Isaiah 49:9-26

9Saying to those who are 1bound, ‘2Go free,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They will feed along the roads, And their pasture will be on all 3bare heights.10They will 4not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching 5heat or sun strike them down; For 6He who has compassion on them will 7lead them, And He will guide them to 8springs of water.11I will make all 9My mountains a road, And My 10highways will be raised up.12Behold, these will come 11from afar; And behold, these will come from the 12north and from the west, And these from the land of Aswan.”1313Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains! For the 14Lord has comforted His people And will 15have compassion on His afflicted.

14But Zion said, “The Lord has abandoned me, And the Lord has forgotten me.”15“Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but 16I will not forget you.16Behold, I have 17inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your 18walls are continually before Me.17Your 19builders hurry; Your 20destroyers and devastators Will leave you.1821Raise your eyes and look around; 22All of them gather together, 23they come to you. 24As I live,” declares the Lord, “You will certainly 25put them all on as 26jewelry and bind them on as a bride.19For 27your ruins and deserted places and your destroyed land-- Now you will certainly be 28too cramped for the inhabitants, And those who 29swallowed you will be far away.20The 30children 31you lost will yet say in your ears, ‘The place is too cramped for me; Make room for me that I may live here.’21Then you will 32say in your heart, ‘Who has fathered these for me, Since I have been bereaved of my children And 33cannot conceive, and I am an 34exile, and a wanderer? And who has raised these? Behold, I was 35left alone; 3637Where are these from?’”

22This is what the Lord 38God says: “Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations And set up My 39flag to the peoples; And they will 40bring your sons 41in their arms, And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.2342Kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses. They will 43bow down to you with their faces to the ground And 44lick the dust from your feet; And you will 45know that I am the Lord; Those who hopefully 46wait for Me will 47not be put to shame.

24“48Can the prey be taken from a mighty man, Or the captives of 49a tyrant be rescued?” 25Indeed, this is what the Lord says: “Even the 50captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, And I will 51save your sons.26I will feed your 52oppressors with their 53own flesh, And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And 5455humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your 56Savior And your 57Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”