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Isaiah 54-55
English Standard Version
Isaiah 54-55
English Standard Version
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.
2 (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.
3 (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.
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.”
The Compassion of the Lord
55 (X)“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
(Y)come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 (Z)Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
(AA)hear, that your soul may live;
(AB)and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
(AC)my steadfast, sure love for (AD)David.
4 (AE)Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
(AF)a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 (AG)Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and (AH)a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
(AI)for he has glorified you.
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.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 54:9 Some manuscripts For this is as the waters of Noah
- Isaiah 54:11 Or lapis lazuli
- Isaiah 54:12 Or jasper, or ruby
- Isaiah 54:12 Or crystal
- Isaiah 54:17 Or righteousness
Isaiah 54-55
New International Version
Isaiah 54-55
New International Version
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.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,(G)
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.(H)
3 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.
4 “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)
5 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)
6 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.
7 “For a brief moment(Z) I abandoned(AA) you,
but with deep compassion(AB) I will bring you back.(AC)
8 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)
9 “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.
Invitation to the Thirsty
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,(BO)
come to the waters;(BP)
and you who have no money,
come, buy(BQ) and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk(BR)
without money and without cost.(BS)
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?(BT)
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,(BU)
and you will delight in the richest(BV) of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen,(BW) that you may live.(BX)
I will make an everlasting covenant(BY) with you,
my faithful love(BZ) promised to David.(CA)
4 See, I have made him a witness(CB) to the peoples,
a ruler and commander(CC) of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations(CD) you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,(CE)
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One(CF) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”(CG)
6 Seek(CH) the Lord while he may be found;(CI)
call(CJ) on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake(CK) their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.(CL)
Let them turn(CM) to the Lord, and he will have mercy(CN) on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.(CO)
8 “For my thoughts(CP) are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”(CQ)
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,(CR)
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.(CS)
10 As the rain(CT) and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,(CU)
so that it yields seed(CV) for the sower and bread for the eater,(CW)
11 so is my word(CX) that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,(CY)
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose(CZ) for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy(DA)
and be led forth in peace;(DB)
the mountains and hills
will burst into song(DC) before you,
and all the trees(DD) of the field
will clap their hands.(DE)
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers(DF) the myrtle(DG) will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,(DH)
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Isaiah 54-55
King James Version
Isaiah 54-55
King James Version
54 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.
9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
55 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.