Isaiah 54:1–55:5
54 “Sing, barren woman,u
you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,v
you who were never in labor;w
because more are the childrenx of the desolatey woman
than of her who has a husband,z”
says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,a
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.b
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendantsc will dispossess nationsd
and settle in their desolatee cities.
4 “Do not be afraid;f you will not be put to shame.g
Do not fear disgrace;h you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youthi
and remember no more the reproachj of your widowhood.k
5 For your Makerl is your husbandm—
the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy Onen of Israel is your Redeemer;o
he is called the God of all the earth.p
6 The Lord will call you backq
as if you were a wife desertedr and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,s
only to be rejected,” says your God.
7 “For a brief momentt I abandonedu you,
but with deep compassionv I will bring you back.w
8 In a surge of angerx
I hidy my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindnessz
I will have compassiona on you,”
says the Lord your Redeemer.b
9 “To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.c
So now I have swornd not to be angrye with you,
never to rebukef you again.
10 Though the mountains be shakeng
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing loveh for you will not be shakeni
nor my covenantj of peacek be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassionl on you.
11 “Afflictedm city, lashed by stormsn and not comforted,o
I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,a p
your foundationsq with lapis lazuli.r
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gatess of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,t
and great will be their peace.u
14 In righteousnessv you will be established:w
Tyrannyx will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.y
Terrorz will be far removed;
it will not come near you.
15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrendera to you.
16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmithb
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weaponc fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyerd to wreak havoc;
17 no weapon forged against you will prevail,e
and you will refutef every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servantsg of the Lord,
and this is their vindicationh from me,”
declares the Lord.
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,i
come to the waters;j
and you who have no money,
come, buyk and eat!
Come, buy wine and milkl
without money and without cost.m
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?n
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,o
and you will delight in the richestp of fare.
I will make an everlasting covenants with you,
my faithful lovet promised to David.u
4 See, I have made him a witnessv to the peoples,
a ruler and commanderw of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nationsx you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,y
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy Onez of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”a