He then handed out to each Israelite man and woman a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake.

In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them,

After them the men of Tekoa worked on another section, from opposite the great protruding tower to the wall of Ophel.

You terrified the nations with your battle cry; you destroyed the wicked; you permanently wiped out all memory of them.

He asked you to sustain his life, and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty.

The Lord God of Israel deserves praise in the future and forevermore! We agree! We agree!

Your throne, O God, is permanent. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

I will proclaim your greatness through the coming years, then the nations will praise you forever.

For God, our God, is our defender forever! He guides us!

But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I continually trust in God’s loyal love.

For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

For the Lord is good. His loyal love endures, and he is faithful through all generations.

But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers, and is faithful to their descendants,

For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, now and forevermore.

A psalm of praise, by David. I will extol you, my God, O king! I will praise your name continually!

My mouth will praise the Lord. Let all who live praise his holy name forever!

The splendor of his forest and his orchard will be completely destroyed, as when a sick man’s life ebbs away.

Don’t allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.

If you stop doing these things, I will allow you to continue to live in this land which I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession.