Author: cackywalker@yahoo.com

“In that day, everyone in the land of Judah will sing this song: Our city is strong! We are surrounded by the walls of God’s salvation. Open the gates to all who are righteous; all the faithful to enter. You will keep perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. He humbles the proud and brings down the arrogant city. He brings it down to dust. The poor will trample it underfoot, and the needy walk all over it.

But for those who are righteous, the way is not too steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and You smooth out the path ahead of them. Lord, we show our trust in You by obeying Your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify Your name.” (vv. 1-8 NLT)

“Lord, you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from You. O Lord, our God, others have ruled over us, but you alone are the one we worship.”(vv. 12-13, NLT)

Restoration for Israel

“Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves a little while until the Lord’s anger has passed. Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see.” (vv. 20-21, NLT)

“O Lord, I will honor and praise Your name, for You are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now You have accomplished them. You turned mighty cities into heaps of ruins. Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear and will never be rebuilt. Therefore , strong nations will declare Your glory; ruthless nations will fear you.” (vv. 1-3, NLT)

“In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. There He will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hands over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery agains His land and people. The Lord has spoken! (vv. 6-8, NLT)

“But all who are left shout and sing for joy. Those in the west praise the Lord’s majesty. In the eastern lands, give glory to the Lord. In the lands beyond the sea, praise the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. We hear sons of praise from the ends of the earth, songs that give glory to the Righteous One! But my heart is heave with grief. Weep for me, for I wither away. Deceit still prevails, and treachery is everywhere. Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, you people of the earth. Thos who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will be caught in a snare.

Destruction falls like falls like rain from the heavens; the foundation of the earth shake. The earth has broken up. It has utterly collapsed; it is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunk. It trembles like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for the guild of its rebellion is very heavy.

In that day, the Lord will punish the gods in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. They will be rounded up and put in prison. They will be shut up in prison and will finally be punished. Then the glory of the moon will wane, and the brightness of the sun will face, for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion. He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of His people.” (vv. 14-23, NLT)

“The earth mourns and dries up, and the crops waste away and wither. Even the greatest people on earth waste away. The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated His laws, and broken His everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive. The grapevines waste away, and there is no new wine. All merrymakers sigh and mourn. The cheerful sounds of tambourines is stilled; the happy cries of celebration are heard no more. The melodious chords of the harp are silent. Gone are the joes of wine and song; alcoholic drink turns bitter in the mouth. The city writhes in chaos; every home is locked to keep out intruders. Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine. Joy has turned to gloom. Gladness has been banished from the land. The city is left in ruins, its gates battered down. Throughout the earth the story is the same – only a remnant is left, like the stray olives left on the tree or a few grapes left in the vine after harvest.” (vv. 4-13,NLT)

“Look! The Lord is abut to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors – now will be spared. The earth will completely be emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken!” (vv. 1-4, NLT)

“In that day you will sing: ‘I will praise You, Lord! You were angry with me, but not anymore. Now You comfort me. See, God has come to save me. I will trust in Him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; He has given me victory.’

With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! In that wonderful day you will sing” ‘Thank the Lord! Praise His name! Tell the nations what He has done. Let them know how mighty He is! Sing to the Lord, for He has done wonderful things. Make known His praise around the world. Let all the people of Jerusalem shout His praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you!”

“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot – yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of God will rest on Him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance more make decisions based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions of the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of His word, and one breath from His mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. (vv. 1-5, NLT)

“In that daytime remnant left in Israel, the survivors in the house of Jacob, will no longer depend on allies who seek to destroy them. But they will faithfully trust the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return; yes, the remnant of Jacob will return to the mighty God. But though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant of them will return. The Lord has rightly decided to destroy His people. Yes, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, has already decided to destroy the entire land.” (vv. 20-23)

“Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when the when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and it people will rejoice. They rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, and like warriors dividing the plunder. For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressors rod as you did when you destroyed the army of Milan. The books of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

For a child will be born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest upon his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will run with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestors, David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (vv. 1-7)

“The Lord has given me a strong warning not think like everyone else does. He said, ‘Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frighten’s them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one who your should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured.'”

Preserve the teaching of God; entrusts His instructions to those who follow me. I will wait for the Lord, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in Him.” (vv. 11-17)