< Esias 54 >

1 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,
Yahweh says, “You [people of Jerusalem] [MET], start to sing! You [who are like] [MET] women who have never given birth to children, sing loudly and shout joyfully, because you, [who are like] [MET] childless women who have been abandoned [by their husbands], will [soon] have more children than women who have never had any children.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and of thy curtains: fix [the pins], spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy pins;
Make your tents larger; make them wider, and fasten them firmly with tent pegs.
3 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.
[You will need to make your city much larger] because [soon] you and your descendants will spread all over the land. They will force the people of [other] nations [who now live in your cities] to leave, and you will live [again] in those cities [that were previously abandoned].
4 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.
Do not be afraid; you will no [longer] be ashamed. Previously you were ashamed [because your enemies conquered you] and caused many of your women to become widows, but [soon] you will not even remember that.
5 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.
[I], the Commander of the armies of angels, the Holy one of Israel, who rules over the whole earth, the one who created you, will be [like] [MET] a husband to you.
6 The Lord has not called thee as a deserted and faint-hearted woman, nor as a woman hated from [her] youth, saith thy God.
You were like a woman whose husband left her, and caused you to be very sad; you were like a young woman who got married when she was [very] young, and then her husband abandoned her.
7 For a little while I left thee: but with great mercy will I have compassion upon thee.
I abandoned you [people of Jerusalem] for a while, but [now] I am saying, ‘I will take you back.’
8 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.
I was very angry with you for a while, and I turned away from you. But I will act mercifully toward you and I will faithfully love you forever. That is what [I], Yahweh, your protector, say to you.
9 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,
During the time that Noah lived, I solemnly promised that I would never again allow a flood to cover the earth. So [now] I solemnly promise that I will not be angry with you again and (rebuke you/threaten to punish you).
10 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].
Even if the mountains and hills shake and collapse, I will not stop faithfully loving you, and I will not cancel my agreement to cause things to go well for you. That is what [I], Yahweh, who act mercifully, say.
11 Afflicted and outcast thou has not been comforted: behold, I [will] prepare carbuncle [for] thy stones, and sapphire for thy foundations;
You [people of Jerusalem] [APO], [your enemies acted very violently toward you]; [it was as though] your city was battered by a severe storm, and no one helped you. But [now] I will cause your city to be rebuilt with stones made of (turquoise/valuable stones), and I will cause the foundations of the city to be made of (sapphires/valuable blue stones).
12 and I will make thy buttresses jasper, and thy gates crystal, and thy border precious stones.
I will cause the towers on the city wall to be made of (rubies/valuable red stones), and all the gates of the city will be made of [other] very valuable stones.
13 And [I will cause] all thy sons [to be] taught of God, and thy children [to be] in great peace.
I will be the one who will teach you people and cause things to go well with you.
14 And thou shalt be built in righteousness: abstain from injustice, and thou shalt not fear; and trembling shall not come nigh thee.
Your [government] will be strong because of acting justly/fairly; no one will (oppress you/cause you to suffer); you will not be afraid, because there will be nothing [PRS] that will (terrorize you/cause you to become extremely afraid).
15 Behold, strangers shall come to thee by me, and shall sojourn with thee, and shall run to thee for refuge.
If any army attacks you, it will not be because I have incited them to do that, and you will defeat any group that attacks you.
16 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].
Think about this: (Blacksmiths/Men who make things from metal) fan the coals to make a very hot flame in order to produce weapons that can be used [in battles], but I am the one who has produced blacksmiths! And I am also the one who created people who destroy [other people and cities].
17 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.
[But I am promising you that I will] not allow you to be defeated/injured by soldiers using weapons that have been made to attack you, and when others try to accuse you, you will (refute them/show that they are wrong). That is the reward that I will give to the people who serve me; I will defend them; that is what [I], Yahweh, promise.”

< Esias 54 >

A Dove is Sent Forth from the Ark
A Dove is Sent Forth from the Ark