Discovery BoxIsaiah 54:6-10 
Context54:6 “Indeed, the Lord will call you back
like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression, 1
like a young wife when she has been rejected,” says your God.
54:7 “For a short time I abandoned 2 you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
54:8 In a burst 3 of anger I rejected you 4 momentarily,
but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”
says your protector, 5 the Lord.
54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, 6
when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood 7 would never again cover the earth.
In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.
54:10 Even if the mountains are removed
and the hills displaced,
my devotion will not be removed from you,
nor will my covenant of friendship 8 be displaced,”
says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.
1 tn Heb “like a woman abandoned and grieved in spirit.”
2 tn Or “forsook” (NASB).
3 tn According to BDB 1009 s.v. שֶׁטֶף the noun שֶׁצֶף here is an alternate form of שֶׁטֶף (shetef, “flood”). Some relate the word to an alleged Akkadian cognate meaning “strength.”
4 tn Heb “I hid my face from you.”
5 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
6 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “For [or “indeed”] the waters of Noah [is] this to me.” כִּי־מֵי (ki-me, “for the waters of”) should be emended to כְּמֵי (kÿmey, “like the days of”), which is supported by the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and all the ancient versions except LXX.
7 tn Heb “the waters of Noah” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
8 tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”
