2 On that day the Lord will say of his pleasant vineyard,
3 “I watch over it and water it continually. I guard it night and day so that no one will harm it.
4 I am no longer angry with the vineyard. If only there were thorns and briars to fight against, then I would burn them up completely.
5 But if the enemies of my people want my protection, let them make peace with me. Yes, let them make peace with me.”
6 In days to come the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob, will take root like a tree, and they will blossom and bud. The earth will be covered with the fruit they produce.
7 Israel has not been punished by the Lord as severely as its enemies, nor lost as many people.
8 The Lord punished his people by sending them into exile. He took them away with a cruel wind from the east.