8 Our enemies have no reason to gloat over us. We have fallen, but we will rise again. We are in darkness now, but the Lord will give us light.
9 We have sinned against the Lord, so now we must endure his anger for a while. But in the end he will defend us and right the wrongs that have been done to us. He will bring us out to the light; we will live to see him save us.
10 Then our enemies will see this and be disgraced — the same enemies who taunted us by asking, “Where is the Lord your God?” We will see them defeated, trampled down like mud in the streets.
11 People of Jerusalem, the time to rebuild the city walls is coming. At that time your territory will be enlarged.
12 Your people will return to you from everywhere — from Assyria in the east, from Egypt in the south, from the region of the Euphrates, from distant seas and far-off mountains.
13 But the earth will become a desert because of the wickedness of those who live on it.
14 Be a shepherd to your people, Lord, the people you have chosen. Although they live apart in the wilderness, there is fertile land around them. Let them go and feed in the rich pastures of Bashan and Gilead, as they did long ago.