The people did not return to the one who struck them, they did not seek reconciliation with the Lord who commands armies.

At that time you will say: “I praise you, O Lord, for even though you were angry with me, your anger subsided, and you consoled me.

Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has a plan, and who can possibly frustrate it? His hand is ready to strike, and who can possibly stop it?

The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their prayers and heal them.

The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but then night. If you want to ask, ask; come back again.”

He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions, and strength to those who defend the city from attackers.

In just a very short time Lebanon will turn into an orchard, and the orchard will be considered a forest.

Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land.”’”

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

I look, but there is no one, among them there is no one who serves as an adviser, that I might ask questions and receive answers.

From this day forward I am he; no one can deliver from my power; I will act, and who can prevent it?”

I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud, the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. Come back to me, for I protect you.”

who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers and humiliates the omen readers, who overturns the counsel of the wise men and makes their advice seem foolish,

Why, Lord, do you make us stray from your ways, and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance!

Come back to me, you wayward people. I want to cure your waywardness. Say, ‘Here we are. We come to you because you are the Lord our God.

The Lord continued, “In every town in the land I will purge them like straw blown away by the wind. I will destroy my people. I will kill off their children. I will do so because they did not change their behavior.

But if they had stood in my inner circle, they would have proclaimed my message to my people. They would have caused my people to turn from their wicked ways and stop doing the evil things they are doing.

I will restore Judah and Israel and will rebuild them as they were in days of old.

Then the Babylonian forces will return. They will attack the city and will capture it and burn it down.

I will have compassion on you so that he in turn will have mercy on you and allow you to return to your land.’