<t /><p class="poetry"><v id="(2:1)" /><n id="1" /> Look! A herald is running<n id="2" /> on the mountains!p> <p class="poetry">A messenger is proclaiming deliverance:<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Celebrate your sacred festivals, O Judah!p> <p class="poetry">Fulfill your sacred vows to praise God!<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">For never again<n id="5" /> will the wicked<n id="6" /> Assyrians<n id="7" /> invade<n id="8" /> you,p> <p class="poetry">they<n id="9" /> have been completely destroyed.&#8221;<n id="10" />p>

Indeed, he will build the temple of the <sc>Lord,sc> and he will be clothed in splendor, sitting as king on his throne. Moreover, there will be a priest<n id="1" /> with him on his throne and they will see eye to eye on everything.

Before that time there was no compensation for man or animal, nor was there any relief from adversity for those who came and went, because I had pitted everybody &#8211; each one &#8211; against everyone else.

&#8216;for there will be a peaceful time of sowing, the vine will produce its fruit and the ground its yield, and the skies<n id="1" /> will rain down dew. Then I will allow the remnant of my people to possess all these things.

&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all says, &#8216;The fast of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth<n id="1" /> months will become joyful and happy, pleasant feasts for the house of Judah, so love truth and peace.&#8217;

<p class="poetry">I will remove<n id="1" /> the chariot from Ephraimp> <p class="poetry">and the warhorse from Jerusalem,p> <p class="poetry">and the battle bow will be removed.p> <p class="poetry">Then he will announce peace to the nations.p> <p class="poetry">His dominion will be from sea to seap> <p class="poetry">and from the Euphrates River<n id="2" /> to the ends of the earth.p>

he<n id="1" /> sent his son Joram<n id="2" /> to King David to extend his best wishes<n id="3" /> and to pronounce a blessing on him for his victory over Hadadezer, for Toi had been at war with Hadadezer.<n id="4" /> He brought with him various items made of silver, gold, and bronze.<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me &#8211; how he murdered two commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether.<n id="1" /> During peacetime he struck them down like he would in battle;<n id="2" /> when he shed their blood as if in battle, he stained his own belt and the sandals on his feet.<n id="3" />

So these officials said to the king, &#8220;This man must be put to death. For he is demoralizing<n id="1" /> the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other people there by these things he is saying.<n id="2" /> This<n id="3" /> man is not seeking to help these people but is trying to harm them.&#8221;<n id="4" />