David captured the fortress of Zion, the city of David.

At that time, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the {families} of the {Israelites} before King Solomon, in order to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion.

This is the word that Yahweh has spoken concerning him: She despises you, she scorns you, the virgin daughter of Zion. Behind you the daughter of Jerusalem shakes [her] head.

For from Jerusalem a remnant shall go out and survivors from Mount Zion; the zeal of Yahweh will do this.

And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You will not enter here." But David captured the stronghold of Zion; that [is,] the city of David.

Then Solomon assembled all the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the {families} for the {Israelites}, to Jerusalem in order to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, which [is] Zion.

"But as for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy mountain."

Sing [praises] to Yahweh [who] sits [enthroned] in Zion. Tell his deeds among the peoples,

so that I may tell of all your praises. In the gates of the daughter of Zion let me rejoice in your salvation.

{Oh that from Zion} [would come] salvation [for] Israel! When Yahweh returns the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be happy.

May he send you help from [the] sanctuary, and from Zion may he sustain you.

Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, [is] {Mount Zion}, {in the far north}, [the] city of [the] great king.

Let {Mount Zion} rejoice; let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments.

Walk about Zion and circle it; count her towers.

From Zion, [the] perfection of beauty, God shines forth.

Do good in your favor toward Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem.

{Oh, that from Zion} would come salvation [for] Israel! When God returns the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion, and to you [the] vow shall be fulfilled.

because God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it.

Remember your congregation [that] you bought long ago, [when] you redeemed the tribe of your inheritance. [Remember] {Mount Zion} where you have dwelt.

His den has been in Salem, his lair in Zion.

but chose the tribe of Judah, {Mount Zion} that he loved.

Blessed [is the] man whose strength [is] in you; in their heart [are the] highways [to Zion].

They go from strength to strength, [until each] appears before God in Zion.

Yahweh loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

But with respect to Zion it shall be said, "{Each one} was born in her," for the Most High himself will establish her.

Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments, O Yahweh.

Yahweh [is] great in Zion, and he [is] exalted over all the peoples.

You rise up and take pity on Zion, because [it is] time to favor it, for [the] appointed time has come.

For Yahweh will rebuild Zion; he will appear in his glory.

so that [they may] make known in Zion the name of Yahweh, and his praise in Jerusalem,

Yahweh will send out your mighty scepter from Zion; rule in the midst of your enemies.

Those who trust in Yahweh [are] like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, [but] abides forever.

When Yahweh restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like dreamers.

May Yahweh bless you from Zion, that you may see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life,

Let all be put to shame and repulsed who hate Zion.

For Yahweh has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation.

[It is] like the dew of Hermon that runs down upon the mountains of Zion, because there Yahweh commanded the blessing-- life forever.

May Yahweh bless you from Zion, [he who] made heaven and earth.

Blessed [be] Yahweh from Zion, who dwells [in] Jerusalem. Praise Yah!

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat, yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

For there our captors asked of us words of a song, and our tormentors [asked of us] jubilation, "Sing for us from a song of Zion."

Yahweh will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, {throughout all generations}. Praise Yah.

Laud Yahweh, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion,

Let Israel be glad in its maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.

Come out and look, {O maidens of Zion}, at {King Solomon}, at the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of the joy of his heart!

And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a shelter in a cucumber field, like a city that is besieged.

Zion will be redeemed by justice, and those of her who repent, by righteousness.

many peoples shall come. And they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob, and may he teach us part of his ways, and let us walk in his paths." For instruction shall go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

And Yahweh said: "Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and they walk [with] outstretched neck, and they give flirting glances [with their] eyes, {mincing along as they go}, and {with their feet they rattle their bangles},

the Lord will make the heads of the daughters of Zion scabby, and Yahweh will lay their foreheads bare."

And this shall happen: He who is left in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone written for life in Jerusalem,

when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the blood of Jerusalem from her midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.

Then Yahweh will create over all of the site of {Mount Zion} and over her assembly a cloud by day and smoke and the brightness of flaming fire [by] night. Indeed, over all [the] glory [there will be] a canopy,

Look! I and the children whom Yahweh has given to me [are] like signs and portents in Israel from Yahweh of hosts, the one who dwells on the mountain of Zion.

And this shall happen: when the Lord has finished all his work against {Mount Zion} and Jerusalem, "I will punish the {arrogance} of the king of Assyria and {his haughtiness}."

Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh of hosts: "My people who live [in] Zion, you must not be afraid of Assyria. It beats you with the rod, and it lifts up its staff against you {as the Egyptians did}.

{This day} {taking a stand} at Nob, he will shake his fist [at] the mountain of the daughter of Zion, [at] the hill of Jerusalem.

Inhabitant of Zion, shout out and sing for joy, for the holy one of Israel [is] great in your midst."

And what will one answer [the] messengers of [the] nation? That Yahweh has founded Zion, and the needy of his people will take refuge in it.

Send a ram [to the] ruler [of the] land, from Sela [across the] desert to the mountain of {daughter Zion}.

At that time, a gift will be brought to Yahweh of hosts [from] a {tall} and {smooth} people, and from a people feared near and far, a mighty, mighty and trampling nation, whose land [the] rivers divide, to the place of the name of Yahweh of hosts, the mountain of Zion.

And the full moon will be ashamed and the sun will be ashamed, for Yahweh of hosts will rule on {Mount Zion} and in Jerusalem, and before his elders [in] glory.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: "Look! I [am] laying a stone in Zion, a {tested} stone, a precious cornerstone, a founded foundation: 'The one who trusts will not {panic}.'

And it shall be as when the hungry person dreams--look, [he is] eating! And he wakes up and his inner self [is] empty. Or as when the thirsty person dreams--look, [he is] drinking! And he wakes up and look, [he is] faint, and his inner self [is] longing for water. So shall be the multitude of all the nations who fight against Mount Zion.

For people will live in Zion; in Jerusalem, you will surely not weep. Surely he will be gracious to you; when he hears the sound of your cry, he will answer you.

For Yahweh said this to me: "As which lion growls and young lion over its prey when {a full group} of shepherds is called against him, it is not terrified by their voice, and to their noise it does not respond, so Yahweh of hosts will come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon its hill.

And his rock will pass over because of terror, and his officers will be terrified because of [the] flag," {declares} Yahweh, who has a fire in Zion and has a furnace in Jerusalem.

Yahweh [is] exalted, for [he] dwells [on] high; he filled Zion [with] justice and righteousness,

Sinners are afraid in Zion; trembling has seized [the] godless: "Who of us can {live} [with] devouring fire? Who of us can {live} [with] everlasting consuming hearths?"

Look [on] Zion, the city of our appointed festivals! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed settlement, a tent {that is not moved}. No one will ever pull out its tent pegs, and none of its ropes will be torn in two.

For {Yahweh has a day of vengeance}, a year of retribution for the strife of Zion.

And the ransomed of Yahweh shall return, and they shall come [to] Zion with rejoicing. And everlasting joy [shall be] on their head; joy and gladness shall overtake [them], and sorrow and sighing shall flee.

this [is] the word that Yahweh has spoken concerning him: She shows contempt for you; she derides you, virgin daughter of Zion; she shakes [her] head behind you, daughter of Jerusalem.

For a remnant shall go out from Jerusalem and survivors from mountain Zion. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.'

{Get yourself} up to a high mountain, Zion, bringer of good news! Lift up your voice with strength, Jerusalem, bringer of good news! Lift [it] up; you must not fear! Say to the cities of Judah, "Here [is] your God!"

First to Zion, look! Look at them! And I give a herald of good tidings to Jerusalem.

I bring my righteousness near; [it is] not far. And my salvation will not delay; and I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory."

But Zion said, "Yahweh has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me!"

For Yahweh will comfort Zion; he will comfort all its sites of ruins. And he will {make} its wilderness like Eden, and its desert like the garden of Yahweh. Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and [the] {sound} of song.

So the redeemed ones of Yahweh shall return, and they shall come [to] Zion with singing, and everlasting joy [shall be] on their heads. Joy and gladness shall {appear}; sorrow and sighing shall flee away!

And I have put my words in your mouth, and I have covered you in the shadow of my hand, to plant [the] heavens and to found [the] earth, saying to Zion, 'You [are] my people.'"

Awake! Awake; put on your strength, Zion! Put on the garments of your beauty, Jerusalem, {holy city}! For [the] uncircumcised and [the] unclean shall not {continue to} enter you any longer.

Shake yourself free from [the] dust! Rise up; sit, Jerusalem! Free yourselves [from] the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion!

How delightful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns as a king."

The voices of your watchmen! They lift up [their] voices; together they sing for joy; for they {clearly} see Yahweh's return [to] Zion.

"And a redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn away from transgression," {declares} Yahweh.

And the children of those who oppressed you shall come to you bending low, and all those who treated you disrespectfully shall bow down at the soles of your feet. And they shall call you the city of Yahweh, Zion [of] the holy one of Israel.

to {give} for those in mourning in Zion, to give them a head wrap instead of ashes, [the] oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. And {they will be called} oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.

For the sake of Zion I will not be silent, and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not maintain a quiet attitude, until her righteousness goes out like the bright light, and her salvation burns like a torch.

Look! Yahweh has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion, "Look, your salvation [is] coming! Look, his reward [is] with him, and his reward before him.

{Your holy cities} have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

Who has heard [anything] like this? Who has seen [anything] like these [things]? Can a land be born in one day? Or can a nation be born in a moment? [Yet] when she was in labor, Zion indeed gave birth [to] her children.

"Return, apostate children," {declares} Yahweh. "For {I am your master}, and I will take you one from a city and two from a clan, and I will bring you [to] Zion.

Lift up a signal toward Zion, bring yourselves to safety; you must not remain standing, for I [am] bringing evil from [the] north, and a great destruction.

For I heard a voice like an ill woman, anxiety like [a woman who] bears her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion. She is gasping for breath, she is spreading out her hands: "Woe is me, for I am becoming tired before killers."

[The] bow and [the] short sword they grasp [are] cruel, and they show no mercy. Their sound roars like the sea, and on horses they ride, drawn up like a man for battle against you, O daughter of Zion."

Look, the sound of the cry for help of the daughter of my people from a distant land, 'Is Yahweh not in Zion? Is her king not in her?' Why have they provoked me to anger with their images, with idols of a foreign land?"

For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion, 'How we are devastated! We are very ashamed because we have left the land, because they have overthrown our dwelling places.'

Have you completely rejected Judah? Or has your soul loathed Zion? Why have you struck us so that there is no healing for us? We hope for peace, but there is no good, and for a time of healing, but look, there is terror.