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13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
    break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people,
    and will have compassion on his suffering ones.

14 But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me,
    my Lord has forgotten me.’
15 Can a woman forget her nursing-child,
    or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
    yet I will not forget you.
16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls are continually before me.
17 Your builders outdo your destroyers,[a]
    and those who laid you waste go away from you.
18 Lift up your eyes all around and see;
    they all gather, they come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
    you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
    and like a bride you shall bind them on.

19 Surely your waste and your desolate places
    and your devastated land—
surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
    and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 49:17 Or Your children come swiftly; your destroyers

13 Shout for joy,(A) you heavens;
    rejoice, you earth;(B)
    burst into song, you mountains!(C)
For the Lord comforts(D) his people
    and will have compassion(E) on his afflicted ones.(F)

14 But Zion(G) said, “The Lord has forsaken(H) me,
    the Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child(I) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!(J)
16 See, I have engraved(K) you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls(L) are ever before me.
17 Your children hasten back,
    and those who laid you waste(M) depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
    all your children gather(N) and come to you.
As surely as I live,(O)” declares the Lord,
    “you will wear(P) them all as ornaments;
    you will put them on, like a bride.

19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate(Q)
    and your land laid waste,(R)
now you will be too small for your people,(S)
    and those who devoured(T) you will be far away.

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