2 Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write down on a scroll all the words I have spoken to you.
3 For indeed, the days are coming—oracle of the Lord—when I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah—oracle of the Lord. I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their ancestors, and they shall take possession of it.
4 These are the words the Lord spoke to Israel and to Judah:
5 Thus says the Lord:We hear a cry of fear:terror, not peace.
6 Inquire and see:does a male give birth?Why, then, do I see all these men,their hands on their loinsLike women in labor,all their faces drained of color?
7 Ah! How mighty is that day—there is none like it!A time of distress for Jacob,though he shall be saved from it.
8 On that day—oracle of the Lord of hosts—I will break his yoke off your neck and snap your bonds. Strangers shall no longer enslave them;