1 Sing, barren woman who
has borne no child;
break
forth into singing and cry out,
you who were never in labor,
for
the children of the wife who has been deserted will be more numerous than the
children of the married, says the Lord.
2 Enlarge the site of your tent,
and
stretch out the drapes of your dwellings;
don’t
hold back.
Lengthen
your tent ropes and strengthen your stakes.
3 To the right and to the left you will burst out,
and
your children will possess the nations’ land
and
settle their desolate cities.
4 Don’t fear,
because
you won’t be ashamed;
don’t
be dismayed,
because
you won’t be disgraced.
You will forget the shame of your youth;
you’ll
no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.
5 The one marrying you is the one who
made you—
the Lord of heavenly forces is
his name.
The one redeeming you is the holy one of Israel,
the
one called the God of all the earth.
6 As an abandoned and dejected woman
the Lord has summoned you;
as
a young wife when she is rejected,
says your God.
7 For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but
with great mercy I will bring you back.
8 In an outburst of rage,
I
hid my face from you for a moment,
but
with everlasting love I have consoled you,
says
your redeemer, the Lord.
9 These are like the days of Noah for me,
when
I promised that Noah’s waters would never again cover the earth.
Likewise
I promise not to rage against you or rebuke you.
10 The mountains may shift,
and
the hills may be shaken,
but
my faithful love won’t shift from you,
and
my covenant of peace won’t be shaken,
says
the Lord, the one who pities you.
Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The "CEB" and "Common English Bible" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.