A bright light will shine to all the ends of the earth: Jerusalem itself is in effect that light, as Good News Translation states while reminding the reader that Jerusalem is being addressed. Good News Translation shifts focus from to all the ends of the earth to “for all the world.” This emphasizes the idea that Jerusalem’s light is purposeful, but loses the idea of its penetrating the farthest corners of earth’s darkness (compare Isa 2.3; 60.1; Psa 102.19-22). If translators cannot address Jerusalem directly, they may say, for example, “Jerusalem is a bright light that will light up [or, give light to] the whole world.”

To your holy name, bearing gifts … for the King of heaven: New Revised Standard Version is a literal rendering of the Greek. The question for interpreters and translators is whether it is Jerusalem’s own name, or whether Jerusalem’s holy name is God himself. It is parallel with to you in the previous line, but also in a less obvious parallel with the King of heaven in the next line. At the end of this verse, Jerusalem’s name is clearly meant by the name of the chosen city. Isa 62.4, 12 works with the “names” of Jerusalem, but nowhere is “Jerusalem” called a “holy name.” There are several textual variants which add to name some form of the expression “of your God.” The translator has three choices:

(1) The holy name is Jerusalem’s. If so, a literal translation may be sufficient.
(2) The holy name is God himself. If so, it may be best to eliminate holy name and simply say “God.”
(3) We should look to a different form of the text. If so, which one? The simplest choice would be what the other Greek text has: “the name of the Lord God” (so New American Bible).

The most likely solution of this problem is to take our text as it stands, but interpret holy name as a way of saying “God” (compare verse 17).

Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version avoid the repetition of many nations … from far away and inhabitants of the remotest parts of the earth by combining the two clauses; Good News Translation has “from far away many nations will come to you. Their people…,” and Contemporary English Version “and people will come to you from faraway nations.”

In their hands is omitted by Good News Translation as unnecessary, though in Hebrew and a number of other languages it would be quite natural style (compare Isa 6.6, where the seraph has “in his hand” a burning coal that he is holding with tongs).

For the King of heaven, see 1.18.

An alternative translation model for languages that cannot address Jerusalem directly is the following:

• Jerusalem is a bright light that will give light to the whole world.
People will come to it from faraway nations,
bringing gifts to its God, the King of heaven.
One generation after another forever will celebrate in Jerusalem,
the city that God has chosen.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Tobit. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.