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A Prayer for Help

¹ It is bad for you, O destroyer, you who were not destroyed yourself! You cannot be trusted, but others have trusted you. As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed. As soon as you stop lying, others will lie to you. ² O Lord, be kind to us. We have waited for You. Be our strength every morning. Save us in the time of trouble. ³ At the loud noise of battle, the people run. When You lift Yourself up, nations divide and run. ⁴ The things taken in war will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers. Men rush upon it like locusts. ⁵ The Lord is honored, for He lives on high. He has filled Zion with what is right and fair and good. ⁶ He will be for you what is sure and faithful for your times, with much saving power, wisdom and learning. The fear of the Lord is worth much. ⁷ See, their men with strength of heart cry in the streets. The men sent to bring peace cry many tears. ⁸ The roads are empty. The traveler does not travel. He has broken the agreement. He has hated the cities. He does not care for man. ⁹ The land is filled with sorrow and wastes away. Lebanon is put to shame and wastes away. Sharon is like a desert. And Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

¹⁰ "Now I will rise up," says the Lord. "Now I will be honored. Now I will be lifted up. ¹¹ You bring life to what is of no worth. You give birth to what is of no use. My breath will destroy you like a fire. ¹² The people will be burned to white dust, like thorns cut down and burned in the fire.

¹³ "You who are far away, hear what I have done. And you who are near, speak of My power." ¹⁴ Sinners in Zion are filled with fear. The sinful shake with fear. They cry, "Who among us can live with the fire that destroys? Who among us can live with the fire that burns forever?" ¹⁵ He who walks with God, and whose words are good and honest, he who will not take money received from wrong-doing, and will not receive money given in secret for wrong-doing, he who stops his ears from hearing about killing, and shuts his eyes from looking at what is sinful, ¹⁶ he will have a place on high. His safe place will be a rock that cannot be taken over. He will be given food and will have water for sure.

¹⁷ Your eyes will see the King in His beauty. They will see a land that is far away. ¹⁸ Your heart will think about fear, asking, "Where is he who numbers? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who numbers the towers?" ¹⁹ You will not see people who show no pity, people whose language no one knows, whose strange tongue you cannot understand. ²⁰ Look upon Zion, the city of our special suppers! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet resting place, a tent that will not be moved. Its tie-downs will never be pulled up, and none of its ropes will be broken. ²¹ But there the Lord in His great power will be for us. It will be a place of rivers and wide waterways, where no rowboats can go, and where no powerful ships can pass. ²² For the Lord is our judge. The Lord is our law-giver. The Lord is our king. He will save us. ²³ Your ropes are loose. They cannot hold the sail up in its place or spread it out. Then the many riches taken in battle will be divided. Even those who cannot walk will take the riches. ²⁴ And no one living there will say, "I am sick." The people who live there will be forgiven of their sin.