Isaiah 54
54
Sing, barren woman
1Sing, barren woman who has borne no child;
break forth into singing and cry out,
you who were never in labor,
for the children of the wife who has been deserted will be more numerous than the children of the married, says the LORD.
2Enlarge the site of your tent,
and stretch out the drapes of your dwellings;
don’t hold back.
Lengthen your tent ropes and strengthen your stakes.
3To the right and to the left you will burst out,
and your children will possess the nations’ land
and settle their desolate cities.
4Don’t fear,
because you won’t be ashamed;
don’t be dismayed,
because you won’t be disgraced.
You will forget the shame of your youth;
you’ll no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.
5The one marrying you is the one who made you—
the LORD of heavenly forces is his name.
The one redeeming you is the holy one of Israel,
the one called the God of all the earth.
6As an abandoned and dejected woman the LORD has summoned you;
as a young wife when she is rejected,
says your God.
7For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great mercy I will bring you back.
8In an outburst of rage,
I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting love I have consoled you,
says your redeemer, the LORD.
9These are like the days#54.9 Or for the waters of Noah for me,
when I promised that Noah’s waters would never again cover the earth.
Likewise I promise not to rage against you or rebuke you.
10The mountains may shift,
and the hills may be shaken,
but my faithful love won’t shift from you,
and my covenant of peace won’t be shaken,
says the LORD, the one who pities you.
11Suffering one, storm-tossed, uncomforted,
look, I am setting your gemstones in silvery metal
and your foundations with sapphires.
12I will make your towers of rubies,
and your gates of beryl,
and all your walls of precious jewels.
13All your children will be disciples of the LORD—
I will make peace abound for your children.
14You will be firmly founded in righteousness.
You will stay far from oppression because you won’t fear,
far from terror because it won’t come near you.
15If anyone attacks you, it’s none of my doing.
Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.
16Look, I myself created the metalworker who blows the fire of coal and who produces a tool for his work.
And I myself created the looter to destroy.
17No weapon fashioned against you will succeed,
and you may condemn every tongue that disputes with you.
This is the heritage of the LORD’s servants,
whose righteousness comes from me, says the LORD.
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Isaiah 54: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 54
54
Spread Out! Think Big!
1-6“Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby.
Fill the air with song, you who’ve never experienced childbirth!
You’re ending up with far more children
than all those childbearing women.” God says so!
“Clear lots of ground for your tents!
Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big!
Use plenty of rope,
drive the tent pegs deep.
You’re going to need lots of elbow room
for your growing family.
You’re going to take over whole nations;
you’re going to resettle abandoned cities.
Don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed.
Don’t hold back—you’re not going to come up short.
You’ll forget all about the humiliations of your youth,
and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory.
For your Maker is your bridegroom,
his name, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
Your Redeemer is The Holy of Israel,
known as God of the whole earth.
You were like an abandoned wife, devastated with grief,
and God welcomed you back,
Like a woman married young
and then left,” says your God.
7-8Your Redeemer God says:
“I left you, but only for a moment.
Now, with enormous compassion, I’m bringing you back.
In an outburst of anger I turned my back on you—
but only for a moment.
It’s with lasting love
that I’m tenderly caring for you.
9-10“This exile is just like the days of Noah for me:
I promised then that the waters of Noah
would never again flood the earth.
I’m promising now no more anger,
no more dressing you down.
For even if the mountains walk away
and the hills fall to pieces,
My love won’t walk away from you,
my covenant commitment of peace won’t fall apart.”
The God who has compassion on you says so.
11-17“Afflicted city, storm-battered, unpitied:
I’m about to rebuild you with stones of turquoise,
Lay your foundations with sapphires,
construct your towers with rubies,
Your gates with jewels,
and all your walls with precious stones.
All your children will have God for their teacher—
what a mentor for your children!
You’ll be built solid, grounded in righteousness,
far from any trouble—nothing to fear!
far from terror—it won’t even come close!
If anyone attacks you,
don’t for a moment suppose that I sent them,
And if any should attack,
nothing will come of it.
I create the blacksmith
who fires up his forge
and makes a weapon designed to kill.
I also create the destroyer—
but no weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged.
Any accuser who takes you to court
will be dismissed as a liar.
This is what God’s servants can expect.
I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.”
God’s Decree.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.