• The Judgment of God

  • 1 Woe to you, destroyer, While you were not destroyed; And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him. As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.
  • 2 Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their strength every morning, Our salvation also in the time of distress.
  • 3 At the sound of a roar, peoples flee; At the lifting up of Yourself, nations disperse.
  • 4 Your plunder is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; Like an infestation of locusts, people storm it.
  • 5 The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
  • 6 And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; The fear of the Lord is his treasure.
  • 7 Behold, their brave men cry out in the streets, The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
  • 8 The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased, He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, He has no regard for mankind.
  • 9 The land mourns and wastes away, Lebanon is shamed and withers; Sharon is like a desert plain, And Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage.
  • 10 “Now I will arise,” says the Lord, “Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.
  • 11 “You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble; My breath will consume you like a fire.
  • 12 “The peoples will be burned to lime, Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.
  • 13 “You who are far away, hear what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
  • 14 Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning?”
  • 15 One who walks righteously and speaks with integrity, One who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; One who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking at evil;
  • 16 He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure.
  • 17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see a distant land.
  • 18 Your heart will meditate on terror: “Where is one who counts? Where is one who weighs? Where is one who counts the towers?”
  • 19 You will no longer see a fierce people, A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends, Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.
  • 20 Look at Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed settlement, A tent which will not be folded; Its stakes will never be pulled up, Nor any of its ropes be torn apart.
  • 21 But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us A place of rivers and wide canals On which no boat with oars will go, And on which no mighty ship will pass—
  • 22 For the Lord is our judge, The Lord is our lawgiver, The Lord is our king; He will save us—
  • 23 Your ship’s tackle hangs slack; It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly, Nor spread out the sail. Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided; Those who limp will take the plunder.
  • 24 And no resident will say, “I am sick”; The people who live there will be forgiven their wrongdoing.