The LORD had appeared to Isaac and had said, "Do not go to Egypt; stay in this land, where I tell you to stay.

Live here, and I will be with you and bless you. I am going to give all this territory to you and to your descendants. I will keep the promise I made to your father Abraham.

Trust in the LORD and do good; live in the land and be safe.

I will watch over them and bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not pull them up.

And just as I took care to uproot, to pull down, to overthrow, to destroy, and to demolish them, so I will take care to plant them and to build them up.

I will make Judah and Israel prosperous, and I will rebuild them as they were before.

He will save Jerusalem and rebuild the towns of Judah. His people will live there and possess the land;

When the LORD rebuilds Zion, he will reveal his greatness.

Then the neighboring nations that have survived will know that I, the LORD, rebuild ruined cities and replant waste fields. I, the LORD, have promised that I would do this---and I will."

'After this I will return, says the Lord, and restore the kingdom of David. I will rebuild its ruins and make it strong again.

If at any time I say that I am going to uproot, break down, or destroy any nation or kingdom,

On the other hand, if I say that I am going to plant or build up any nation or kingdom,

King Hezekiah and the people of Judah did not put Micah to death. Instead, Hezekiah honored the LORD and tried to win his favor. And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he said he would bring on them. Now we are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves."

So the LORD changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

The LORD will rescue his people when he sees that their strength is gone. He will have mercy on those who serve him, when he sees how helpless they are.

Whenever the LORD gave Israel a leader, the LORD would help that leader and would save the people from their enemies as long as that leader lived. The LORD would have mercy on them because they groaned under their suffering and oppression.

When the LORD's angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD changed his mind about punishing the people and said to the angel who was killing them, "Stop! That's enough!" The angel was by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite.

For their sake he remembered his covenant, and because of his great love he relented.

"How can I give you up, Israel? How can I abandon you? Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah, or treat you as I did Zeboiim? My heart will not let me do it! My love for you is too strong.

Let your broken heart show your sorrow; tearing your clothes is not enough." Come back to the LORD your God. He is kind and full of mercy; he is patient and keeps his promise; he is always ready to forgive and not punish.

The LORD changed his mind and said, "What you saw will not take place."

The LORD changed his mind again and said, "This will not take place either."

God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

So he prayed, " LORD, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish.