This verse picks up again the theme of foreigners coming to serve God’s people (see verses 10-12). It also reflects the reversal theme noted in verse 10. Those who mistreated the people of Judah will now receive a similar punishment.

The sons of those who oppressed you shall come bending low to you: This promise recognizes that the generation of Babylonians and others who oppressed Judah may well have died, so it is their offspring who will suffer the punishment for what they did. The sons of those who oppressed you refers to the descendants of those who attacked and destroyed Judah and took its people captive. New Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation render this phrase as “The descendants of those who oppressed you,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “The children of those who tormented you.” Bible en français courant has simply “Those who oppressed you,” but this is not strictly accurate since it omits the idea of sons. Bending low to you means “bow down before you out of respect.” Good News Translation says “bow low to show their respect.” For these two lines Revised English Bible has “The sons of your oppressors will come forward to do homage.”

And all who despised you shall bow down at your feet is parallel to the previous line. All those who previously showed contempt for God’s people by treating them badly will now bow down before them. For despised see the comments on 1.4. The Hebrew verb rendered bow down is also used to refer to “worship” (so Good News Translation; see the comments on 2.8). However, it is unlikely that the enemies of the people of Judah will worship them. It is more likely that they will bow or kneel in respect and humiliation.

They shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel: Jerusalem will receive two titles from her former oppressors. Through these titles the foreigners admit that Israel’s God Yahweh resides and rules in Jerusalem. For Zion as another title for Jerusalem, see the comments on 1.8. Yahweh’s title the Holy One of Israel occurred earlier in verse 9.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• The descendants of your oppressors will come and pay you homage,
all who hated you will bow before you.
They will name you “City of Yahweh,”
“Zion, the Place of Israel’s Holy One.”

• The descendants of those who oppressed you will pay you homage,
everyone who despised you will kneel in front of you.
They will recognize you as Yahweh’s City,
as Zion, which belongs to the Holy One of Israel.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .