Isaiah 4

And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

1In that day, seven women will take hold of one man. They will say, "We will eat our own food. We will buy our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Then take away our shame."

NoteIn that time, a woman with no husband and no children was looked down on. The women offer to feed and clothe themselves. They only want his name, so people will not shame them.

2In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

2In that day, the Branch that the LORD grows will be lovely and shining. The food that grows from the land will be rich and good. It will make the people of Israel who lived through the trouble glad and proud.

3And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

3Some people will still be left in Zion, the hill city of Jerusalem. They will be called holy, which means set apart for God. This means everyone whose name is written on the list of those alive in Jerusalem.

4When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

4This happens after the Lord washes away the filth of the women of Zion. He will also wash the blood stains out of Jerusalem. He will do it with a spirit of judging and a spirit of burning fire.

5And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

5Then the LORD will make a cloud of smoke over Mount Zion by day. At night he will make a bright, glowing fire there. It will be over every home and over every gathering of people. Over all that glory there will be a covering.

Note"Defence" in the King James wording does not mean a wall or an army here. It means a covering stretched over the top, like a tent roof.

6And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

6It will be a shelter that gives shade from the heat of the day. It will be a safe place to hide from storms and rain.

NoteThe King James word here is "tabernacle," which simply means a tent or shelter.