"My holy city is like a woman who suddenly gives birth to a child without ever going into labor.

Do not think that I will bring my people to the point of birth and not let them be born." The LORD has spoken.

Israel has a chance to live, but is too foolish to take it---like a child about to be born, who refuses to come out of the womb.

I am telling you the truth: you will cry and weep, but the world will be glad; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into gladness.

That is how it is with you: now you are sad, but I will see you again, and your hearts will be filled with gladness, the kind of gladness that no one can take away from you.

Some of your own direct descendants will be taken away and made eunuchs to serve in the palace of the king of Babylonia."

the city walls were broken through. Although the Babylonians were surrounding the city, all the soldiers escaped during the night. They left by way of the royal garden, went through the gateway connecting the two walls, and fled in the direction of the Jordan Valley.

So the LORD let the commanders of the Assyrian army invade Judah. They captured Manasseh, stuck hooks in him, put him in chains, and took him to Babylon.

He took all the survivors to Babylonia, where they served him and his descendants as slaves until the rise of the Persian Empire.

The people of Israel will become like the sand of the sea, more than can be counted or measured. Now God says to them, "You are not my people," but the day is coming when he will say to them, "You are the children of the living God!"

So I am going to take her into the desert again; there I will win her back with words of love.

She was given the two wings of a large eagle in order to fly to her place in the desert, where she will be taken care of for three and a half years, safe from the dragon's attack.

Our enemies have no reason to gloat over us. We have fallen, but we will rise again. We are in darkness now, but the LORD will give us light.

Then our enemies will see this and be disgraced---the same enemies who taunted us by asking, "Where is the LORD your God?" We will see them defeated, trampled down like mud in the streets.

Your people will return to you from everywhere---from Assyria in the east, from Egypt in the south, from the region of the Euphrates River, from distant seas and far-off mountains.

In the first year that Cyrus of Persia was emperor, the LORD made what he had said through the prophet Jeremiah come true. He prompted Cyrus to issue the following command and send it out in writing to be read aloud everywhere in his empire:

"This is the command of Cyrus, Emperor of Persia. The LORD, the God of Heaven, has made me ruler over the whole world and has given me the responsibility of building a temple for him in Jerusalem in Judah.

I myself have stirred Cyrus to action to fulfill my purpose and put things right. I will straighten out every road that he travels. He will rebuild my city, Jerusalem, and set my captive people free. No one has hired him or bribed him to do this." The LORD Almighty has spoken.

Go out from Babylon, go free! Shout the news gladly; make it known everywhere: "The LORD has saved his servant Israel!"

Break into shouts of joy, you ruins of Jerusalem! The LORD will rescue his city and comfort his people.

Be sure to leave Babylonia, all you that carry the Temple equipment. Touch no forbidden thing; keep yourselves holy and leave.

(SEE 2:6)

"The LORD himself will fight against you, and you will be plundered by the people who were once your servants." When this happens, everyone will know that the LORD Almighty sent me.

He saved them from those who hated them; he rescued them from their enemies.

I will rescue you from the power of wicked and violent people. I, the LORD, have spoken."