Isaiah 49:21-23

49:21 Then you will think to yourself, ¹ 

‘Who bore these children for me?

I was bereaved and barren,

dismissed and divorced. ² 

Who raised these children?

Look, I was left all alone;

where did these children come from?’”

49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;

I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms

and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

49:23 Kings will be your children’s ³  guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children. ⁴ 

With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you

and they will lick the dirt on ⁵  your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

[49:21]  ¹ tn Heb “and you will say in your heart.”

[49:21]  ² tn Or “exiled and thrust away”; NIV “exiled and rejected.”

[49:23]  ³ tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).

[49:23]  ⁴ tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.

[49:23]  ⁵ tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”