JERUSALEM JUBILEE

 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors! 30 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Mark 13: 28-31

http://www.bibleplaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Fig-on-tree-Yad-HaShmonah-tb0325005781-bibleplaces.jpg

I awoke this morning with a strong sense of the presence of the LORD and opened my Bible only to discover that my reading today was Mark 13. As I read this well-known passage, which speaks of the second coming of our Lord, Yeshua (Jesus), this sense of the Presence increased. I wondered what it could mean. I have a feeling that we are standing at the brink of some very important and earth-shaking events - the fulfillment of things which have been prophesied from of old. 

This coming week will be a tense and busy week here in Jerusalem. Between Sunday and Thursday some 40 or so separate events will take place, each involving thousands of people. This will cause a great deal of disruption to our lives because of street closures and security measures.  In addition, on Friday the Muslim month of Ramadan, the annual fast period, will begin. There is often an upsurge of tension, rioting and terror attacks during Ramadan. 

This Wednesday is the 50th Anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, when Israeli forces captured the Temple Mount and East Jerusalem from the occupying Jordanian forces in 1967.  We are therefore entering the Jubilee Year of the Reunification Jerusalem, the time when the Temple Mount and all of Jerusalem came under Israeli control after nearly 2000 years, during which it was 'trampled by the gentiles'.  Yeshua, prior to his crucifixion and resurrection, prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and said that, 

  "... Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled".

Luke 21:24

According to the Luke passage the ending of the times of the Gentile rule over Jerusalem is closely linked with the time of the second coming of Yeshua.

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.
Luke 21:28

The LORD commanded Israel to keep the 50th year, after 7 cycles of the 7 years of Shmita*, as a consecrated year of Jubilee. This word 'Jubilee' comes from the Hebrew word 'yovel' which literally means a ram's horn.  On the Day of Atonement falling in this year, a trumpet blast on a ram's horn was to be sounded, proclaiming liberty to all the inhabitants of the Land. On this day, all debts would be pardoned, all land returned to its original owners, and all slaves would be set free. 

 ‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants.

Leviticus 25: 8-10

This year also marks the 100th year since the British General Allenby's forces liberated Jerusalem from Turkish rule in 1917. It would appear, that even though the Jubilee cycle has not been observed by most Jews for centuries, there is still a Jubilee cycle operating over Jerusalem (for more on this see  the article below (1)). If this is so, then perhaps we can expect another major landmark in the redemption of Jerusalem, this year. 

I wonder what will be the significance of US President Trump's visit to Jerusalem which will take place during the two days preceding Jerusalem Day. He will arrive with an entourage of around 1000 people on Monday evening, and will leave the following evening. Needless to say this necessitates massive security measures and a great deal of disruption to traffic and other activities in the city. 

This Thursday some 25- 30 (accounts vary) US transport planes arrived at Ben Gurion Airport carrying a large amount of logistical support for Trump's visit - including  Black Hawk helicopters, armored vehicles and security vehicles. Among this is Trump's personal transport, a limousine with steel doors nicknamed, interestingly enough, 'The Beast'. This car "forms a seal that keeps the passengers safe in the event of a biological or chemical attack, it is impenetrable to bullets, and the doors are made of plated steel" (2). Trump and his entourage will be staying at the King David Hotel.  His suite is specially designed to withstand a bomb blast, has separate air conditioning system to protect against biological and chemical warfare, the windows are strengthened to protect from an RPG attack and even if the whole hotel were to collapse the room is designed to maintain its integrity.  Some 10,000 Israeli police and security personnel will be involved in Trump's protection. 

The View of the Old City, the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives from the Presidential Suite
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4964436,00.html

So what is all this about? What is Trump hoping to accomplish on this visit? In addition to his visit with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem he will also be talking with  the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.  Rumors have it that Trump is hoping to broker the 'ultimate peace deal' that will bring peace between the Palestinians and Israel (3). Others think he will announce the movement of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  Only time will tell, but I am sure that God has His plans and whatever happens I suspect it is going to be a significant milestone along the way of God's ultimate plan for the redemption of the world. God is setting the stage for the ultimate fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy:

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness (literally: reeling) to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it....

“The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn....

Zechariah 12: 1-10

* Smita= the agricultural cycle by which the land would be left fallow every seventh year

(1) https://int.icej.org/news/special-reports/jubilee-year-jerusalem

(2) http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4963642,00.html

      http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4959769,00.html

(3) http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.789026
(4)http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2017/5/15/50-jerusalem-facts-for-the-50th-anniversary-of-its-reunification#.WSAQRGiGOyI=

LEST THEY SHOULD TURN

http://www.tiszta-lap.hu/images/images/the-sower-sowing-the-seed-english-school.jpg

This beautiful spring Shabbat morning I was sitting on my balcony reading the well-known parable of the sower (Mark 4: 1-20). Once again I was struck by the words of Yeshua (Jesus) who, when asked about the parable by his disciples and others who were with him, said,

 “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,  so that

‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,

And hearing they may hear and not understand;

Lest they should turn,

And their sins be forgiven them.’”

Mark 4:11-12

This has always seemed rather odd to me. Why on earth would Yeshua not want people to turn and be forgiven?  It seems harsh that some people are denied revelation while others are granted understanding, and consequent forgiveness of sins. 

Seeking to understand this I turned to the origin of Yeshua's quote from the Tenach (Old Testament) which can be found in Isaiah 6:

Also I  (Isaiah) heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send,

And who will go for Us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:

‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

“Make the heart of this people dull,

And their ears heavy,

And shut their eyes;

Lest they see with their eyes,

And hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart,

And return and be healed.”

 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”

And He answered:

“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant,

The houses are without a man,

The land is utterly desolate,

The Lord has removed men far away,

And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.

 

But yet a tenth will be in it,

And will return and be for consuming,

As a terebinth tree or as an oak,

Whose stump remains when it is cut down.

So the holy seed shall be its stump.”

Isaiah 6: 8-13

Isaiah was called to prophesy at a time when God had determined to exile Israel from the Promised Land. The People of Israel had turned away from God and committed heinous sins in the worship of foreign idols. They had even burned their babies alive in the terrible worship of the bull god, Moloch,  right here in the valley of Gai Hinnom (Gehenom) in Jerusalem. God needed to cleanse the land and the people and he would do this by the conquest of the Land and the exile of the people to Babylon. God knew already that the people would not listen to Isaiah's prophecies but He called him nevertheless, so that righteousness would be fulfilled. The people could never claim that they had acted out of ignorance. Rather they would chose not to listen to Isaiah's warnings and repent.  

The people of Israel shut up their ears and closed their eyes and consequently bore the fruit of their rebellion. They were conquered and driven out of the Land for a time, until all the cities were destroyed and the land left desolate. Yet God kept a remnant, the stump, the holy seed, which in due course returned to the Land to repopulate it. 

About 400 years later, Israel yet again turned away from God. They did not receive his Son, blocked up their ears and closed their eyes, and as a consequence were again driven away from the Land, this time by the Romans who destroyed every city. The Land lay desolate trampled under the feet of the Gentiles for two thousand years. Yet, even so, a 'stump' remained and the remnant of survivors has once more returned to the Promised Land.  

Why did Yeshua allow this to happen? Why did he not, at the time of his first coming, open the eyes of all the people to understand and repent? Why did he not save them all when he came two thousand years ago? He knew their hearts.  They were looking for a king, a conqueror who would free them of their Roman oppressors. They were not interested in repentance from sin and did not want to know God in any depth. So the veil that was laid on the People in the time of Isaiah has remained over the majority of the People of Israel until this day. 

In the times of Moses and the Tabernacle, and later also in the Temples, the Holy Presence of God was separated from the People by a veil. This was for their protection. Sin cannot stand before a Holy God. A sinful person coming into the Presence of God would simply be annihilated.  Only the High Priest, appointed by God, and covered by the blood of the sin offering, could enter the Holy of Holies, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). 

When Yeshua died on the cross, the veil of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Why from top to bottom?  Because no human act could do that. Only God himself could tear down the veil from top to bottom.  

Even so the New Testament tells us that a veil remains over the eyes of the People of Israel:

2 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3: 2-18

WE can see in this passage that though the veil remains there is hope, for the veil is taken away whenever one turns to the Lord, Yeshua. There is no true revelation without Yeshua, no remission of sins and no salvation. That is why Yeshua did not allow the people who had not yet received Him to have understanding. That is why He spoke to them only in parables. He is the 'door' and only through Him can entry to the 'sheepfold' (John 10: 1-4), the kingdom of God, be gained. First one must come to Yeshua and then understanding will be given. 

Today the people of Israel cannot understand truly the Holy Scriptures, even though they might study and dissect them day and night (as do many of the religious). The truth is hidden under the veil. They will not find enlightenment until they open their hearts to Yeshua. This must come first. Full understanding does not come until we meet Yeshua, face to face, and invite him into our hearts. Then His Spirit will meet with our spirit and instruct us and lead us into Truth. 

In the 30 odd years I have lived in Israel I have seen a wondrous thing take root. When I first arrived in 1979 there were only about 200 born-again believers in the Land. Now there are many thousands. No one knows exactly how many, but estimates range from 15-20,000 (1). Nearly every city and sizeable town in the Land has at least one congregation or house group that meets regularly. Some estimate that there may be as many as 150 congregations in Israel now. 

At first we were nearly all immigrants, a polyglot collection from every corner of the earth. Now however a new generation of sabra Israelis (Israelis born here) is rising up into leadership, and establishing godly families in the Land. This generation speaks unaccented Hebrew as their mother tongue,  and are part of the mainstream culture in a way we immigrants could never be. 

For example, Kehila News, a Messianic online magazine, reported thus:

"A new and encouraging phenomenon is taking place among Messianic young people in Israel: Israeli students who are believers are openly sharing about their faith in Yeshua at their schools. This sort of boldness seems to have been unprecedented until now."

  

The article goes on to tell the stories of three young believers  who openly taught the gospel to their classes at school. I would encourage you to read what they said - here is the link:  https://kehilanews.com/2017/04/27/israeli-messianic-youth-take-a-stand-for-their-faith-in-school/

We Messianic believers still represent less than 1% of the total population, but there is steady growth as many of the young people are boldly speaking openly about their faith. There are many signs that the veil which has long blinded the people of Israel is at last, being lifted. In many circles Jews are reclaiming Yeshua as one of their own, perhaps partly a reaction to the way that the Palestinians have tried to claim him for themselves by rewriting history. Academics are beginning to study his life and teachings. At the same time the media is reporting on the activities of Messianic movement here in a much more positive light. Many Israelis, turned off by the extreme legalism and arrogance of orthodox Judaism, and the emptiness of secular materialism, are beginning to opening their hearts to seek something more real. We are now more generations separate from the Holocaust which is seen by many Jews (erroneously) as having been perpetrated by Christians. This belief has been a large part of the 'veil'  blinding the eyes of my generation of Jews. Young people today are not so strongly influenced by this belief, though it still persists. Many Israelis today have been deeply impressed and touched that it is Evangelical Christians who have stood by them when it seems to us that the whole world is against us. Most tourists are Christian and tourism is one of our economic mainstays. There are also many Christian organizations that support Israel and help the disadvantaged in our society with outpourings of aid and practical assistance. These things do not go unnoticed. Seeds are being sowed, and I think the ground is getting softer. 

Of course there is opposition. The latest edition of Kehila News reports how several ultra-orthodox Jews rampaged outside two homes of believers, causing damage to property and trauma to the children inside. They were protesting the opening of a new Messianic place of worship in the town of Dimona, in the south (2). This kind of thing is nothing new. There have been many such attacks and some much worse. 

As the veil lifts and more and more people are saved by the preaching of the gospel we can expect more and more 'kickback'. 

This past week I experienced something else which was of great encouragement to me.  Some 600 or so Jewish and Arab believers met together for an evening of worship here in the heart of Jerusalem. For over two hours we sang together in Hebrew and Arabic with such a unity of love and fellowship. I found myself with tears streaming down my face. I could just feel God smiling. It was a taste of heaven to come, when all pain and suffering, hatred and violence will be gone and we will all worship Him as one.  It also showed me that in spite of all that is taking place in the Middle East, the darkness, horror, violence and war, there is still a flame of hope burning, hope for real peace and real reconciliation. This can only happen in Yeshua by the indwelling Spirit of God. Only He can erase and heal the traumas, the mutual fear and hatred so prevalent here. Only in him can we forgive, and be able to love, one another.

Please pray for :

1. Continued and increased boldness among Messianic believers, especially the sabra youth, to preach the gospel openly. 

2. Protection from those who oppose us

3. Healing and forgiveness amongst Jews and Arabs in Yeshua

(1)http://blog.godreports.com/2015/04/more-and-more-jews-finding-jesus-in-israel/

(2) https://kehilanews.com/2017/05/05/protestors-rampage-outside-of-messianics-homes-in-dimona/

WALK THE LAND

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

Luke 5: 15-16

 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 

Luke 6: 12

We have celebrated the Passover and Easter here in Israel and now life is settling back into its busy routines after the holidays. How easy it is to become so caught up in the frantic busyness of life that we drift away from God. It is hard to truly know him when we are rushing about, His voice drowned by the cacophony of noise and the tumults of our thoughts.  Even Yeshua, in the busyness of his ministry often found it necessary to take some time out, withdrawing from the neediness of the crowds around him, to draw near to the Father and hear His voice. I too find that I have to do this from time to time. 

Migdal (Magdala), Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee from Mt Arbel

For me, one of the great pleasures of living in the Land of Israel is its many natural areas, parks and reserves, to which I can withdraw and hear God. In spite of the dense population of the Land, now nearing 8.4 million in an area only the size of New Jersey (or Southland in New Zealand, or of Wales), we still have large areas of wilderness, which are greatly valued and protected. 

I have just returned from a 3-day break up in the Lower Galilee, an area of great natural beauty and an area which our Lord, Yeshua, would have known intimately.  At this time of the year many Christian pilgrims visit the Land to celebrate Easter  and to 'walk in the steps of Yeshua'.  Sadly these visitors are usually herded onto buses and rushed from 'holy site' to 'holy site', most of which these days are covered with a Catholic or Orthodox church. There is value in this, but it leaves me rather cold.  I find it much more meaningful to get out, put on my dusty sandals (or trainers) and walk the Land, just as Yeshua did two thousand years ago. That way I can feel the Land, see its varied and stunning landscapes and its wildlife, smell its perfumes, and experience its weather. This brings the Bible to life for me. I can know the weariness Yeshua must have felt after a long day of walking its hot and dusty trails. I can picture the landscape, the plants and the animals described by Yeshua in his parables. It brings me closer to Yeshua than sitting in a church or so-called 'holy site'.  I would therefore encourage any of you who plan to visit the Land, to put aside some time to walk in the wilderness or just to sit quietly under a tree and soak in the essence of the Land. 

A Galilean landscape

When I first arrived in Israel, in the early '80s, Israelis were in love with their Land. Nearly every popular song was a celebration the Land. Families spent their holidays hiking its trails, and the common rite-of-passage of every young person was to walk its length. Sadly this has been somewhat lost today. Now family outings, if they occur at all, are  often to the local shopping mall, cinema complex or water park, and holidays are enjoyed abroad. In spite of this trend, on weekends and holidays the parks, beaches and forests of Israel are still overflowing  with hordes of people indulging in the national pastime - 'al ha-esh' (on the fire) barbecuing with family and friends. As fun as that is (I enjoy a good 'al haesh' myself), it is scarcely conducive to quiet contemplation or prayer. It is possible to be so involved in socializing that one does not even notice the surroundings.  

Israelis enjoying the Sea of Galilee at Passover last year
http://img.mako.co.il/2016/04/24/751978_B.jpg

On Easter Friday this year my congregation traveled together to the site of the ancient city of Shiloh, where the Tabernacle stood for some 400 years before King David established Jerusalem as the capital of the nation of Israel. Standing on the hillside where the platform of the Tabernacle can still be discerned, I looked around and was impressed by the similarities of its position to that of the Temple in Jerusalem. It stands on the side of a hill (not on the top) and that hill is surrounded by higher hills on every side, just as in Jerusalem.  Why is the LORD's house not on the highest hill?  I believe it was because the pagan religions of the region tended to raise up their idols and altars on the 'high places'. God wanted the nation of Israel to separate themselves from such practices. Just before the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River to take possession of the Promised Land, God spoke to Moses and told him to tell the people these words: 

When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places;  you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess.

Numbers 33: 51-53

God was not to be worshiped on the 'high places' of the pagan gods but at the place that He chose. Throughout the times of the Judges and the Kings of Israel these 'high places' were a continual temptation for the people of Israel. They did not destroy them as God had commanded, fell again and again into idol worship and even set up altars and a priesthood to God in those high places, contrary to His express command. (See for example 1 Kings 3:3, 1 Kings 12:31, 1 Kings 13:3, 1 Kings 14:23 etc). 

Walking towards the site of the Tabernacle at Shiloh (by the shelter)

While at Shiloh I also looked down into the valley below and saw the road snaking its way through the high mountains of Samaria. The modern road follows an ancient route that connected the Galilee to Jerusalem and passed through Samaria. We know that Jesus used this route on at least two occasions for we have the account of his rejection by a Samaritan village in Luke 9: 51-56 and his meeting with the Samaritan woman in the town of Sychar (John 4). 

Three roads of antiquity: The Via Maris (purple), the King's Road (red) and the Samarian Road (blue)
http://guide-israel.ru/39847-doroga-praotcev/doroga-praotcev-sinij-via-maris-fioletovyj-i-carskij-put-via-regia-krasnyj/

When we read the Biblical accounts of Yeshua's journeys it is easy to gloss over them, but what do we know of the difficulties He would have encountered? How long would it take to walk from Capernaum to Jerusalem? Using the shortest route it is about 75 miles (120 km) and at a normal walking pace this would take at least 4 days. This route is very mountainous, with many steep climbs. Capernaum lies at an altitude of around  200 m below sea level and Jerusalem is around 800 m above sea level - an overall climb of around 1000 m (3000 ft). Most of the route lies in the ecological zone of steppe grassland, so there are few trees and little shade. For most of the year it would be very hot and dusty. There are no perennial streams so water can be obtained only from wells. 

The Samarian highway from Shiloh

According to an article "On the Road" by Merilyn Hargis

 http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-59/on-road.html

"Jesus, like many of his contemporaries, crisscrossed the country numerous times. Assuming he went from Nazareth to Jerusalem annually for each of the three required annual feasts using the shortest route through Samaria, a distance of 75 miles each way, he would have walked a minimum of 13,500 miles before beginning his ministry. On at least one of his later pilgrimages, he went from Capernaum to Jerusalem by way of Jericho, 106 miles each way. Estimating conservatively, Jesus probably walked at least 15,000 miles in his lifetime."

15,000 miles is about 2/3 the circumference of the Earth at the equator. That is a lot of walking! I wonder if Yeshua ever got blisters or inflamed tendons or sore muscles? How many pairs of sandals did he wear out? 

News in Israel and Matters for Prayer

1.  On the same day as we went to Shiloh there was another terror attack in Jerusalem. A 21 year old woman, a student from England, was stabbed multiple times in the chest on the Light Rail train as it passed near the Old City. She later died of her injuries. A pregnant woman and a 50-year-old man were also lightly injured. An off-duty policeman and a passerby managed to wrestle the attacker to the ground before he was able to hurt anyone else. The attacker was a Palestinian man with a history of mental illness.  Please pray for the family and friends of the murdered woman.
2. This past Friday morning three mortar shells fired from Syria landed in the Golan Heights. They fell in open areas and resulted in no damage or injuries. Although these mortars were most likely 'spillover' from the internal fighting in Syria, Israel holds Syria responsible for what emanates from its territory. Consequently, later that day, Israel attacked positions affiliated with the Assad regime from which the mortars were fired. 
3. Some 1200 to 1300 Palestinian prisoners began an open-ended hunger strike on Monday to protest the conditions of their imprisonment. The strike was called by the popular Fatah leader, Marwan Bargouti, who is currently serving 5 life sentences for orchestrating terror attacks against Israeli citizens during the Second Intifada. The hunger strikers are demanding more family visits, more television channels and access to cell phones. 
4. This week there have been several other terror attacks. Today a man brandishing a knife attacked a group of Golani soldiers but was neutralized before he injured anyone. On Monday a woman stabbed a female soldier and wounded her in the upper body before being neutralized. Tragically this female attacker, a mother of 9, later told her captors that  she had carried out her attack in an attempt to commit suicide because her life had become unbearable as a result of abuse from her husband who was threatening to deport her to Jordan. Two days ago, an 18-yr old man from the Palestinian territories attacked and lightly wounded 4 people in the lobby of a hotel in Tel Aviv. 

I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

2 

Our feet have been standing

Within your gates, O Jerusalem!

3 

Jerusalem is built

As a city that is compact together,

4 

Where the tribes go up,

The tribes of the Lord,

To the Testimony of Israel,

To give thanks to the name of the Lord.

5 

For thrones are set there for judgment,

The thrones of the house of David.

6 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May they prosper who love you.

7 

Peace be within your walls,

Prosperity within your palaces.”

8 

For the sake of my brethren and companions,

I will now say, “Peace be within you.”

9 

Because of the house of the Lord our God

I will seek your good.

Psalm 122