18. For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, the Lord is a just God;all who wait for him in faith will be blessed.
19. For people will live in Zion;in Jerusalem you will weep no more.When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy;when he hears it, he will respond to you.
20. The sovereign master will give you distress to eatand suffering to drink;but your teachers will no longer be hidden;your eyes will see them.
21. You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying,“This is the correct way, walk in it,”whether you are heading to the right or the left.
22. You will desecrate your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag,saying to them, “Get out!”
23. He will water the seed you plant in the ground,and the ground will produce crops in abundance.At that time your cattle will graze in wide pastures.
24. The oxen and donkeys used in plowingwill eat seasoned feed winnowed with a shovel and pitchfork.
25. On every high mountainand every high hillthere will be streams flowing with water,at the time of great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse.
26. The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glareand the sun’s glare will be seven times brighter,like the light of seven days, when the Lord binds up his people’s fractured bonesand heals their severe wound.
27. Look, the name of the Lord comes from a distant placein raging anger and awesome splendor.He speaks angrilyand his word is like destructive fire.
28. His battle cry overwhelms like a flooding riverthat reaches one’s neck.He shakes the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff;he puts a bit into the mouth of the nations and leads them to destruction.
29. You will singas you do in the evening when you are celebrating a festival.You will be happy like one who plays a fluteas he goes to the mountain of the Lord, the Rock who shelters Israel.
30. The Lord will give a mighty shoutand intervene in power,with furious anger and flaming, destructive fire,with a driving rainstorm and hailstones.