he will judge the poor fairly and defend the rights of the helpless. At his command the people will be punished, and evil persons will die.

How shall we answer the messengers that come to us from Philistia? We will tell them that the LORD has established Zion and that his suffering people will find safety there.

Poor and humble people will once again find the happiness which the LORD, the holy God of Israel, gives.

LORD, have mercy on us. We have put our hope in you. Protect us day by day and save us in times of trouble.

I myself created the whole universe! I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.

But God saves the poor from death; he saves the needy from oppression.

He gives hope to the poor and silences the wicked.

"But now I will come," says the LORD, "because the needy are oppressed and the persecuted groan in pain. I will give them the security they long for."

With all my heart I will say to the LORD, "There is no one like you. You protect the weak from the strong, the poor from the oppressor."

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

He has pity on the weak and poor; he saves the lives of those in need.

But he rescued the needy from their misery and made their families increase like flocks.

I have followed your instructions, LORD; don't let me be put to shame.

I will leave there a humble and lowly people, who will come to me for help.

Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.

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.

His glory will shade the city from the heat of the day and make it a place of safety, sheltered from the rain and storm.

Each of them will be like a shelter from the wind and a place to hide from storms. They will be like streams flowing in a desert, like the shadow of a giant rock in a barren land.

God's people will be free from worries, and their homes peaceful and safe.

(But hail will fall on the forests, and the city will be torn down.)

This is the message which he told them to give to Isaiah: "Today is a day of suffering; we are being punished and are in disgrace. We are like a woman who is ready to give birth, but is too weak to do it.

The Assyrian emperor has sent his chief official to insult the living God. May the LORD your God hear these insults and punish those who spoke them. So pray to God for those of our people who survive."

An angel of the LORD went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead!

Tell the prophets that their wall is going to fall down. I will send a pouring rain. Hailstones will fall on it, and a strong wind will blow against it.

Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "In my anger I will send a strong wind, pouring rain, and hailstones to destroy the wall.

The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock.

The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!"