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the city of oppressors!
2 She obeys no one;
she refuses to accept correction.
She does not trust in the Lord;
she does not draw near to her God.
3 “The officials within her are roaring lions;
her judges are wolves of the night,
leaving nothing for the morning.
4 Her prophets are reckless;
they are treacherous men.
Her priests profane the sanctuary
and do violence to the law.
5 The Lord within her is righteous;
He does no wrong.
Morning by morning He dispenses His justice;
every new day He does not fail,
yet the unrighteous know no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations;
their strongholds are destroyed.
I have laid waste their streets,
so that no one passes through.
Their cities are destroyed;
there is no one left—no one at all.
7 Then I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me
and accept correction!’
Then her dwelling place would not be cut off,
despite all My punishments allocated to her.
But they were the more eager
to become corrupted in all their deeds.
8 “Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord,
“until the day I rise up for plunder.
For I have decided to gather nations
and to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out My indignation on them—
all My fierce anger;
for the whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of My jealousy.
9 “At that time I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord,
and serve Him shoulder after shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
My worshippers, My scattered people,
will bring an offering to Me.
11 On that day you will not be put to shame
for all your deeds you have done
in rebelling against Me.
For then I will remove from among you
your proud and arrogant people,
and you will never again be haughty
on My holy mountain.
12 But I will leave a people humble and lowly,
and they will take refuge
in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong,
nor will they speak lies;
a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths.
They will pasture and lie down,
and no one will make them afraid.”
14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
He has turned back your enemy.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is with you;
you will never need to fear disaster or harm again.
16 On that day it will be said in Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord your God is among you,
He is mighty to save.
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
18 “The sorrows for the appointed feasts
I will portion them together,
for they are beyond reproach.
19 At that time I will deal
with all who afflict you;
I will rescue the lame
and gather those who have been scattered.
I will appoint them for praise and honour
in every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time I will bring you home;
at that time I will gather you together.
I will give you honour and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.