I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.
I was angry with my people, I made my special inheritance unclean, and I handed them over to you. But you showed them no mercy at all; you placed an extremely heavy burden on the elderly.
God is explaining that while He allowed His people to be conquered because of His anger, their captors went too far by showing no mercy, especially to the elderly.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of God's judgment against Babylon, spoken through the prophet Isaiah. The Babylonians had conquered and exiled the people of Judah (God's 'inheritance') around 586 BC, destroying Jerusalem and the temple. While God used Babylon as His instrument of judgment against His disobedient people, the Babylonians exceeded His intentions by treating the captives with excessive cruelty.
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