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Jerusalem Will Be Glorious

54 “Jerusalem, sing!
    You are now like a woman who never had a child.
Burst into song! Shout for joy!
    You who have never had labor pains,
you are now all alone.
    But you will have more children than a woman who still has a husband,”
    says the Lord.
“Make a large area for your tent.
    Spread out its curtains.
    Go ahead and make your tent wider.
Make its ropes longer.
    Drive the stakes down deeper.
You will spread out to the right and the left.
    Your children after you will drive out the nations that are now living in your land.
    They will make their homes in the deserted cities of those nations.

“Do not be afraid. You will not be put to shame anymore.
    Do not be afraid of being dishonored.
    People will no longer make fun of you.
You will forget the time when you suffered as slaves in Egypt.
    You will no longer remember the shame
    of being a widow in Babylon.
I made you. I am now your husband.
    My name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.
I am the Holy One of Israel.
    I have set you free.
    I am the God of the whole earth.
You were like a wife who was deserted.
    And her heart was broken.
You were like a wife who married young.
    And her husband sent her away.
    But now I am calling you to come back,” says your God.
“For a brief moment I left you.
    But because I love you so much, I will bring you back.
For a moment I turned my face away from you.
    I was very angry with you.
But I will show you my loving concern.
    My faithful love will continue forever,”
    says the Lord. He is the one who set you free.

“During Noah’s time I made a promise.
    I said I would never cover the earth with water again.
In the same way, I have promised not to be angry with you.
    I will never punish you again.
10 The mountains might shake.
    The hills might be removed.
But my faithful love for you will never be shaken.
    And my covenant that promises peace to you will never be removed,”
    says the Lord. He shows you his loving concern.

11 “Suffering city, you have been beaten by storms.
    You have not been comforted.
I will rebuild you with turquoise stones.
    I will rebuild your foundations with lapis lazuli.
12 I will line the top of your city wall with rubies.
    I will make your gates out of gleaming jewels.
    And I will make all your walls out of precious stones.
13 I will teach all your children.
    And they will enjoy great peace.
14 When you do what is right,
    you will be made secure.
Your leaders will not be mean to you.
    You will not have anything to be afraid of.
You will not be terrified anymore.
    Terror will not come near you.
15 People might attack you. But I will not be the cause of it.
    Those who attack you will give themselves up to you.

16 “I created blacksmiths.
    They fan the coals into flames of fire.
They make weapons that are fit for their work.
    I also created those who destroy others.
17     But no weapon used against you will succeed.
People might bring charges against you.
    But you will prove that they are wrong.
Those are the things I do for my servants.
    I make everything right for them,”
    announces the Lord.

The Future Glory of Zion

54 “Sing, barren woman,(A)
    you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,(B)
    you who were never in labor;(C)
because more are the children(D) of the desolate(E) woman
    than of her who has a husband,(F)
says the Lord.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,(G)
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.(H)
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants(I) will dispossess nations(J)
    and settle in their desolate(K) cities.

“Do not be afraid;(L) you will not be put to shame.(M)
    Do not fear disgrace;(N) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth(O)
    and remember no more the reproach(P) of your widowhood.(Q)
For your Maker(R) is your husband(S)
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One(T) of Israel is your Redeemer;(U)
    he is called the God of all the earth.(V)
The Lord will call you back(W)
    as if you were a wife deserted(X) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,(Y)
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
“For a brief moment(Z) I abandoned(AA) you,
    but with deep compassion(AB) I will bring you back.(AC)
In a surge of anger(AD)
    I hid(AE) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness(AF)
    I will have compassion(AG) on you,”
    says the Lord your Redeemer.(AH)

“To me this is like the days of Noah,
    when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.(AI)
So now I have sworn(AJ) not to be angry(AK) with you,
    never to rebuke(AL) you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken(AM)
    and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love(AN) for you will not be shaken(AO)
    nor my covenant(AP) of peace(AQ) be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion(AR) on you.

11 “Afflicted(AS) city, lashed by storms(AT) and not comforted,(AU)
    I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,[a](AV)
    your foundations(AW) with lapis lazuli.(AX)
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
    your gates(AY) of sparkling jewels,
    and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,(AZ)
    and great will be their peace.(BA)
14 In righteousness(BB) you will be established:(BC)
Tyranny(BD) will be far from you;
    you will have nothing to fear.(BE)
Terror(BF) will be far removed;
    it will not come near you.
15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
    whoever attacks you will surrender(BG) to you.

16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith(BH)
    who fans the coals into flame
    and forges a weapon(BI) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer(BJ) to wreak havoc;
17     no weapon forged against you will prevail,(BK)
    and you will refute(BL) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants(BM) of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication(BN) from me,”
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.