1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66
so I will continue to speak for her.
I love Jerusalem,
so I will not stop speaking.
I will speak until goodness[495] shines
like a bright light.
I will speak until salvation burns bright
like a flame.
<2> Then all nations will see your goodness.
All kings will see your honor.
Then you will have a new name
that the Lord himself will give you.
<3> The Lord will be very proud of you.
You are like a beautiful crown in his hand,
the crown of the kingdom in the palm of your God.
<4> You will never again be called
'The People God Left.'
Your land will never again be called
'The Land God Destroyed.'
You will be called
'The People God Loves.'
Your land will be called
'God's Bride,'
because the Lord loves you,
and your land will be his.[496]
<5> When a young man loves a woman,
he marries her,
and she becomes his wife.
In the same way, your land will belong
to your children.[497]
A man is very happy with his new wife.
In the same way, your God
will be very happy with you."
<6> Jerusalem, I put guards
on your walls.
They will not be silent.
They will keep praying day and night.
Guards, keep praying to the Lord.
Remind him of his promise.
Don't ever stop praying.
<7> Don't give him any rest until he rebuilds Jerusalem
and makes it a place that everyone on earth will praise.
<8> The Lord made a promise.
He used his own power as proof.
And he will use that power
to keep his promise.
The Lord said,
"I promise that I will never again give your food to your enemies.
I promise that your enemies
will never again take the wine that you make.
<9> Whoever gathers the food
will eat it and praise the Lord.
Whoever gathers the grapes
will drink the wine from them.
All this will happen in the courtyards of my Temple."
<10> Come through the gates!
Clear the way for the people!
Prepare the road!
Move all the stones off the road!
Raise a banner as a sign for the nations!
<11> Listen, the Lord is speaking to all the faraway lands:
"Tell the people of Zion,[498]
'Look, your Savior is coming.
He is bringing your reward to you.
He is bringing it with him.'"
<12> His people will be called "The Holy People,"
"The Saved People of the Lord."
And you, Jerusalem, will be called "The City God Wants,"
"The City God Is With."
© Copyright 2004 World Bible Translation Center.