Rejoice with Jerusalem

(A)“Before she was in labor
    she gave birth;
before her pain came upon her
    she delivered a son.
Who has heard such a thing?
    Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
    Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?
For (B)as soon as Zion was in labor
    she brought forth her children.
Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?”
    says the Lord;
“shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?”
    says your God.

10 (C)“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
    all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
    all you who mourn over her;
11 that you may nurse and be satisfied
    from her consoling breast;
that you may drink deeply with delight
    from her glorious abundance.”[a]

12 For thus says the Lord:
(D)“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,
    and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and (E)you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip,
    and bounced upon her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts,
    so (F)I will comfort you;
    you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
    (G)your bones shall flourish like the grass;
and (H)the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants,
    and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.

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Notas al pie

  1. Isaiah 66:11 Or breast

Before she goes into labor, she gives birth!
Before her contractions begin, she delivers a boy!
Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen this?
Can a country[a] be brought forth in one day?
Can a nation be born in a single moment?
Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!
Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?”
asks the Lord.
“Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?”
asks your God.[b]
10 “Be happy for Jerusalem
and rejoice with her, all you who love her!
Share in her great joy,
all you who have mourned over her!
11 For[c] you will nurse from her satisfying breasts and be nourished;[d]
you will feed with joy from her milk-filled breasts.[e]

12 For this is what the Lord says:

“Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,
the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks.[f]
You will nurse from her breast[g] and be carried at her side;
you will play on her knees.
13 As a mother consoles a child,[h]
so I will console you,
and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”
14 When you see this, you will be happy,[i]
and you will be revived.[j]
The Lord will reveal his power to his servants
and his anger to his enemies.[k]

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Notas al pie

  1. Isaiah 66:8 tn Heb “land,” but here אֶרֶץ (ʾerets) stands metonymically for an organized nation (see the following line).
  2. Isaiah 66:9 sn The rhetorical questions expect the answer, “Of course not!”
  3. Isaiah 66:11 tn Or “in order that”; ASV, NRSV “that.”
  4. Isaiah 66:11 tn Heb “you will suck and be satisfied from her comforting breast.”
  5. Isaiah 66:11 tn Heb “you will slurp and refresh yourselves from her heavy breast.”sn Zion’s residents will benefit from and enjoy her great material prosperity. See v. 12.
  6. Isaiah 66:12 tn Heb “Look, I am ready to extend to her like a river prosperity [or “peace”], and like an overflowing stream, the riches of nations.”
  7. Isaiah 66:12 tn The words “from her breast” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 11).
  8. Isaiah 66:13 tn Heb “like a man whose mother comforts him.”
  9. Isaiah 66:14 tn “and you will see and your heart will be happy.”
  10. Isaiah 66:14 tn Heb “and your bones like grass will sprout.”
  11. Isaiah 66:14 tn Heb “and the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, and anger to his enemies.”