4In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all—the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.H319H3117H2022H1004H3068H3559H7218H2022H5375H1389H5971H51022People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.H7227H1471H1980H559H3212H5927H2022H3068H1004H430H3290H3384H1870H3212H734H8451H3318H6726H1697H3068H33893The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.H8199H7227H5971H3198H6099H1471H7350H3807H2719H855H2595H4211H1471H5375H2719H1471H3925H44214Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise!H3427H376H1612H8384H2729H6310H3068H6635H16965Though the nations around us follow their idols, we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.H5971H3212H376H8034H430H3212H8034H3068H430H5769H5703
Israel’s Return from Exile
6“In that coming day,” says the Lord, “I will gather together those who are lame, those who have been exiles, and those whom I have filled with grief.H3117H5002H3068H622H6760H6908H5080H74897Those who are weak will survive as a remnant; those who were exiles will become a strong nation. Then I, the Lord, will rule from Jerusalem① as their king forever.”/ ①Hebrew Mount Zion.H7760H6760H7611H1972H6099H1471H3068H4427H2022H6726H5704H57698As for you, Jerusalem, the citadel of God’s people, your royal might and power will come back to you again. The kingship will be restored to my precious Jerusalem.H4026H5739H4029H6076H1323H6726H857H7223H4475H4467H935H1323H33899But why are you now screaming in terror? Have you no king to lead you? Have your wise people all died? Pain has gripped you like a woman in childbirth.H7321H7452H4428H3289H6H2427H2388H320510Writhe and groan like a woman in labor, you people of Jerusalem, for now you must leave this city to live in the open country. You will soon be sent in exile to distant Babylon. But the Lord will rescue you there; he will redeem you from the grip of your enemies.H2342H1518H1323H6726H3205H3318H7151H7931H7704H935H894H5337H3068H1350H3709H34111Now many nations have gathered against you. “Let her be desecrated,” they say. “Let us see the destruction of Jerusalem.”H7227H1471H622H559H2610H5869H2372H672612But they do not know the Lord’s thoughts or understand his plan. These nations don’t know that he is gathering them together to be beaten and trampled like sheaves of grain on a threshing floor.H3045H4284H3068H995H6098H6908H5995H163713“Rise up and crush the nations, O Jerusalem!” says the Lord. “For I will give you iron horns and bronze hooves, so you can trample many nations to pieces. You will present their stolen riches to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.”H6965H1758H1323H6726H7760H7161H1270H7760H6541H5154H1854H7227H5971H2763H1215H3068H2428H113H776
, your royal might and power will come back to you again. The kingship will be restored to my precious Jerusalem.H4026
