Isaiah 54-55

English Standard Version

The Eternal Covenant of Peace

54 ^(A)“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
    break forth into singing and cry aloud,
    you who have not been in labor!
For the children of ^(B)the desolate one ^(C)will be more
    than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
²^(D)“Enlarge the place of your tent,
    and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
    and strengthen your stakes.
³^(E)For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
    and your offspring will possess the nations
    and will people the desolate cities.

⁴“Fear not, ^(F)for you will not be ashamed;
    be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
    and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
⁵^(G)For your Maker is your husband,
    the Lord of hosts is his name;
^(H)and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
    ^(I)the God of the whole earth he is called.
⁶^(J)For the Lord has called you
    like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
    says your God.
⁷^(K)For a brief moment I deserted you,
    but with great compassion I will gather you.
⁸^(L)In overflowing anger for a moment
    I hid my face from you,
^(M)but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
    says the Lord, your Redeemer.

⁹“This is like ^(N)the days of Noah^[a] to me:
    as I swore that the waters of Noah
    should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
    and will not rebuke you.
¹⁰For the mountains may depart
    and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
    and ^(O)my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

¹¹^(P)“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
    behold, ^(Q)I will set your stones in antimony,
    ^(R)and lay your foundations with sapphires.^[b]
¹²I will make your pinnacles of agate,^[c]
    your gates of carbuncles,^[d]
    and all your wall of precious stones.
¹³^(S)All your children ^(T)shall be taught by the Lord,
    ^(U)and great shall be the peace of your children.
¹⁴In righteousness you shall be established;
    you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
    and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
¹⁵^(V)If anyone stirs up strife,
    it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
    shall fall because of you.
¹⁶Behold, I have created the smith
    who blows the fire of coals
    and produces a weapon for its purpose.
I have also created the ravager to destroy;
¹⁷    no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
    and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
    ^(W)and their vindication^[e] from me, declares the Lord.”

The Compassion of the Lord

55 ^(X)“Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    ^(Y)come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
²^(Z)Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
³Incline your ear, and come to me;
    ^(AA)hear, that your soul may live;
^(AB)and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    ^(AC)my steadfast, sure love for ^(AD)David.
⁴^(AE)Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    ^(AF)a leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵^(AG)Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
    and ^(AH)a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
    ^(AI)for he has glorified you.

⁶^(AJ)“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;
⁷let the wicked forsake his way,
    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
⁹^(AK)For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰^(AL)“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    ^(AM)giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but ^(AN)it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

¹²^(AO)“For you shall go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
^(AP)the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³^(AQ)Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
    an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”