Isaiah 54

Sing for joy, childless woman. [1]
Sing out loud and celebrate.
Though you’ve never felt the joy
That comes from the labor,
The LORD himself promises this.
You’ll have plenty of children
More than the others.
2So, add a new wing to your tent.
Make some strong ropes,
With plenty of length.
And gather a pile of tent pegs.
3You’ll settle in the land.
Then you’ll spread right and left
As your descendants gobble the nations
And bring their ghost towns to life.

Don’t be afraid of what’s coming.
You won’t be disappointed or ashamed.
Disgrace you experience now, in your youth,
And the pain of your life as a widow,
Will all be forgotten and left in the past.
5The LORD your Creator will be your husband.
He’s the Holy God of Israel,
Your Savior and LORD of all.

The LORD takes you back
Like a man who discarded
The wife he married when he was young. [2]
7For a moment I abandoned you. [3]
But in compassion I bring you back in.
8I was angry when I left you.
But in kindness
I’ll bring you home to stay.
For I’m the LORD your Savior.

I made a promise like that to Noah.
I promised never to flood Earth again.
Now I make a similar promise to you:
My anger about this is over.
I’ll do nothing to punish you further.
10Mountains might leave you,
Foothills tag along,
But you’ll always have my love.
And this guarantee never expires.
I’m the LORD who loves you
With mercy that never ends.

Dear ruined Jerusalem,
Broken and unsettled,
I’m about to raise you from rocks.
I’ll lay your foundation with sapphire,
And rebuild you in precious stone.
12Your towers I’ll raise with rubies.
Gates and walls I’ll cut from gems.
13The LORD himself will teach your children.
They’ll grow into successful adults.
14You’ll build your life on goodness.
No one who mistreats you will win.
So don’t be afraid of that terror.

If enemies try to attack you,
They won’t be coming from me.
But they’ll answer to me
And fall when they do.
16Just to assure you let me remind you
I made the blacksmith who fires the coal
And creates the weapons of chaos.
17No weapons he makes will succeed against you.
You’ll refute every word that condemns you.
This is the path the LORD prepared for you.
A legacy of victory that he guarantees.