Daily Bread

“I will gather the lame;^(A)
    I will assemble the exiles^(B)
    and those I have brought to grief.^(C)
7 I will make the lame my remnant,^(D)
    those driven away a strong nation.^(E)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion^(F)
    from that day and forever.^(G)
8 As for you, watchtower of the flock,
    stronghold^[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored^(H) to you;
    kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.^(I)”

⁹ Why do you now cry aloud—
    have you no king^[b](J)?
Has your ruler^[c] perished,
    that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?^(K)
10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
    like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
    to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;^(L)
    there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem^(M) you
    out of the hand of your enemies.

¹¹ But now many nations
    are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
    let our eyes gloat^(N) over Zion!”
¹² But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,^(O)
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
¹³ “Rise and thresh,^(P) Daughter Zion,
    for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
    and you will break to pieces many nations.”^(Q)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,^(R)
    their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.