Isaiah 54

1 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.

Sing, O barren one, that thou hast not born: break forth into song, and rejoice aloud, that thou hast not travailed; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.

2 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.

Enlarge the space of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, —spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

3 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.

For to the right and to the left shalt thou spread forth; and thy seed shall drive out nations, desolate cities shall they repeople.

4 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.

Fear not, for thou shalt not be made ashamed; and be not confounded, for thou shalt not be put to the blush; for the shame of thy youth shalt thou forget, and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou not remember any more.

5 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.

For thy husband is thy Maker, the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, “The God of all the earth,” shall he be called.

6 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.

For as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit did the Lord call thee back, and as a wife of youth, that was rejected, saith thy God.

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

But for a brief moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I again receive thee.

8 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.

In a little wrath did I hide my face for a moment from thee; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith thy Redeemer the Lord.

9 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.

For as the waters of Noah is this unto me; as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more pass over the earth: so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

10 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.

For the mountains may depart, and the hills may be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith he that hath mercy on thee, the Lord.

11 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.

O thou afflicted, tossed by the tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

12 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,

And I will make of rubies thy battlements, and thy gates into carbuncle-stones, and all thy borders into precious stones.

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

And all thy children shall be disciples of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

14 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.

In righteousness shalt thou be established: keep far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near unto thee.

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

Behold, they that assemble together, are nothing without me: whatsoever assembleth together against thee shall fall under thy power.

16 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.

Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have also created the waster to destroy.

17 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.

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that will rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their due reward from me, saith the Lord.

A Dove is Sent Forth from the Ark