1  Ask rain ^bfrom the Lord

in the season of ^cthe spring rain,

from the Lord ^dwho makes the storm clouds,

and ^ehe will give them showers of rain,

to everyone the vegetation in the field.

2  For ^fthe household gods ^gutter nonsense,

and the diviners see lies;

^hthey tell false dreams

and give empty consolation.

Therefore ⁱthe people wander like sheep;

they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.

3  ^j“My anger is hot against the shepherds,

and ^kI will punish the leaders;¹

for ^lthe Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,

and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.

4  From him shall come ^mthe cornerstone,

from him ⁿthe tent peg,

from him the battle bow,

from him every ruler—^oall of them together.

5  They shall be like mighty men in battle,

^ptrampling the foe in the mud of the streets;

they shall fight because the Lord is with them,

and they shall put to shame ^qthe riders on horses.

6  ^r“I will strengthen the house of Judah,

and ^sI will save the house of Joseph.

^tI will bring them back ^ubecause I have compassion on them,

and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,

for ^vI am the Lord their God and I will answer them.

7  Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,

and ^wtheir hearts shall be glad as with wine.

Their children shall see it and be glad;

their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.

8  ^x“I will whistle for them and ^ygather them in,

for I have redeemed them,

and ^zthey shall be as many as they were before.

9  ^aThough I scattered them among the nations,

yet in far countries ^bthey shall remember me,

and with their children they shall live and return.

10  ^cI will bring them home from the land of Egypt,

and gather them from Assyria,

and ^dI will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,

^etill there is no room for them.

11  ^fHe shall pass through the sea of troubles

and strike down the waves of the sea,

^gand all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.

The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,

and ^hthe scepter of Egypt shall depart.

12  ⁱI will make them strong in the Lord,

and ^jthey shall walk in his name,”

declares the Lord.