18. And yet the Lord is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the Lord.
19. You people who live in Jerusalem will not weep any more. The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you.
20. The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him any more.
21. If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.”
22. You will take your idols plated with silver and your idols covered with gold, and will throw them away like filth, shouting, “Out of my sight!”
23. Whenever you sow your seeds, the Lord will send rain to make them grow and will give you a rich harvest, and your livestock will have plenty of pasture.
24. The oxen and donkeys that plough your fields will eat the finest and best fodder.
25. On the day when the forts of your enemies are captured and their people are killed, streams of water will flow from every mountain and every hill.
26. The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter than usual, like the light of seven days in one. This will all happen when the Lord bandages and heals the wounds he has given his people.
27. The Lord's power and glory can be seen in the distance. Fire and smoke show his anger. He speaks, and his words burn like fire.