Isaiah 60-61
They will be called big trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah.
Isaiah 60
“Arise, O woman, shed light, for your light has come. The glory of Jehovah shines on you.
For look! darkness will cover the earth And thick gloom the nations; But on you Jehovah will shine, And on you his glory will be seen.
Nations will go to your light And kings to your shining splendor.
Raise your eyes and look all around you! They have all been assembled; they are coming to you. From far away your sons keep coming, And your daughters being supported on the hip.
At that time you will see and become radiant, And your heart will throb and overflow, Because the wealth of the sea will be directed to you; The resources of the nations will come to you.
Throngs of camels will cover your land,
Young male camels of Midian and Ephah.
All those from Sheba—they will come;
Gold and frankincense they will carry.
They will proclaim the praises of Jehovah.
All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you. The rams of Nebaioth will serve you. They will come on my altar with approval, And I will beautify my glorious house.
Who are these that fly along like clouds, Like doves to their dovecotes?
For in me the islands will hope; The ships of Tarshish are in the lead, To bring your sons from far away, Along with their silver and their gold, To the name of Jehovah your God and to the Holy One of Israel, For he will glorify you.
Foreigners will build your walls, And their kings will minister to you, For in my indignation I struck you, But in my favor I will have mercy on you.
Your gates will be kept open constantly; They will not be closed by day or by night, To bring to you the resources of the nations, And their kings will take the lead.
For any nation and any kingdom that will not serve you will perish, And the nations will be utterly devastated.
To you the glory of Lebanon will come, The juniper tree, the ash tree, and the cypress together, To beautify the place of my sanctuary; I will glorify the place for my feet.
The sons of those who oppressed you will come and bow down before you; All those treating you disrespectfully must bow down at your feet, And they will have to call you the city of Jehovah, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Instead of your being abandoned and hated, with nobody passing through, I will make you a source of everlasting pride, A cause for rejoicing throughout all generations.
And you will actually drink the milk of nations,
At the breast of kings you will nurse;
And you will certainly know that I, Jehovah, am your Savior,
And the Powerful One of Jacob is your Repurchaser.
Instead of the copper I will bring in gold,
And instead of the iron I will bring in silver,
Instead of the wood, copper,
And instead of the stones, iron;
And I will appoint peace as your overseers
And righteousness as your task assigners.
No more will violence be heard in your land
Or destruction and ruin within your boundaries.
And you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
For you the sun will no longer be a light by day,
Nor will the shining of the moon give you light,
For Jehovah will become to you an eternal light,
And your God will be your beauty.
No more will your sun set,
Nor will your moon wane,
For Jehovah will become for you an eternal light,
And the days of your mourning will have ended.
And all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever. They are the sprout that I planted, The work of my hands, for me to be beautified.
The little one will become a thousand And the small one a mighty nation. I myself, Jehovah, will speed it up in its own time.”
Isaiah 61
The spirit of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah is upon me, Because Jehovah anointed me to declare good news to the meek. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And the wide opening of the eyes to the prisoners, To proclaim the year of Jehovah’s goodwill And the day of vengeance of our God, To comfort all who mourn, To provide for those mourning over Zion, To give them a headdress instead of ashes, The oil of exultation instead of mourning, The garment of praise instead of a despondent spirit. And they will be called big trees of righteousness, The planting of Jehovah, in order to glorify him.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins; They will raise up the desolated places of the past, And they will restore the devastated cities, The places that lay desolate for generation after generation.
“Strangers will stand and shepherd your flocks, And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
As for you, you will be called the priests of Jehovah; They will call you the ministers of our God. You will eat the resources of the nations, And about their glory you will boast.
Instead of shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout joyfully over their share. Yes, they will possess a double portion in their land. Everlasting rejoicing will be theirs.
For I, Jehovah, love justice; I hate robbery and unrighteousness. I will faithfully give them their wages, And I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their offspring will be known among the nations And their descendants among the peoples. All who see them will recognize them, That they are the offspring whom Jehovah has blessed.”
I will greatly exult in Jehovah. My whole being will rejoice in my God. For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has wrapped me with the robe of righteousness, Just like a bridegroom who wears a turban like that of a priest, And like a bride who adorns herself with her ornaments.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts And as the garden makes what is sown in it sprout, So will the Sovereign Lord Jehovah Cause righteousness and praise to sprout before all the nations.