The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says,

And so all the rest of the human race will come to me, all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own.

A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, "Wonderful Counselor," "Mighty God," "Eternal Father," "Prince of Peace."

His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace. He will rule as King David's successor, basing his power on right and justice, from now until the end of time. The LORD Almighty is determined to do all this.

The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David's descendants.

and find pleasure in obeying him. He will not judge by appearance or hearsay;

He will rule his people with justice and integrity.

Cows and bears will eat together, and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace. Lions will eat straw as cattle do.

On Zion, God's sacred hill, there will be nothing harmful or evil. The land will be as full of knowledge of the LORD as the seas are full of water.

The LORD says, "The time is coming when I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land.

When he is king, the people of Judah will be safe, and the people of Israel will live in peace. He will be called 'The LORD Our Salvation.'

Instead, they will serve me, the LORD their God, and a descendant of David, whom I will enthrone as king.

The LORD said, "The time is coming when I will fulfill the promise that I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

The people of Judah and of Jerusalem will be rescued and will live in safety. The city will be called 'The LORD Our Salvation.'

"I have made a covenant with the day and with the night, so that they always come at their proper times; and that covenant can never be broken.

I will increase the number of descendants of my servant David and the number of priests from the tribe of Levi, so that it will be as impossible to count them as it is to count the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore."

"Have you noticed how people are saying that I have rejected Israel and Judah, the two families that I chose? And so they look with contempt on my people and no longer consider them a nation.

And just as surely as I have done this, so I will maintain my covenant with Jacob's descendants and with my servant David. I will choose one of David's descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will be merciful to my people and make them prosperous again."

All the trees in the land will know that I am the LORD. I cut down the tall trees and make small trees grow tall. I wither up the green trees and make the dry trees become green. I, the LORD, have spoken. I will do what I have said I would do."

I will give them a king like my servant David to be their one shepherd, and he will take care of them.

I, the LORD, will be their God, and a king like my servant David will be their ruler. I have spoken.

A king like my servant David will be their king. They will all be united under one ruler and will obey my laws faithfully.

They will live on the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They will live there forever, and so will their children and all their descendants. A king like my servant David will rule them forever.

But the time will come when the people of Israel will once again turn to the LORD their God and to a descendant of David their king. Then they will fear the LORD and will receive his good gifts.

The LORD says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."

You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!"

He was a prophet, and he knew what God had promised him: God had made a vow that he would make one of David's descendants a king, just as David was.

God has raised this very Jesus from death, and we are all witnesses to this fact.

For it was not David who went up into heaven; rather he said, 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit here at my right side

"All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!"

Then one of David's descendants will be king, and he will rule the people with faithfulness and love. He will be quick to do what is right, and he will see that justice is done.)

"You wicked, unholy ruler of Israel, your day, the day of your final punishment, is coming.

Ruin, ruin! Yes, I will make the city a ruin. But this will not happen until the one comes whom I have chosen to punish the city. To him I will give it.

You have always protected him and his family and everything he owns. You bless everything he does, and you have given him enough cattle to fill the whole country.

Why did you break down the fences around it? Now anyone passing by can steal its grapes;

You have torn down the walls of his city and left his forts in ruins.

"Here is what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge around it, break down the wall that protects it, and let wild animals eat it and trample it down.

I remember the days gone by; I think about all that you have done, I bring to mind all your deeds.

But then they remembered the past, the days of Moses, the servant of the LORD, and they asked, "Where now is the LORD, who saved the leaders of his people from the sea? Where is the LORD, who gave his spirit to Moses?

and hand them over to those who want to kill them, to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army. But later on, people will live in Egypt again, as they did in times past. I, the LORD, have spoken.

Bring us back to you, LORD! Bring us back! Restore our ancient glory.

I will make people and cattle increase in number. There will be more of you than ever before, and you will have many children. I will let you live there as you used to live, and I will make you more prosperous than ever. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Be a shepherd to your people, LORD, the people you have chosen. Although they live apart in the wilderness, there is fertile land around them. Let them go and feed in the rich pastures of Bashan and Gilead, as they did long ago.