Isaiah 54:11-17
New English Translation
11 “O afflicted one, driven away,[a] and unconsoled!
Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony,
and lay your foundation with lapis lazuli.
12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems,[b]
your gates out of beryl,[c]
and your outer wall[d] out of beautiful[e] stones.
13 All your children will be followers of the Lord,
and your children will enjoy great prosperity.[f]
14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you.[g]
You will not experience oppression;[h]
indeed, you will not be afraid.
You will not be terrified,[i]
for nothing frightening[j] will come near you.
15 If anyone dares to[k] challenge you, it will not be my doing!
Whoever tries to challenge you will be defeated.[l]
16 Look, I create the craftsman,
who fans the coals into a fire
and forges a weapon.[m]
I create the destroyer so he might devastate.
17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed;
you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you.[n]
This is what the Lord will do for his servants—
I will vindicate them,”[o]
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 54:11 tn Or, more literally, “windblown, storm-tossed.”
- Isaiah 54:12 tn Perhaps, “rubies” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
- Isaiah 54:12 tn On the meaning of אֶקְדָּח (ʾeqdakh), which occurs only here, see HALOT 82 s.v.
- Isaiah 54:12 tn Heb “border” (so ASV); NASB “your entire wall.”
- Isaiah 54:12 tn Heb “delightful”; KJV “pleasant.”
- Isaiah 54:13 tn Heb “and great [will be] the peace of your sons.”
- Isaiah 54:14 tn Heb “in righteousness [or “vindication”] you will be established.” The precise meaning of צְדָקָה (tsedaqah) here is uncertain. It could mean “righteousness, justice,” indicating that the city will be a center for justice. But the context focuses on deliverance, suggesting that the term means “deliverance, vindication” here.
- Isaiah 54:14 tn Heb “Be far from oppression!” The imperative is used here in a rhetorical manner to express certainty and assurance. See GKC 324 §110.c.
- Isaiah 54:14 tn Heb “from terror.” The rhetorical command, “be far” is understood by ellipsis here. Note the preceding context.
- Isaiah 54:14 tn Heb “it,” i.e., the “terror” just mentioned.
- Isaiah 54:15 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb here for emphasis.
- Isaiah 54:15 tn Heb “will fall over you.” The expression נָפַל עַל (nafal ʿal) can mean “attack,” but here it means “fall over to,” i.e., “surrender to.”
- Isaiah 54:16 tn Heb “who brings out an implement for his work.”
- Isaiah 54:17 tn Heb “and every tongue that rises up for judgment with you will prove to be guilty.”
- Isaiah 54:17 tn Heb “this is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication from me.”
Isaiah 54:11-17
English Standard Version
11 (A)“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
behold, (B)I will set your stones in antimony,
(C)and lay your foundations with sapphires.[a]
12 I will make your pinnacles of agate,[b]
your gates of carbuncles,[c]
and all your wall of precious stones.
13 (D)All your children (E)shall be taught by the Lord,
(F)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 (G)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
(H)and their vindication[d] from me, declares the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 54:11 Or lapis lazuli
- Isaiah 54:12 Or jasper, or ruby
- Isaiah 54:12 Or crystal
- Isaiah 54:17 Or righteousness
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
