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- This is what the LORD says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
- to say to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!' "They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.
- They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.
- I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.
- See, they will come from afar-- some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan. "
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- Thus says the LORD, "In a favorable time I have answered You, And in a day of salvation I have helped You; And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people, To restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages;
- Saying to those who are bound, 'Go forth,' To those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves ' Along the roads they will feed, And their pasture will be on all bare heights.
- "They will not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; For He who has compassion on them will lead them And will guide them to springs of water.
- "I will make all My mountains a road, And My highways will be raised up.
- "Behold, these will come from afar; And lo, these will come from the north and from the west, And these from the land of Sinim."
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- Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
- But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me."
- "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
- See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.
- Your sons hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you.
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- Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted.
- But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, And the Lord has forgotten me."
- "Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
- "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.
- "Your builders hurry; Your destroyers and devastators Will depart from you.
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- Lift up your eyes and look around; all your sons gather and come to you. As surely as I live," declares the LORD, "you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.
- "Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.
- 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.'
- Then you will say in your heart, 'Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these--where have they come from?' "
- This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
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- "Lift up your eyes and look around; All of them gather together, they come to you As I live," declares the LORD, "You will surely put on all of them as jewels and bind them on as a bride.
- "For your waste and desolate places and your destroyed land-- Surely now you will be too cramped for the inhabitants, And those who swallowed you will be far away.
- "The children of whom you were bereaved will yet say in your ears, 'The place is too cramped for me; Make room for me that I may live here.'
- "Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has begotten these for me, Since I have been bereaved of my children And am barren, an exile and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Behold, I was left alone; From where did these come?'"
- Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations And set up My standard to the peoples; And they will bring your sons in their bosom, And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
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- Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed."
- Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives rescued from the fierce ?
- But this is what the LORD says: "Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.
- I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."
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- "Kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth And lick the dust of your feet; And you will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame.
- "Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?"
- Surely, thus says the LORD, "Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of the tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, And I will save your sons.
- "I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."
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