Discovery BoxIsaiah 54:7-17 
Context54:7 “For a short time I abandoned 1 you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
54:8 In a burst 2 of anger I rejected you 3 momentarily,
but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”
says your protector, 4 the Lord.
54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, 5
when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood 6 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 7 be displaced,”
says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.
54:11 “O afflicted one, driven away, 8 and unconsoled!
Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony
and I lay your foundation with lapis-lazuli.
54:12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems, 9
your gates out of beryl, 10
and your outer wall 11 out of beautiful 12 stones.
54:13 All your children will be followers of the Lord,
and your children will enjoy great prosperity. 13
54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. 14
You will not experience oppression; 15
indeed, you will not be afraid.
You will not be terrified, 16
for nothing frightening 17 will come near you.
54:15 If anyone dares to 18 challenge you, it will not be my doing!
Whoever tries to challenge you will be defeated. 19
54:16 Look, I create the craftsman,
who fans the coals into a fire
and forges a weapon. 20
I create the destroyer so he might devastate.
54:17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed;
you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. 21
This is what the Lord will do for his servants –
I will vindicate them,” 22
says the Lord.
1 tn Or “forsook” (NASB).
2 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.”
3 tn Heb “I hid my face from you.”
4 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
5 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.
6 tn Heb “the waters of Noah” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
7 tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”
8 tn Or, more literally, “windblown, storm tossed.”
9 tn Perhaps, “rubies” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
10 tn On the meaning of אֶקְדָּח (’eqdakh), which occurs only here, see HALOT 82 s.v.
11 tn Heb “border” (so ASV); NASB “your entire wall.”
12 tn Heb “delightful”; KJV “pleasant.”
13 tn Heb “and great [will be] the peace of your sons.”
14 tn Heb “in righteousness [or “vindication”] you will be established.” The precise meaning of צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) here is uncertain. It could mean “righteousness, justice,” indicating that the city will be a center for justice. But the context focuses on deliverance, suggesting that the term means “deliverance, vindication” here.
15 tn Heb “Be far from oppression!” The imperative is used here in a rhetorical manner to express certainty and assurance. See GKC 324 §110.c.
16 tn Heb “from terror.” The rhetorical command, “be far” is understood by ellipsis here. Note the preceding context.
17 tn Heb “it,” i.e., the “terror” just mentioned.
18 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb here for emphasis.
19 tn Heb “will fall over you.” The expression נָפַל עַל (nafal ’al) can mean “attack,” but here it means “fall over to,” i.e., “surrender to.”
20 tn Heb “who brings out an implement for his work.”
21 tn Heb “and every tongue that rises up for judgment with you will prove to be guilty.”
22 tn Heb “this is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication from me.”
