6 I have placed watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they won't ever be silent, day or night.[b] You who pray to the Lord, don't ever stop and take a rest. 7 Don't give the Lord a rest either, until he finishes his work, until he makes Jerusalem the most praiseworthy place on earth. 8 The Lord has made a solemn promise, swearing by his power and might: I won't ever again let your enemies have your grain to eat, or let foreigners drink the new wine you worked hard for.
9 Instead, those who harvest the grain will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who harvest the grapes for the wine will drink it in the courts of my Temple.
10 Exit! Exit through the gates! Clear the way for the people! Build the highway! Get rid of any rocks on the road! Lift up a flag so the nations can see![c] 11 See! The Lord has announced to everyone on earth, Tell the Daughter of Zion: Look! Your Savior is coming. He's bringing his reward with him, coming to give his gift! 12 They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called the Sought-After Place, A City No Longer Abandoned.
<- Isaiah 61Isaiah 63 ->-
a The literal names are Hephzibah and Beulah. Hephzibah was actually the name of Hezekiah's queen, and Beulah became a symbolic name for Jerusalem.
b It was the duty of watchmen to regularly give a report by calling out. In this case it could be the prophets who are represented as Jerusalem's watchmen.
c The imagery of this verse is taken to represent the people leaving Babylon.
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