A Perpetual Covenant of Peace

54 “Sing, O abarren,

You who have not borne!

Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,

You who have not labored with child!

For more are the children of the desolate

Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.

2 “Enlarge bthe place of your tent,

And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;

Do not spare;

Lengthen your cords,

And strengthen your stakes.

3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left,

And your descendants will cinherit the nations,

And make the desolate cities inhabited.

4 “Do dnot fear, for you will not be ashamed;

Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;

For you will forget the shame of your youth,

And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.

5 eFor your Maker is your husband,

The Lord of hosts is His name;

And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;

He is called fthe God of the whole earth.

6 For the Lord ghas called you

Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,

Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”

Says your God.

7 “For ha mere moment I have forsaken you,

But with great mercies iI will gather you.

8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;

jBut with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”

Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

9 “For this is like the waters of kNoah to Me;

For as I have sworn

That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,

So have I sworn

That I would not be angry with lyou, nor rebuke you.

10 For mthe mountains shall depart

And the hills be removed,

nBut My kindness shall not depart from you,

Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”

Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

11 “O you afflicted one,

Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,

Behold, I will lay your stones with ocolorful gems,

And lay your foundations with sapphires.

12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies,

Your gates of crystal,

And all your walls of precious stones.

13 All your children shall be ptaught by the Lord,

And qgreat 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 Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.

Whoever assembles against you shall rfall for your sake.

16 “Behold, I have created the blacksmith

Who blows the coals in the fire,

Who brings forth an 1instrument for his work;

And I have created the 2spoiler to destroy.

17 No weapon formed against you shall sprosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

tAnd their righteousness is from Me,”

Says the Lord.