1 Jerusalem, be strong and great again!Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendour!The heathen will never enter your gates again.
2 Shake yourself free, Jerusalem!Rise from the dust and sit on your throne!Undo the chains that bind you,captive people of Zion!
3 The Sovereign Lord says to his people, “When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same way nothing will be paid to set you free.
4 When you went to live in Egypt as foreigners, you did so of your own free will; Assyria, however, took you away by force and paid nothing for you.
5 And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened: you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for me.