Isaiah 49:8-13

The Voice

⁸ Eternal One: When the time was right, I answered you;
        on the day you were delivered, I was your help.^[a]
    I will watch over you, and give you
        as a promise, a binding covenant to the people.
    Through you, My gift to the people, the land of promise will recover.
        Ancestral ground, once deserted, will be entrusted to them.
⁹     Through you, My gift to the people, I will declare to the prisoners,
        “Come out. Now you are free”;
    To those who are held in darkness, “Come out into the light.”
        They will find sustenance wherever they are—
    Along the roads or in the open hills—
        with peace of mind, in comfort and security.
¹⁰     Wherever they are, they will be fine, never hungry nor thirsty.
        They will be protected from oppressive heat and the burning sun
    Because the One who loves them—as a mother loves her child—will be their guide.
        God will lead them to restful places, rejuvenating springs of water.
¹¹     I will make their going easy, level the mountain road
        and smooth the path that leads them home.
¹²     Look! Even now, they are coming from lands far away,
        some from the north, others from the west, these from the land of Sinim.^[b]

¹³ Oh joy! Be glad—sky! Take joy—earth! Burst into song—mountains!
    For the Eternal, moved to compassion, has comforted and consoled His people.