Isaiah 54

1 Sing for joy, childless woman, you who have had a baby! Shout aloud, and sing happily, Jerusalem, you who have never given birth! For the abandoned woman now has more children than the married woman, says the Lord.

Rejoice, you barren that bear not; break forth and cry, you that do not travail: for more are the children of the desolate than of her that has a husband: for the Lord has said,

2 Make the tent where you live bigger; stretch the fabric to enlarge your home. Don't try and save space—extend your tent cords and make your tent pegs stronger.

Enlarge the place of your tent, and of your curtains: fix [the pins], spare not, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your pins;

3 You're going to be spreading out right and left; your descendants will take over the land of other nations and live in towns that were once abandoned.

spread forth [your tent] yet to the right and the left: for your seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and you shall make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4 Do not be afraid, for you won't be humiliated; don't be upset, for you won't be disgraced. You will forget about the shame of your youth, and you won't remember the embarrassment of your widowhood any longer.

Fear not, because you has been put to shame, neither be confounded, because you was reproached: for you shall forget your former shame, and shall no more at all remember the reproach of your widowhood.

5 For your Maker is your husband, the Lord Almighty is his name the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, he is called the God of the whole earth.

For [it is] the Lord that made you; the Lord of hosts is his name: and he that delivered you, he is the God of Israel, [and] shall be called [so] by the whole earth.

6 The Lord has called you to come back, like a wife who's been abandoned and deeply hurt, a wife who was married when she was young, only to be rejected, says your God.

The Lord has not called you as a deserted and faint-hearted woman, nor as a woman hated from [her] youth, says your God.

7 I deserted you for just a little while, but I will bring you back, showing you a great deal of kindness.

For a little while I left you: but with great mercy will I have compassion upon you.

8 In a moment of anger I turned my face away from you, but now with trustworthy love I will always be kind to you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.

In a little wrath I turned away my face from you; but with everlasting mercy will I have compassion upon you, says the Lord that delivers you.

9 To me this is just like Noah's time, when I promised on oath that a flood would never cover the earth again. In the same way I promise on oath that I won't be angry with you or tell you off.

From the time of the water of Noe this is my [purpose]: as I sware to him at that time, [saying] of the earth, I will no more be angry with you, neither when you are threatened,

10 Though the mountains cease to exist and the hills disappear, yet my trustworthy love for you won't cease to exist and my agreement of peace won't disappear, says the Lord, who shows you kindness.

shall the mountains depart, nor shall your hills be removed: so neither shall my mercy fail you, nor shall the covenant of your peace be at all removed: for the Lord [who is] gracious to you has spoken [it].

11 My poor storm-damaged city that can't be comforted! Look, I'm going to reset your stones in cement made of antimony, I will use sapphires to lay your foundations.

Afflicted and outcast you has not been comforted: behold, I [will] prepare carbuncle [for] your stones, and sapphire for your foundations;

12 I will make your fortifications out of rubies; I will make your gates out of sparkling beryl. All your walls will be made of precious stones,

and I will make your buttresses jasper, and your gates crystal, and your border precious stones.

13 and all your children will be students of the Lord, and they will live in complete peace.

And [I will cause] all your sons [to be] taught of God, and your children [to be] in great peace.

14 Your society will operate from principles of goodness and right; nobody will be there to oppress you. You won't be afraid; you won't have to face any kind of terror.

And you shall be built in righteousness: abstain from injustice, and you shall not fear; and trembling shall not come near you.

15 If any invader comes to attack you, I didn't send them; you will defeat anyone who attacks you.

Behold, strangers shall come to you by me, and shall sojourn with you, and shall run to you for refuge.

16 Look—I have created a blacksmith who blows the coals into a hot flame and forges a suitable weapon; and I have created the destroyer who brings destruction.

Behold, I have created you, not as the coppersmith blowing coals, and bringing out a vessel [fit] for work; but I have created you, not for ruin, that [I] should destroy [you].

17 None of the weapons forged against you will succeed, and you will condemn anyone who accuses you. This is how the servants of the Lord are blessed, and I am the one who vindicates them, declares the Lord.

I will not suffer any weapon formed against you to prosper; and every voice that shall rise up against you for judgement, you shall vanquish them all; and your adversaries shall be [condemned] thereby. There is an inheritance to them that serve the Lord, and you shall be righteous before me, says the Lord.

A Dove is Sent Forth from the Ark