Isaiah 54–55

FUTURE GLORY FOR ISRAEL

54“Rejoice, childless one, who did not give birth;

burst into song and shout,

you who have not been in labor!ⁿ

For the children of the desolate one will be more

than the children of the married woman,”^o

says the Lord.

²“Enlarge the site of your tent,

and let your tent curtains be stretched out;^p

do not hold back;

lengthen your ropes,

and drive your pegs deep.

³For you will spread out to the right and to the left,^q

and your descendants will dispossess nations

and inhabit the desolate cities.

⁴“Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame;^r

don’t be humiliated, for you will not be disgraced.

For you will forget the shame of your youth,

and you will no longer remember

the disgrace of your widowhood.^s

⁵Indeed, your husband is your Maker^t—

his name is the Lord of Armies—

and the Holy One of Israel^u is your Redeemer;^v

he is called the God of the whole earth.

⁶For the Lord has called you,

like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit,^w

a wife of one’s youth^x when she is rejected,”

says your God.

⁷“I deserted you for a brief moment,^y

but I will take you back with abundant compassion.

⁸In a surge of anger

I hid my face^z from you for a moment,

but I will have compassion on you

with everlasting love,”^aa

says the Lord your Redeemer.

⁹“For this is like the days^A of Noah to me:

when I swore that the water of Noah

would never flood the earth again,^ab

so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you

or rebuke you.^ac

¹⁰Though the mountains move

and the hills shake,

my love will not be removed from you

and my covenant of peace^ad will not be shaken,”

says your compassionate Lord.

¹¹“Poor Jerusalem, storm-tossed, and not comforted,

I will set your stones in black mortar,^B

and lay your foundations in lapis lazuli.^ae

¹²I will make your fortifications out of rubies,

your gates out of sparkling stones,

and all your walls out of precious stones.

¹³Then all your children will be taught by the Lord,^a

their prosperity will be great,

¹⁴and you will be established

on a foundation of righteousness.

You will be far from oppression,

you will certainly not be afraid;

you will be far from terror,

it will certainly not come near you.

¹⁵If anyone attacks you,

it is not from me;

whoever attacks you

will fall before you.

¹⁶Look, I have created the craftsman

who blows on the charcoal fire

and produces a weapon suitable for its task;

and I have created the destroyer to cause havoc.

¹⁷No weapon formed against you will succeed,

and you will refute any accusation^D

raised against you in court.

This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants,^b

and their vindication is from me.”^c

This is the Lord’s declaration.

COME TO THE LORD

55“Come, everyone who is thirsty,^d

come to the water;

and you without silver,

come, buy, and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without silver and without cost!

²Why do you spend silver on what is not food,

and your wages on what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,

and you will enjoy the choicest of foods.^A

³Pay attention and come to me;

listen, so that you will live.

I will make a permanent covenant with you^e

on the basis of the faithful kindnesses of David.^Bf

⁴Since I have made him a witness to the peoples,^g

a leader and commander for the peoples,^h

⁵so you will summon a nation you do not know,ⁱ

and nations who do not know you will run to you.^j

For the Lord your God,

even the Holy One of Israel,^k

has glorified you.”^l

⁶Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call to him while he is near.^m

⁷Let the wicked one abandon his way

and the sinful one his thoughts;ⁿ

let him return to the Lord,

so he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will freely forgive.^o

⁸“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

and your ways are not my ways.”

This is the Lord’s declaration.

⁹“For as heaven is higher than earth,^p

so my ways are higher than your ways,

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰For just as rain and snow fall from heaven

and do not return there

without saturating the earth

and making it germinate and sprout,

and providing seed to sow

and food to eat,^q

¹¹so my word that comes from my mouth

will not return to me empty,

but it will accomplish what I please

and will prosper in what I send it to do.”^r

¹²You will indeed go out with joy

and be peacefully guided;

the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you,

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.^s

¹³Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will come up,

and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up;^t

this will stand as a monument for the Lord,^u

an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed.