Isaiah 54

1 “Shout for joy, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth in song and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,”

“Sing, O barren, she [who] has not borne! Break forth with singing, and cry aloud, She [who] has not brought forth! For more [are] the sons of the desolate, Than the sons of the married one,” said YHWH.

2 “Enlarge the site of your tent, stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not hold back. Lengthen your ropes and drive your stakes in deep.

“Enlarge the place of your tent, And they stretch out the curtains of your dwelling places, Do not restrain—lengthen your cords, And make your pins strong.

3 For you will spread out to the right and left; your descendants will dispossess the nations and inhabit the desolate cities.

For you break forth right and left, And nations possess your seed,

4 Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated. For you will forget the shame of your youth and will remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

And they cause desolate cities to be inhabited. Do not fear, for you are not ashamed, Nor blush, for you are not confounded, For you forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood You do not remember anymore.

5 For your husband is your Maker— the LORD of Hosts is His name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.

For your Maker [is] your husband, YHWH of Hosts [is] His Name, And your Redeemer [is] the Holy One of Israel, He is called God of all the earth.

6 For the LORD has called you back, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, like the rejected wife of one’s youth,” says your God.

For as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, YHWH has called you, Even a youthful wife when she is refused,” said your God.

7 “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back.

“In a small moment I have forsaken you, And in great mercies I gather you,

8 In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.

In overflowing wrath I hid My face [for] a moment from you, And in perpetual kindness I have loved you, Said your Redeemer—YHWH!

9 “For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.

For this [is as] the days of Noah to Me, In that I have sworn that the waters of Noah Do not pass over the earth again—So I have sworn, Wrath is not on you, Nor rebuke against you.

10 Though the mountains may be removed and the hills may be shaken, My loving devotion will not depart from you, and My covenant of peace will not be broken,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

For the mountains depart, and the hills remove, And My kindness does not depart from you, And the covenant of My peace does not remove,” Says YHWH, your loving one.

11 “O afflicted city, lashed by storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires.

“O afflicted, storm-tossed, not comforted, Behold, I am laying your stones with cement, And have founded you with sapphires,

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

And have made your pinnacles of agate, And your gates of carbuncle stones, And all your border of stones of delight,

13 Then all your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their prosperity.

And all your sons are taught of YHWH, And the peace of your sons [is] abundant.

14 In righteousness you will be established, far from oppression, for you will have no fear. Terror will be far removed, for it will not come near you.

You establish yourself in righteousness, Be far from oppression, for you do not fear, And from ruin, for it does not come near to you.

15 If anyone attacks you, it is not from Me; whoever assails you will fall before you.

Behold, he diligently assembles without My desire, Whoever has assembled near you falls by you!

16 Behold, I have created the craftsman who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its task; and I have created the destroyer to wreak havoc.

Behold, I have created an artisan, Blowing on a fire of coals, And bringing out an instrument for his work, And I have created a destroyer to destroy.

17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,”

No weapon formed against you prospers, And every tongue rising against you, You condemn in judgment. This [is] the inheritance of the servants of YHWH, And their righteousness from Me,” a declaration of YHWH!

A Dove is Sent Forth from the Ark