3 I, the Lord, am its guardian.Every moment I water it;night and day I guard it from attack.
4 I’m not angry,but if it yields thorns and thistles for me,I will march to battle against it;I will torch it completely.
5 Or let them cling to me for refuge;let them make peace with me;let them make peace with me.
6 In coming days,Jacob will take root;Israel will blossom and sproutand fill the whole world with produce.
7 Did God strike Israel as he struck those who struck him?Was Israel killed as his killers were killed?
8 By frightening Jerusalem, by sending her away,you contended with her,expelling with a fierce blaston the day of the east wind.
9 By this Jacob’s guilt is reconciled,and this was how his sins were finally removed:he made all the altar stones like shattered chalk,sacred poles and incense altars that couldn’t stand.