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.
1 tn Heb “and you will say in your heart.”
2 tn Or “exiled and thrust away”; NIV “exiled and rejected.”
3 tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).
4 tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.
5 tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”