``Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous Than the sons of the married woman," says the LORD.
``Enlarge the place of your tent; Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; Lengthen your cords And strengthen your pegs.
``For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left. And your descendants will possess nations And will resettle the desolate cities.
``Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
``For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.
``For the LORD has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected," Says your God.
``For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you.
``In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you," Says the LORD your Redeemer.
``For this is like the days of Noah to Me, When I swore that the waters of Noah Would not flood the earth again; So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you Nor will I rebuke you.
``For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion on you.
``O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, Behold, I will set your stones in antimony, And your foundations I will lay in sapphires.
``Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, And your gates of crystal, And your entire wall of precious stones.
``All your sons will be taught of the LORD; And the well-being of your sons will be great.
``In righteousness you will be established; You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; And from terror, for it will not come near you.
``If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you.
``Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals And brings out a weapon for its work; And I have created the destroyer to ruin.
``No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD.
``Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.
``Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.
``Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
``Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, A leader and commander for the peoples.
``Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, And a nation which knows you not will run to you, Because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you."
Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
``For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares 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.
``For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
``For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
``Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, And it will be a memorial to the LORD, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off."
Thus says the LORD, ``Preserve justice and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.
``How blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who takes hold of it; Who keeps from profaning the sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil."
Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, ``The LORD will surely separate me from His people." Nor let the eunuch say, ``Behold, I am a dry tree."
For thus says the LORD, ``To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant,
To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.
``Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant;
Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples."
The Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, ``Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered."
All you beasts of the field, All you beasts in the forest, Come to eat.
His watchmen are blind, All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied. And they are shepherds who have no understanding; They have all turned to their own way, Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.
``Come," they say, ``let us get wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink; And tomorrow will be like today, only more so."
The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil,
He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, Each one who walked in his upright way.
``But come here, you sons of a sorceress, Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.
``Against whom do you jest? Against whom do you open wide your mouth And stick out your tongue? Are you not children of rebellion, Offspring of deceit,
Who inflame yourselves among the oaks, Under every luxuriant tree, Who slaughter the children in the ravines, Under the clefts of the crags?
``Among the smooth stones of the ravine Is your portion, they are your lot; Even to them you have poured out a drink offering, You have made a grain offering. Shall I relent concerning these things?
``Upon a high and lofty mountain You have made your bed. You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
``Behind the door and the doorpost You have set up your sign; Indeed, far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself, And have gone up and made your bed wide. And you have made an agreement for yourself with them, You have loved their bed, You have looked on their manhood.
``You have journeyed to the king with oil And increased your perfumes; You have sent your envoys a great distance And made them go down to Sheol.
``You were tired out by the length of your road, Yet you did not say, `It is hopeless.' You found renewed strength, Therefore you did not faint.
``Of whom were you worried and fearful When you lied, and did not remember Me Nor give Me a thought? Was I not silent even for a long time So you do not fear Me?
``I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, But they will not profit you.
``When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will carry all of them up, And a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land And will possess My holy mountain."
And it will be said, ``Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people."
For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, ``I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.
``For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would grow faint before Me, And the breath of those whom I have made.
``Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him; I hid My face and was angry, And he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.
``I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners,
Creating the praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near," Says the LORD, ``and I will heal him."
But the wicked are like the tossing sea, For it cannot be quiet, And its waters toss up refuse and mud.
``There is no peace," says my God, ``for the wicked."
