19-21 “And your ruined land?
    Your devastated, decimated land?
Filled with more people than you know what to do with!
    And your barbarian enemies, a fading memory.
The children born in your exile will be saying,
    ‘It’s getting too crowded here. I need more room.’
And you’ll say to yourself,
    ‘Where on earth did these children come from?
I lost everything, had nothing, was exiled and penniless.
    So who reared these children?
    How did these children get here?’”

22-23 The Master, God, says:

“Look! I signal to the nations,
    I raise my flag to summon the people.
Here they’ll come: women carrying your little boys in their arms,
    men carrying your little girls on their shoulders.
Kings will be your babysitters,
    princesses will be your nursemaids.
They’ll offer to do all your drudge work—
    scrub your floors, do your laundry.
You’ll know then that I am God.
    No one who hopes in me ever regrets it.”

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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.’(A)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
    ‘Who bore me these?(B)
I was bereaved(C) and barren;
    I was exiled and rejected.(D)
    Who brought these(E) up?
I was left(F) all alone,(G)
    but these—where have they come from?’”

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord(H) says:

“See, I will beckon to the nations,
    I will lift up my banner(I) to the peoples;
they will bring(J) your sons in their arms
    and carry your daughters on their hips.(K)

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