Your gates shall be open continually: After the city walls are rebuilt, the city gates will be kept open. Gates were usually like double doors that allowed or prevented access to the city (see the comments on 3.26). Keeping the gates open continually suggests an absence of danger. The people can enter or leave at any time they choose. The specific reason for leaving the gates open is given in the second half of the verse.
Day and night they shall not be shut is parallel and synonymous with the previous line. Closed gates gave protection to those inside the walls. Normally the city’s gates were shut each evening after the people returned home from their fields or from other work outside the walls. It would be possible to use a positive phrase in place of shall not be shut, but this would destroy some of the poetry of the verse. This passive verb phrase can be rendered as an active one by saying “will never close.” Good News Translation combines this line with the previous one, saying “Day and night your gates will be open.”
That men may bring to you the wealth of the nations indicates the reason why the gates will be left open: it is to allow free access to those bringing in riches. In Hebrew this line is literally “to bring you the wealth of the nations.” Revised Standard Version adds men as the subject (also New International Version). New Revised Standard Version provides a better subject by rendering this line as “so that nations shall bring you their wealth.” Bible en français courant uses the indefinite pronoun “one,” while Good News Translation combines the last two lines with “the kings of the nations” as the subject. Revised English Bible uses the passive verb “may be brought” to avoid the problem of a verb without a subject. For the wealth of the nations, see the comments on Isa 60.5.
With their kings led in procession is literally “and their kings being led.” In the Hebrew text of Masoretic Text there is no mention of the kings being in procession. The Hebrew passive verb rendered led in procession usually refers to a slave or captive being led away (see 20.4) or a flock of animals being driven (see 11.6). Many commentators see a problem with this verb that requires emending, so they make a minor change to the vowels, turning the passive verb into an active one. With this change the line means kings will lead their nations to Judah as they bring their gifts of wealth. Contemporary English Version expresses this sense by combining the last two lines and saying “to let the rulers of nations lead their people to you with all their treasures.” Good News Translation ignores the verb altogether. It is possible that the prophet is being ironic, implying that God will lead the foreign kings as though they were a flock of animals. Since there is no textual evidence that Masoretic Text is incorrect, translators should retain the passive form if possible. Those languages that require active forms may consider the Bible en français courant model for this line, which reads “together with their kings one after the other.”
For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:
• Your [city] gates will always remain open,
they will never be closed, day or night,
so that the wealth of nations will come to you,
with their kings being led [in procession].
• Your gates will remain permanently open,
no one will close them day or night,
so that foreign nations will bring you their wealth,
whose kings will follow one after the other.
• Your gates will always be open,
they will never close, day or night,
so that the wealth of nations will be brought to you,
their kings being led [like animals].
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 .