1. ‘Sing, barren woman,you who never bore a child;burst into song, shout for joy,you who were never in labour;because more are the children of the desolate womanthan of her who has a husband,’says the Lord.
2. ‘Enlarge the place of your tent,stretch your tent curtains wide,do not hold back;lengthen your cords,strengthen your stakes.
3. For you will spread out to the right and to the left;your descendants will dispossess nationsand settle in their desolate cities.
4. ‘Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.You will forget the shame of your youthand remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
5. For your Maker is your husband –the Lord Almighty is his name –the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;he is called the God of all the earth.
6. The Lord will call you backas if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit –a wife who married young,only to be rejected,’ says your God.
7. ‘For a brief moment I abandoned you,but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
8. In a surge of angerI hid my face from you for a moment,but with everlasting kindnessI will have compassion on you,’says the Lord your Redeemer.