Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, the few people left of the nation of Israel. I’ve carried you since your birth. I’ve taken care of you from the time you were born.
At that time the remaining few Israelites, the survivors of Jacob’s descendants will no longer depend on the one who struck them. They will only depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
At that time the Lord will use his power again to recover what remains of his people in Assyria, Upper and Lower Egypt, Sudan, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and the islands of the sea.
The Lord your God may have heard the words of the field commander. His master, the king of Assyria, sent him to defy the living God. The Lord your God may punish him because of the message that the Lord your God heard. Pray for the few people who are left.”
Listen to this, descendants of Jacob! You are given the name of Israel. You are descended from Judah. You take oaths by the name of the Lord. You acknowledge the God of Israel, but you are not honest or sincere.
Listen to me, you people who pursue what is right and seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were dug.
Listen to me, you people who know righteousness, you people who have my teachings in your hearts. Don’t be afraid of being insulted by people. Don’t be discouraged by their ridicule.
In all their troubles he was troubled, and he was the Messenger who saved them. In his love and compassion he reclaimed them. He always held them and carried them in the past.
and in the desert.” There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as parents carry their children. He carried you wherever you went until you came to this place.