5. The Lord is exalted; he lives on high,filling Zion with justice and righteousness.
6. He will provide security during a lifetime:a source of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge—fear of the Lord will be Zion’s treasure.
7. But then those in Ariel cried out in the streets;messengers of peace wept bitterly.
8. The highways were deserted;travelers left the road.The covenant was broken;solemn pledges were rejected;no one cared for humanity.
9. The land mourned; it wasted away;Lebanon was ashamed; it withered.Sharon became like the desert,and Bashan and Carmel were dropping their leaves.
10. Now I will arise, says the Lord.Now I will exalt myself; now I will stand tall.
11. You conceive straw, give birth to stubble;your breath is a fire that devours you.
12. Peoples will be burned to lime,thorns cut up and set ablaze.