Verse 12 says, "Behold, these ones will come from a distance,/And some will come from the north and the west / And others from the land of the Sinim." Here the word Sinim probably refers to the Chinese.
In verse 13 the heavens are commanded to give a ringing shout, the earth to rejoice, and the mountains to break forth into singing, for Jehovah has comforted His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.
Isaiah 49:14-21 reveals how Jehovah treasures Zion.
Because Jehovah treasures Zion, He will not forget her. "But Zion has said, Jehovah has forsaken me,/And the Lord has forgotten me./Can a woman forget her nursing child,/ That she would not have compassion on the son of her womb? / Even though they may forget,/Yet I will not forget you" (vv. 14-15).
In verse 16a Jehovah tells Zion that He has engraved her upon the palms of His hands.
Zion's walls are continually before Jehovah (v. 16b).
Zion's captives will make haste to return. She will put all of them on like an ornament and will gird herself with them like a bride (vv. 17-18).
Her waste, desolate, and devastated land will be too constricted because of her returned captives (vv. 19-21).