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Chapter 4

Seven women will take hold of one man[a]
    on that day, saying:
“We will eat our own food
    and wear our own clothing;
Only let your name be given us,
    put an end to our disgrace!”

Jerusalem Purified

    [b]On that day,
The branch[c] of the Lord will be beauty and glory,
    and the fruit of the land will be honor and splendor
    for the survivors of Israel.
Everyone who remains in Zion,
    everyone left in Jerusalem
Will be called holy:
    everyone inscribed for life[d] in Jerusalem.(A)
When the Lord washes away
    the filth of the daughters of Zion,
And purges Jerusalem’s blood from her midst
    with a blast of judgment, a searing blast,(B)
Then will the Lord create,
    over the whole site of Mount Zion
    and over her place of assembly,
A smoking cloud by day
    and a light of flaming fire by night.(C)
For over all, his glory will be shelter and protection:
    shade from the parching heat of day,
    refuge and cover from storm and rain.(D)

Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Seven women…one man: deportation (cf. note on 3:1–12) would result in a disproportion of the sexes and leave the female population without enough male partners. The women are willing to marry, not for support, but to avoid disgrace.
  2. 4:2–6 Usually judged a later addition to the oracles of Isaiah. It relieves the threatening tone of the surrounding chaps. 3 and 5.
  3. 4:2 Branch: the term (Heb. semah) that is sometimes used of the ideal Davidic king of the future (cf. Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zec 3:8; 6:12). However, the parallel “fruit of the land” does not favor that usage here.
  4. 4:3 Inscribed for life: in God’s list of the elect; cf. Ex 32:32.

In that day(A) seven women
    will take hold of one man(B)
and say, “We will eat our own food(C)
    and provide our own clothes;
only let us be called by your name.
    Take away our disgrace!”(D)

The Branch of the Lord

In that day(E) the Branch of the Lord(F) will be beautiful(G) and glorious, and the fruit(H) of the land will be the pride and glory(I) of the survivors(J) in Israel. Those who are left in Zion,(K) who remain(L) in Jerusalem, will be called holy,(M) all who are recorded(N) among the living in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away the filth(O) of the women of Zion;(P) he will cleanse(Q) the bloodstains(R) from Jerusalem by a spirit[a] of judgment(S) and a spirit[b] of fire.(T) Then the Lord will create(U) over all of Mount Zion(V) and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night;(W) over everything the glory[c](X) will be a canopy.(Y) It will be a shelter(Z) and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge(AA) and hiding place from the storm(AB) and rain.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 4:4 Or the Spirit
  2. Isaiah 4:4 Or the Spirit
  3. Isaiah 4:5 Or over all the glory there