12Lord, you will grant us peace;
all we have accomplished is really from you.
13O Lord our God, others have ruled us,
but you alone are the one we worship.
14Those we served before are dead and gone.
Their departed spirits will never return!
You attacked them and destroyed them,
and they are long forgotten.
15O Lord, you have made our nation great;
yes, you have made us great.
You have extended our borders,
and we give you the glory!
16Lord, in distress we searched for you.
We prayed beneath the burden of your discipline.
17Just as a pregnant woman
writhes and cries out in pain as she gives birth,
so were we in your presence, Lord.
18We, too, writhe in agony,
but nothing comes of our suffering.
We have not given salvation to the earth,
nor brought life into the world.
19But those who die in the Lord will live;
their bodies will rise again!
Those who sleep in the earth
will rise up and sing for joy!
For your life-giving light will fall like dew
on your people in the place of the dead!
Restoration for Israel
20Go home, my people,
and lock your doors!
Hide yourselves for a little while
until the Lord’s anger has passed.
21Look! The Lord is coming from heaven
to punish the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed.
They will be brought out for all to see.
