^2 (A) You can't believe idols
    and fortunetellers,
or depend on the hope
you receive from witchcraft
    and interpreters of dreams.
But you have tried all of these,
and now you are like sheep
    without a shepherd.

³ I, the Lord All-Powerful,
    am fiercely angry
with you leaders,
    and I will punish you.
I care for my people,
    the nation of Judah,
and I will change
this flock of sheep
    into charging war horses.

⁴ From this flock will come leaders
    who will be strong
like cornerstones and tent pegs
    and weapons of war.
⁵ They will join in the fighting,
and together they will trample
    their enemies like mud.
They will fight,
because I, the Lord,
    will be on their side.
And they will crush
    the enemy cavalry.

⁶ I will strengthen
the kingdoms of Judah
    and Israel.^[a]
And I will show mercy
because I am the Lord,
    their God.
I will answer their prayers
    and bring them home.
Then it will seem as though
    I had never rejected them.
⁷ Israel^[b] will be like
a tribe of warriors
    celebrating with wine.
When their children see this,
they will also be happy
    because of me, the Lord.

⁸ I will give a signal
for them to come together
    because I have rescued them.
And there will be as many
    as ever before.
^9 (B) Although I scattered my people
in distant countries,
    they won't forget me.
Once their children are raised,^[c]
    they will return—
¹⁰ I will bring them home
from Egypt and Assyria,
    then let them settle
as far as Gilead and Lebanon,
until the land overflows
    with them.
¹¹ My people will go through
    an ocean of troubles,
but I will overcome the waves
and dry up the deepest part
    of the Nile.
Assyria's great pride
    will be put down,
and the power of Egypt
    will disappear.
¹² I'll strengthen my people
because of who I am,
    and they will follow me.
I, the Lord, have spoken!