Beginning
The Fertility of Zion
54 “(A)Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child;
Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed;
For the sons of the (B)desolate one will be (C)more numerous
Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “(D)Enlarge the place of your tent;
[a]Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not;
Lengthen your (E)cords
And strengthen your (F)pegs.
3 “For you will (G)spread abroad to the right and to the left.
And your [b]descendants will (H)possess nations
And will (I)resettle the desolate cities.
4 “Fear not, for you will (J)not be put to shame;
And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
But you will forget the (K)shame of your youth,
And the (L)reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 “For your (M)husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts;
And your (N)Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the (O)God of all the earth.
6 “For the Lord has called you,
Like a wife (P)forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
Says your God.
7 “[c]For a (Q)brief moment I forsook you,
But with great compassion I will (R)gather you.
8 “In an [d](S)outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting (T)lovingkindness I will (U)have compassion on you,”
Says the Lord your (V)Redeemer.
9 “For [e]this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would (W)not [f]flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will (X)not be angry with you
Nor will I rebuke you.
10 “For the (Y)mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My (Z)covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
Says (AA)the Lord who has compassion on you.
11 “O (AB)afflicted one, storm-tossed, and (AC)not comforted,
Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
And your foundations I will (AD)lay in [g](AE)sapphires.
12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of [h]rubies,
And your gates of [i]crystal,
And your entire [j]wall of precious stones.
13 “(AF)All your sons will be [k]taught of the Lord;
And the well-being of your sons will be (AG)great.
14 “In (AH)righteousness you will be established;
You will be far from (AI)oppression, for you will (AJ)not fear;
And from (AK)terror, for it will not come near you.
15 “If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me.
(AL)Whoever assails you will fall because of you.
16 “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals
And brings out a weapon for its work;
And I have created the destroyer to ruin.
17 “(AM)No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
And (AN)every tongue that [l]accuses you in judgment you will condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their (AO)vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.
The Free Offer of Mercy
55 “Ho! Every one who (AP)thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have (AQ)no [m]money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy (AR)wine and milk
(AS)Without money and without cost.
2 “Why do you [n]spend money for what is (AT)not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and (AU)eat what is good,
And (AV)delight yourself in abundance.
3 “(AW)Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that [o]you may (AX)live;
And I will make (AY)an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the (AZ)faithful mercies [p]shown to David.
4 “Behold, I have made (BA)him a witness to the peoples,
A (BB)leader and commander for the peoples.
5 “Behold, you will call a (BC)nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will (BD)run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has (BE)glorified you.”
6 (BF)Seek the Lord while He may be found;
(BG)Call upon Him while He is near.
7 (BH)Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his (BI)thoughts;
And let him (BJ)return to the Lord,
And He will have (BK)compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will (BL)abundantly pardon.
8 “For My thoughts are not (BM)your thoughts,
Nor are (BN)your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For (BO)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 (BP)rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing (BQ)seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My (BR)word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will (BS)not return to Me empty,
Without (BT)accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
12 “For you will go out with (BU)joy
And be led forth with (BV)peace;
The (BW)mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the (BX)trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 “Instead of the (BY)thorn bush the (BZ)cypress will come up,
And instead of the (CA)nettle the myrtle will come up,
And [q]it will be a [r](CB)memorial to the Lord,
For an everlasting (CC)sign which (CD)will not be cut off.”
Rewards for Obedience to God
56 Thus says the Lord,
“(CE)Preserve justice and do righteousness,
For My (CF)salvation is about to come
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 “How (CG)blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who (CH)takes hold of it;
Who (CI)keeps from profaning the sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Let not the (CJ)foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from His people.”
Nor let the (CK)eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord,
“To the eunuchs who (CL)keep My sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And (CM)hold fast My covenant,
5 To them I will give in My (CN)house and within My (CO)walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give [s]them an everlasting (CP)name which (CQ)will not be cut off.
6 “Also the (CR)foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord,
To be His servants, every one who (CS)keeps from profaning the sabbath
And holds fast My covenant;
7 Even (CT)those I will bring to My (CU)holy mountain
And (CV)make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on (CW)My altar;
For (CX)My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
8 The Lord [t]God, who (CY)gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares,
“Yet (CZ)others I will gather to [u]them, to those already gathered.”
9 All you (DA)beasts of the field,
All you beasts in the forest,
Come to eat.
10 His (DB)watchmen are (DC)blind,
All of them know nothing.
All of them are mute dogs unable to bark,
[v]Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
11 And the dogs are [w](DD)greedy, they [x]are not satisfied.
And they are shepherds who have (DE)no understanding;
They have all (DF)turned to their own way,
Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.
12 “Come,” they say, “let [y]us get (DG)wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink;
And (DH)tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”
Evil Leaders Rebuked
57 The righteous man perishes, and no man (DI)takes it to heart;
And devout men are taken away, while no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from (DJ)evil,
2 He enters into peace;
They rest in their [z]beds,
Each one who (DK)walked in his upright way.
3 “But come here, you sons of a (DL)sorceress,
(DM)Offspring of an adulterer and [aa]a (DN)prostitute.
4 “Against whom do you jest?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of (DO)rebellion,
Offspring of deceit,
5 Who inflame yourselves among the [ab](DP)oaks,
(DQ)Under every luxuriant tree,
Who (DR)slaughter the children in the [ac]ravines,
Under the clefts of the crags?
6 “Among the [ad](DS)smooth stones of the [ae]ravine
Is your portion, [af]they are your lot;
Even to them you have (DT)poured out a drink offering,
You have made a grain offering.
Shall I [ag](DU)relent concerning these things?
7 “Upon a (DV)high and lofty mountain
You have (DW)made your bed.
You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8 “Behind the door and the doorpost
You have set up your sign;
Indeed, far removed from Me, you have (DX)uncovered yourself,
And have gone up and made your bed wide.
And you have made an agreement for yourself with them,
You have loved their [ah]bed,
You have looked on their [ai]manhood.
9 “You have journeyed to the king with oil
And increased your perfumes;
You have (DY)sent your envoys a great distance
And made them go down to [aj]Sheol.
10 “You were tired out by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, ‘(DZ)It is hopeless.’
You found [ak]renewed strength,
Therefore you did not [al]faint.
11 “Of (EA)whom were you worried and fearful
When you lied, and did (EB)not remember Me
[am]Nor (EC)give Me a thought?
Was I not silent even for a long time
So you do not fear Me?
12 “I will (ED)declare your righteousness and your (EE)deeds,
But they will not profit you.
13 “When you cry out, (EF)let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will carry all of them up,
And a breath will take them away.
But he who (EG)takes refuge in Me will (EH)inherit the land
And will (EI)possess My holy mountain.”
14 And it will be said,
“(EJ)Build up, build up, prepare the way,
Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.”
15 For thus says the (EK)high and exalted One
Who [an](EL)lives forever, whose name is Holy,
“I (EM)dwell on a high and holy place,
And also with the (EN)contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to (EO)revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 “For I will (EP)not contend forever,
(EQ)Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would grow faint before Me,
And the (ER)breath of those whom I have made.
17 “Because of the iniquity of his (ES)unjust gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was angry,
And he went on (ET)turning away, in the way of his heart.
18 “I have seen his ways, but I will (EU)heal him;
I will (EV)lead him and (EW)restore comfort to him and to his mourners,
19 Creating the [ao](EX)praise of the lips.
(EY)Peace, peace to him who is (EZ)far and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord, “and I will heal him.”
20 But the (FA)wicked are like the tossing sea,
For it cannot be quiet,
And its waters toss up refuse and mud.
21 “(FB)There is no peace,” says (FC)my God, “for the wicked.”
Observances of Fasts
58 “(FD)Cry loudly, do not hold back;
Raise your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their (FE)transgression
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 “Yet they (FF)seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,
As a nation that has done (FG)righteousness
And (FH)has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight (FI)in the nearness of God.
3 ‘Why have we (FJ)fasted and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not [ap]notice?’
Behold, on the (FK)day of your fast you find your desire,
And drive hard all your workers.
4 “Behold, you fast for contention and (FL)strife and to strike with a wicked fist.
You do not fast like you do today to (FM)make your voice heard on high.
5 “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it for bowing [aq]one’s head like a reed
And for spreading out (FN)sackcloth and ashes as a bed?
Will you call this a fast, even an (FO)acceptable day to the Lord?
6 “Is this not the fast which I choose,
To (FP)loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to (FQ)let the oppressed go free
And (FR)break every yoke?
7 “Is it not to (FS)divide your bread [ar]with the hungry
And (FT)bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the (FU)naked, to cover him;
And not to (FV)hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 “Then your (FW)light will break out like the dawn,
And your (FX)recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your (FY)righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the (FZ)Lord will be your rear guard.
9 “Then you will (GA)call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you (GB)remove the yoke from your midst,
The [as](GC)pointing of the finger and (GD)speaking wickedness,
10 And if you [at](GE)give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the [au]desire of the afflicted,
Then your (GF)light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
11 “And the (GG)Lord will continually guide you,
And (GH)satisfy your [av]desire in scorched places,
And (GI)give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a (GJ)watered garden,
And like a (GK)spring of water whose waters do not [aw]fail.
12 “Those from among you will (GL)rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will (GM)raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the (GN)breach,
The restorer of the [ax]streets in which to dwell.
Keeping the Sabbath
13 “If because of the sabbath, you (GO)turn your foot
From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,
And call the sabbath a (GP)delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable,
And honor it, desisting from your (GQ)own ways,
From seeking your own pleasure
And (GR)speaking your own word,
14 Then you will take (GS)delight in the Lord,
And I will make you ride (GT)on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
For the (GU)mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.