Rely on the Lord! Obey his commands! Then he will permit you to possess the land; you will see the demise of evil men.

I will continually thank you when you execute judgment; I will rely on you, for your loyal followers know you are good.

They stalk and lurk; they watch my every step, as they prepare to take my life.

Their insults are painful and make me lose heart; I look for sympathy, but receive none, for comforters, but find none.

Yes, as your judgments unfold, O Lord, we wait for you. We desire your fame and reputation to grow.

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

We all growl like bears, we coo mournfully like doves; we wait for deliverance, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us.

When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.

But you must return to your God, by maintaining love and justice, and by waiting for your God to return to you.

God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” It was so.

Let none who rely on you be disgraced because of me, O sovereign Lord and king! Let none who seek you be ashamed because of me, O God of Israel!

He built a hedge around it, removed its stones, and planted a vine. He built a tower in the middle of it, and constructed a winepress. He waited for it to produce edible grapes, but it produced sour ones instead.

What more can I do for my vineyard beyond what I have already done? When I waited for it to produce edible grapes, why did it produce sour ones instead?

Indeed Israel is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies, the people of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight. He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help!

But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.

I am ready to vindicate, I am ready to deliver, I will establish justice among the nations. The coastlands wait patiently for me; they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power.

For this reason deliverance is far from us and salvation does not reach us. We wait for light, but see only darkness; we wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness.

Show the Lord your God the respect that is due him. Do it before he brings the darkness of disaster. Do it before you stumble into distress like a traveler on the mountains at twilight. Do it before he turns the light of deliverance you hope for into the darkness and gloom of exile.

פ (Pe) All your enemies gloated over you. They sneered and gnashed their teeth; they said, “We have destroyed her! Ha! We have waited a long time for this day. We have lived to see it!”

Kings will be your children’s guardians; their princesses will nurse your children. With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you and they will lick the dirt on your feet. Then you will recognize that I am the Lord; those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.