¹ A curse on the designers of evil, working on their beds! in the morning light they do it, because it is in their power.

² They have a desire for fields and take them by force; and for houses and take them away: they are cruel to a man and his family, even to a man and his heritage.

³ For this cause the Lord has said, See, against this family I am purposing an evil from which you will not be able to take your necks away, and you will be weighted down by it; for it is an evil time.

⁴ In that day this saying will be said about you, and this song of grief will be made: The heritage of my people is measured out, and there is no one to give it back; those who have made us prisoners have taken our fields from us, and complete destruction has come to us.

⁵ For this cause you will have no one to make the decision by the measuring line in the meeting of the Lord.

⁶ Let not words like these be dropped, they say: Shame and the curse will not come to the family of Jacob!

⁷ Is the Lord quickly made angry? are these his doings? do not his words do good to his people Israel?

⁸ As for you, you have become haters of those who were at peace with you: you take the clothing of those who go by without fear, and make them prisoners of war.

⁹ The women of my people you have been driving away from their dearly loved children; from their young ones you are taking my glory for ever.

¹⁰ Up! and go; for this is not your rest: because it has been made unclean, the destruction ordered will come on you.

¹¹ If a man came with a false spirit of deceit, saying, I will be a prophet to you of wine and strong drink: he would be the sort of prophet for this people.

¹² I will certainly make all of you, O Jacob, come together; I will get together the rest of Israel; I will put them together like the sheep in their circle: like a flock in their green field; they will be full of the noise of men.

¹³ The opener of the way will go up before them: forcing their way out they will go on to the doorway and out through it: their king will go on before them, and the Lord at their head.

¹ Awake! Awake! put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful robes, O Jerusalem, the holy town: for from now there will never again come into you the unclean and those without circumcision.

² Make yourself clean from the dust; up! and take the seat of your power, O Jerusalem: the bands of your neck are loose, O prisoned daughter of Zion.

³ For the Lord says, You were given for nothing, and you will be made free without price.

⁴ For the Lord God says, My people went down at first into Egypt, to get a place for themselves there: and the Assyrian put a cruel yoke on them without cause.

⁵ Now then, what have I here? says the Lord, for my people are taken away without cause; they are made waste and give cries of sorrow, says the Lord, and all the day the nations put shame on my name.

⁶ For this cause I will make my name clear to my people; in that day they will be certain that it is my word which comes to them; see, here am I.

⁷ How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who comes with good news, who gives word of peace, saying that salvation is near; who says to Zion, Your God is ruling!

⁸ The voice of your watchmen! their voices are loud in song together; for they will see him, eye to eye, when the Lord comes back to Zion.

⁹ Give sounds of joy, make melody together, waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord has given comfort to his people, he has taken up the cause of Jerusalem.

¹⁰ The Lord has let his holy arm be seen by the eyes of all nations; and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

¹¹ Away! away! go out from there, touching no unclean thing; go out from among her; be clean, you who take up the vessels of the Lord.

¹² For you will not go out suddenly, and you will not go in flight: for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will come after you to keep you.

¹³ See, my servant will do well in his undertakings, he will be honoured, and lifted up, and be very high.

¹⁴ As peoples were surprised at him, And his face was not beautiful, so as to be desired: his face was so changed by disease as to be unlike that of a man, and his form was no longer that of the sons of men.

¹⁵ So will nations give him honour; kings will keep quiet because of him: for what had not been made clear to them they will see; and they will give their minds to what had not come to their ears.