“So this is the Lord’s message against Sennacherib: ‘The virgin daughter Zion does not think you are important. She makes fun of you. Daughter Jerusalem shakes her head at you and laughs behind your back.
“People of Jerusalem, get up and crush them! I will make you very strong. It will be as if you have horns of iron and hooves of bronze. You will beat many people into small pieces. You will give their wealth to the Lord. You will give their treasure to the Lord of all the earth.”
Listen, the Lord is speaking to all the faraway lands: “Tell the people of Zion, ‘Look, your Savior is coming. He is bringing your reward to you. He is bringing it with him.’”
My heart breaks as I remember the pleasant times in the past, when I walked with the crowds as I led them up to God’s Temple. I remember the happy songs of praise as they celebrated the festival.
Then the Lord said, “I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt, and I have heard their cries when the Egyptians hurt them. I know about their pain.