Isaiah 54

1 “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.

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 “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.

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

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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

14 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.

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

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

16 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.

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 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!

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