Ἠσαΐας 54

1 εὐφράνθητι στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα εἶπεν γὰρ κύριος

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.

2 πλάτυνον τὸν τόπον τῆς σκηνῆς σου καὶ τῶν αὐλαιῶν σου πῆξον μὴ φείσῃ μάκρυνον τὰ σχοινίσματά σου καὶ τοὺς πασσάλους σου κατίσχυσον

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.

3 ἔτι εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ καὶ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερὰ ἐκπέτασον καὶ τὸ σπέρμα σου ἔθνη κληρονομήσει καὶ πόλεις ἠρημωμένας κατοικιεῖς

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.

4 μὴ φοβοῦ ὅτι κατῃσχύνθης μηδὲ ἐντραπῇς ὅτι ὠνειδίσθης ὅτι αἰσχύνην αἰώνιον ἐπιλήσῃ καὶ ὄνειδος τῆς χηρείας σου οὐ μὴ μνησθήσῃ

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.

5 ὅτι κύριος ὁ ποιῶν σε κύριος σαβαωθ ὄνομα αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ ῥυσάμενός σε αὐτὸς θεὸς Ισραηλ πάσῃ τῇ γῇ κληθήσεται

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.

6 οὐχ ὡς γυναῖκα καταλελειμμένην καὶ ὀλιγόψυχον κέκληκέν σε κύριος οὐδ’ ὡς γυναῖκα ἐκ νεότητος μεμισημένην εἶπεν ὁ θεός σου

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.

7 χρόνον μικρὸν κατέλιπόν σε καὶ μετὰ ἐλέους μεγάλου ἐλεήσω σε

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

8 ἐν θυμῷ μικρῷ ἀπέστρεψα τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ ἐν ἐλέει αἰωνίῳ ἐλεήσω σε εἶπεν ὁ ῥυσάμενός σε κύριος

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.

9 ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἐπὶ Νωε τοῦτό μοί ἐστιν καθότι ὤμοσα αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ ἐκείνῳ τῇ γῇ μὴ θυμωθήσεσθαι ἐπὶ σοὶ ἔτι μηδὲ ἐν ἀπειλῇ σου

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.

10 τὰ ὄρη μεταστήσεσθαι οὐδὲ οἱ βουνοί σου μετακινηθήσονται οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸ παρ’ ἐμοῦ σοι ἔλεος ἐκλείψει οὐδὲ ἡ διαθήκη τῆς εἰρήνης σου οὐ μὴ μεταστῇ εἶπεν γὰρ κύριος ἵλεώς σοι

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.

11 ταπεινὴ καὶ ἀκατάστατος οὐ παρεκλήθης ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἑτοιμάζω σοὶ ἄνθρακα τὸν λίθον σου καὶ τὰ θεμέλιά σου σάπφειρον

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.

12 καὶ θήσω τὰς ἐπάλξεις σου ἴασπιν καὶ τὰς πύλας σου λίθους κρυστάλλου καὶ τὸν περίβολόν σου λίθους ἐκλεκτοὺς

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,

13 καὶ πάντας τοὺς υἱούς σου διδακτοὺς θεοῦ καὶ ἐν πολλῇ εἰρήνῃ τὰ τέκνα σου

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

14 καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ οἰκοδομηθήσῃ ἀπέχου ἀπὸ ἀδίκου καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσῃ καὶ τρόμος οὐκ ἐγγιεῖ σοι

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.

15 ἰδοὺ προσήλυτοι προσελεύσονταί σοι δῑ ἐμοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ σὲ καταφεύξονται

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

16 ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ κτίζω σε οὐχ ὡς χαλκεὺς φυσῶν ἄνθρακας καὶ ἐκφέρων σκεῦος εἰς ἔργον ἐγὼ δὲ ἔκτισά σε οὐκ εἰς ἀπώλειαν φθεῖραι

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.

17 πᾶν σκεῦος φθαρτόν ἐπὶ σὲ οὐκ εὐοδώσω καὶ πᾶσα φωνὴ ἀναστήσεται ἐπὶ σὲ εἰς κρίσιν πάντας αὐτοὺς ἡττήσεις οἱ δὲ ἔνοχοί σου ἔσονται ἐν αὐτῇ ἔστιν κληρονομία τοῖς θεραπεύουσιν κύριον καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔσεσθέ μοι δίκαιοι λέγει κύριος

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.

A Dove is Sent Forth from the Ark