Isaiah 49:23

Waiting on God Faith Shame

²¹ Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

²² Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

²⁴ Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

²⁵ But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”
KJV: And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
WEB: Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; and those who wait for me won’t be disappointed.”
ASV: And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; and they that wait for me shall not be put to shame.
DARBY: And kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their princesses thy nursing-mothers: they shall bow down to thee with the face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet. And thou shalt know that I [am] Jehovah; for they shall not be ashamed who wait on me.
BLB: And kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers; facedown to the earth they will bow low to you, and they will lick up the dust of your feet. And you will know that I [am] YHWH; those waiting for Me will not be ashamed.”

ÅB: Og konger skal være dine fosterfedre, og deres dronninger dine ammer; de skal kaste seg på sitt ansikt til jorden for deg, og dine føtters støv skal de slikke, og du skal kjenne at jeg er Herren, og at de som bier etter meg, ikke skal bli til skamme.
OTB: Konger skal være dine fosterfedre, og deres dronninger dine ammer. De skal bøye seg for deg med ansiktet mot jorden; de skal slikke støvet ved dine føtter. Da skal du vite at jeg er Herren; de som håper på meg skal ikke bli til skamme.”
B1930: Og konger skal være dine fosterfedre, og deres dronninger dine ammer; de skal kaste sig på sitt ansikt til jorden for dig, og dine føtters støv skal de slikke, og du skal kjenne at jeg er Herren, og at de som bier efter mig, ikke skal bli til skamme.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 60:14
The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Read in context
Isaiah 60:16
Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
Read in context
Isaiah 60:3
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Read in context
Micah 7:17
They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee.
Read in context
Isaiah 45:14
Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.
Read in context
Isaiah 60:10–11
And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.
Read in context
Romans 10:11
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Read in context
Psalms 25:3
Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
Read in context