⁴ “Fear not, ^(F)for you will not be ashamed;
    be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
    and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
^5 (G)For your Maker is your husband,
    the Lord of hosts is his name;
^(H)and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
    ^(I)the God of the whole earth he is called.
^6 (J)For the Lord has called you
    like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
    says your God.
^7 (K)For a brief moment I deserted you,
    but with great compassion I will gather you.
^8 (L)In overflowing anger for a moment
    I hid my face from you,
^(M)but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
    says the Lord, your Redeemer.

⁹ “This is like ^(N)the days of Noah^[a] to me:
    as I swore that the waters of Noah
    should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
    and will not rebuke you.
¹⁰ For the mountains may depart
    and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
    and ^(O)my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

^11 (P)“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
    behold, ^(Q)I will set your stones in antimony,
    ^(R)and lay your foundations with sapphires.^[b]
12 I will make your pinnacles of agate,^[c]
    your gates of carbuncles,^[d]
    and all your wall of precious stones.
^13 (S)All your children ^(T)shall be taught by the Lord,
    ^(U)and great shall be the peace of your children.
¹⁴ In righteousness you shall be established;
    you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
    and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
^15 (V)If anyone stirs up strife,
    it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
    shall fall because of you.
¹⁶ Behold, I have created the smith
    who blows the fire of coals
    and produces a weapon for its purpose.
I have also created the ravager to destroy;
¹⁷     no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
    and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
    ^(W)and their vindication^[e] from me, declares the Lord.”

^6 (AJ)“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;
⁷ let the wicked forsake his way,
    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
^9 (AK)For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

^10 (AL)“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    ^(AM)giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but ^(AN)it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

^12 (AO)“For you shall go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
^(AP)the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
^13 (AQ)Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
    an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

² Why should the nations say,
    ^(C)“Where is their God?”
^3 (D)Our God is in the heavens;
    ^(E)he does all that he pleases.

^4 (F)Their idols are silver and gold,
    ^(G)the work of human hands.
⁵ They have mouths, ^(H)but do not speak;
    eyes, but do not see.
⁶ They have ears, but do not hear;
    noses, but do not smell.
⁷ They have hands, but do not feel;
    feet, but do not walk;
    and they do not make a sound in their throat.
^8 (I)Those who make them become like them;
    so do all who trust in them.