Online Bible

The Fertility of Zion

“^aShout for joy, infertile one, you who have not given birth to any child;Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor;For the sons of the ^bdesolate one will be ^cmore numerousThan the sons of the married woman,” says the LORD.2 “^aEnlarge the place of your tent;¹Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them;Lengthen your ^bropesAnd strengthen your ^cpegs.3 “For you will ^aspread out to the right and to the left.And your ¹descendants will ^bpossess nationsAnd will ^cresettle the desolate cities.

4 “Fear not, for you will ^anot be put to shame;And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;But you will forget the ^bshame of your youth,And no longer remember the ^cdisgrace of your widowhood.5 “For your ^ahusband is your Maker,Whose name is the LORD of armies;And your ^bRedeemer is the Holy One of Israel,Who is called the ^cGod of all the earth.6 “For the LORD has called you,Like a wife ^aforsaken and grieved in spirit,Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”Says your God.7 “¹For a ^abrief moment I abandoned you,But with great compassion I will ^bgather you.8 “In an ¹^aoutburst of angerI hid My face from you for a moment,But with everlasting ^bfavor I will ^chave compassion on you,”Says the LORD your ^dRedeemer.

9 “For ¹this is like the days of Noah to Me,When I swore that the waters of NoahWould ^anot ²flood the earth again;So I have sworn that I will ^bnot be angry with youNor rebuke you.10 “For the ^amountains may be removed and the hills may shake,But My ¹favor will not be removed from you,Nor will My ^bcovenant of peace be shaken,”Says ^cthe LORD who has compassion on you.

11 “^aAfflicted one, storm-tossed, and ^bnot comforted,Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,And I will ^clay your foundations with ¹^dsapphires.12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of ¹rubies,And your gates of ²crystal,And your entire ³wall of precious stones.13 “^aAll your sons will be ¹taught by the LORD;And the well-being of your sons will be ^bgreat.14 “In ^arighteousness you will be established;You will be far from ^boppression, for you will ^cnot fear;And from ^dterror, for it will not come near you.15 “If anyone fiercely attacks you, it will not be from Me.^aWhoever attacks you will fall because of you.16 “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows on the fire of coalsAnd produces a weapon for its work;And I have created the destroyer to inflict ruin.17 “^aNo weapon that is formed against you will succeed;And you will condemn ^bevery tongue that ¹accuses you in judgment.This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,And their ^cvindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

The Fertility of Zion

“^aShout 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 ^bdesolate one will be ^cmore numerousThan the sons of the married woman,” says the LORD.2 “^aEnlarge the place of your tent;¹Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not;Lengthen your ^bcordsAnd strengthen your ^cpegs.3 “For you will ^aspread abroad to the right and to the left.And your ¹descendants will ^bpossess nationsAnd will ^cresettle the desolate cities.

4 “Fear not, for you will ^anot be put to shame;And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;But you will forget the ^bshame of your youth,And the ^creproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.5 “For your ^ahusband is your Maker,Whose name is the LORD of hosts;And your ^bRedeemer is the Holy One of Israel,Who is called the ^cGod of all the earth.6 “For the LORD has called you,Like a wife ^aforsaken and grieved in spirit,Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”Says your God.7 “¹For a ^abrief moment I forsook you,But with great compassion I will ^bgather you.8 “In an ¹^aoutburst of angerI hid My face from you for a moment,But with everlasting ^blovingkindness I will ^chave compassion on you,”Says the LORD your ^dRedeemer.

9 “For ¹this is like the days of Noah to Me,When I swore that the waters of NoahWould ^anot ²flood the earth again;So I have sworn that I will ^bnot be angry with youNor will I rebuke you.10 “For the ^amountains may be removed and the hills may shake,But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,And My ^bcovenant of peace will not be shaken,”Says ^cthe LORD who has compassion on you.

11 “O ^aafflicted one, storm-tossed, and ^bnot comforted,Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,And your foundations I will ^clay in ¹^dsapphires.12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of ¹rubies,And your gates of ²crystal,And your entire ³wall of precious stones.13 “^aAll your sons will be ¹taught of the LORD;And the well-being of your sons will be ^bgreat.14 “In ^arighteousness you will be established;You will be far from ^boppression, for you will ^cnot fear;And from ^dterror, for it will not come near you.15 “If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me.^aWhoever assails you will fall because of you.16 “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coalsAnd brings out a weapon for its work;And I have created the destroyer to ruin.17 “^aNo weapon that is formed against you will prosper;And ^bevery tongue that ¹accuses you in judgment you will condemn.This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,And their ^cvindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.