

The brightness of his presence will be with you.

₃Nations will be drawn to your light,

And kings to the dawning of your new day.

₄Look around you and see what is happening:

Your people are gathering to come home!

Your sons will come from far away;

Your daughters will be carried like children.

₅You will see this and be filled with joy;

You will tremble with excitement.

The wealth of the nations will be brought to you;

From across the sea their riches will come.

₆Great caravans of camels will come, from Midian and Ephah.

They will come from Sheba, bringing gold and incense.

People will tell the good news of what the LORD has done!

₇All the sheep of Kedar and Nebaioth

Will be brought to you as sacrifices

And offered on the altar to please the LORD.

The LORD will make his Temple more glorious than ever.

₈What are these ships that skim along like clouds,

Like doves returning home?

₉They are ships coming from distant lands,

Bringing God's people home.

They bring with them silver and gold

To honour the name of the LORD,

The holy God of Israel,

Who has made all nations honour his people.

₁₀The LORD says to Jerusalem,

“Foreigners will rebuild your walls,

And their kings will serve you.

In my anger I punished you,

But now I will show you my favour and mercy.

₁₁Day and night your gates will be open,

So that the kings of the nations

May bring you their wealth.

₁₂But nations that do not serve you

Will be completely destroyed.

₁₃“The wood of the pine, the juniper, and the cypress,

The finest wood from the forests of Lebanon,

Will be brought to rebuild you, Jerusalem,

To make my Temple beautiful,

To make my city glorious.

₁₄The descendants of those who oppressed you will come

And bow low to show their respect.

All who once despised you will worship at your feet.

They will call you ‘The City of the LORD’,

‘Zion, the City of Israel's Holy God’.

₁₅“You will no longer be forsaken and hated,

A city deserted and desolate.

I will make you great and beautiful,

A place of joy for ever and ever.

₁₆Nations and kings will care for you

As a mother nurses her child.

You will know that I, the LORD, have saved you,

That the mighty God of Israel sets you free.

₁₇“I will bring you gold instead of bronze,

Silver and bronze instead of iron and wood,

And iron instead of stone.

Your rulers will no longer oppress you;

I will make them rule with justice and peace.

₁₈The sounds of violence will be heard no more;

Destruction will not shatter your country again.

I will protect and defend you like a wall;

You will praise me because I have saved you.

₁₉“No longer will the sun be your light by day

Or the moon be your light by night;

I, the LORD, will be your eternal light;

The light of my glory will shine on you.

₂₀Your days of grief will come to an end.

I, the LORD, will be your eternal light,

More lasting than the sun and moon.

₂₁Your people will all do what is right,

And will possess the land for ever.

I planted them, I made them,

To reveal my greatness to all.

₂₂Even your smallest and humblest family

Will become as great as a powerful nation.

When the right time comes,

I will make this happen quickly.

I am the LORD!”

₁The Sovereign LORD has filled me with his Spirit.

He has chosen me and sent me

To bring good news to the poor,

To heal the broken-hearted,

To announce release to captives

And freedom to those in prison.

₂He has sent me to proclaim

That the time has come

When the LORD will save his people

And defeat their enemies.

He has sent me to comfort all who mourn,

₃To give to those who mourn in Zion

Joy and gladness instead of grief,

A song of praise instead of sorrow.

They will be like trees

That the LORD himself has planted.

They will all do what is right,

And God will be praised for what he has done.

₄They will rebuild cities that have long been in ruins.

₅My people, foreigners will serve you.

They will take care of your flocks

And farm your land and tend your vineyards.

₆And you will be known as the priests of the LORD,

The servants of our God.

You will enjoy the wealth of the nations

And be proud that it is yours.

₇Your shame and disgrace are ended.

You will live in your own land,

And your wealth will be doubled;

Your joy will last for ever.

“I love justice and I hate oppression and crime.

I will faithfully reward my people

And make an eternal covenant with them.

₉They will be famous among the nations;

Everyone who sees them will know

That they are a people whom I have blessed.”

₁₀Jerusalem rejoices because of what the LORD has done.

She is like a bride dressed for her wedding.

God has clothed her with salvation and victory.

₁₁As surely as seeds sprout and grow,

The Sovereign LORD will save his people,

And all the nations will praise him.

₁I will speak out to encourage Jerusalem;

I will not be silent until she is saved,

And her victory shines like a torch in the night.

₂Jerusalem, the nations will see you victorious!

All their kings will see your glory.

You will be called by a new name,

A name given by the LORD himself.

₃You will be like a beautiful crown for the LORD.

₄No longer will you be called “Forsaken”,

Or your land be called “The Deserted Wife”.

Your new name will be “God is Pleased with Her”.

Your land will be called “Happily Married”,

Because the LORD is pleased with you

And will be like a husband to your land.

₅Like a young man taking a virgin as his bride,

He who formed you will marry you.

As a groom is delighted with his bride,

So your God will delight in you.

₆On your walls, Jerusalem,

I have placed sentries;

They must never be silent day or night.

They must remind the LORD of his promises

And never let him forget them.

₇They must give him no rest until he restores Jerusalem

And makes it a city the whole world praises.

₈The LORD has made a solemn promise,

And by his power he will carry it out:

“Your corn will no longer be food for your enemies,

And foreigners will no longer drink your wine.

₉But you that sowed and harvested the corn

Will eat the bread and praise the LORD.

You that tended and gathered the grapes

Will drink the wine in the courts of my Temple.”

₁₀People of Jerusalem, go out of the city

And build a road for your returning people!

Prepare a highway; clear it of stones!

Put up a signal so that the nations can know

₁₁That the LORD is announcing to all the earth:

“Tell the people of Jerusalem

That the LORD is coming to save you,

Bringing with him the people he has rescued.”

₁₂You will be called “God's Holy People”,

“The People the LORD has Saved”.

Jerusalem will be called “The City that God Loves”,

“The City that God did not Forsake”.

₇I will tell of the LORD's unfailing love;

I praise him for all he has done for us.

He has richly blessed the people of Israel

because of his mercy and constant love.