The Israeli people will return from exile

6 Yahweh says, “There will soon be a time when I will gather the people whom I have punished,

who have been ◄exiled/forced to go to other countries►,

all those whom I have caused to suffer much.

7 My people who did not die while they were exiled will become a strong nation again.

Then I, Yahweh, will be their king,

and I will rule from Jerusalem forever.

8 As for you people of Jerusalem [MET],

you who guard all of my people like [MET] a shepherd guards his sheep from a tower,

you who live on Zion Hill, will have great power again.

You people who live in Jerusalem will again rule like you did previously.

9 So why [RHQ] are you wailing now?

Is it because you have no king?

Have all your wise people died?

You are groaning loudly like [SIM] a woman who is giving birth to a baby.

10 Well, you people of Jerusalem should writhe and groan like [SIM] a woman who is having birth pains,

because now you must leave this city,

and while you are traveling, you will set up tents in open fields at night;

you will go to live in Babylon.

But while you are there,

I, Yahweh, will rescue you;

I will free you from the power/control [MTY] of your enemies.

11 Now the armies of many nations have gathered to attack you.

They are saying, ‘Jerusalem must be destroyed!

We want to see this city when it becomes ruins!’

12 But they do not know what I, Yahweh, think,

and they do not understand what I plan:

I will gather them and punish them

like [SIM] farmers thresh grain on the ground.

13 So, you people of Jerusalem, rise up and punish [MET] the nations who oppose you.

I will cause you to be very strong,

as if [MET] you had horns made of iron,

as if [MET] you had hoofs made of bronze;

and you will crush many nations.

And then you will take from your enemies the valuable things that they have taken from other countries,

and you will dedicate those things to me, the one who is the Lord of all the people on the earth.”

5 “But now, you people of Jerusalem, gather your troops together,

because even though you have a wall around your city to protect it,

enemy soldiers are surrounding the city.

And soon they will strike your leader on his face, with a rod.”