⁷ The Lord ·who saves you [the Redeemer], the Holy One of Israel [1:4].
    says to the one who is ·hated [^Ldespised and abhorred] by the ·people [or nation; or nations],
    to the servant of rulers.
This is what he says: “Kings will see you and ·stand [rise; ^Cto honor him];
    ·great leaders [princes] will bow down before you,
because the Lord ·can be trusted [is faithful].
    He is the Holy One of Israel [1:4], who has chosen you.”

“At the ·right time [time of favor] I will ·hear your prayers [answer you].
    On the day of salvation I will help you [2 Cor. 6:2].
I will protect you,
    and ·you will be the sign of my agreement with [^LI will give/establish you as a covenant for] the people [42:6].
·You will bring back the people to the land [^L…to restore/rebuild the land]
    and ·give the land that is now ruined back to its owners [^Lbequeath its desolate inheritances].
⁹ You will tell the prisoners, ‘·Come out [42:7].’
    You will tell those in darkness, ‘·Come into the light [Show yourselves; Appear].’
·The people [^LThey] will ·eat [feed; graze] beside the roads [^Cthe people are symbolically pictured as sheep],
    and they will find ·food [pasture] even on bare hills.
¹⁰ They will not be hungry or thirsty.
    Neither the ·desert wind [^Lheat] nor the hot sun will ·hurt [strike] them.
The God who comforts them will lead them
    and guide them by springs of water.
¹¹ I will make my mountains into roads,
    and the ·roads [highways] will be raised up [^Cto make a level road; 40:4].
¹² Look, people are coming to me from far away,
    from the north and from the west,
from ·Aswan in southern Egypt [^Lthe land of Sinim].”

¹³ Heavens, shout with joy;
    earth, be happy;
    mountains, burst into song,
because the Lord comforts his people
    and will have ·pity [compassion] on ·those who suffer [the oppressed].

¹⁵ The Lord answers, “Can a woman forget the baby she nurses?
    Can she feel no kindness for the child ·to which she gave birth [of her womb]?
Even if she could forget her children,
    I will not forget you.
¹⁶ See, I have ·written [engraved; inscribed] your name on my ·hand [palms].
    ·Jerusalem, I always think about your walls [^LYour walls are always before me; ^Cdestroyed by the Babylonians].
¹⁷ Your children ·will soon return to you [^Lhurry; hasten],
    and the people who defeated you and destroyed you will leave.
¹⁸ ·Look up [^LLift up your eyes] and look around you.
    All your children are gathering to return to you.”
The Lord says, “As surely as I live,
    ·your children will be [^Lyou will wear them all] like ·jewels [or ornaments]
·that a bride wears proudly [^Lyou will put them on like a bride].

¹⁹ “You were destroyed and defeated,
    and your land was made ·useless [desolate].
But now you will have more people than the land can hold,
    and those people who ·destroyed [devoured] you will be far away.
²⁰ The children ·born to you while you were sad [^Lof your bereavement]
    will say to you,
‘This place is too small for us.
    Give us a bigger place to live.’
²¹ Then you will say ·to yourself [^Lin your heart],
    ‘Who ·gave me all these children [bore me these]?
I was ·sad [bereaved] and ·lonely [barren],
    ·defeated [rejected] and ·separated from my people [exiled].
    So who reared these children?
I was left all alone.
    Where did all these children come from?’”

²² This is what the Lord God says:
“See, I will lift my hand ·to signal [^Lto] the nations;
    I will raise my banner for all the people to see.
Then they will bring your sons back to you in their ·arms [^Lbosom; lap],
    and they will carry your daughters on their shoulders [^CJews returning from exile are pictured as children returning to their parents].
²³ Kings will ·teach your children [be guardians/foster parents],
    and ·daughters of kings [princesses; or queens] will take care of them.
They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground
    and ·kiss the dirt [lick the dust] at your feet.
Then you will know I am the Lord.
    Anyone who ·trusts in [hopes in; waits on] me will not be ·disappointed [or ashamed].”

²⁴ Can ·the wealth a soldier wins in war [spoils; plunder] be taken away from ·him [a warrior; a strong man]?
    Can a prisoner be freed from a ·powerful soldier [tyrant]^[a]?
²⁵ This is what the Lord says:
“The ·prisoners [captives] will be taken from the ·strong soldiers [mighty one].
    ·What the soldiers have taken will be saved [^L…and spoils/plunder rescued from the tyrant].
I will fight ·your enemies [^Lthose who fight with you],
    and I will save your children.
²⁶ I will force ·those who trouble you [your enemies/oppressors] to eat their own flesh.
    Their own blood will be the wine that makes them drunk.
Then ·everyone [all flesh] will know
    I, the Lord, am the One who saves you;
I am the Powerful One of Jacob ·who saves you [your redeemer].”