Isaiah 49:8–21

The Restoration of Jerusalem

^8*The Lord says to his people,

“When the time comes to save you,

I will show you favour

and answer your cries for help.

I will guard and protect you

and through you make a covenant with all peoples.

I will let you settle once again

in your land that is now laid waste.

⁹I will say to the prisoners, ‘Go free!’

and to those who are in darkness,

‘Come out to the light!’

They will be like sheep that graze on the hills;

^10*they will never be hungry or thirsty.

Sun and desert heat will not hurt them,

for they will be led by one who loves them.

He will lead them to springs of water.

¹¹“I will make a highway across the mountains

and prepare a road for my people to travel.

¹²My people will come from far away,

from the north and the west,

and from Aswan^a in the south.”

¹³Sing, heavens! Shout for joy, earth!

Let the mountains burst into song!

The Lord will comfort his people;

he will have pity on his suffering people.

¹⁴But the people of Jerusalem said,

“The Lord has abandoned us!

He has forgotten us.”

¹⁵So the Lord answers,

“Can a woman forget her own baby

and not love the child she bore?

Even if a mother should forget her child,

I will never forget you.

¹⁶Jerusalem, I can never forget you!

I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

¹⁷“Those who will rebuild you are coming soon,

and those who destroyed you will leave.

¹⁸Look around and see what is happening!

Your people are assembling—they are coming home!

As surely as I am the living God,

you will be proud of your people,

as proud as a bride is of her jewels.

¹⁹“Your country was ruined and desolate—

but now it will be too small

for those who are coming to live there.

And those who left you in ruins

will be far removed from you.

²⁰Your people who were born in exile

will one day say to you,

‘This land is too small—

we need more room to live in!’

²¹Then you will say to yourself,

‘Who bore all these children for me?

I lost my children and could have no more.

I was exiled and driven away—

who brought these children up?

I was left all alone—

where did these children come from?’ ”