Jerusalem’s suffering will end

52 You people who live in the holy city of Jerusalem [APO], wake up!

Be strong again!

Show that [MTY] your city is beautiful and glorious;

foreigners who do not believe in God will not enter your city again to attack you.

2 People of Jerusalem, get up from humbly sitting in the dust

and sit in places where people are honored!

You people who have returned from being exiled,

take off from your neck the chains which were fastened around you as slaves in Babylonia,

3 because this is what Yahweh says:

“When you were taken to Babylonia,

no one paid me for doing that.

So now I will bring you back

without being required to pay for you!”

4 Yahweh our Lord also says this:

“Long ago, my people went to Egypt to live there.

Later they were being ◄oppressed/treated cruelly► by the soldiers of Assyria.

5 But now think about what is happening:

My people are being forced to be slaves again, this time by the people of Babylonia.

And those who have conquered them this time have also paid me nothing,

and they despise me [MTY] continually [DOU].

6 But my people will then have a close relationship with [MTY] me,

and when that happens, they will know that I am the one who predicted/promised that it would happen.

It is I, Yahweh, who will do it.”