The Prophet Condemns the People's Sins

¹Don't think that the Lord is too weak to save you or too deaf to hear your call for help!

²It is because of your sins that he doesn't hear you. It is your sins that separate you from God when you try to worship him.

³You are guilty of lying, violence, and murder.

⁴You go to court, but you do not have justice on your side. You depend on lies to win your case. You carry out your plans to hurt others.

^5-6The evil plots you make are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, out comes a snake! But your plots will do you no good—they are as useless as clothing made of cobwebs!

⁷You are always planning something evil, and you can hardly wait to do it. You never hesitate to murder innocent people. You leave ruin and destruction wherever you go,

⁸and no one is safe when you are around. Everything you do is unjust. You follow a crooked path, and no one who walks that path will ever be safe.

The People Confess Their Sin

⁹The people say, “Now we know why God does not save us from those who oppress us. We hope for light to walk by, but there is only darkness,

¹⁰and we grope about like blind people. We stumble at noon, as if it were night, as if we were in the dark world of the dead.

¹¹We are frightened and distressed. We long for God to save us from oppression and wrong, but nothing happens.

¹²“Lord, our crimes against you are many. Our sins accuse us. We are well aware of them all.

¹³We have rebelled against you, rejected you, and refused to follow you. We have oppressed others and turned away from you. Our thoughts are false; our words are lies.

¹⁴Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there.

The Lord Prepares to Rescue His People

¹⁵There is so little honesty that those who stop doing evil find themselves the victims of crime.” The Lord has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice.

¹⁶He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed. So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory.

¹⁷He will wear justice like a coat of armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer.

¹⁸He will punish his enemies according to what they have done, even those who live in distant lands.

¹⁹From east to west everyone will fear him and his great power. He will come like a rushing river, like a strong wind.

²⁰The Lord says to his people, “I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that turn from your sins.

²¹And I make a covenant with you: I have given you my power and my teachings to be yours forever, and from now on you are to obey me and teach your children and your descendants to obey me for all time to come.”

The Future Glory of Jerusalem

¹Arise, Jerusalem, and shine like the sun; The glory of the Lord is shining on you!

²Other nations will be covered by darkness, But on you the light of the Lord will shine; The brightness of his presence will be with you.

³Nations will be drawn to your light, And kings to the dawning of your new day.

⁴Look around you and see what is happening: Your people are gathering to come home! Your sons will come from far away; Your daughters will be carried like children.

⁵You will see this and be filled with joy; You will tremble with excitement. The wealth of the nations will be brought to you; From across the sea their riches will come.

⁶Great caravans of camels will come, from Midian and Ephah. They will come from Sheba, bringing gold and incense. People will tell the good news of what the Lord has done!

⁷All the sheep of Kedar and Nebaioth Will be brought to you as sacrifices And offered on the altar to please the Lord. The Lord will make his Temple more glorious than ever.

⁸What are these ships that skim along like clouds, Like doves returning home?

⁹They are ships coming from distant lands, Bringing God's people home. They bring with them silver and gold To honor the name of the Lord, The holy God of Israel, Who has made all nations honor his people.

¹⁰The Lord says to Jerusalem, “Foreigners will rebuild your walls, And their kings will serve you. In my anger I punished you, But now I will show you my favor and mercy.

¹¹Day and night your gates will be open, So that the kings of the nations May bring you their wealth.

¹²But nations that do not serve you Will be completely destroyed.

¹³“The wood of the pine, the juniper, and the cypress, The finest wood from the forests of Lebanon, Will be brought to rebuild you, Jerusalem, To make my Temple beautiful, To make my city glorious.

¹⁴The descendants of those who oppressed you will come And bow low to show their respect. All who once despised you will worship at your feet. They will call you ‘The City of the Lord,’ ‘Zion, the City of Israel's Holy God.’

¹⁵“You will no longer be forsaken and hated, A city deserted and desolate. I will make you great and beautiful, A place of joy forever and ever.

¹⁶Nations and kings will care for you As a mother nurses her child. You will know that I, the Lord, have saved you, That the mighty God of Israel sets you free.

¹⁷“I will bring you gold instead of bronze, Silver and bronze instead of iron and wood, And iron instead of stone. Your rulers will no longer oppress you; I will make them rule with justice and peace.

¹⁸The sounds of violence will be heard no more; Destruction will not shatter your country again. I will protect and defend you like a wall; You will praise me because I have saved you.

¹⁹“No longer will the sun be your light by day Or the moon be your light by night; I, the Lord, will be your eternal light; The light of my glory will shine on you.

²⁰Your days of grief will come to an end. I, the Lord, will be your eternal light, More lasting than the sun and moon.

²¹Your people will all do what is right, And will possess the land forever. I planted them, I made them, To reveal my greatness to all.

²²Even your smallest and humblest family Will become as great as a powerful nation. When the right time comes, I will make this happen quickly. I am the Lord!”

A Song of Sorrow

¹The Lord told me to sing this song of sorrow for two princes of Israel:

²What a lioness your mother was! She raised her cubs among the fierce male lions.

³She raised a cub and taught him to hunt; he learned to eat people.

⁴The nations heard about him and trapped him in a pit. With hooks they dragged him off to Egypt.

⁵She waited until she saw all hope was gone. Then she raised another of her cubs, and he grew into a fierce lion.

⁶When he was full-grown, he prowled with the other lions. He too learned to hunt and eat people.

⁷He wrecked forts, he ruined towns. The people of the land were terrified every time he roared.

⁸The nations gathered to fight him; people came from everywhere. They spread their hunting nets and caught him in their trap.

⁹They put him in a cage and took him to the king of Babylonia. They kept him under guard, so that his roar would never be heard again on the hills of Israel.

¹⁰Your mother was like a grapevine planted near a stream. Because there was plenty of water, the vine was covered with leaves and fruit.

¹¹Its branches were strong and grew to be royal scepters. The vine grew tall enough to reach the clouds; everyone saw how leafy and tall it was.

¹²But angry hands pulled it up by the roots and threw it to the ground. The east wind dried up its fruit. Its branches were broken off; they dried up and were burned.

¹³Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and waterless land.

¹⁴The stem of the vine caught fire; fire burned up its branches and fruit. The branches will never again be strong, will never be royal scepters. This is a song of sorrow; it has been sung again and again.

⁹The righteous are like a light shining brightly; the wicked are like a lamp flickering out.

¹⁰Arrogance causes nothing but trouble. It is wiser to ask for advice.

¹¹The more easily you get your wealth, the sooner you will lose it. The harder it is to earn, the more you will have.

¹²When hope is crushed, the heart is crushed, but a wish come true fills you with joy.