Isaiah 54–55

The Future Glory of Zion

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 children^x of the desolate^y 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

³For you will spread out to the right and to the left;

your descendants^c will dispossess nations^d

and settle in their desolate^e 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 reproach^j of your widowhood.^k

⁵For your Maker^l is your husband^m—

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

⁶The Lord will call you back^q

as if you were a wife deserted^r and distressed in spirit—

a wife who married young,^s

only to be rejected,” says your God.

⁷“For a brief moment^t I abandoned^u you,

but with deep compassion^v I will bring you back.^w

⁸In a surge of anger^x

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

but with everlasting kindness^z

I will have compassion^a 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 sworn^d not to be angry^e with you,

never to rebuke^f you again.

¹⁰Though the mountains be shaken^g

and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing love^h for you will not be shakenⁱ

nor my covenant^j of peace^k be removed,”

says the Lord, who has compassion^l on you.

¹¹“Afflicted^m city, lashed by stormsⁿ and not comforted,^o

I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,^ap

your foundations^q with lapis lazuli.^r

¹²I will make your battlements of rubies,

your gates^s of sparkling jewels,

and all your walls of precious stones.

¹³All your children will be taught by the Lord,^t

and great will be their peace.^u

¹⁴In righteousness^v you will be established:^w

Tyranny^x will be far from you;

you will have nothing to fear.^y

Terror^z will be far removed;

it will not come near you.

¹⁵If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;

whoever attacks you will surrender^a to you.

¹⁶“See, it is I who created the blacksmith^b

who fans the coals into flame

and forges a weapon^c fit for its work.

And it is I who have created the destroyer^d to wreak havoc;

¹⁷no weapon forged against you will prevail,^e

and you will refute^f every tongue that accuses you.

This is the heritage of the servants^g of the Lord,

and this is their vindication^h from me,”

declares the Lord.

Invitation to the Thirsty

55“Come, all you who are thirsty,ⁱ

come to the waters;^j

and you who have no money,

come, buy^k and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk^l

without money and without cost.^m

²Why 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 richest^p of fare.

³Give ear and come to me;

listen,^q that you may live.^r

I will make an everlasting covenant^s with you,

my faithful love^t promised to David.^u

⁴See, I have made him a witness^v to the peoples,

a ruler and commander^w of the peoples.

⁵Surely you will summon nations^x you know not,

and nations you do not know will come running to you,^y

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One^z of Israel,

for he has endowed you with splendor.”^a

⁶Seek^b the Lord while he may be found;^c

call^d on him while he is near.

⁷Let the wicked forsake^e their ways

and the unrighteous their thoughts.^f

Let them turn^g to the Lord, and he will have mercy^h on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.ⁱ

⁸“For my thoughts^j are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”^k

declares the Lord.

⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth,^l

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.^m

¹⁰As the rainⁿ and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,^o

so that it yields seed^p for the sower and bread for the eater,^q

¹¹so is my word^r that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,^s

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose^t for which I sent it.

¹²You will go out in joy^u

and be led forth in peace;^v

the mountains and hills

will burst into song^w before you,

and all the trees^x of the field

will clap their hands.^y

¹³Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,

and instead of briers^z the myrtle^a will grow.

This will be for the Lord’s renown,^b

for an everlasting sign,

that will endure forever.”