Isaiah 54

1 “Sing, barren, you who didn’t give birth! Break out into singing, and cry aloud, you who didn’t travail with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” says Yahweh.

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

2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your habitations; don’t spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.

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

3 For you will spread out on the right hand and on the left; and your offspring will possess the nations and settle in desolate cities.

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

4 “Don’t be afraid, for you will not be ashamed. Don’t be confounded, for you will not be disappointed. For you will forget the shame of your youth. You will remember the reproach of your widowhood no more.

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

5 For your Maker is your husband; Yahweh of Armies is his name. The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of the whole earth.

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

6 For Yahweh has called you as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off,” says your God.

The Lord has not called thee as a deserted and faint-hearted woman, nor as a woman hated from [her] youth, saith thy God.

7 “For a small moment I have forsaken you, but I will gather you with great mercies.

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

8 In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting loving kindness I will have mercy on you,” says Yahweh your Redeemer.

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

9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah will no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.

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 wroth with thee, neither when thou art threatened,

10 For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed, but my loving kindness will not depart from you, and my covenant of peace will not be removed,” says Yahweh who has mercy on you.

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

11 “You afflicted, tossed with storms, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in beautiful colors, and lay your foundations with sapphires.

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

12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.

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

13 All your children will be taught by Yahweh, and your children’s peace will be great.

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

14 You will be established in righteousness. You will be far from oppression, for you will not be afraid, and far from terror, for it shall not come near you.

And thou shalt be built in righteousness: abstain from injustice, and thou shalt not fear; and trembling shall not come nigh thee.

15 Behold, they may gather together, but not by me. Whoever gathers together against you will fall because of you.

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

16 “Behold, I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame, and forges a weapon for his work; and I have created the destroyer to destroy.

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

17 No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of Yahweh’s servants, and their righteousness is of me,” says Yahweh.

I will not suffer any weapon formed against thee to prosper; and every voice that shall rise up against thee for judgment, thou shalt vanquish them all; and thine adversaries shall be [condemned] thereby. There is an inheritance to them that serve the Lord, and ye shall be righteous before me, saith the Lord.

A Dove is Sent Forth from the Ark