In another vision I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.

Then I saw the angel who had been speaking to me step forward, and another angel came to meet him.

The LORD has promised that he himself will be a wall of fire around the city to protect it and that he will live there in all his glory."

(SEE 2:6)

"The LORD himself will fight against you, and you will be plundered by the people who were once your servants." When this happens, everyone will know that the LORD Almighty sent me.

At that time many nations will come to the LORD and become his people. He will live among you, and you will know that he has sent me to you.

Be silent, everyone, in the presence of the LORD, for he is coming from his holy dwelling place.

At that time the LORD will protect those who live in Jerusalem, and even the weakest among them will become as strong as David was. The descendants of David will lead them like the angel of the LORD, like God himself.

As Jacob went on his way, some angels met him.

When he saw them, he said, "This is God's camp"; so he named the place Mahanaim.

His angel guards those who honor the LORD and rescues them from danger.

God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

even if the seas roar and rage, and the hills are shaken by the violence.

God is in that city, and it will never be destroyed; at early dawn he will come to its aid.

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which can never be shaken, never be moved.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, now and forever.

Then over Mount Zion and over all who are gathered there, the LORD will send a cloud in the daytime and smoke and a bright flame at night. God's glory will cover and protect the whole city.

A day is coming when the people will sing this song in the land of Judah: Our city is strong! God himself defends its walls!

Just as a bird hovers over its nest to protect its young, so I, the LORD Almighty, will protect Jerusalem and defend it."

Look at Zion, the city where we celebrate our religious festivals. Look at Jerusalem! What a safe place it will be to live in! It will be like a tent that is never moved, whose pegs are never pulled up and whose ropes never break.

All the rigging on those ships is useless; the sails cannot be spread! We will seize all the wealth of enemy armies, and there will be so much that even the lame can get a share. The LORD himself will be our king; he will rule over us and protect us.

This time you will not have to leave in a hurry; you will not be trying to escape. The LORD your God will lead you and protect you on every side.

The LORD roars from Mount Zion; his voice thunders from Jerusalem; earth and sky tremble. But he will defend his people.

"Then, Israel, you will know that I am the LORD your God. I live on Zion, my sacred hill. Jerusalem will be a sacred city; foreigners will never conquer it again.

They spread out over the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people and the city that he loves. But fire came down from heaven and destroyed them.

While Josiah was king, King Neco of Egypt led an army to the Euphrates River to help the emperor of Assyria. King Josiah tried to stop the Egyptian army at Megiddo and was killed in battle.

While Jehoiakim was king, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia invaded Judah, and for three years Jehoiakim was forced to submit to his rule; then he rebelled.

beginning with Egypt. This is what he said about the army of King Neco of Egypt, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia defeated at Carchemish near the Euphrates River in the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah:

When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia came to attack Egypt, the LORD spoke to me. He said,

After a number of years the king of Egypt will make an alliance with the king of Syria and give him his daughter in marriage. But the alliance will not last, and she, her husband, her child, and the servants who went with her will all be killed.

Soon afterward one of her relatives will become king. He will attack the army of the king of Syria, enter their fortress, and defeat them.

"The sons of the king of Syria will prepare for war and gather a large army. One of them will sweep on like a flood and attack an enemy fortress.

He will be proud of his victory and of the many soldiers he has killed, but he will not continue to be victorious.

Then many people will rebel against the king of Egypt. And some violent people from your nation, Daniel, will rebel because of a vision they have seen, but they will be defeated.

The Syrian invader will do with them as he pleases, without opposition. He will stand in the Promised Land and have it completely in his power.

Then the two kings will sit down to eat at the same table, but their motives will be evil, and they will lie to each other. They will not get what they want, because the time for it has not yet come.

"Later on he will invade Egypt again, but this time things will turn out differently.

"When the king of Syria's final hour has almost come, the king of Egypt will attack him, and the king of Syria will fight back with all his power, using chariots, horses, and many ships. He will invade many countries, like the waters of a flood.

When he invades all those countries, even Egypt will not be spared.

Then news that comes from the east and the north will frighten him, and he will fight furiously, killing many people.

The people will live there in safety, no longer threatened by destruction.

May the king judge the poor fairly; may he help the needy and defeat their oppressors.

Jerusalem, be strong and great again! Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendor! The heathen will never enter your gates again.

Justice and right will make you strong. You will be safe from oppression and terror.

The sounds of violence will be heard no more; Destruction will not shatter your country again. I will protect and defend you like a wall; You will praise me because I have saved you.

They will come and sing for joy on Mount Zion and be delighted with my gifts--- gifts of grain and wine and olive oil, gifts of sheep and cattle. They will be like a well-watered garden; they will have everything they need.

The LORD said, "None of the surrounding nations that treated Israel with scorn will ever again be like thorns and briers to hurt Israel. And they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD."

The Sovereign LORD said, "I will bring back the people of Israel from the nations where I scattered them, and all the nations will know that I am holy. The people of Israel will live in their own land, the land that I gave to my servant Jacob.

I will pour out my spirit on the people of Israel and never again turn away from them. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken."

I will plant my people on the land I gave them, and they will not be pulled up again." The LORD your God has spoken.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the abyss and a heavy chain.

The angel threw him into the abyss, locked it, and sealed it, so that he could not deceive the nations any more until the thousand years were over. After that he must be set loose for a little while.

Then the LORD said, "I have seen how cruelly my people are being treated in Egypt; I have heard them cry out to be rescued from their slave drivers. I know all about their sufferings,

I have indeed heard the cry of my people, and I see how the Egyptians are oppressing them.

Perhaps the LORD will notice my misery and give me some blessings to take the place of his curse."

I have seen the cruel suffering of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans, and I have come down to set them free. Come now; I will send you to Egypt.'