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.Gal 4:27Is 62:41 Sam 2:5; Is 49:202 “aEnlarge the place of your tent;1Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them;Lengthen your bropesAnd strengthen your cpegs.Lit Let them stretch outIs 33:20; 49:19, 20Ex 35:18; 39:403 “For you will aspread out to the right and to the left.And your 1descendants will bpossess nationsAnd will cresettle the desolate cities.Lit seedGen 28:14; Is 43:5, 6; 60:3Is 14:1, 2Is 49:19
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.Is 45:17Jer 31:19Is 4:1; 25:8; 51:75 “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.Jer 3:14; Hos 2:19Is 43:14; 48:17Is 6:3; 11:9; 65:166 “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.Is 49:14-21; 50:1, 2; 62:47 “1For a abrief moment I abandoned you,But with great compassion I will bgather you.Lit InIs 26:20Is 11:12; 43:5; 49:188 “In an 1aoutburst 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.Lit overflowingIs 60:10Is 54:10; 63:7Is 49:10, 13Is 54:5
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.Some mss the waters of Noah this is to MeLit cross overGen 9:11Is 12:1; Ezek 39:2910 “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.Or faithfulnessPs 102:26; Is 51:62 Sam 23:5; Ps 89:34; Is 55:3; 59:21; 61:8Is 54:8
11 “aAfflicted one, storm-tossed, and bnot comforted,Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,And I will clay your foundations with 1dsapphires.Or lapis lazuliIs 51:21Is 51:18, 19Is 14:32; 28:16; 44:28Job 28:16; Rev 21:1912 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of 1rubies,And your gates of 2crystal,And your entire 3wall of precious stones.I.e., bright redOr carbunclesLit border, boundary13 “aAll your sons will be 1taught by the LORD;And the well-being of your sons will be bgreat.Or disciples ofJohn 6:45Is 48:18; 66:1214 “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.Is 1:26, 27; 9:7; 62:1Is 9:4; 14:4Is 54:4Is 33:1815 “If anyone fiercely attacks you, it will not be from Me.aWhoever attacks you will fall because of you.Is 41:11-1616 “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.Lit rises againstIs 17:12-14; 29:8Is 50:8, 9Is 45:24; 46:13