A prayer of thanks to God

1You, LORD, are my God!

I will praise you

for doing the wonderful things

you had planned and promised

since ancient times.

2You have destroyed the fortress

of our enemies,

leaving their city in ruins.

Nothing in that foreign city

will ever be rebuilt.

3Now strong and cruel nations

will fear and honour you.

4You have been a place of safety

for the poor and needy

in times of trouble.

Brutal enemies pounded us

like a heavy rain

or the heat of the sun at midday,

but you were our shelter.

5Those wild foreigners struck

like scorching desert heat.

But you were like a cloud,

protecting us from the sun.

You kept our enemies from singing

songs of victory.

The LORD has saved us

6On this mountain

the LORD All-Powerful

will prepare for all nations

a feast of the finest foods.

Choice wines and the best meats

will be served.

7Here the LORD will strip away

the burial clothes

that cover the nations.

8The LORD All-Powerful25.8: a 1 Co 15.54; b Rev 7.17; 21.4.

will destroy the power of death

and wipe away all tears.

No longer will his people

be insulted everywhere.

The LORD has spoken!

9At that time, people will say,

“The LORD has saved us!

Let's celebrate.

We waited and hoped—

now our God is here.”

10The powerful arm of the LORD25.10-12: Is 15.1—16.14; Jr 48.1-47; Ez 25.8-11; Am 2.1-3; Zep 2.8-11.

will protect this mountain.

The Moabites will be put down

and trampled on like straw

in a pit of manure.

11They will struggle to get out,

but God will humiliate them

no matter how hard they try.25.11 no matter…try: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

12The walls of their fortresses

will be knocked down

and scattered in the dust.