Chapter 25

Praise for Judgment and Salvation

1 O Lord, I will honor and praise your name,

for you are my God.

You do such wonderful things!

You planned them long ago,

and now you have accomplished them.

2 You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins.

Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble.

Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear

and will never be rebuilt.

3 Therefore, strong nations will declare your glory;

ruthless nations will fear you.

4 But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord,

a tower of refuge to the needy in distress.

You are a refuge from the storm

and a shelter from the heat.

For the oppressive acts of ruthless people

are like a storm beating against a wall,

5 or like the relentless heat of the desert.

But you silence the roar of foreign nations.

As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat,

so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled.

6 In Jerusalem,* the Lord of Heaven’s Armies

will spread a wonderful feast

for all the people of the world.

It will be a delicious banquet

with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.

7 There he will remove the cloud of gloom,

the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.

8 He will swallow up death forever!

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.

He will remove forever all insults and mockery

against his land and people.

The Lord has spoken!

9 In that day the people will proclaim,

“This is our God!

We trusted in him, and he saved us!

This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.

Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”

10 For the Lord’s hand of blessing will rest on Jerusalem.

But Moab will be crushed.

It will be like straw trampled down and left to rot.

11 God will push down Moab’s people

as a swimmer pushes down water with his hands.

He will end their pride

and all their evil works.

12 The high walls of Moab will be demolished.

They will be brought down to the ground,

down into the dust.