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54 “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear! Break forth into singing and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” saith the Lord.

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.

For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

“Fear 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 shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

For thy Maker is thine husband” the Lord of hosts is His name” and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.

For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused,” saith thy God.

“For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.

In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

“For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee.

10 For 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 the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

11 “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

12 And I will make thy windows of agates and thy gates of rubies, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children.

14 In righteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee.

15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me; whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me,” saith the Lord.

55 “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Why do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Incline your ear, and come unto Me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for He hath glorified thee.”

Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” saith the Lord.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11 so shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: It shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

12 “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

56 Thus saith the Lord, “Keep ye judgment, and do justice; for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.

Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; who keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.”

Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, “The Lord hath utterly separated me from His people”; neither let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”

For thus saith the Lord: “Unto the eunuchs that keep My Sabbaths, and choose the things that please Me, and take hold of My covenant,

even unto them will I give in Mine house and within My walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.

Also the sons of the stranger that join themselves to the Lord to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant,

even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar, for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”

The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, “Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.”

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

10 His watchmen are blind; they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

12 “Come ye,” say they, “I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.”

57 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

“But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.

Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom make ye a wide mouth and draw out the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,

inflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks?

Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot. Even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?

Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed; even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice.

Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance; for thou hast uncovered thyself to another than Me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.

And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.

10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, ‘There is no hope.’ Thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.

11 “And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered Me, nor laid it to thy heart? Have not I held My peace even of old, and thou fearest Me not?

12 I will declare thy righteousness and thy works, for they shall not profit thee.

13 When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away, vanity shall take them. But he that putteth his trust in Me shall possess the land, and shall inherit My holy mountain,

14 And shall say, ‘Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way; take up the stumbling block out of the way of My people.’”

15 For thus saith the high and lofty One who inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit should fail before Me, and the souls which I have made.

17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him; I hid Me and was wroth, and he went on waywardly in the way of his heart.

18 I have seen his ways and will heal him; I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.

19 I create the fruit of the lips; peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near,” saith the Lord; “and I will heal him.

20 “But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”

58 “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up thy voice like a trumpet! And show My people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins.

Yet they seek Me daily and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

‘Why have we fasted,’ say they, ‘and Thou seest not? Why have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no note?’ Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors.

Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness; ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?—when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, ‘Here I am.’ If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger and speaking vanity,

10 and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noonday.

11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.

12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Paths to dwell in.

13 “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words,

14 then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

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.

Invitation to the Thirsty

55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,(BO)
    come to the waters;(BP)
and you who have no money,
    come, buy(BQ) and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk(BR)
    without money and without cost.(BS)
Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?(BT)
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,(BU)
    and you will delight in the richest(BV) of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
    listen,(BW) that you may live.(BX)
I will make an everlasting covenant(BY) with you,
    my faithful love(BZ) promised to David.(CA)
See, I have made him a witness(CB) to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander(CC) of the peoples.
Surely you will summon nations(CD) you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,(CE)
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One(CF) of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”(CG)

Seek(CH) the Lord while he may be found;(CI)
    call(CJ) on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake(CK) their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.(CL)
Let them turn(CM) to the Lord, and he will have mercy(CN) on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.(CO)

“For my thoughts(CP) are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”(CQ)
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,(CR)
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.(CS)
10 As the rain(CT) and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,(CU)
    so that it yields seed(CV) for the sower and bread for the eater,(CW)
11 so is my word(CX) that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,(CY)
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose(CZ) for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy(DA)
    and be led forth in peace;(DB)
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song(DC) before you,
and all the trees(DD) of the field
    will clap their hands.(DE)
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
    and instead of briers(DF) the myrtle(DG) will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,(DH)
    for an everlasting sign,
    that will endure forever.”

Salvation for Others

56 This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice(DI)
    and do what is right,(DJ)
for my salvation(DK) is close at hand
    and my righteousness(DL) will soon be revealed.
Blessed(DM) is the one who does this—
    the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath(DN) without desecrating it,
    and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”

Let no foreigner(DO) who is bound to the Lord say,
    “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”(DP)
And let no eunuch(DQ) complain,
    “I am only a dry tree.”

For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs(DR) who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant(DS)
to them I will give within my temple and its walls(DT)
    a memorial(DU) and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name(DV)
    that will endure forever.(DW)
And foreigners(DX) who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister(DY) to him,
to love the name(DZ) of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath(EA) without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain(EB)
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices(EC)
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.(ED)(EE)
The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather(EF) still others to them
    besides those already gathered.”

God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

Come, all you beasts of the field,(EG)
    come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
10 Israel’s watchmen(EH) are blind,
    they all lack knowledge;(EI)
they are all mute dogs,
    they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
    they love to sleep.(EJ)
11 They are dogs with mighty appetites;
    they never have enough.
They are shepherds(EK) who lack understanding;(EL)
    they all turn to their own way,(EM)
    they seek their own gain.(EN)
12 “Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!(EO)
    Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
    or even far better.”(EP)

57 The righteous perish,(EQ)
    and no one takes it to heart;(ER)
the devout are taken away,
    and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
    to be spared from evil.(ES)
Those who walk uprightly(ET)
    enter into peace;
    they find rest(EU) as they lie in death.

“But you—come here, you children of a sorceress,(EV)
    you offspring of adulterers(EW) and prostitutes!(EX)
Who are you mocking?
    At whom do you sneer
    and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,(EY)
    the offspring of liars?
You burn with lust among the oaks(EZ)
    and under every spreading tree;(FA)
you sacrifice your children(FB) in the ravines
    and under the overhanging crags.
The idols(FC) among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;
    indeed, they are your lot.
Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings(FD)
    and offered grain offerings.
    In view of all this, should I relent?(FE)
You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;(FF)
    there you went up to offer your sacrifices.(FG)
Behind your doors and your doorposts
    you have put your pagan symbols.
Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed,
    you climbed into it and opened it wide;
you made a pact with those whose beds you love,(FH)
    and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.(FI)
You went to Molek[b](FJ) with olive oil
    and increased your perfumes.(FK)
You sent your ambassadors[c](FL) far away;
    you descended to the very realm of the dead!(FM)
10 You wearied(FN) yourself by such going about,
    but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’(FO)
You found renewal of your strength,(FP)
    and so you did not faint.

11 “Whom have you so dreaded and feared(FQ)
    that you have not been true to me,
and have neither remembered(FR) me
    nor taken this to heart?(FS)
Is it not because I have long been silent(FT)
    that you do not fear me?
12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,(FU)
    and they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out(FV) for help,
    let your collection of idols save(FW) you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
    a mere breath will blow(FX) them away.
But whoever takes refuge(FY) in me
    will inherit the land(FZ)
    and possess my holy mountain.”(GA)

Comfort for the Contrite

14 And it will be said:

“Build up, build up, prepare the road!(GB)
    Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”(GC)
15 For this is what the high and exalted(GD) One says—
    he who lives forever,(GE) whose name is holy:
“I live in a high(GF) and holy place,
    but also with the one who is contrite(GG) and lowly in spirit,(GH)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.(GI)
16 I will not accuse(GJ) them forever,
    nor will I always be angry,(GK)
for then they would faint away because of me—
    the very people(GL) I have created.
17 I was enraged by their sinful greed;(GM)
    I punished them, and hid(GN) my face in anger,
    yet they kept on in their willful ways.(GO)
18 I have seen their ways, but I will heal(GP) them;
    I will guide(GQ) them and restore comfort(GR) to Israel’s mourners,
19     creating praise on their lips.(GS)
Peace, peace,(GT) to those far and near,”(GU)
    says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
20 But the wicked(GV) are like the tossing sea,(GW)
    which cannot rest,
    whose waves cast up mire(GX) and mud.
21 “There is no peace,”(GY) says my God, “for the wicked.”(GZ)

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud,(HA) do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.(HB)
Declare to my people their rebellion(HC)
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.(HD)
For day after day they seek(HE) me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken(HF) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near(HG) them.
‘Why have we fasted,’(HH) they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled(HI) ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’(HJ)

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please(HK)
    and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,(HL)
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard(HM) on high.
Is this the kind of fast(HN) I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble(HO) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(HP)
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(HQ)
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting(HR) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(HS)
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(HT) free
    and break every yoke?(HU)
Is it not to share your food with the hungry(HV)
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter(HW)
when you see the naked, to clothe(HX) them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?(HY)
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,(HZ)
    and your healing(IA) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[d](IB) will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.(IC)
Then you will call,(ID) and the Lord will answer;(IE)
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger(IF) and malicious talk,(IG)
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,(IH)
then your light(II) will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.(IJ)
11 The Lord will guide(IK) you always;
    he will satisfy your needs(IL) in a sun-scorched land(IM)
    and will strengthen(IN) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,(IO)
    like a spring(IP) whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins(IQ)
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;(IR)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,(IS)
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath(IT)
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight(IU)
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,(IV)
14 then you will find your joy(IW) in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights(IX) of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance(IY) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(IZ)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. Isaiah 57:9 Or to the king
  3. Isaiah 57:9 Or idols
  4. Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One