Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away the judgments against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.
I will deal with all your oppressors at that time.
And I will save the lame and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD. Zephaniah 3:14-20
Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away the judgments against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.
I will deal with all your oppressors at that time.
And I will save the lame and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD. Zephaniah 3:14-20
Dear Momma and Papa.
We have finally arrived in Bethlehem. It was not as I expected at all. There are people and animals everywhere and it is so noisy! The smells from the food vendors, the animals and some people have made my stomach turn. Joseph has left me for a time with his cousins here, who do bot have room for us, like they had promised. They were overhwlemed with relatives and family friends all coming to take care of the registration and taxes. It is wall to wall people here. I got a bit faint in the kitchen, so they let me sit in the shade of a tree. They have been very kind, but there is no room here. Joseph is out looking for a room for us. There are quite a few inns nearby, so he will surely find something! Meanwhile, I am sitting and munching on some dates, sipping cool tea in the garden. I offered to help in the kitchen, but they assured me there was plenty of help and no room to move. I feel so useless these days.
The last part of this trip has been relatively easy. As we got closer to the city, the roads got very crowded. We didn't realize how extensive the registration was. Joseph had just thought it was for men who were living away from their families. Turns out, it's everyone! We were so surprised as we talked to people along the way. Some folks scared us by talking about officials who demanded bribes. Joseph tols me not to worry, but it seems so uncertain and scary. Why are so many people selfish, greedy and cruel. That I will never understand!
Sending love from this noisy, dirty city. Makes me appreciate home ever so much more.
love,
Mary
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