“Before she was in labor, she gave birth;
Before her pain came,
She delivered a male child.
Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?
Or shall a nation be born at once?
For as soon as Zion was in labor,
She gave birth to her children.
Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the Lord.
“Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem,
And be glad with her, all you who love her;
Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;
11 That you may feed and be satisfied
With the consolation of her bosom,
That you may drink deeply and be delighted
With the abundance of her glory.”

12 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, (A)I will extend peace to her like a river,
And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.
Then you shall (B)feed;
On her sides shall you be (C)carried,
And be dandled on her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts,
So I will (D)comfort you;
And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

The Reign and Indignation of God

14 When you see this, your heart shall rejoice,
And (E)your bones shall flourish like grass;
The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants,
And His indignation to His enemies.

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Zion’s Delivery

Before she was in labor she gave birth;
    before labor pains[a] came to her, she gave birth to a son.
Who has heard anything like this?
    Who has seen anything like these things?
Can a land be born in one day?
    Or can a nation be born in a moment?

Yet when she was in labor, Zion indeed gave birth to her children.

Shall I myself I break open and not deliver?”[b] says Yahweh,
“or I who delivers[c] lock up the womb?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem
    and shout in exultation with her, all those who love her!
    Rejoice with her in joy, all those who mourn over her,
11 so that you may suck and be satisfied from her consoling breast,[d]
    so that you may drink deeply and refresh yourselves from her heavy breast.”[e]

12 For thus says Yahweh:

“Look! I am about to spread prosperity out to her like a river,
    and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream,
and you shall suck and be carried on the hip;
    and you shall you shall be played with on the knees.
13 As a man whose mother comforts him, so I myself will comfort you,
    and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

Yahweh’s Final Judgment

14 And you shall see and your heart shall rejoice,
    and your bones shall flourish[f] like the grass,
and the hand of Yahweh shall make itself known to[g] his servants,
    and he shall curse his enemies.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 66:7 Hebrew “pain”
  2. Isaiah 66:9 Literally “cause to bring forth”
  3. Isaiah 66:9 Literally “causes to bring forth”
  4. Isaiah 66:11 Literally “breast of consolation”
  5. Isaiah 66:11 Literally “breast of heaviness “
  6. Isaiah 66:14 Literally “sprout”
  7. Isaiah 66:14 Literally “with”