<p class="poetry">So now the <sc>Lordsc> says,p> <p class="poetry">the one who formed me from birth<n id="1" /> to be his servant &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">he did this<n id="2" /> to restore Jacob to himself,p> <p class="poetry">so that Israel might be gathered to him;p> <p class="poetry">and I will be honored<n id="3" /> in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s sight,p> <p class="poetry">for my God is my source of strength<n id="4" /> &#8211;p>

<p class="poetry">he says, &#8220;Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,p> <p class="poetry">to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,p> <p class="poetry">and restore the remnant<n id="1" /> of Israel?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I will make you a light to the nations,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">so you can bring<n id="4" /> my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Vent your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Vent it on the peoples<n id="2" /> who do not worship you.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">For they have destroyed the people of Jacob.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">They have completely destroyed them<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">and left their homeland in utter ruin.p>

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="poetry">&#8220;You descendants of Jacob, my servants,<n id="2" /> do not be afraid;p> <p class="poetry">do not be terrified, people of Israel.p> <p class="poetry">For I will rescue you and your descendantsp> <p class="poetry">from the faraway lands where you are captives.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace.p> <p class="poetry">They will be secure and no one will terrify them.p>

<p class="poetry">I, the <sc>Lordsc>, tell<n id="1" /> you not to be afraid,p> <p class="poetry">you descendants of Jacob, my servant,p> <p class="poetry">for I am with you.p> <p class="poetry">Though I completely destroy all the nations where I scatter you,p> <p class="poetry">I will not completely destroy you.p> <p class="poetry">I will indeed discipline you but only in due measure.p> <p class="poetry">I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1489; (<i>Beti>)p> <p class="poetry">The Lord<n id="1" /> destroyed<n id="2" /> mercilessly<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">all the homes of Jacob&#8217;s descendants.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">In his anger he tore downp> <p class="poetry">the fortified cities<n id="5" /> of Daughter Judah.p> <p class="poetry">He knocked to the ground and humiliatedp> <p class="poetry">the kingdom and its rulers.<n id="6" />p>

and say to them:p> <p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;This is what the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says: On the day I chose Israel I swore<n id="1" /> to the descendants<n id="2" /> of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore<n id="3" /> to them, &#8220;I am the <sc>Lordsc> your God.&#8221;

<p class="poetry">Look, the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> is watching<n id="1" /> the sinful nation,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and I will destroy it from the face of the earth.p> <p class="poetry">But I will not completely destroy the family<n id="3" /> of Jacob,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="poetry">The descendants of Jacob will be a fire,p> <p class="poetry">and the descendants of Joseph a flame.p> <p class="poetry">The descendants of Esau will be like stubble.p> <p class="poetry">They will burn them up and devour them.p> <p class="poetry">There will not be a single survivor<n id="1" /> of the descendants of Esau!&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, the <sc>Lordsc> has spoken it.p>

<p class="poetry">Many nations will come, saying,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Come on! Let&#8217;s go up to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s mountain,p> <p class="poetry">to the temple<n id="1" /> of Jacob&#8217;s God,p> <p class="poetry">so he can teach us his commands<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and we can live by his laws.&#8221;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">For Zion will be the source of instruction;p> <p class="poetry">the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Those survivors from<n id="1" /> Jacob will live<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">in the midst of many nations.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They will be like the dew the <sc>Lordsc> sends,p> <p class="poetry">like the rain on the grass,p> <p class="poetry">that does not hope for men to comep> <p class="poetry">or wait around for humans to arrive.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations,p> <p class="poetry">in the midst of many peoples.p> <p class="poetry">They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,p> <p class="poetry">like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,p> <p class="poetry">which attacks when it passes through;p> <p class="poetry">it rips its prey<n id="1" /> and there is no one to stop it.<n id="2" />p>