Then all our enemies heard that we had completed the wall. And all the nations around us saw that it was finished. So they lost their courage. Why? Because they understood that this work had been done with the help of our God.
Then Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Haman’s wife and the men that gave him advice said, “If Mordecai is a Jew, then you can’t win. You have already started to fall. Surely you will be ruined!”
The Jews defeated all their enemies. They used swords to kill and destroy their enemies. And the Jews did what they wanted to with those people that hated them.
Pray for peace in Jerusalem.\par “I hope the people who love you\par will find peace there.\par I hope there will be peace\par inside your walls.\par I hope there will be safety\par in your great buildings.”\par
My Master will finish doing the things he planned to Jerusalem and Mount Zion. {\cf2\super [116]} Then the Lord will punish Assyria. {\cf2\super [117]} The king of Assyria is very proud. His pride made him do many bad things. So God will punish him.
But it will also be like a dream to those armies. They will not get what they want. It will be like a hungry man dreaming about food. When the man wakes up, he is still hungry. It will be like a thirsty man dreaming about water. When the man wakes up, he is still thirsty.
But I will make Jerusalem like a heavy rock—anyone that tries to take it will hurt himself. Those people will really be cut and scratched. But all the nations on earth will come together to fight against Jerusalem.
At that time, I will make the family leaders of Judah like a fire burning in a forest. They will destroy their enemies like fire burning straw. They will destroy the enemy all around them. And the people in Jerusalem will again be able to sit back and relax.”