Isaiah 54–55

The ’s Love for Israel

54^*Jerusalem, you have been like a childless woman,

but now you can sing and shout for joy.

Now you will have more children

than a woman whose husband never left her!

²Make the tent you live in larger;

lengthen its ropes and strengthen the pegs!

³You will extend your boundaries on all sides;

your people will get back the land

that the other nations now occupy.

Cities now deserted will be filled with people.

⁴Do not be afraid—

you will not be disgraced again; you will not be humiliated.

You will forget your unfaithfulness as a young wife,

and your desperate loneliness as a widow.

⁵Your Creator will be like a husband to you—

the Lord Almighty is his name.

The holy God of Israel will save you—

he is the ruler of all the world.

⁶Israel, you are like a young wife,

deserted by her husband and deeply distressed.

But the Lord calls you back to him and says:

⁷“For one brief moment I left you;

with deep love I will take you back.

⁸I turned away angry for only a moment,

but I will show you my love for ever.”

So says the Lord who saves you.

^9*“In the time of Noah I promised

never again to flood the earth.

Now I promise not to be angry with you again;

I will not reprimand or punish you.

¹⁰The mountains and hills may crumble,

but my love for you will never end;

I will keep for ever my promise of peace.”

So says the Lord who loves you.

The Future Jerusalem

^11*The Lord says,

“O Jerusalem, you suffering, helpless city,

with no one to comfort you,

I will rebuild your foundations with precious stones.

^12*I will build your towers with rubies,

your gates with stones that glow like fire,

and the wall around you with jewels.

^13*“I myself will teach your people,

and give them prosperity and peace.

¹⁴Justice and right will make you strong.

You will be safe from oppression and terror.

¹⁵Whoever attacks you

does it without my consent;

whoever fights against you will fall.

¹⁶“I create the blacksmith,

who builds a fire and forges weapons.

I also create the soldier,

who uses the weapons to kill.

¹⁷But no weapon will be able to hurt you;

you will have an answer for all who accuse you.

I will defend my servants

and give them victory.”

The Lord has spoken.

God’s Offer of Mercy

55^*The Lord says,

“Come, everyone who is thirsty—

here is water!

Come, you that have no money—

buy corn and eat!

Come! Buy wine and milk—

it will cost you nothing!

²Why spend money on what does not satisfy?

Why spend your wages and still be hungry?

Listen to me and do what I say,

and you will enjoy the best food of all.

^3*“Listen now, my people, and

come to me; come to me, and you will have life!

I will make a lasting covenant with you

and give you the blessings I promised to David.

⁴I made him a leader and commander of nations,

and through him I showed them my power.

⁵Now you will summon foreign nations;

at one time they did not know you,

but now they will come running to join you!

I, the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel,

will make all this happen;

I will give you honour and glory.”

⁶Turn to the Lord and pray to him,

now that he is near.

⁷Let the wicked leave their way of life

and change their way of thinking.

Let them turn to the Lord, our God;

he is merciful and quick to forgive.

⁸“My thoughts,” says the Lord, “are not like yours,

and my ways are different from yours.

⁹As high as the heavens are above the earth,

so high are my ways and thoughts above yours.

^10*“My word is like the snow and the rain

that come down from the sky to water the earth.

They make the crops grow

and provide seed for sowing and food to eat.

¹¹So also will be the word that I speak—

it will not fail to do what I plan for it;

it will do everything I send it to do.

¹²“You will leave Babylon with joy;

you will be led out of the city in peace.

The mountains and hills will burst into singing,

and the trees will shout for joy.

¹³Cypress trees will grow where now there are briars;

myrtle trees will come up in place of thorns.

This will be a sign that will last for ever,

a reminder of what I, the Lord, have done.”