Jerusalem Will Be Safe
1 You defeated my people.
Now you’re
in for trouble!
You’ve never been destroyed,
but you will be
destroyed;
you’ve never been betrayed,
but you will be
betrayed.
When you have finished
destroying and
betraying,
you will be destroyed
and betrayed in
return.
2 Please, Lord, be kind to us!
We depend on you.
Make us strong each morning,
and come to save us
when we are in
trouble.
3 Nations scatter when you roar
and show your
greatness.
4 We attack our enemies
like swarms of
locusts;
we take everything
that belongs to
them.
5 You, Lord, are above all others,
and you live in
the heavens.
You have brought justice
and fairness to
Jerusalem;
6 you are the foundation
on which we stand
today.
You always save us and give
true wisdom and
knowledge.
Nothing means more to us
than obeying you.
7 Listen! Our bravest soldiers
are running through the streets,
screaming for
help.
Our messengers hoped for peace,
but came home
crying.
8 No one travels anymore;
every road is
empty.
Treaties are broken,
and no respect is shown
to any who keep
promises.
9 Fields are dry and barren;
Mount Lebanon wilts
with shame.
Sharon Valley is a desert;
the forests of Bashan and Carmel
have lost their
leaves.
10 But the Lord says,
“Now I will do something
and be greatly
praised.
11 Your deeds are straw
that will be set on fire
by your very own
breath.
12 You will be burned to ashes
like thorns in
a fire.
13 Everyone, both far and near,
come look at what I have done.
See my mighty
power!”
14 Those terrible sinners
on Mount Zion tremble
as they ask in
fear,
“How can we possibly live
where a raging fire
never stops burning?”
15 But there will be rewards
for those who live right
and tell the truth,
for those who refuse
to take money
by force
or accept bribes,
for all who hate murder
and violent crimes.
16 They will live in a fortress
high on a rocky
cliff,
where they will have food
and plenty of
water.
17 With your own eyes
you will see the glorious King;
you will see his
kingdom
reaching far and
wide.
18 Then you will ask yourself,
“Where are
those officials
who terrified us and forced us
to pay such heavy
taxes?”
19 You will never again have to see
the proud people
who spoke
a strange and foreign language
you could not
understand.
20 Look to Mount Zion
where we celebrate
our religious
festivals.
You will see Jerusalem,
secure as a tent
with pegs
that cannot be pulled up
and fastened with ropes
that can never
be broken.
21 Our wonderful Lord
will be with us!
There will be deep rivers
and wide streams
safe from enemy
ships.
22 The Lord is our judge
and our ruler;
the Lord is our king
and will keep
us safe.
23 But your nation is a ship
with its rigging
loose,
its mast shaky,
and its sail not
spread.
Someday even you that are lame
will take everything you want
from your enemies.
24 The Lord will forgive your sins,
and none of you will say,
“I feel sick.”
The Contemporary English Version, c1995 by the American Bible
Society.
Selected texts provided for use with the Hypertext Bible Commentary