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

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

19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate(K)
    and your land laid waste,(L)
now you will be too small for your people,(M)
    and those who devoured(N) you will be far away.
20 The children born during your bereavement
    will yet say in your hearing,
‘This place is too small for us;
    give us more space to live in.’(O)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
    ‘Who bore me these?(P)
I was bereaved(Q) and barren;
    I was exiled and rejected.(R)
    Who brought these(S) up?
I was left(T) all alone,(U)
    but these—where have they come from?’”

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14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.

19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

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God Will Remember Zion

14 (A)But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,
And my Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can(B) a woman forget her nursing child,
[a]And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
(C)Yet I will not forget you.
16 See, (D)I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.
17 Your [b]sons shall make haste;
Your destroyers and those who laid you waste
Shall go away from you.
18 (E)Lift up your eyes, look around and see;
All these gather together and come to you.
As I live,” says the Lord,
“You shall surely clothe yourselves with them all (F)as an ornament,
And bind them on you as a bride does.

19 “For your waste and desolate places,
And the land of your destruction,
(G)Will even now be too small for the inhabitants;
And those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20 (H)The children you will have,
(I)After you have lost the others,
Will say again in your ears,
‘The place is too small for me;
Give me a place where I may dwell.’
21 Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who has begotten these for me,
Since I have lost my children and am desolate,
A captive, and wandering to and fro?
And who has brought these up?
There I was, left alone;
But these, where were they?’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 49:15 Lit. From having compassion
  2. Isaiah 49:17 DSS, LXX, Tg., Vg. builders