51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,
and Sarah, who gave you birth. 1
When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, 2
but I blessed him 3 and gave him numerous descendants. 4
51:3 Certainly the Lord will console Zion;
he will console all her ruins.
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the Garden of the Lord.
Happiness and joy will be restored to 5 her,
thanksgiving and the sound of music.
1 sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.
2 tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”
3 tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.
4 tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”
5 tn Heb “found in” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).