In this verse God makes three promises to the foreigners who serve him and then explains why he does this.

These I will bring to my holy mountain is the first promise. The demonstrative pronoun these points back to the foreigners of verse 6. As in 11.9, my holy mountain refers to Mount Zion, the site of the Temple (see the comments on 2.2). Good News Translation mentions “Zion,” but that may not be necessary. How God will bring them to the Temple is not stated, but this line may simply mean that God will ensure that they have access to it. New Jerusalem Bible has “these I shall lead to my holy mountain.”

And make them joyful in my house of prayer is the second promise. God will also ensure that the foreigners are happy and able to celebrate in the Temple. My house of prayer, which is parallel to my holy mountain, refers specifically to the Temple. It is a place where people can pray to God.

Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar is the third promise. God will also accept the sacrifices that the foreigners bring to his altar in the Temple. For the Hebrew words rendered burnt offerings and sacrifices, see the comments on 1.11. For languages that prefer to render the passive verb be accepted as an active one, translators may identify God as the agent (see the examples below). My altar refers to the sacrificial altar in front of the Temple (see the comments on 6.6).

For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples: The Hebrew particle ki rendered for at the beginning of these two lines introduces the reason why God will do these things for the foreigners. He will no longer exclude foreigners from the Temple, because it will become a worship center for all nations (compare 2.3). All they have to do is obey God. My house shall be called a house of prayer means more than just giving the Temple a name; it means that it will be recognized as a place of prayer. The repetition of the phrase a house of prayer signals a shift in emphasis in Israel’s religious life from a focus on sacrifices to one on prayer. It is also evident in the development of synagogues as places of prayer in this later period. All peoples refers to all nations, including the Israelites. For this whole line Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “My temple will be a place where all peoples can pray to me.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• … these are the people I will bring to my sacred mountain,
give them joy in my house of prayer,
and accept their burnt offerings and [other] sacrifices,
because my house will be recognized
as a house of prayer for everyone.”

• … they are the ones whom I will bring to my holy mountain,
they will rejoice in my house of prayer,
and I will accept the burnt offerings and sacrifices they offer on my altar.
For the Temple will be known
as a house of prayer for every nation.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .