Isaiah 54
54
LIV
1Shout for joy, O barren, thou that didst not bear;
Break forth into singing, and shout, thou that didst not travail:
For more are the children of the desolate,
Than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah.
2Enlarge the place of thy tent;
And let the curtains of thine habitations be extended; spare not:
Lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.
3For thou shalt break forth on the right hand, and on the left;
And thy seed shall inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed;
Neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame:
For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth,
And the reproach of thy widowhood thou shalt remember no more.
5For thy Maker is thine husband,
Jehovah of hosts is his name;
And thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
The God of the whole earth shall He be called.
6For Jehovah hath called thee as a woman forsaken, and grieved in spirit;
And as a wife of youth, when she was rejected, saith thy God.
7For a short moment have I forsaken thee;
But with great mercies will I gather thee.
8In vehemence of wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee,
Saith thy Redeemer, Jehovah.
9For this is as the waters of Noah unto me,
When I sware that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth;
So have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10For the mountains shall depart,
And the hills be removed;
But my kindness shall not depart from thee,
Neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed;
Saith Jehovah, who hath mercy on thee.
11O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold! I will lay thy stones in cement of brilliant colour,
And lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12And I will make thy battlements of rubies,
And thy gates of carbuncles;
And all thy borders of precious stones.
13And all thy children shall be taught by Jehovah,
And great shall be the peace of thy children.
14In righteousness shalt thou be established:
Be thou far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near thee.
15Behold! they shall assemble together, but not by me;
Whosoever shall have assembled together against thee, shall come over to thy side.
16Behold! I created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire,
And that bringeth forth instruments for his work;
I also created the destroyer to lay waste.
17No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;
And every tongue that riseth up against thee in judgment, thou shalt prove guilty.
This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah,
And their righteousness is from me, saith Jehovah.
Currently Selected:
Isaiah 54: TEG
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Translated by Rev John Jones (Ioan Tegid).Published at Oxford in 1830, second edition 1842.
Isaiah 54
54
The New Zion
1Raise a glad cry, you barren one#Jerusalem, pictured as a wife who had been barren and deserted, now suddenly finds herself with innumerable children (the returning exiles); cf. Gal 4:27 for an application to a new context. who never bore a child,
break forth in jubilant song, you who have never been in labor,
For more numerous are the children of the deserted wife
than the children of her who has a husband,
says the Lord.#Gal 4:27.
2Enlarge the space for your tent,
spread out your tent cloths unsparingly;
lengthen your ropes and make firm your pegs.#Is 49:20.
3For you shall spread abroad to the right and left;
your descendants shall dispossess the nations
and shall people the deserted cities.#Those who had taken advantage of the exile to encroach on Jerusalem’s territory will be driven out, and the returning exiles will repopulate the cities of Judah.
4#As with some other Old Testament themes, Second Isaiah uses that of Israel as the Lord’s bride in a new manner. Whereas Hosea and Jeremiah had depicted Israel as the Lord’s spouse to emphasize both Israel’s infidelity and the Lord’s continued love (Hos 1–3; Jer 2:2; 3:1–15) and Ezekiel to accuse Israel unsparingly (Ez 16; 23), Second Isaiah speaks only of the love with which the Lord restores the people, speaking tender words with no hint of reproach. Do not fear, you shall not be put to shame;
do not be discouraged, you shall not be disgraced.
For the shame of your youth you shall forget,
the reproach of your widowhood no longer remember.
5For your husband is your Maker;
the Lord of hosts is his name,
Your redeemer,#Redeemer: cf. note on 41:14. the Holy One of Israel,
called God of all the earth.
6The Lord calls you back,
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
A wife married in youth and then cast off,
says your God.#Mal 2:14–15.
7For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great tenderness I will take you back.
8In an outburst of wrath, for a moment
I hid my face from you;
But with enduring love I take pity on you,
says the Lord, your redeemer.
9This is for me like the days of Noah:
As I swore then that the waters of Noah
should never again flood the earth,
So I have sworn now not to be angry with you,
or to rebuke you.#Gn 9:15.
10Though the mountains fall away
and the hills be shaken,
My love shall never fall away from you
nor my covenant of peace#Covenant of peace: this whole section, vv. 9–17, is given to various assurances of God’s love for Israel and of safety from various possible threats; the phrase sums up both the positive aspects of shalom, which implies a fullness of blessing, and protection from all that might harm. Cf. also 55:3; Nm 25:12; Ez 34:25; 37:26; Mal 2:5. be shaken,
says the Lord, who has mercy on you.#Ps 46:3; 76:5.
11O afflicted one,#Afflicted one: Jerusalem. storm-battered and unconsoled,
I lay your pavements in carnelians,
your foundations in sapphires;#Rev 21:18–21.
12I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
13All your children shall be taught by the Lord;
great shall be the peace of your children.
14In justice shall you be established,
far from oppression, you shall not fear,
from destruction, it cannot come near.
15If there be an attack, it is not my doing;
whoever attacks shall fall before you.
16See, I have created the smith
who blows on the burning coals
and forges weapons as his work;
It is I also who have created
the destroyer to work havoc.
17Every weapon fashioned against you shall fail;
every tongue that brings you to trial
you shall prove false.
This is the lot of the servants of the Lord,
their vindication from me—oracle of the Lord.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc