54 1 More of the Gentiles shall believe the Gospel than of the Jews. 7 God leaveth his for a time, to whom afterward he showeth mercy.
1 Rejoice, O [a]barren that didst not bear: break forth into joy and rejoice, thou that didst not travail with child; for the [b]desolate hath more children than the married wife, saith the Lord.
2 [c]Enlarge the place of thy tents, and let them spread out the curtains of thine habitations: spare not: stretch out thy cords, and make fast thy stakes.
3 For thou shalt increase on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall possess the Gentiles, and dwell in the desolate cities.
4 Fear not: for thou shalt not be ashamed, neither shalt thou be confounded: for thou shalt not be put to shame: yea, thou shalt forget the shame of thy [d]youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy [e]widowhood anymore.
5 For he that [f]made thee, is thine husband, (whose name is the Lord of hosts) and thy redeemer the holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of the whole [g]world.
6 For the Lord hath called thee, being as a woman forsaken, and afflicted in spirit, and as a [h]young wife when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7 For a little while have I forsaken thee, but with great compassion will I gather thee.
8 For a moment in mine anger, I hid my face from thee for a little season, but with everlasting mercy have I had compassion on thee, saith the Lord thy redeemer.
9 For this is unto me as the [i]waters of Noah; 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 angry with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10 For the mountains shall remove, and the hills shall fall down; but my mercy shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace fall away, saith the Lord, that hath compassion on thee.
11 O thou afflicted and tossed with tempest, that hast no comfort, behold, I will lay thy stones with the [j]carbuncle, and lay thy foundation with sapphires,
12 And I will make thy windows of [k]emeralds, and thy gates shining stones, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
13 And all thy children shall be [l]taught of the Lord, and much peace shall be to thy children.
14 In [m]righteousness shalt thou be established, and be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear it: and from fear; for it shall not come near thee.
15 Behold, the enemies shall gather himself, but without [n]me: whosoever shall gather himself in thee, [o]against thee, shall fall.
16 Behold, I have created the [p]smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and him that bringeth forth an instrument for his work, and I have created the destroyer to destroy.
17 But all the weapons that are made against thee, shall not prosper: and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 54:1 After that he hath declared the death of Christ, he speaketh to the Church, because it should feel the fruit of the same, and calleth her barren, because that in the captivity she was a widow without hope to have any children.
- Isaiah 54:1 The Church in this her affliction and captivity shall bring forth more children, than when she was at liberty: or this may be spoken by admiration, considering the great number that should come of her. Her deliverance under Cyrus was as her childhood, and therefore this was accomplished, when she came to her age, which was under the Gospel.
- Isaiah 54:2 Signifying, that for the great number of children that God should give her, she should seem to lack room to lodge them.
- Isaiah 54:4 The afflictions which thou suffered at the beginning.
- Isaiah 54:4 When as thou wast refused for thy sins, Isa. 50:1.
- Isaiah 54:5 That did regenerate thee by his holy Spirit.
- Isaiah 54:5 His glory shall shine through the whole World, which seemed before to be shut up in Judea.
- Isaiah 54:6 As a wife which wast forsaken in thy youth.
- Isaiah 54:9 As sure as the promise that I made to Noah, that the waters should no more overflow the earth.
- Isaiah 54:11 Hereby he declareth the excellent estate of the Church under Christ.
- Isaiah 54:12 Or, jasper, or pearl.
- Isaiah 54:13 By the hearing of his word and inward moving of his Spirit.
- Isaiah 54:14 In stability and sureness, so that it shall stand forever.
- Isaiah 54:15 And therefore shall not prevail.
- Isaiah 54:15 Meaning, the domestical enemies of the Church, as are the hypocrites.
- Isaiah 54:16 Signifying hereby, that man can do nothing, but so far as God giveth power: for seeing that all are his creatures, he must needs govern and guide them.