² Lord, be gracious^(D) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength^(E) every morning,
    our salvation^(F) in time of distress.^(G)
3 At the uproar of your army,^(H) the peoples flee;^(I)
    when you rise up,^(J) the nations scatter.
⁴ Your plunder,^(K) O nations, is harvested^(L) as by young locusts;^(M)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

⁵ The Lord is exalted,^(N) for he dwells on high;^(O)
    he will fill Zion with his justice^(P) and righteousness.^(Q)
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation^(R) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear^(S) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.^[a](T)

⁷ Look, their brave men^(U) cry aloud in the streets;
    the envoys^(V) of peace weep bitterly.
⁸ The highways are deserted,
    no travelers^(W) are on the roads.^(X)
The treaty is broken,^(Y)
    its witnesses^[b] are despised,
    no one is respected.
⁹ The land dries up^(Z) and wastes away,
    Lebanon^(AA) is ashamed and withers;^(AB)
Sharon^(AC) is like the Arabah,
    and Bashan^(AD) and Carmel^(AE) drop their leaves.

¹⁰ “Now will I arise,^(AF)” says the Lord.
    “Now will I be exalted;^(AG)
    now will I be lifted up.
¹¹ You conceive^(AH) chaff,
    you give birth^(AI) to straw;
    your breath is a fire^(AJ) that consumes you.
¹² The peoples will be burned to ashes;^(AK)
    like cut thornbushes^(AL) they will be set ablaze.^(AM)”

¹³ You who are far away,^(AN) hear^(AO) what I have done;
    you who are near, acknowledge my power!
¹⁴ The sinners^(AP) in Zion are terrified;
    trembling^(AQ) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?^(AR)
    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
¹⁵ Those who walk righteously^(AS)
    and speak what is right,^(AT)
who reject gain from extortion^(AU)
    and keep their hands from accepting bribes,^(AV)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
    and shut their eyes^(AW) against contemplating evil—
¹⁶ they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,^(AX)
    whose refuge^(AY) will be the mountain fortress.^(AZ)
Their bread will be supplied,
    and water will not fail^(BA) them.

¹⁷ Your eyes will see the king^(BB) in his beauty^(BC)
    and view a land that stretches afar.^(BD)
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:^(BE)
    “Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
    Where is the officer in charge of the towers?^(BF)”
¹⁹ You will see those arrogant people^(BG) no more,
    people whose speech is obscure,
    whose language is strange and incomprehensible.^(BH)

²⁰ Look on Zion,^(BI) the city of our festivals;
    your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    a peaceful abode,^(BJ) a tent^(BK) that will not be moved;^(BL)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
    nor any of its ropes broken.
²¹ There the Lord will be our Mighty^(BM) One.
    It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.^(BN)
No galley with oars will ride them,
    no mighty ship^(BO) will sail them.
²² For the Lord is our judge,^(BP)
    the Lord is our lawgiver,^(BQ)
the Lord is our king;^(BR)
    it is he who will save^(BS) us.

²³ Your rigging hangs loose:
    The mast is not held secure,
    the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
    and even the lame^(BT) will carry off plunder.^(BU)
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;^(BV)
    and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.^(BW)

⁵ My sword^(CM) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
    see, it descends in judgment on Edom,^(CN)
    the people I have totally destroyed.^(CO)
6 The sword^(CP) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
    it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
    fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice^(CQ) in Bozrah^(CR)
    and a great slaughter^(CS) in the land of Edom.
⁷ And the wild oxen^(CT) will fall with them,
    the bull calves and the great bulls.^(CU)
Their land will be drenched with blood,^(CV)
    and the dust will be soaked with fat.

⁸ For the Lord has a day^(CW) of vengeance,^(CX)
    a year of retribution,^(CY) to uphold Zion’s cause.
⁹ Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
    her dust into burning sulfur;^(CZ)
    her land will become blazing pitch!
¹⁰ It will not be quenched^(DA) night or day;
    its smoke will rise forever.^(DB)
From generation to generation^(DC) it will lie desolate;^(DD)
    no one will ever pass through it again.
¹¹ The desert owl^[d](DE) and screech owl^[e] will possess it;
    the great owl^[f] and the raven^(DF) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom^(DG)
    the measuring line of chaos^(DH)
    and the plumb line^(DI) of desolation.
¹² Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
    all her princes^(DJ) will vanish^(DK) away.
¹³ Thorns^(DL) will overrun her citadels,
    nettles and brambles her strongholds.^(DM)
She will become a haunt for jackals,^(DN)
    a home for owls.^(DO)
14 Desert creatures^(DP) will meet with hyenas,^(DQ)
    and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures^(DR) will also lie down
    and find for themselves places of rest.
¹⁵ The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
    she will hatch them, and care for her young
    under the shadow of her wings;^(DS)
there also the falcons^(DT) will gather,
    each with its mate.

None of these will be missing,^(DV)
    not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth^(DW) that has given the order,^(DX)
    and his Spirit will gather them together.
¹⁷ He allots their portions;^(DY)
    his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
    and dwell there from generation to generation.^(DZ)

³ Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees^(EJ) that give way;
⁴ say^(EK) to those with fearful hearts,^(EL)
    “Be strong, do not fear;^(EM)
your God will come,^(EN)
    he will come with vengeance;^(EO)
with divine retribution
    he will come to save^(EP) you.”

⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened^(EQ)
    and the ears of the deaf^(ER) unstopped.
⁶ Then will the lame^(ES) leap like a deer,^(ET)
    and the mute tongue^(EU) shout for joy.^(EV)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams^(EW) in the desert.
⁷ The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground^(EX) bubbling springs.^(EY)
In the haunts where jackals^(EZ) once lay,
    grass and reeds^(FA) and papyrus will grow.

⁸ And a highway^(FB) will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;^(FC)
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean^(FD) will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹ No lion^(FE) will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;^(FF)
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed^(FG) will walk there,
¹⁰     and those the Lord has rescued^(FH) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;^(FI)
    everlasting joy^(FJ) will crown their heads.
Gladness^(FK) and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.^(FL)