"With weepingthey will come,And by supplicationI will leadthem; I will make them walkby streamsof waters,On a straightpathin which they will not stumble;For I ama fatherto Israel,And Ephraimis My firstborn."
So Davidblessedthe LORDin the sightof allthe assembly;and Davidsaid,"Blessedare You, O LORDGodof Israelour father,foreverand ever.
He ledthem also by a straightway,To goto an inhabitedcity.
He makes me liedownin greenpastures;He leadsme besidequietwaters.
"I alsoshall makehim [My] firstborn,The highestof the kingsof the earth.
"Then you shall sayto Pharaoh,'Thussaysthe LORD,"Israelis My son,My firstborn.
"I will leadthe blindby a waythey do not know,In pathsthey do not knowI will guidethem. I will makedarknessinto lightbeforethem And ruggedplacesinto plains.Theseare the thingsI will do,And I will not leavethem undone."
"The beastsof the fieldwill glorifyMe, The jackalsand the ostriches,BecauseI have givenwatersin the wildernessAnd riversin the desert,To givedrinkto My chosenpeople.
Thussaysthe LORD,the HolyOneof Israel,and his Maker:"AskMe aboutthe thingsto comeconcerningMy sons,And you shall committo Me the workof My hands.
And it will be said,"Buildup, buildup, preparethe way,Remove[every] obstacleout of the wayof My people."
Who ledthem through the depths?Like the horsein the wilderness,they did not stumble;
For You are our Father,thoughAbrahamdoes not knowus And Israeldoes not recognizeus. You, O LORD,are our Father,Our Redeemerfrom of oldis Your name.
But now,O LORD,You are our Father,We are the clay,and You our potter;And allof us are the workof Your hand.
"Then I said,'HowI would setyou among My sonsAnd giveyou a pleasantland,The mostbeautifulinheritanceof the nations!'And I said,'You shall callMe, My Father,And not turnawayfrom followingMe.'
"Have you not just nowcalledto Me, 'My Father,You are the friendof my youth?
"Is EphraimMy dearson?Is he a delightfulchild?Indeed,as oftenas I have spokenagainst him, I certainly[still] rememberhim; ThereforeMy heartyearnsfor him; I will surelyhavemercyon him," declaresthe LORD.
"In thosedaysand at that time,"declaresthe LORD,"the sonsof Israelwill come,[both] they and the sonsof Judahas well;they will goalong weepingas they go,and it will be the LORDtheir Godthey will seek.
Yes, he wrestledwith the angeland prevailed;He weptand soughtHis favor.He foundHim at BethelAnd thereHe spokewith us,
Afterwardthe sonsof Israelwill returnand seekthe LORDtheir Godand Davidtheir king;and they will cometremblingto the LORDand to His goodnessin the lastdays.
"I will pourout on the houseof Davidand on the inhabitantsof Jerusalem,the Spiritof graceand of supplication,so that they will lookon Me whomthey have pierced;and they will mournfor Him, as one mournsfor an onlyson,and they will weepbitterlyoverHim like the bitterweepingovera firstborn.
"Do we not allhave onefather?Has not oneGodcreatedus? Whydo we dealtreacherouslyeachagainst his brotherso as to profanethe covenantof our fathers?
"On the westside[shall be] the standardof the campof Ephraimby their armies,and the leaderof the sonsof Ephraim[shall be] Elishamathe sonof Ammihud,
For thisis the one referredto by Isaiahthe prophetwhen he said,"THE VOICEOF ONE CRYINGIN THE WILDERNESS,MAKE READYTHE WAYOF THE LORD,MAKEHIS PATHSSTRAIGHT!'"
"Blessedare thosewho mourn,for they shall be comforted.
"Pray,then,in this way:'Our Fatherwhois in heaven,Hallowedbe Your name.
"Blessed[are] you who hungernow,for you shall be satisfied.Blessed[are] you who weepnow,for you shall laugh.
In the same waythe Spiritalsohelpsour weakness;for we do not knowhowto prayas we should,but the SpiritHimselfintercedesfor [us] with groaningstoo deep for words;
"And I will be a fatherto you, And you shall be sonsand daughtersto Me," Saysthe LordAlmighty.
"You are the sonsof the LORDyour God;you shall not cutyourselves norshaveyour foreheadfor the sake of the dead.
"Do you thusrepaythe LORD,O foolishand unwisepeople?Is not He your Fatherwho has boughtyou? He has madeyou and establishedyou.
and makestraightpathsfor your feet,sothat [the limb] which is lamemay not be put out of joint,but ratherbe healed.
to the general assemblyand churchof the firstbornwho are enrolledin heaven,and to God,the Judgeof all,and to the spiritsof [the] righteousmade perfect,
In the daysof His flesh,He offeredup bothprayersand supplicationswith loudcryingand tearsto the One ableto saveHim from death,and He was heardbecauseof His piety.
for the Lambin the centerof the thronewill be their shepherd,and will guidethem to springsof the waterof life;and Godwill wipeeverytearfrom their eyes."
