Read the Bible

¹ Everyone, listen,
even you foreign nations
    across the sea.
The Lord chose me
and gave me a name
    before I was born.
² He made my words pierce
like a sharp sword
    or a pointed arrow;
he kept me safely hidden
    in the palm of his hand.
³ The Lord said to me,
    "Israel, you are my servant;
and because of you
    I will be highly honored."

⁴ I said to myself,
"I'm completely worn out;
    my time has been wasted.
But I did it for the Lord God,
    and he will reward me."

⁵ Even before I was born,
    the Lord God chose me
to serve him and to lead back
    the people of Israel.
So the Lord has honored me
    and made me strong.

⁶ Now the Lord says to me,
"It isn't enough for you
    to be merely my servant.
You must do more than lead back
survivors
from the tribes
    of Israel.
I have placed you here as a light
    for other nations;
you must take my saving power
    to everyone on earth."

⁷ Israel, I am the holy Lord God,
    the one who rescues you.
You are slaves of rulers
and of a nation
    who despises you.^[a]
Now this is what I promise:
Kings and rulers will honor you
    by kneeling at your feet.
You can trust me! I am your Lord,
the holy God of Israel,
    and you are my chosen ones.

⁸ This is what the Lord says:
    I will answer your prayers
because I have set a time
when I will help
    by coming to save you.
I have chosen you
to take my promise of hope
    to other nations.^[b]
You will rebuild the country
    from its ruins,
then people will come
    and settle there.
⁹ You will set prisoners free
from dark dungeons
    to see the light of day.

On their way home,
they will find plenty to eat,
    even on barren hills.
¹⁰ They won't go hungry
    or get thirsty;
they won't be bothered
by the scorching sun
    or hot desert winds.
I will be merciful
while leading them along
    to streams of water.
¹¹ I will level the mountains
    and make roads.
¹² Then my people will return
    from distant lands
in the north and the west
    and from the city of Syene.^[c]

¹³ Tell the heavens and the earth
    to celebrate and sing;
command every mountain
    to join in the song.
The Lord's people have suffered,
but he has shown mercy
    and given them comfort.

¹⁴ The people of Zion said,
"The Lord has turned away
    and forgotten us."

¹⁵ The Lord answered,
"Could a mother forget a child
    who nurses at her breast?
Could she fail to love an infant
    who came from her own body?
Even if a mother could forget,
    I will never forget you.
¹⁶ A picture of your city
    is drawn on my hand.
You are always in my thoughts!

¹⁷ "Your city will be built faster
    than it was destroyed^[d]—
those who attacked it
    will retreat and leave.
¹⁸ Look around! You will see
    your people coming home.
As surely as I live,
    I, the Lord, promise
that your city with its people
will be as lovely as a bride
    wearing her jewelry."

¹⁹ Jerusalem is now in ruins!
    Nothing is left of the city.
But it will be rebuilt
    and soon overcrowded;
its cruel enemies
    will be gone far away.

²⁰ Jerusalem is a woman
    whose children were born
while she was in deep sorrow^[e]
    over the loss of her husband.
Now those children
will come and seek room
    in the crowded city,
²¹ and Jerusalem will ask,
    "Am I really their mother?
How could I have given birth
when I was still mourning
    in a foreign land?
Who raised these children?
Where have they come from?"

²² The Lord God says:
"I will soon give a signal
    for the nations
to return your sons
and your daughters
    to the arms of Jerusalem.
²³ The kings and queens
    of those nations
where they were raised
    will come and bow down.
They will take care of you
just like a slave
    taking care of a child.
Then you will know
    that I am the Lord.
You won't be disappointed
    if you trust me."

²⁴ Is it possible to rescue victims
from someone strong
    and cruel?^[f]
25 But the Lord has promised
    to fight on our side
and to rescue our children
from those strong
    and violent enemies.
²⁶ He will make those cruel people
    dine on their own flesh
and get drunk from drinking
    their own blood.
Then everyone will know
    that the Lord is our Savior;
the powerful God of Israel
    has rescued his people.