<p class="poetry">I want you<n id="1" /> to share your food with the hungryp> <p class="poetry">and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">When you see someone naked, clothe him!p> <p class="poetry">Don&#8217;t turn your back on your own flesh and blood!<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> will continually lead you;p> <p class="poetry">he will feed you even in parched regions.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He will give you renewed strength,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and you will be like a well-watered garden,p> <p class="poetry">like a spring that continually produces water.p>

<p class="poetry">Their webs cannot be used for clothing;p> <p class="poetry">they cannot cover themselves with what they make.p> <p class="poetry">Their deeds are sinful;p> <p class="poetry">they commit violent crimes.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Justice is driven back;p> <p class="poetry">godliness<n id="1" /> stands far off.p> <p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="2" /> honesty stumbles in the city squarep> <p class="poetry">and morality is not even able to enter.p>

<p class="poetry">Your gates will remain open at all times;p> <p class="poetry">they will not be shut during the day or at night,p> <p class="poetry">so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,p> <p class="poetry">with their kings leading the way.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Sounds of violence<n id="1" /> will no longer be heard in your land,p> <p class="poetry">or the sounds of<n id="2" /> destruction and devastation within your borders.p> <p class="poetry">You will name your walls, &#8216;Deliverance,&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">and your gates, &#8216;Praise.&#8217;p>

<p class="poetry">I<n id="1" /> post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;p> <p class="poetry">they should keep praying all day and all night.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">You who pray to<n id="3" /> the <sc>Lordsc>, don&#8217;t be silent!p>

<p class="poetry">Through all that they suffered, he suffered too.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">The messenger sent from his very presence<n id="2" /> delivered them.p> <p class="poetry">In his love and mercy he protected<n id="3" /> them;p> <p class="poetry">he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times.<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;I made myself available to those who did not ask for me;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I appeared to those who did not look for me.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I said, &#8216;Here I am! Here I am!&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">to a nation that did not invoke<n id="3" /> my name.p>

<p class="poetry">I spread out my hands all day longp> <p class="poetry">to my rebellious people,p> <p class="poetry">who lived in a way that is morally unacceptable,p> <p class="poetry">and who did what they desired.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">They will not work in vain,p> <p class="poetry">or give birth to children that will experience disaster.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">For the <sc>Lordsc> will bless their childrenp> <p class="poetry">and their descendants.<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Indeed, this is what the <sc>Lordsc> says to me:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> will be like a growling lion,p> <p class="poetry">like a young lion growling over its prey.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it,p> <p class="poetry">it is not afraid of their shoutsp> <p class="poetry">or intimidated by their yelling.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">In this same way the <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies will descendp> <p class="poetry">to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill.<n id="3" />p>

Hezekiah welcomed<n id="1" /> them and showed them his storehouse with its silver, gold, spices, and high-quality olive oil, as well as his whole armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom.<n id="2" />

<p class="poetry">He will judge disputes between nations;p> <p class="poetry">he will settle cases for many peoples.p> <p class="poetry">They will beat their swords into plowshares,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and their spears into pruning hooks.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,p> <p class="poetry">and they will no longer train for war.p>

<p class="poetry">So the <sc>Lordsc> is furious<n id="1" /> with his people;p> <p class="poetry">he lifts<n id="2" /> his hand and strikes them.p> <p class="poetry">The mountains shake,p> <p class="poetry">and corpses lie like manure<n id="3" /> in the middle of the streets.p> <p class="poetry">Despite all this, his anger does not subside,p> <p class="poetry">and his hand is ready to strike again.<n id="4" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> will bring on you, your people, and your father&#8217;s family a time<n id="1" /> unlike any since Ephraim departed from Judah &#8211; the king of Assyria!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<v id="(8:23)" /><n id="1" /> The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">In earlier times he<n id="3" /> humiliatedp> <p class="poetry">the land of Zebulun,p> <p class="poetry">and the land of Naphtali;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">but now he brings honor<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">to the way of the sea,p> <p class="poetry">the region beyond the Jordan,p> <p class="poetry">and Galilee of the nations.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">Manasseh fought against<n id="1" /> Ephraim,p> <p class="poetry">and Ephraim against Manasseh;p> <p class="poetry">together they fought against Judah.p> <p class="poetry">Despite all this, his anger does not subside,p> <p class="poetry">and his hand is ready to strike again.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">At that time<n id="1" /> those left in Israel, those who remain of the family<n id="2" /> of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them.<n id="3" /> Instead they will truly<n id="4" /> rely on the <sc>Lordsc>, the Holy One of Israel.<n id="5" />

Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the <sc>Lordsc>. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes.<n id="1" />p>