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People Will Return to Jerusalem

54 The Lord says, “Sing, Jerusalem.
    You are like a woman who never gave birth to children.
Start singing and shout for joy.
    You never felt the pain of giving birth,
but you will have more children
    than the woman who has a husband.
Make your tent bigger;
    stretch it out and make it wider.
    Do not hold back.
Make the ropes longer
    and its stakes stronger,
because you will spread out to the right and to the left.
    Your children will take over other nations,
    and they will again live in cities that once were destroyed.

“Don’t be afraid, because you will not be ashamed.
    Don’t be embarrassed, because you will not be disgraced.
You will forget the shame you felt earlier;
    you will not remember the shame you felt when you lost your husband.
The God who made you is like your husband.
    His name is the Lord All-Powerful.
The Holy One of Israel is the one who saves you.
    He is called the God of all the earth.
You were like a woman whose husband left her,
    and you were very sad.
You were like a wife who married young
    and then her husband left her.
But the Lord called you to be his,”
    says your God.
God says, “I left you for a short time,
    but with great kindness I will bring you back again.
I became very angry
    and hid from you for a time,
but I will show you mercy with kindness forever,”
    says the Lord who saves you.

The Lord says, “This day is like the time of Noah to me.
    I promised then that I would never flood the world again.
In the same way, I promise I will not be angry with you
    or punish you again.
10 The mountains may disappear,
    and the hills may come to an end,
but my love will never disappear;
    my promise of peace will not come to an end,”
    says the Lord who shows mercy to you.

11 “You poor city. Storms have hurt you,
    and you have not been comforted.
But I will rebuild you with turquoise stones,
    and I will build your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will use rubies to build your walls
    and shining jewels for the gates
    and precious jewels for all your outer walls.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,
    and they will have much peace.
14 I will build you using fairness.
You will be safe from those who would hurt you,
    so you will have nothing to fear.
    Nothing will come to make you afraid.
15 I will not send anyone to attack you,
    and you will defeat those who do attack you.

16 “See, I made the blacksmith.
    He fans the fire to make it hotter,
    and he makes the kind of tool he wants.
In the same way I have made the destroyer to destroy.
17 So no weapon that is used against you will defeat you.
    You will show that those who speak against you are wrong.
These are the good things my servants receive.
    Their victory comes from me,” says the Lord.

The Future Glory of Zion

54 “Sing, barren woman,(A)
    you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,(B)
    you who were never in labor;(C)
because more are the children(D) of the desolate(E) woman
    than of her who has a husband,(F)
says the Lord.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,(G)
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.(H)
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants(I) will dispossess nations(J)
    and settle in their desolate(K) cities.

“Do not be afraid;(L) you will not be put to shame.(M)
    Do not fear disgrace;(N) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth(O)
    and remember no more the reproach(P) of your widowhood.(Q)
For your Maker(R) is your husband(S)
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One(T) of Israel is your Redeemer;(U)
    he is called the God of all the earth.(V)
The Lord will call you back(W)
    as if you were a wife deserted(X) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,(Y)
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
“For a brief moment(Z) I abandoned(AA) you,
    but with deep compassion(AB) I will bring you back.(AC)
In a surge of anger(AD)
    I hid(AE) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness(AF)
    I will have compassion(AG) on you,”
    says the Lord your Redeemer.(AH)

“To me this is like the days of Noah,
    when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.(AI)
So now I have sworn(AJ) not to be angry(AK) with you,
    never to rebuke(AL) you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken(AM)
    and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love(AN) for you will not be shaken(AO)
    nor my covenant(AP) of peace(AQ) be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion(AR) on you.

11 “Afflicted(AS) city, lashed by storms(AT) and not comforted,(AU)
    I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,[a](AV)
    your foundations(AW) with lapis lazuli.(AX)
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
    your gates(AY) of sparkling jewels,
    and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,(AZ)
    and great will be their peace.(BA)
14 In righteousness(BB) you will be established:(BC)
Tyranny(BD) will be far from you;
    you will have nothing to fear.(BE)
Terror(BF) will be far removed;
    it will not come near you.
15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
    whoever attacks you will surrender(BG) to you.

16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith(BH)
    who fans the coals into flame
    and forges a weapon(BI) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer(BJ) to wreak havoc;
17     no weapon forged against you will prevail,(BK)
    and you will refute(BL) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants(BM) of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication(BN) from me,”
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.