Give Thanks to the Lord (vv. 1-3). It should have been no surprise to the people of Judah that the Babylonians would invade their land, destroy their city and temple, and take them captive. After all, they knew the terms of the covenant (Lev. 26; Deut. 28–30), and time after time, the Lord had sent His prophets to warn them, but they would not listen (2 Chron. 36:15-21). Jeremiah had told the people that their captivity would last seventy years and that then the Lord would restore a remnant to the land (Jer. 29). God protected the people as they made the long journey home. He forgave their sins and gave them a new beginning, and for this they thanked the Lord (Isa. 40:1-2). The Hebrew word shuv basically means “to turn or return,” and it is used in verse 1 (“brought back”), verses 3, 4, and 8 (“turn”), and verse 6 (“again”). When we turn back to God, repent, and confess our sins, He turns back to us and restores us.