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54 Sing, O akarah (barren woman [i.e., Yerushalayim emptied out by the Golus that Isaiah sees coming]), thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and shout for joy, thou that didst not travail with child; for rabbim bnei shome’mah (more are the children of the desolate woman [i.e. referring to those of Jerusalem making aliyah from the Golus so that Moshiach’s Kehilah can come forth at Jerusalem-Ac 2:41]) than the bnei be’ulah (children of the married woman; i.e., Jerusalem as the Sarah at first barren then greatly fruitful; see Gn17:16), saith Hashem [see Ga.4:27 OJBC].

Enlarge the makom (place, living area) of thy ohel, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine mishkenot (tents); spare not, lengthen thy cords, and thy stakes make chizzuk (stronger);

For thou shalt spread out on the yamin (right hand) and on the smol (left); and thy zera shall inherit the Goyim, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou discouraged; for thou shalt not suffer disgrace; for thou shalt forget the boshet alumayich (the shame of thy youth), and shalt not remember any more thy cherpat almenut (reproach of widowhood).

For thy Oseh (Maker) is thine ba’al (husband); Hashem Tzva’os Shmo; and thy Go’el is Kadosh Yisroel; The Elohei Kol HaAretz He is called.

For Hashem hath called thee back, thou who art like an isha forsaken and atzuvat ruach (grieved in spirit) as a cast off eshet ne’urim (wife of one’s youth), saith thy G-d.

For a rega katon (small moment) have I abandoned thee; but with rachamim gedolim will I gather thee back.

With a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a rega (moment); but with chesed olam will I have rachamim on thee, saith thy Go’el, Hashem.

For this is as the waters of Noach unto Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noach should no more cover ha’aretz; so have I sworn that with thee I would not be in wrath nor rebuke thee.

10 For the harim (mountains) shall depart, and the geva’ot (hills) be removed; but My chesed shall not depart from thee, neither shall the Brit of My Shalom be removed, saith Merachamech Hashem (Hashem the One having rachamim on thee).

11 O thou afflicted one, tempest-tossed and unconsoled, hinei, I will lay thy stones of glistening colors, and lay thy yesod (foundation, i.e., figuratively of post-Exilic Jerusalem’s foundation) with sapphires.

12 And I will make thy battlements of rubies, and thy she’arim (gates) of carbuncles, and all thy walls of avnei chefetz (precious stones).

13 And all thy banim shall be taught of Hashem; and the shalom of thy banim shall be rav (great).

14 In tzedakah (righteousness) shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oshek (oppression, tyranny); for thou shalt not fear; and thou shalt be far from mechitah (terror); for it shall not come near thee.

15 Indeed, if attacking they stir up strife, it is not from Me; whosoever shall gather together against thee, yipol (he shall fall) for thy sake.

16 See, I have created the charash (ironsmith, blacksmith) that fanneth the red-hot coals in the eish (fire), the one forging a keli (an instrument) for his ma’aseh (work); and I have created the mashchit (destroyer, waster, spoiler) to destroy.

17 No keli (weapon, instrument) that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every leshon (tongue) that shall rise against thee in mishpat (judgment, accusation) tarshi’i (thou shalt condemn, prove false, refute, prove wrong). This is the nachalat avdei Hashem (the heritage of the servants of Hashem), and their tzedakah (righteousness, vindication) is from Me, saith Hashem.

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.