Isaiah 54:6-17

54:6 “Indeed, the Lord will call you back

like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression, ¹ 

like a young wife when she has been rejected,” says your God.

54:7 “For a short time I abandoned ²  you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

54:8 In a burst ³  of anger I rejected you ⁴  momentarily,

but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”

says your protector, ⁵  the Lord.

54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, ⁶ 

when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood ⁷  would never again cover the earth.

In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.

54:10 Even if the mountains are removed

and the hills displaced,

my devotion will not be removed from you,

nor will my covenant of friendship ⁸  be displaced,”

says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

54:11 “O afflicted one, driven away, ⁹  and unconsoled!

Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony

and I lay your foundation with lapis-lazuli.

54:12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems, ¹⁰ 

your gates out of beryl, ¹¹ 

and your outer wall ¹²  out of beautiful ¹³  stones.

54:13 All your children will be followers of the Lord,

and your children will enjoy great prosperity. ¹⁴ 

54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. ¹⁵ 

You will not experience oppression; ¹⁶ 

indeed, you will not be afraid.

You will not be terrified, ¹⁷ 

for nothing frightening ¹⁸  will come near you.

54:15 If anyone dares to ¹⁹  challenge you, it will not be my doing!

Whoever tries to challenge you will be defeated. ²⁰ 

54:16 Look, I create the craftsman,

who fans the coals into a fire

and forges a weapon. ²¹ 

I create the destroyer so he might devastate.

54:17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed;

you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. ²² 

This is what the Lord will do for his servants –

I will vindicate them,” ²³ 

says the Lord.

[54:6]  ¹ tn Heb “like a woman abandoned and grieved in spirit.”

[54:7]  ² tn Or “forsook” (NASB).

[54:8]  ³ tn According to BDB 1009 s.v. שֶׁטֶף the noun שֶׁצֶף here is an alternate form of שֶׁטֶף (shetef, “flood”). Some relate the word to an alleged Akkadian cognate meaning “strength.”

[54:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “I hid my face from you.”

[54:8]  ⁵ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[54:9]  ⁶ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “For [or “indeed”] the waters of Noah [is] this to me.” כִּי־מֵי (ki-me, “for the waters of”) should be emended to כְּמֵי (kÿmey, “like the days of”), which is supported by the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and all the ancient versions except LXX.

[54:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “the waters of Noah” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[54:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”

[54:11]  ⁹ tn Or, more literally, “windblown, storm tossed.”

[54:12]  ¹⁰ tn Perhaps, “rubies” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[54:12]  ¹¹ tn On the meaning of אֶקְדָּח (’eqdakh), which occurs only here, see HALOT 82 s.v.

[54:12]  ¹² tn Heb “border” (so ASV); NASB “your entire wall.”

[54:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “delightful”; KJV “pleasant.”

[54:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and great [will be] the peace of your sons.”

[54:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “in righteousness [or “vindication”] you will be established.” The precise meaning of צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) here is uncertain. It could mean “righteousness, justice,” indicating that the city will be a center for justice. But the context focuses on deliverance, suggesting that the term means “deliverance, vindication” here.

[54:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Be far from oppression!” The imperative is used here in a rhetorical manner to express certainty and assurance. See GKC 324 §110.c.

[54:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “from terror.” The rhetorical command, “be far” is understood by ellipsis here. Note the preceding context.

[54:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “it,” i.e., the “terror” just mentioned.

[54:15]  ¹⁹ tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb here for emphasis.

[54:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “will fall over you.” The expression נָפַל עַל (nafal ’al) can mean “attack,” but here it means “fall over to,” i.e., “surrender to.”

[54:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “who brings out an implement for his work.”

[54:17]  ²² tn Heb “and every tongue that rises up for judgment with you will prove to be guilty.”

[54:17]  ²³ tn Heb “this is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication from me.”