| 1 |
Woe to you who destroy, but you weren’t destroyed, and who betray, but nobody betrayed you! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betrayal, you will be betrayed.
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| 2 |
Yahweh, be gracious to us. We have waited for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
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| 3 |
At the noise of the thunder, the peoples have fled. When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered.
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| 4 |
Your plunder will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers. Men will leap on it as locusts leap.
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| 5 |
Yahweh is exalted, for he dwells on high. He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
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| 6 |
There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of Yahweh is your treasure.
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| 7 |
Behold, their valiant ones cry outside; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
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| 8 |
The highways are desolate. The traveling man ceases. The covenant is broken. He has despised the cities. He doesn’t respect man.
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| 9 |
The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.
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| 10 |
“Now I will arise,” says Yahweh. “Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted.
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| 11 |
You will conceive chaff. You will give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will devour you.
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| 12 |
The peoples will be like the burning of lime, like thorns that are cut down and burned in the fire.
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| 13 |
Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”
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| 14 |
The sinners in Zion are afraid. Trembling has seized the godless ones. Who among us can live with the devouring fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning?
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| 15 |
He who walks righteously and speaks blamelessly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—
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| 16 |
he will dwell on high. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks. His bread will be supplied. His waters will be sure.
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| 17 |
Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. They will see a distant land.
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| 18 |
Your heart will meditate on the terror. Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed? Where is he who counted the towers?
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| 19 |
You will no longer see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that you can’t comprehend, with a strange language that you can’t understand.
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| 20 |
Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that won’t be removed. Its stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.
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| 21 |
But there Yahweh will be with us in majesty, a place of wide rivers and streams, in which no galley with oars will go, neither will any gallant ship pass by there.
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| 22 |
For Yahweh is our judge. Yahweh is our lawgiver. Yahweh is our king. He will save us.
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| 23 |
Your rigging is untied. They couldn’t strengthen the foot of their mast. They couldn’t spread the sail. Then the prey of a great plunder was divided. The lame took the prey.
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| 24 |
The inhabitant won’t say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity.
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