Isaiah 54
The Lord’s Compassion for the Women Without Children
1 Sing with joy, you childless women who never gave birth to children.Break into shouts of joy, you women who never had birth pains.“There will be more children of women who have been desertedthan there are children of married women,” says the Lord.2 Expand the space of your tent.Stretch out the curtains of your tent, and don’t hold back.Lengthen your tent ropes, and drive in the tent pegs.3 You will spread out to the right and left.Your descendants will take over other nations,and they will resettle deserted cities.4 Don’t be afraid, because you won’t be put to shame.Don’t be discouraged, because you won’t be disgraced.You’ll forget the shame you’ve had since you were young.You won’t remember the disgrace of your husband’s death anymore.5 Your husband is your Maker.His name is the Lord of Armies.Your defender is the Holy One of Israel.He is called the God of the whole earth.6 “The Lord has called you as if you werea wife who was abandoned and in grief,a wife who married young and was rejected,” says your God.7 “I abandoned you for one brief moment,but I will bring you back with unlimited compassion.8 I hid my face from you for a moment in a burst of anger,but I will have compassion on you with everlasting kindness,”says the Lord your defender.9 “To me this is like Noah’s floodwaters, when I swore an oaththat Noah’s floodwaters would never cover the earth again.So now I swear an oath not to be angry with you or punish you.10 The mountains may move, and the hills may shake,but my kindness will never depart from you.My promiset of peace will never change,”says the Lord, who has compassion on you.11 “You suffering, comfortless, storm-ravaged city!I will rebuild your city with precious stones.I will reset your foundations with sapphires.12 I will rebuild your towers with rubies,your gates with sparkling stones,and all your walls with precious stones.”13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,and your children will have unlimited peace.14 You will be established in righteousness.You will be far from oppression,so you will not be afraid.You will be far from destruction,so it won’t come near you.15 “If anyone attacks you, it will not be my doing.Whoever attacks you will be defeated by you.16 I’ve created blacksmiths to fan the coals into flamesand to produce useful weapons.I’ve also created destroyers to bring destruction.17 No weapon that has been made to be used against you will succeed.You will have an answer for anyone who accuses you.This is the inheritance of the Lord’s servants.Their victory comes from me,” declares the Lord.
Isaiah 54
1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah.2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.3 For thou shalt spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more.5 For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called.6 For Jehovah hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God.7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.8 In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith Jehovah thy Redeemer.9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.10 For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith Jehovah that hath mercy on thee.11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.12 And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones.13 And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children.14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee.15 Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee.16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah.