The Eternal Covenant of Peace

54 (A)“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
    break forth into singing and cry aloud,
    you who have not been in labor!
For the children of (B)the desolate one (C)will be more
    than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
(D)“Enlarge the place of your tent,
    and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
    and strengthen your stakes.
(E)For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
    and your offspring will possess the nations
    and will people the desolate cities.

“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.
(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.
(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.
(K)For a brief moment I deserted you,
    but with great compassion I will gather you.
(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.

“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.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 54:9 Some manuscripts For this is as the waters of Noah
  2. Isaiah 54:11 Or lapis lazuli
  3. Isaiah 54:12 Or jasper, or ruby
  4. Isaiah 54:12 Or crystal
  5. Isaiah 54:17 Or righteousness

54 Sing, O akarah (barren woman [i.e., Yerushalayim emptied out by the Golus that Isaiah sees coming]), thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and shout for joy, thou that didst not travail with child; for rabbim bnei shome’mah (more are the children of the desolate woman [i.e. referring to those of Jerusalem making aliyah from the Golus so that Moshiach’s Kehilah can come forth at Jerusalem-Ac 2:41]) than the bnei be’ulah (children of the married woman; i.e., Jerusalem as the Sarah at first barren then greatly fruitful; see Gn17:16), saith Hashem [see Ga.4:27 OJBC].

Enlarge the makom (place, living area) of thy ohel, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine mishkenot (tents); spare not, lengthen thy cords, and thy stakes make chizzuk (stronger);

For thou shalt spread out on the yamin (right hand) and on the smol (left); and thy zera shall inherit the Goyim, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou discouraged; for thou shalt not suffer disgrace; for thou shalt forget the boshet alumayich (the shame of thy youth), and shalt not remember any more thy cherpat almenut (reproach of widowhood).

For thy Oseh (Maker) is thine ba’al (husband); Hashem Tzva’os Shmo; and thy Go’el is Kadosh Yisroel; The Elohei Kol HaAretz He is called.

For Hashem hath called thee back, thou who art like an isha forsaken and atzuvat ruach (grieved in spirit) as a cast off eshet ne’urim (wife of one’s youth), saith thy G-d.

For a rega katon (small moment) have I abandoned thee; but with rachamim gedolim will I gather thee back.

With a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a rega (moment); but with chesed olam will I have rachamim on thee, saith thy Go’el, Hashem.

For this is as the waters of Noach unto Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noach should no more cover ha’aretz; so have I sworn that with thee I would not be in wrath nor rebuke thee.

10 For the harim (mountains) shall depart, and the geva’ot (hills) be removed; but My chesed shall not depart from thee, neither shall the Brit of My Shalom be removed, saith Merachamech Hashem (Hashem the One having rachamim on thee).

11 O thou afflicted one, tempest-tossed and unconsoled, hinei, I will lay thy stones of glistening colors, and lay thy yesod (foundation, i.e., figuratively of post-Exilic Jerusalem’s foundation) with sapphires.

12 And I will make thy battlements of rubies, and thy she’arim (gates) of carbuncles, and all thy walls of avnei chefetz (precious stones).

13 And all thy banim shall be taught of Hashem; and the shalom of thy banim shall be rav (great).

14 In tzedakah (righteousness) shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oshek (oppression, tyranny); for thou shalt not fear; and thou shalt be far from mechitah (terror); for it shall not come near thee.

15 Indeed, if attacking they stir up strife, it is not from Me; whosoever shall gather together against thee, yipol (he shall fall) for thy sake.

16 See, I have created the charash (ironsmith, blacksmith) that fanneth the red-hot coals in the eish (fire), the one forging a keli (an instrument) for his ma’aseh (work); and I have created the mashchit (destroyer, waster, spoiler) to destroy.

17 No keli (weapon, instrument) that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every leshon (tongue) that shall rise against thee in mishpat (judgment, accusation) tarshi’i (thou shalt condemn, prove false, refute, prove wrong). This is the nachalat avdei Hashem (the heritage of the servants of Hashem), and their tzedakah (righteousness, vindication) is from Me, saith Hashem.