And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
For the Lord of Armies says this: ‘In pursuit of his glory, he sent me against the nations plundering you, for whoever touches you touches the pupil of my eye.
He will settle disputes among the nations and provide arbitration for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughs and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war.
On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will look to him for guidance, and his resting place will be glorious.
For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: ‘You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing.’
They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the wild creatures of the earth will not consume them. They will live securely, and no one will frighten them.