for every high tower, for every fortified wall,

He cuts down cedars and acquires a cypress ¹  or an oak. He gets ²  trees from the forest; he plants a cedar ³  and the rain makes it grow.

The Lord will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. ¹  He will give you renewed strength, ²  and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water.

A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. ¹ 

Wail, you large ships, ¹  for your fortress is destroyed!

Strengthen the hands that have gone limp, steady the knees that shake! ¹ 

Look up at the sky! ¹  Who created all these heavenly lights? ²  He is the one who leads out their ranks; ³  he calls them all by name. Because of his absolute power and awesome strength, not one of them is missing.

Indeed, ¹  you have made the city ²  into a heap of rubble, the fortified town into a heap of ruins; the fortress of foreigners ³  is no longer a city, it will never be rebuilt.

They will surrender their stronghold ¹  because of fear; ²  their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” ³  This is what the Lord says – the one whose fire is in Zion, whose firepot is in Jerusalem. ⁴ 

for all the cedars of Lebanon, that are so high and mighty, for all the oaks of Bashan; ¹ 

the mighty men and warriors, judges and prophets, omen readers and leaders, ¹ 

Then the Lord provoked ¹  their adversaries to attack them, ²  he stirred up ³  their enemies –

The fortified city (along with the very tops of your ¹  walls) ²  he will knock down, he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground. ³ 

Can spoils be taken from a warrior, or captives be rescued from a conqueror? ¹ 

Make your tent larger, stretch your tent curtains farther out! ¹  Spare no effort, lengthen your ropes, and pound your stakes deep. ² 

to strengthen those who mourn in Zion, by giving them a turban, instead of ashes, oil symbolizing joy, ¹  instead of mourning, a garment symbolizing praise, ²  instead of discouragement. ³  They will be called oaks of righteousness, ⁴  trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ⁵ 

Therefore, the sovereign Lord who commands armies, ¹  the powerful ruler of Israel, ²  says this: “Ah, I will seek vengeance ³  against my adversaries, I will take revenge against my enemies. ⁴ 

Look, the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, is ready to cut off the branches with terrifying power. ¹  The tallest trees ²  will be cut down, the loftiest ones will be brought low.

¹ All your leaders ran away together – they fled to a distant place; all your refugees ²  were captured together – they were captured without a single arrow being shot. ³ 

He said, “You will no longer celebrate, oppressed ¹  virgin daughter Sidon! Get up, travel to Cyprus, but you will find no relief there.” ²