The people of Ephraim will be strong like soldiers; they will be glad as when they have drunk wine. Their children will see it and rejoice; they will be happy in the Lord.
I have chosen him so he would command his children and his descendants to live the way the Lord wants them to, to live right and be fair. Then I, the Lord, will give Abraham what I promised him.”
Food from Joseph’s table was taken to them, but Benjamin was given five times more food than the others. Joseph’s brothers ate and drank freely with him.
At that time people will say, “Our God is doing this! We have waited for him, and he has come to save us. This is the Lord. We waited for him, so we will rejoice and be happy when he saves us.”
When you see these things, you will be happy, and you will grow like the grass. The Lord’s servants will see his power, but his enemies will see his anger.
I will make them truly want to be one people with one goal. They will truly want to worship me all their lives, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
They will live on the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land in which your ancestors lived. They will all live on the land forever: they, their children, and their grandchildren. David my servant will be their king forever.
So be happy, people of Jerusalem; be joyful in the Lord your God. Because he does what is right, he has brought you rain; he has sent the fall rain and the spring rain for you, as before.
At that time the Lord will protect the people in Jerusalem. Then even the weakest of them will be strong like David. And the family of David will be like God, like an angel of the Lord in front of them.
The Lord All-Powerful will protect them; they will destroy the enemy with slingshots. They will drink and shout like drunks. They will be filled like a bowl used for sprinkling blood at the corners of the altar.
God has made this promise come true for us, his children, by raising Jesus from the dead. We read about this also in Psalm 2: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’
You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. So you are filled with a joy that cannot be explained, a joy full of glory.
Hannah prayed: “The Lord has filled my heart with joy; I feel very strong in the Lord. I can laugh at my enemies; I am glad because you have helped me!