Song of Trust in God’s Protection

1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for security. 2
“Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,
The one that remains faithful. 3
“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You. 4
“Trust in the LORD forever,
For in GOD the LORD, {we have} an everlasting Rock. 5
“For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city;
He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust. 6
“The foot will trample it,
The feet of the afflicted, the steps of the helpless.

 7
The way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level. 8
Indeed, {while following} the way of Your judgments, O LORD,
We have waited for You eagerly;
Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of {our} souls. 9
At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10
{Though} the wicked is shown favor,
He does not learn righteousness;
He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD.

 11
O LORD, Your hand is lifted up {yet} they do not see it.
They see {Your} zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies. 12
LORD, You will establish peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works. 13
O LORD our God, other masters besides You have ruled us;
{But} through You alone we confess Your name. 14
The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore You have punished and destroyed them,
And You have wiped out all remembrance of them. 15
You have increased the nation, O LORD,
You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
You have extended all the borders of the land. 16
O LORD, they sought You in distress;
They could only whisper a prayer,
Your chastening was upon them. 17
As the pregnant woman approaches {the time} to give birth,
She writhes {and} cries out in her labor pains,
Thus were we before You, O LORD. 18
We were pregnant, we writhed {in labor,}
We gave birth, as it seems, {only} to wind.
We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
Nor were inhabitants of the world born. 19
Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew {is as} the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

 20
Come, my people, enter into your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little while
Until indignation runs {its} course. 21
For behold, the LORD is about to come out from His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.