O Lord, our God, masters other than you have ruled us, but we praise your name alone.

You have made the nation larger, O Lord, you have made the nation larger and revealed your splendor, you have extended all the borders of the land.

As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver and strains and cries out because of her labor pains, so were we because of you, O Lord.

I, the Lord, protect it; I water it regularly. I guard it night and day, so no one can harm it.

At that time the Lord who commands armies will become a beautiful crown and a splendid diadem for the remnant of his people.

Therefore, listen to the Lord’s word, you who mock, you rulers of these people who reside in Jerusalem!

This also comes from the Lord who commands armies, who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom.

The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord; the poor among humankind will take delight in the Holy One of Israel.

For these are rebellious people – they are lying children, children unwilling to obey the Lord’s law.

Just as birds hover over a nest, so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it; as he passes over he will rescue it.

Lord, be merciful to us! We wait for you. Give us strength each morning! Deliver us when distress comes.

The Lord is exalted, indeed, he lives in heaven; he fills Zion with justice and fairness.

He is your constant source of stability; he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; he gives all this to those who fear him.

When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple.

It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations and their lands.

“For a remnant will leave Jerusalem; survivors will come out of Mount Zion. The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies will accomplish this.

He will go back the way he came – he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.

A voice cries out, “In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord; construct in the desert a road for our God.

The grass dries up, the flowers wither, when the wind sent by the Lord blows on them. Surely humanity is like grass.

Why do you say, Jacob, Why do you say, Israel, “The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me, My God is not concerned with my vindication”?