1 W oe 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.

2 Y ahweh, be gracious to us. We have waited for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

3 A t the noise of the thunder, the peoples have fled. When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered.

4 Y our plunder will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers. Men will leap on it as locusts leap.

5 Y ahweh is exalted, for he dwells on high. He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

6 T here will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of Yahweh is your treasure.

7 B ehold, their valiant ones cry outside; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

8 T he highways are desolate. The traveling man ceases. The covenant is broken. He has despised the cities. He doesn’t respect man.

9 T he land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.

10 “ Now I will arise,” says Yahweh; “Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted.

11 Y ou will conceive chaff. You will give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will devour you.

12 T he peoples will be like the burning of lime, like thorns that are cut down and burned in the fire.

13 H ear, you who are far off, what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.”

14 T he 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?

15 H e 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 blood, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—

16 h e will dwell on high. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks. His bread will be supplied. His waters will be sure.

17 Y our eyes will see the king in his beauty. They will see a distant land.

18 Y our heart will meditate on the terror. Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed? Where is he who counted the towers?

19 Y ou 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.

20 L ook 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.

21 B ut 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.

22 F or Yahweh is our judge. Yahweh is our lawgiver. Yahweh is our king. He will save us.

23 Y our 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.

24 T he inhabitant won’t say, “I am sick.” The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity.