2O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be our strength each morning, and our salvation in the time of trouble.

3At the sound of Your voice, the people flee; at Your arousing, the nations scatter. 4And the plunder of your Assyrian army shall be gathered and stripped as if by caterpillars, as men pounce upon your spoils. 5The LORD is exalted; for He dwells on high; He will fill Zion with His justice and righteousness. 6And wisdom and knowledge shall be the foundation of your times; salvation, and the fear of the LORD, will be your treasure.

7Behold, their brave men shall cry out loud in the streets; their ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. 8The highways lie deserted, no travelers on the roads; he (Sennacherib) has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, he regards no man. 9The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is ashamed and withers; the plain of Sharon is now a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves and fruits.

10Now I will rise, says the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift Myself up. 11You (primarily Assyria – but not exclusively) conceive chaff, you give birth to stubble; your breath, like fire, consumes you. 12And your people shall be burned to ashes; like thornbushes cut up and thrown in the fire. 13Hear, you that are far off, what I have done; and, you that are near, acknowledge My power.

14The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless hypocrites. Who of us can abide in this consuming fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning? 15Those that walk righteously, and speak uprightly; that despise gain by extortion, that keep his hands from taking bribes, that shut his ears to plots of murder, and will not look upon evil; 16They shall dwell on high; the rocks of the mountain shall be their strongholds; Their food shall be provided for them; their water supply shall be sure.

17Your eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall view a land that stretches far off. 18In your heart you shall reflect upon the former terror. “Where are the Assyrian officers, and those that extorted revenue? Where is he that oversaw the forts and towers?” 19You shall no longer see a fierce people whose speech you cannot comprehend. 20Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes shall see Jerusalem, a peaceful and secure abode, a tent that shall not be taken down; not one of its stakes shall ever be removed, nor shall any of its cords be broken. 21But there the glorious LORD will be to us like a broad river that no enemy can cross, where no galley with oars, nor majestic ship shall pass. 22For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our King; it is He Who will save us. 23Their riggings hang loose on a broken mast, upon which they could not hoist a sail. There is much prey or spoil to be divided; even the lame shall take their share. 24And no living in Zion shall say, “I am ill”; and the sins of those living there shall be forgiven.

Isaiah 34