1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, that he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Hear, heavens, and give ear, earth;
for Yahweh has spoken:
"I have nourished and brought up children,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows his owner,
and the donkey his master's feeding trough,
but Israel does not know,
Israel does not understand."
4 Woe! Nation, sinners,
a people weighed down with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
sons who act corruptly!
They have abandoned Yahweh,
they have despised the Holy One of Israel,
they have estranged themselves from him.
5 Why are you still being beaten?
Why do you rebel more and more?
The whole head is sick,
the whole heart is weak.
6 From the sole of the foot to the head
there is no health;
only wounds, and bruises,
and fresh open wounds;
they have not been closed, cleansed, bandaged,
nor treated with oil.
7 Your country is ruined;
your cities are burned;
your fields—in your presence,
strangers are destroying them—
abandoned devastation, overthrown by strangers.
8 The daughter of Zion is left
like a hut in a vineyard,
like a shed in a garden of cucumbers,
like a besieged city.
9 If Yahweh of hosts had not left for us a few survivors,
we would have been like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of Yahweh,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the instruction of our God,
you people of Gomorrah:
11 "What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me?"
says Yahweh.
"I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams,
and the fat of fatted beasts;
and in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats
I do not delight.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who has required this of you, to trample my courts?
13 Bring no more meaningless offerings;
incense is an abomination to me;
your new moon and Sabbath assemblies—
I cannot tolerate these wicked assemblies.
14 I hate your new moons and your appointed feasts;
they are a burden to me; I am tired of enduring them.
15 So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash, cleanse yourselves;
remove the evil of your deeds from my sight;
stop being evil;
17 learn to do good;
seek justice, make straight the oppression, [1]
give justice to the fatherless,
defend the widow."
18 "Come now, and let us reason together,"
says Yahweh;
"though your sins are like scarlet,
they will be white like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they will be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good of the land,
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
the sword will devour you,"
for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.
21 How the faithful city
has become a prostitute!
She who was full of justice—
she was full of righteousness,
but now she is full of murderers.
22 Your silver has become impure,
your wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebels
and companions of thieves;
everyone loves bribes
and runs after payoffs.
They do not defend the fatherless,
nor does the widow's legal plea come before them.
24 Therefore this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts,
the Mighty One of Israel:
"Woe to them! I will comfort myself concerning my adversaries
and avenge myself against my enemies;
25 I will turn my hand against you,
refine away your dross as with lye,
and take away all your dross.
26 I will restore your judges as at the first,
and your counselors as at the beginning;
after that you will be called
the city of righteousness,
a faithful town."
27 Zion will be redeemed by justice,
and her repentant ones by righteousness.
28 Rebels and sinners will be crushed together,
and those who abandon Yahweh will be done away with.
29 "For you will be ashamed of the sacred oak trees
that you desired,
and you will be embarrassed by the gardens
that you have chosen.
30 For you will be like an oak whose leaf withers,
and like a garden that has no water.
31 The strong man will be like tinder,
and his work like a spark;
they will both burn together,
and no one will quench them."
1 The things that Isaiah son of Amoz saw in a vision, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It will be in the last days
that the mountain of the house of Yahweh
will be established as the highest of the mountains,
and it will be raised up above the hills,
and all the nations will flow to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
so he may teach us some of his ways,
and we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion will go the law,
and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations
and will render decisions for many peoples;
they will hammer their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation will not lift up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war any longer.
5 House of Jacob, come,
and let us walk in the light of Yahweh.
6 For you have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob,
because they are filled with customs from the east
and they practice divination like the Philistines,
and they shake hands with sons of foreigners.
7 Their land is full of silver and gold,
and there is no limit to their wealth;
their land also is full of horses,
nor is there limit to their chariots.
8 Their land also is full of idols;
they worship the craftsmanship of their own hands,
things that their own fingers have made.
9 People bow down,
and men abase themselves.
So do not raise them up.
10 Go into the rocky places and hide in the ground
from the terror of Yahweh
and from the glory of his majesty.
11 The lofty gaze of man will be abased,
and the haughtiness of men will be brought down,
and Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.
12 For there will be a day of Yahweh of hosts
against everyone who is proud and raised up,
and against everyone who is arrogant—
and he will be abased—
13 and against all the cedars of Lebanon
that are high and lifted up,
and against all the oaks of Bashan.
14 That day of Yahweh of hosts
will be against all the high mountains,
and against all the hills that are lifted up,
15 and against every high tower,
and against every impregnable wall,
16 and against all the ships of Tarshish,
and against all delightful sailing vessels.
17 The pride of man will be brought down,
and the haughtiness of men will be abased;
Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.
18 The idols will completely pass away.
19 Men will go into the caves of the rocks
and the holes of the ground,
from the terror of Yahweh,
and from the glory of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.
20 On that day people will throw away
their idols of silver and of gold
that they have made for themselves to worship—
they will throw them away to the moles and bats.
21 The people will go into the crevices in the rocks
and into the clefts of the ragged rocks,
from the terror of Yahweh
and from the glory of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.
22 Stop trusting in man,
whose life-breath is in his nostrils,
for what does he amount to?
1 See, the Lord Yahweh of hosts
is about to take away from Jerusalem and from Judah
support and staff:
the whole supply of bread
and the whole supply of water,
2 the mighty man and the warrior,
the judge and the prophet,
the one who practices divination and the elder,
3 the captain of fifty
and the respected citizen,
the counselor, the expert craftsman
and the skillful enchanter.
4 "I will place mere youths as their leaders,
and the young will rule over them.
5 The people will be oppressed,
every one by another,
and every one by his neighbor;
the child will act arrogantly toward the elderly,
and the degraded will challenge the honorable.
6 A man will even take hold of his brother
in his father's house and say,
'You have a coat; be our ruler,
and let this ruin be in your hands.'
7 On that day he will shout and say,
'I will not be a healer;
I have no bread or clothing.
You will not make me ruler of the people.'"
8 For Jerusalem has stumbled,
and Judah has fallen,
because their speech and their actions are against Yahweh,
rebelling against the eyes of his glory.
9 The look on their faces witnesses against them;
and they tell of their sin like Sodom;
they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
For they have completed a catastrophe for themselves.
10 Tell the righteous person that it will be well,
for they will eat the fruit of their deeds.
11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly for him,
for what his hands have earned will be done to him.
12 My people—children are their oppressors,
and women rule over them.
My people, those who guide you lead you astray
and confuse the direction of your path.
13 Yahweh stands up for an accusation;
he is standing to accuse the people.
14 Yahweh will come with judgment
against the elders of his people and their leaders:
"You have ruined the vineyard;
the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
15 Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor?"
This is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts.
16 Yahweh says that because the daughters of Zion are proud,
they walk with their necks extended,
with flirting eyes, walking with tiny steps as they go,
making tinkling sounds from bracelets on their ankles.
17 Therefore the Lord will form scabs
on the heads of the daughters of Zion,
and Yahweh will make them bald.
18 On that day the Lord will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, head bands, the crescent ornaments, 19 the ear pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; 20 the headscarves, the ankle chains, the sashes, and the perfume boxes, and the amulets.
21 He will remove the rings and the nose jewels; 22 the festive robes, the mantles, the veils, and the handbags; 23 the hand mirrors, the fine linen, the head pieces, and the wraps.
24 Instead of sweet perfume there will be stench;
and instead of a belt, a rope;
instead of well-arranged hair, baldness;
and instead of a robe, a covering of sackcloth;
and branding instead of beauty.
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
and your strong men will fall in war.
26 Jerusalem's gates will lament and mourn;
and she will be alone and sit upon the ground.
1 On that day seven women
will take hold of one man and say,
"Our own food we will eat,
our own clothing we will wear.
But let us take your name
to remove our shame."
2 On that day the branch of Yahweh will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and delight of the escaped remnant in Israel.
3 It will happen that the one who is left in Zion and the one who remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who is written down as living in Jerusalem. 4 This will happen when the Lord will have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and will have cleansed the blood stains from the midst of Jerusalem, by means of the spirit of judgment and the spirit of flaming fire.
5 Then over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her place of assembly, Yahweh will create cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; it will be a canopy over all the glory. 6 It will be a shelter for shade in the daytime from the heat, and a refuge and a cover from the storm and rain.
1 Let me sing for my well beloved,
a song of my beloved about his vineyard.
My well beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2 He spaded it, removed the stones,
and planted it with an excellent kind of vine.
He built a tower in the middle of it,
and also built a winepress.
He waited for it to produce grapes,
but it only produced wild grapes.
3 So now, inhabitant of Jerusalem and man of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard,
that I have not done for it?
When I looked for it to produce grapes,
why did it produce wild grapes?
5 Now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard:
I will remove the hedge,
I will turn it into a pasture,
I will break down its wall,
and it will be trampled down.
6 I will lay it waste,
and it will not be pruned nor hoed.
Instead, briers and thorns will spring up.
I will also command the clouds
not to rain on it.
7 For the vineyard of Yahweh of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the man of Judah
his pleasant planting;
he waited for justice, but instead, there was killing;
for righteousness, but, instead, a shout for help.
8 Woe to those who join house to house,
who join field to field,
until no room remains,
and you alone remain in the land!
9 Yahweh of hosts told me,
many houses will be desolate,
even great and impressive ones,
without any inhabitant.
10 For a ten-yoke vineyard will yield only one bath,
and one homer of seed will yield only an ephah.
11 Woe to those who rise up early in the morning
to obtain strong drink,
those who linger late into the night
until wine inflames them.
12 They have harp and lute,
tambourine, flute, and wine at their feasts,
but they do not honor what Yahweh has done
or respect the work of his hands.
13 Therefore my people have gone into captivity
for lack of understanding;
their honored leaders are famished,
and their common people have nothing to drink.
14 Therefore Sheol has made its appetite greater
and has opened its mouth very wide;
their elite, the people, their leaders, and the revelers
and those who are happy among them, descend into Sheol.
15 People bow low,
and men abase themselves.
the eyes of the lofty will be abased.
16 Yahweh of hosts will be exalted in his justice,
and God the Holy One will show himself holy by his righteousness.
17 Then the sheep will feed as in their own pasture,
and in the ruins, lambs will graze as foreigners. [1]
18 Woe to those who pull along iniquity with useless cords
and who pull along sin as if it were with a cart rope.
19 Woe to those who say, "Let God hurry,
let him work quickly, so we can see it happen;
and let the plans of the Holy One of Israel come,
so that we may know them."
20 Woe to those who call evil good,
and good evil;
who represent darkness as light,
and light as darkness;
who represent bitter as sweet,
and sweet as bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
and prudent in their own understanding!
22 Woe to those who are champions at drinking wine,
and masters at mixing strong drinks;
23 who acquit the wicked for a bribe,
and deprive those in the right of what is right!
24 Therefore as the tongue of fire devours stubble,
and as chaff goes down in flame,
so their root will rot,
and their blossom will blow away like dust.
This will happen because they have rejected
the law of Yahweh of hosts,
and because they have despised
the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore the anger of Yahweh is kindled against his people.
He has reached out with his hand against them
and has punished them.
The mountains tremble,
and their corpses are like garbage in the streets.
In all these things, his anger does not subside;
his hand is still stretched out.
26 He will lift up a signal flag for faraway nations
and will whistle for those at the end of the earth.
Look, they will come
speedily and promptly.
27 None tire or stumble among them;
none slumbers or sleeps.
Nor are their belts loose,
or the thongs of their sandals broken.
28 Their arrows are sharp
and all their bows are bent;
their horses' hooves are like flint,
and their chariot wheels like storms.
29 Their roaring will be like a lion;
they will roar like young lions.
They will growl and seize the prey
and drag it away, with none to rescue.
30 On that day they will roar against the prey
as the sea roars.
If anyone looks over the land,
he will see darkness and suffering;
even the light will be made dark by the clouds.
1 In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne; he was high and elevated, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were the seraphim; each one had six wings; with two each covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 Each one called to another and said,
"Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of hosts!
The whole earth is full of his glory."
4 The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voices of those who were crying out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said, "Woe is me! For I am doomed because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, because my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh, Yahweh of hosts!"
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me; he had a glowing coal in his hand, that he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt has been taken away, and your sin atoned for."
8 I heard the voice of the Lord say, "Whom will I send; who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am; send me." 9 He said, "Go and tell this people,
'Hearing, you will hear, but you will not understand;
seeing, you will see, but you will not know.'
10 Make the heart of this people insensitive,
and their ears dull, and blind their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart, and then turn and be healed."
11 Then I said, "Lord, how long?" He answered,
"Until cities crash into ruins
and are without inhabitants,
and the houses are without people,
and the land falls into a desolate waste,
12 and until Yahweh has sent the people far away,
and the whole land is completely abandoned.
13 Even if a tenth of the people remain in it,
it will again be destroyed;
as a terebinth or an oak is cut down and whose trunk remains,
the holy seed is in its stump."
1 During the days of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but they could not prevail against it. 2 It was reported to the house of David that Aram was allied with Ephraim. His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest shake in the wind. [1]
3 Then Yahweh said to Isaiah, "Go out with your son Shear-Jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the road to Launderer's Field. 4 Tell him, 'Be careful, remain calm, do not be afraid or intimidated by these two smoldering firebrands, by the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and of Pekah son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have planned evil against you; they have said, 6 "Let us attack Judah and terrify her, and let us break into her and set up our king there, the son of Tabeel." 7 The Lord Yahweh says,
"It will not take place;
it will not happen,
8 because the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years,
Ephraim will be shattered and will no longer be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son.
If you do not remain firm in faith,
surely you will not remain secure."'"
10 Then Yahweh spoke again to Ahaz, 11 "Ask a sign of Yahweh your God; ask for it in Sheol below or in the height above." 12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test Yahweh." 13 So Isaiah replied, "Listen, house of David. Is it not enough for you people to test the patience of people? Must you also test the patience of my God? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you people a sign: See, the young woman will conceive, bear a son, and will call his name Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the child knows to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be desolate. 17 Yahweh will bring on you, on your people, and on your father's house days unlike any since Ephraim seceded from Judah—he will bring on you the king of Assyria."
18 At that time Yahweh will whistle for a fly from the distant streams of Egypt, and for a bee from the land of Assyria. 19 They will all come and settle down into all the gorges, into the clefts of the rocks, on all the thornbushes, and onto all the pastures.
20 At that time the Lord will shave with a razor that was hired beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the legs; it will also sweep away the beard. 21 On that day, a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds, for everyone left in the land will eat curds and honey.
23 At that time, where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be nothing but briers and thorns. 24 Men will go there to hunt with bows, because all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 They will stay away from all the hills that were cultivated with the hoe, for fear of the briers and thorns; but it will be a place where cattle and sheep graze.
1 Yahweh said to me, "Take a large tablet and write on it, 'Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.' 2 I will summon faithful witnesses to attest for me, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah." 3 I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then Yahweh said to me, "Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 4 For before the child knows to cry, 'My father,' and, 'My mother,' the riches of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria."
5 Yahweh spoke to me again,
6 "Because this people has refused
the gentle waters of Shiloah
and rejoices over Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,
7 therefore the Lord is about to bring up on them
the waters of the River, mighty and many,
the king of Assyria and all his glory.
It will come up over all its channels
and overflow its banks.
8 The River will sweep onward into Judah,
flooding and passing on, until it reaches to your neck.
Its outstretched wings will fill the breadth of your land,
Immanuel."
9 You peoples will be broken to pieces.
Listen, all you distant countries:
gird yourselves and be broken to pieces;
gird yourselves and be broken to pieces.
10 Form a plan, but it will not be carried out;
issue the command, but it will not be carried out,
for God is with us.
11 Yahweh spoke to me, with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people.
12 Do not call conspiracy
anything that this people calls conspiracy,
you will not fear what they fear,
and do not be terrified.
13 It is Yahweh of hosts whom you will honor as holy;
he is the one you must fear,
and he is the one you must dread.
14 He will become a sanctuary;
but he will be a stone of striking,
and a stone of stumbling—
for both the houses of Israel,
and he will be a trap and a snare
to the people of Jerusalem.
15 Many will stumble over it
and fall and be broken,
and be ensnared and captured.
16 Bind up my testimony,
seal the official record, and give it to my disciples.
17 I will wait for Yahweh,
who hides his face from the house of Jacob;
I will trust in him.
18 See, I and the sons whom Yahweh has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Yahweh of hosts, who lives on Mount Zion.
19 They will say to you, "Consult with sorcerers and spiritists," the ones who chirp and mutter incantations. But should a people not consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not say such things, it is because they have no light of dawn. 21 They will pass through the land greatly distressed and hungry. When they are hungry, they will become angry and curse their king and their God, as they turn their faces upward. 22 They will look at the earth and see distress, darkness, and gloom that causes anguish. They will be banished to thick darkness.
1 The gloom will be dispelled from her who was in anguish. In an earlier time he humiliated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make it glorious, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who have lived in the land of the shadow of death,
the light has shone on them.
3 You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased their joy.
They rejoice before you like the joy at harvest time,
as men rejoice when they divide the plunder.
4 For the yoke of his burden,
the beam across his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken to pieces as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot treading in the tumult
and the garments rolled in blood
will be burned,
fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child has been born,
to us a son has been given;
and the government will be on his shoulder;
and his name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
as he rules on the throne of David,
and over his kingdom,
to establish it and sustain it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and for evermore.
The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.
8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
and it fell on Israel.
9 All the people will know,
even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say in pride
and with an arrogant heart,
10 "The bricks have fallen,
but we will rebuild with chiseled stone;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place."
11 Therefore Yahweh will raise up against him Rezin,
his adversary, and will stir up his enemies,
12 the Arameans on the east, and the Philistines on the west.
They will devour Israel with open mouth.
In all these things, his anger does not subside;
his hand is still stretched out.
13 Yet the people will not turn to him who struck them,
nor will they seek Yahweh of hosts.
14 Therefore Yahweh will cut off from Israel head and tail,
palm branch and reed, in one day.
15 The elder and the noble man are the head;
and the prophet that teaches lies is the tail.
16 Those who lead this people lead them astray,
and those who are led by them are swallowed up.
17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men
nor will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows,
since every one is godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks foolish things.
In all these things, his anger does not subside;
his hand is still stretched out.
18 Wickedness burns like a fire;
it devours the briers and thorns;
it even burns the thickets of the forest,
which rise in a column of smoke.
19 Through the fury of Yahweh of hosts
the land is scorched,
and the people are like fuel for the fire.
No man spares his brother.
20 They will grab food on the right hand
but still be hungry;
they will eat food on the left hand
but will not be satisfied.
Each will even eat the flesh of his own arm. [1]
21 Manasseh will devour Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh;
and they together will attack Judah.
In all these things, his anger does not subside;
his hand is still stretched out.
1 Woe to those who decree unjust decrees
and write unjust laws.
2 They deprive the needy of justice,
rob the poor of my people of their rights,
plunder widows,
and make the fatherless their prey!
3 What will you do on judgment day
when the destruction comes from far away?
To whom will you flee for help,
and where will you leave your wealth?
4 Nothing remains, and you crouch among the prisoners
or fall among the killed.
In all these things, his anger does not subside;
his hand is still stretched out.
5 Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger,
the staff by whom I wield my fury!
6 I send him against a godless nation
and against the people who bear my overflowing wrath.
I order him to take the plunder, to take the prey,
and to trample them like mud in the streets.
7 But this is not what he intends,
nor does he think this way.
It is in his heart to destroy
and eliminate many nations.
8 For he says, "Are not all my princes kings?
9 Is not Kalno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has overcome idolatrous kingdoms,
whose carved figures were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 just as I did to Samaria and her worthless idols,
will I not also do the same to Jerusalem and to her idols?"
12 When the Lord has finished his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and his prideful looks. 13 For he says,
"By my strength and by my wisdom I acted.
I have understanding,
and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples.
I have stolen their treasures,
and like a bull I have brought down the inhabitants.
14 My hand has seized, as from a nest,
the wealth of nations,
and as one gathers abandoned eggs,
I gathered all the earth.
None fluttered their wings
or opened their mouth or chirped."
15 Will the ax boast about itself against the one who wields it?
Will the saw praise itself more than the one who cuts with it?
It is as if a rod could lift up those who raise it,
or as if a staff could lift up a person.
16 Therefore the Lord Yahweh of hosts
will send emaciation among his elite warriors;
and under his glory there will be kindled
a burning like fire.
17 The light of Israel will become a fire,
and his Holy One a flame;
it will burn and devour his thorns and briers
in one day.
18 Yahweh will consume the glory of his forest
and of his fruitful land, both soul and body;
it will be like when a sick man's life wastes away.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few,
that a child could count them.
20 On that day, the remnant of Israel,
the family of Jacob that has escaped,
will no longer rely on the one
who defeated them,
but will indeed depend on Yahweh,
the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant of Jacob
will return to the mighty God.
22 For though your people, Israel, are like the sand of the seashore,
only a remnant of them will return.
Destruction is decreed,
as overflowing righteousness demands.
23 For the Lord Yahweh of hosts is about to carry out
the destruction determined throughout the land.
24 Therefore the Lord Yahweh of hosts says,
"My people who live in Zion,
do not fear the Assyrian.
He will strike you with the rod
and raise his staff against you, as the Egyptians did. 25 Do not fear him,
for in a very short time
my anger against you will end,
and my anger will lead to his destruction."
26 Then Yahweh of hosts will wield a whip against them,
as when he defeated Midian at the rock of Oreb.
He will raise his rod over the sea and lift it up
as he did in Egypt.
27 On that day, his burden is lifted from your shoulder
and his yoke from off your neck,
and the yoke will be destroyed
because of fatness. [1]
28 The enemy has come to Aiath
and has passed through Migron;
at Mikmash he has stored his provisions.
29 They have crossed over the pass
and they lodge at Geba.
Ramah trembles
and Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud, daughter of Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah!
Answer her, Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is fleeing,
and the inhabitants of Gebim run for safety.
32 This very day he will halt at Nob
and shake his fist
at the mountain of the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord Yahweh of hosts
will lop off the boughs with a terrifying crash;
the tallest trees will be cut down,
and the lofty will be brought down.
34 He will chop down the thickets of the forest with an ax,
and Lebanon in his majesty will fall.
1 A shoot will sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of Yahweh will rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of instruction and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh.
3 His delight will be the fear of the Lord;
he will not judge by what his eyes see,
nor decide by what his ears hear.
4 Instead, he will judge the poor with righteousness
and decide fairly for the humble of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his hips.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;
the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together,
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow and the bear will graze together,
and their young will lie down together.
The lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 A baby will play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child will put his hand on the den of the adder.
9 They will not hurt nor destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of knowledge of Yahweh,
as the waters cover the sea.
10 On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal flag for the peoples. The nations will seek him out, and his resting place will be glorious. 11 On that day, the Lord will again extend his hand to recover the remnant of his people who remain in Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the islands of the sea.
12 He will set up a signal flag for the nations
and will gather the outcasts of Israel
and the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
13 He will turn aside the envy of Ephraim,
and hostilities of Judah will be cut off.
Ephraim will not envy Judah,
and Judah will no longer be hostile to Ephraim.
14 Instead they will swoop down on the Philistine hills on the west,
and together they will plunder the people of the east.
They will possess Edom and Moab,
and the people of Ammon will obey them.
15 Yahweh will completely destroy
the gulf of the Sea of Egypt.
With his scorching wind he will wave his hand
over the Euphrates River
and will divide it into seven streams,
so it can be crossed over in sandals.
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
that return from Assyria,
as there was for Israel in their coming up
from the land of Egypt.
1 On that day you will say,
"I will give thanks to you, Yahweh.
For though you were angry with me,
your wrath has turned away,
and you have comforted me.
2 See, God is my salvation;
I will trust and will not fear,
for Yah, yes, Yahweh is my strength and song.
He has become my salvation." [1]
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4 On that day you will say,
"Give thanks to Yahweh and call upon his name;
declare his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Praise Yahweh in song, for he has done majestic things;
let this be known throughout the earth.
6 Cry aloud and shout for joy, you inhabitants of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."
1 A declaration about Babylon, that Isaiah son of Amoz received:
2 On the bare mountain set up a signal flag,
cry aloud to them,
wave your hand for them
to go into the gates of the nobles.
3 "I have commanded my consecrated ones;
I have summoned my mighty ones to vent my anger—
those who rejoice in my triumph.
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains,
as of many people!
The noise of a tumult of the kingdoms
like many nations gathered together!
Yahweh of hosts is mustering
the army for the battle.
5 They come from a far country,
from way over the horizon.
It is Yahweh with his instruments of indignation,
to destroy the whole land.
6 Wail, for the day of Yahweh is near;
it comes with destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore all hands hang limp,
and every heart melts.
8 They will be terrified;
pain and agony will seize them,
like a woman in labor.
They will look in amazement at one another;
their faces will be aflame.
9 See, the day of Yahweh comes
with cruel wrath and overflowing anger,
to make the land a desolation
and to exterminate the sinners from it.
10 The stars of heaven and the constellations
will not give their light.
The sun will be darkened even from dawn,
and the moon will not shine.
11 I will punish the world for its evil
and the wicked for their iniquity.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the proud
and will abase the arrogance of the ruthless.
12 I will make men more rare than fine gold
and mankind harder to find than the pure gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
by the fury of Yahweh of hosts,
and on the day of his fierce anger.
14 Like a hunted gazelle or like a sheep
with no one to gather them,
every man will turn toward his own people
and will flee to his own land.
15 Every one who is found will be thrust through,
and every one who is swept up will die by the sword.
16 Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes.
Their houses will be plundered and their wives raped.
17 Look, I am about to stir up the Medes to attack them,
who will not be concerned about silver,
nor do they delight in gold.
18 Their bows will strike down the young men;
they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb
and they will not look with pity on children.
19 Then Babylon, the most admired of kingdoms,
the splendor of Chaldean arrogance,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will never be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.
The Arab will not pitch his tent there,
nor will shepherds have their flocks rest there.
21 But wild animals of the desert will lie there.
Their houses will be full of owls;
and ostriches and wild goats will skip about there.
22 Hyenas will cry in their fortresses,
and jackals in the beautiful palaces.
Her time is near,
and her days will not be delayed.
1 Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob;
he will again choose Israel
and restore them into their own land.
Foreigners will join with them
and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.
2 The nations will bring them to their own place.
Then the house of Israel will take possession of them
in the land of Yahweh as male servants and female servants.
They will take captive those who had captured them,
and they will rule over their oppressors.
3 On the day that Yahweh gives you rest from your suffering and anguish, and from the hard labor which you were required to perform, 4 you will sing this taunt song against the king of Babylon,
"How the oppressor has come to an end,
the proud fury ended! [1]
5 Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked,
the scepter of those rulers,
6 that struck the peoples in wrath
with unceasing blows,
that ruled the nations in anger,
with an attack that was unrestrained.
7 The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
they begin celebrating with singing.
8 Even the cypress trees rejoice over you
with the cedars of Lebanon;
they say, 'Since you are laid low,
no woodcutter comes up to cut us down.'
9 Sheol below is eager
to meet you when you go there.
It arouses the dead for you,
all the leaders of the earth,
making them rise up from their thrones,
all the kings of the nations.
10 They all will speak and say to you,
'You have become as weak as us.
You have become like us.
11 Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol
with the sound of your lutes.
Maggots are spread under you,
and worms cover you.'
12 How you are fallen from heaven,
daystar, son of the dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who made the nations weak!
13 You had said in your heart,
'I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God,
and I will sit on the mount of assembly,
in the far reaches of the north.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High God.'
15 Yet you are now brought down to Sheol,
to the depths of the pit.
16 Those who see you will gaze at you
and they will pay attention to you.
They will say, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
who shook kingdoms,
17 who made the world like a wilderness, who overthrew its cities
and did not let his prisoners go home?'
18 All the kings of the nations,
all of them lie down in honor, each one in his own tomb.
19 But you are cast out of your grave
like an abhorrent branch.
Those who were killed cover you like a garment,
those pierced by the sword,
who go down to the stones of the pit
like a trampled corpse.
20 You will not join them in burial,
because you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
The offspring of evildoers will never be mentioned again."
21 Prepare your slaughter for his children,
for the iniquity of their ancestors,
so they will not rise up and possess the earth
and fill the whole world with cities.
22 "I will rise up against them—
this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
I will cut off from Babylon name, descendant, and posterity—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
23 I will also make her into a possession of owls,
and into pools of water,
and I will sweep her with the broom of destruction—
this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts."
24 Yahweh of hosts has sworn,
"Surely, as I have intended, so it will come about;
and as I have purposed, so it will be:
25 I will break the Assyrian in my land,
and on my mountains trample him underfoot.
Then his yoke will be lifted from off them
and his burden from off their shoulder."
26 This is the plan that has been devised for the whole earth,
and this is the hand that is raised over all the nations.
27 For Yahweh of hosts has planned this; who will stop him?
His hand is raised, and who will turn it back?
28 In the year that king Ahaz died this declaration came:
29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,
that the rod that struck you is broken.
For out of the serpent's root will grow an adder,
and his offspring will be a fiery flying serpent.
30 The firstborn of the poor will graze their sheep in my pastures,
and the needy will lie down in safety.
I will kill your root with famine
that will put to death all your survivors.
31 Wail, gate; cry, city;
all of you will melt away, Philistia.
For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke,
and there is no straggler in his ranks.
32 How will they respond
to the messengers of that nation?
"Yahweh has founded Zion,
and in her the afflicted of his people will find refuge."
1 A declaration about Moab.
Indeed, in one night
Ar of Moab is laid waste and destroyed;
indeed, in one night
Kir of Moab is laid waste and destroyed.
2 They have gone up to the temple,
the people of Dibon went up to the heights to weep;
Moab wails over Nebo and over Medeba.
All their heads are shaved bare
and all their beards are cut off.
3 In their streets they wear sackcloth;
on their housetops and in the square
everyone wails, melting in weeping.
4 Heshbon and Elealeh call out for help;
their sound is heard as far as Jahaz.
So the armed men of Moab cry out for help;
they tremble within themselves.
5 My heart cries out for Moab;
her fugitives flee to Zoar
and to Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the ascent of Luhith weeping;
on the road to Horonaim
they raise a cry of distress over their destruction.
6 The waters of Nimrim are a desolation;
the grass is withered;
the vegetation has dried up;
there is no more green grass.
7 The abundance they have grown and stored
they carry away over the brook of the poplars.
8 The cry has gone around the territory of Moab;
the wailing as far as Eglaim and Beer Elim.
9 For the waters of Dimon are full of blood;
but I will bring even more upon Dimon.
A lion will attack those who escape from Moab
and also those remaining in the land.
1 Send rams to the ruler of the land
from Selah in the wilderness,
to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
2 As wandering birds,
as a scattered nest,
so the women of Moab are
at the fords of the Arnon River.
3 "Give instruction, execute justice;
provide some shade like night in the middle of the day;
hide the outcasts;
do not betray the fugitives.
4 Let them live among you, the outcasts from Moab;
be a hiding place for them from the destroyer."
For the oppression will stop,
and destruction will cease,
those who trample will disappear from the land.
5 A throne will be established in covenant faithfulness;
and one from David's tent will faithfully sit there.
He will judge as he seeks justice and does righteousness.
6 We have heard of Moab's pride, his arrogance,
his boasting, and his anger.
But his boastings are empty words.
7 So Moab wails for Moab—they all wail!
Mourn, you who are utterly destroyed,
for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth.
8 The fields of Heshbon have dried up
as well as the vines of Sibmah.
The rulers of the nations
have trampled the choice vines
that reached to Jazer
and spread into the desert.
Its shoots spread abroad;
they went over to the sea.
9 Indeed I will weep along with Jazer
for the vineyard of Sibmah.
I will water you with my tears,
Heshbon and Elealeh.
For on your fields of summer fruits and harvest
I have ended the shouts of joy.
10 Gladness and joy are taken away from the fruit tree groves;
and there is no singing, or shouts in the vineyards.
No one treads out wine in the presses,
for I have put an end to the shouts of the one who treads.
11 So my heart sighs like a harp for Moab,
and my inward being for Kir Hareseth.
12 When Moab wears himself out on the high place
and enters his sanctuary to pray,
his prayers will accomplish nothing.
13 This is the word that Yahweh spoke concerning Moab previously. 14 Again Yahweh speaks, "Within three years, the glory of Moab will be dishonored; in spite of his many people, the remnant will be very few and insignificant."
1 A declaration about Damascus.
Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city,
and it shall be a fallen ruin.
2 The cities of Aroer will be abandoned.
They will be places for flocks to lie down,
and no one will frighten them.
3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,
the kingdom from Damascus,
and the remnant of Aram—
they will be like the glory of the people of Israel—
this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
4 It will come about on that day
that the glory of Jacob will become thin,
and the fatness of his flesh will become lean.
5 It will be as when a harvester gathers the standing grain,
and his arm reaps the heads of grain.
It will be as when one gleans heads of grain
in the Valley of Rephaim.
6 Gleanings will be left,
however, as when the olive tree is shaken:
two or three olives in the top of the uppermost bough,
four or five in the highest branches of a fruitful tree—
this is the declaration of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
7 On that day men will look toward their Maker,
and their eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel.
8 They will not look to the altars,
the work of their hands,
nor will they look to what their fingers have made,
the Asherah poles or the sun images.
9 On that day their strong cities will be like the abandoned wooded slopes on the hill summits, which were abandoned because of the people of Israel, and they will become a desolation.
10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation,
and have ignored the rock of your refuge.
So you plant pleasant plants,
and set out vine branches received from a stranger.
11 But though on the day you plant them you hedge them in,
and though in the morning your seed grows,
the harvest will fail on a day of grief
and of desperate sorrow.
12 Woe! The uproar of many peoples,
who roar like the roaring of the seas,
and the rushing of nations,
who rush like the rushing of mighty waters!
13 The nations will roar like the rushing of many waters,
but he will rebuke them and they will flee far away,
they will be chased before the wind like chaff on the mountains,
and like weeds whirling before a storm.
14 In the evening, see, terror!
Before the morning they will be gone!
This is the portion of those who loot us,
the lot of those who rob us.
1 Woe to the land of the rustling of wings,
which is along the rivers of Cush;
2 who send ambassadors by the sea,
in vessels of papyrus on the waters.
Go, you swift messengers,
to a nation tall and smooth,
to a people feared far and near,
a nation strong and treading down,
whose land the rivers divide.
3 All you inhabitants of the world
and you who live on the earth,
when a signal flag is lifted up on the mountains, look;
and when the ram's horn is blown, listen.
4 This is what Yahweh said to me,
"I will quietly observe from my home,
like the simmering heat in sunlight,
like a cloud of mist in the heat of harvest.
5 Before the harvest, when the blossoming is over,
and the flower is ripening into a grape,
he will cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks,
and he will cut down and take away the spreading branches.
6 They will be left together for the birds of the mountains
and for the animals of the earth.
The birds of prey will spend the summer on them,
and all the animals of the earth will spend harvest time on them."
7 At that time tribute will be brought to Yahweh of hosts
from a people tall and smooth,
from a people feared far and near,
nation strong and trampling down,
whose land the rivers divide,
to the place of the name of Yahweh of hosts, to Mount Zion.
1 A declaration about Egypt.
See, Yahweh rides on a swift cloud
and is coming to Egypt;
the idols of Egypt quake before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within themselves.
2 "I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians:
A man will fight against his brother,
and a man against his neighbor;
city will be against city,
and kingdom against kingdom.
3 The spirit of Egypt will be weakened from within.
I will destroy his advice,
though they sought the advice of idols,
dead men's spirits, sorcerers, and spiritists.
4 I will give the Egyptians
into the hand of a severe master,
and a strong king will rule over them—
this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts."
5 The waters of the sea will dry up,
and the river will dry up and become empty.
6 The rivers will become foul;
the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up;
the reeds and flags will wither away.
7 The reeds along the Nile,
at the mouth of the Nile,
and every sown field beside the Nile will become parched,
will be driven away, and will be no more.
8 The fishermen will wail and mourn,
and all who cast a hook into the Nile will mourn,
and those who spread nets on the waters will waste away.
9 The workers in combed flax
and those who weave white cloth will turn pale.
10 The cloth workers of Egypt will be crushed;
all who work for wages will be grieved within themselves.
11 The princes of Zoan
are completely foolish.
The advice of the wisest advisors of Pharaoh
has become stupid.
How can you say to Pharaoh,
"I am the son of wise men, a son of ancient kings?"
12 Where then are your wise men?
Let them tell you and make known
what Yahweh of hosts plans concerning Egypt.
13 The princes of Zoan have become fools,
the princes of Memphis are deceived;
they have made Egypt go astray,
who are the cornerstones of her tribes. [1]
14 Yahweh has mixed a spirit of distortion into her midst,
and they have led Egypt astray in all she does,
like a drunk staggering in his vomit.
15 There is nothing anyone can do for Egypt,
whether head or tail, palm branch or reed.
16 In that day, the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because of the upraised hand of Yahweh of hosts that he raises over them. 17 The land of Judah will become a cause of staggering to Egypt. Whenever anyone reminds them of her, they will be afraid, because of the plan of Yahweh of hosts, that he is planning against them. 18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to Yahweh of hosts. One of these will be called The City of the Sun. [2]
19 In that day there will be an altar to Yahweh in the middle of the land of Egypt, and a stone pillar at the border to Yahweh. 20 It will be as a sign and a witness to Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to Yahweh because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and a defender, and he will deliver them. 21 Yahweh will become known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will acknowledge Yahweh on that day. They will worship with sacrifices and offerings, and will make vows to Yahweh and fulfill them. 22 Yahweh will afflict Egypt, afflicting and healing. They will return to Yahweh; he will hear their prayer and will heal them.
23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come to Egypt, and the Egyptian to Assyria; and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day, Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth; 25 Yahweh of hosts will bless them and say, "Blessed be Egypt, my people; Assyria, the work of my hands; and Israel, my inheritance."
1 In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, he fought against Ashdod and took it. 2 At that time Yahweh spoke by Isaiah son of Amoz and said, "Go and remove the sackcloth from your waist, and take your sandals off your feet." He did so, walking naked and barefoot. 3 Yahweh said, "Just as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years, it is a sign and a wonder concerning Egypt and concerning Cush— 4 in this way the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt, and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5 They will be dismayed and ashamed, because of Cush their hope and of Egypt their glory. 6 The inhabitants of these coasts will say on that day, 'Indeed, this was our source of hope, where we fled for help to be rescued from the king of Assyria, and now, how can we escape?'"
1 A declaration about the desert by the sea.
Like stormwinds sweeping through the Negev it comes
passing through from the wilderness, from a terrible land.
2 A severe vision has been given to me:
the treacherous man deals treacherously,
and the destroyer destroys.
Go up and attack, Elam; besiege, Media;
I will stop all her groaning.
3 Therefore my loins are filled with pain;
pains like the pains of a woman in labor
have taken hold of me;
I am bowed down by what I heard;
I am disturbed by what I saw.
4 My heart pounds; I shake with fear.
Twilight was my desire, but it brought me terror.
5 They prepare the table,
they spread rugs and eat and drink;
arise, princes,
anoint your shields with oil.
6 For this is what the Lord said to me,
"Go, post a watchman;
he must report what he sees.
7 When he sees a chariot, a pair of horsemen,
riders on donkeys, and riders on camels,
then he must pay attention
and be very alert."
8 The watchman cries out, [1]
"Lord, on the watchtower I stand all day, every day,
and at my post I stand all night long."
9 Here comes a chariot with a man and a pair of horsemen.
He calls out, "Babylon has fallen, fallen,
and all the carved figures of its gods
are broken to the ground."
10 My threshed and winnowed ones,
children of my threshing floor!
What I have heard from Yahweh of hosts,
the God of Israel, I have declared to you.
11 A declaration about Dumah.
One calls to me from Seir,
"Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?"
12 The watchman said,
"The morning comes and also the night.
If you want to ask, then ask;
and come back again."
13 A declaration about Arabia.
In the wilderness of Arabia you spend the night,
you caravans of Dedanites.
14 Bring water for the thirsty;
inhabitants of the land of Tema,
meet the fugitives with bread.
15 For they have fled from the sword,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow,
and from the weight of war.
16 For this is what the Lord said to me, "Within a year, as a laborer hired for a year would see it, all the glory of Kedar will end. 17 Only a few of the archers, the warriors of Kedar will remain," for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has spoken.
1 A declaration about the Valley of Vision:
What is the reason that you have all gone up
to the housetops?
2 Is it so you may hear a city full of noises,
a town full of revelry?
Your dead were not killed with the sword,
and they did not die in battle.
3 All your rulers fled away together,
but they were captured without using a bow;
all of them were captured together,
though they had fled far away.
4 Therefore I said, "Do not look at me,
I will weep bitterly;
do not try to comfort me concerning the destruction
of the daughter of my people."
5 For there is a day of tumult, treading down,
and confusion for the Lord Yahweh of hosts,
in the Valley of Vision,
a breaking down of the walls,
and people crying out to the mountains.
6 Elam takes up the quiver,
with chariots of men and horsemen,
and Kir lays the shield bare.
7 It will come about that your choicest valleys
will be full of chariots,
and the horsemen will take their positions at the gate.
8 He took away the protection of Judah;
and you looked in that day
to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest.
9 You saw the breaches of the city of David,
that they were many,
and you collected the water
of the lower pool.
10 You counted the houses of Jerusalem,
and you tore down the houses to fortify the wall.
11 You made a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool.
But you did not consider the city's maker,
who had planned it long ago.
12 The Lord Yahweh of hosts called on that day
for weeping, for mourning,
for shaved heads, and the wearing of sackcloth.
13 But look, there is celebration and gladness,
killing cattle and slaughtering sheep,
eating meat and drinking wine:
"Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die."
14 This was revealed in my ears by Yahweh of hosts:
"Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you,
even when you die,"
says the Lord Yahweh of hosts.
15 The Lord Yahweh of hosts, says this,
"Go to this administrator, to Shebna,
who is over the house, and say,
16 'What are you doing here and who gave you permission
to cut out a tomb for yourself,
hewing out a grave on the heights
and carving out a resting place in the rock?'"
17 See, Yahweh is about to throw you, a mighty man,
about to throw you down; he will grasp you tightly.
18 He will surely wind you round and round,
and toss you like a ball into a vast country.
There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will be;
you will be the shame of your master's house!
19 "I will force you out of your office and from your station.
You will be pulled down.
20 It will come about on that day that I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your tunic and put on him your sash, and I will transfer your authority into his hand. He will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder; he will open, and none will shut; he will shut, and none will open. 23 I will fasten him, a peg in a secure place, and he will become a seat of glory for his father's house. 24 They will hang on him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and descendants, every small container from the cups to all the jugs.
25 On that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—the peg driven in a firm place will give way, break off, and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off—for Yahweh has spoken.
1 A declaration about Tyre:
Wail, you ships of Tarshish;
Tyre has been devastated,
with neither home nor harbor;
from the land of Cyprus
it has been revealed to them. [1]
2 Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast;
the merchant of Sidon,
who travels over the sea, has filled you. [2]
3 Upon the great waters
was the grain of Shihor,
the harvest of the Nile was her produce;
and it became the commerce of the nations.
4 Be ashamed, Sidon; for the sea has spoken,
the fortress of the sea. He says,
"I have not labored nor given birth,
nor have I raised young men nor brought up young women."
5 When the report comes to Egypt,
they will be grieved concerning Tyre.
6 Cross over to Tarshish;
wail, you inhabitants of the coast.
7 Has this happened to you, the joyful city,
whose origin is from ancient times,
whose feet carried her far away
to foreign places to settle?
8 Who has planned this against Tyre,
the giver of crowns,
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are the honored ones of the earth?
9 Yahweh of hosts has planned it
to dishonor her pride and all her glory,
to shame all her honored ones of the earth.
10 Plow your land, as one plows the Nile,
daughter of Tarshish.
There is no longer a marketplace in Tyre. [3]
11 Yahweh has reached out with his hand over the sea,
and he has shaken the kingdoms;
he has given a command concerning Phoenicia,
to destroy the strongholds.
12 He said, "You will not rejoice again,
oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon;
arise, pass over to Cyprus;
but neither there you will have rest."
13 See the land of the Chaldeans.
This people has ceased to be;
the Assyrians have made it
a wilderness for wild animals.
They set up their siege towers;
they demolished its palaces;
they made it a heap of ruins.
14 Wail, you ships of Tarshish;
for your refuge has been destroyed.
15 In that day, Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of a king. After the end of seventy years there will happen in Tyre something like in the song of the prostitute.
16 Take a harp, go about the city,
you forgotten prostitute;
play it well, sing many songs,
so that you may be remembered.
17 It will come about that after seventy years, Yahweh will help Tyre, and she will start making her prostitute's wages again by doing the work of a prostitute, and she will offer her services to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 Her profits and prostitute's wages will be set apart to Yahweh. They will not be stored up or kept in the treasury, for her profits will be given to those who live in Yahweh's presence and will be used to supply them with abundant food and so they can have the best quality clothing.
1 Look, Yahweh is about to empty the earth,
to devastate it, mar its surface, and scatter its inhabitants.
2 It will come about that, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the servant, so with his master;
as with the servant girl, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the creditor, so with the debtor;
as with the receiver of interest, so with the giver of interest.
3 The earth will be completely devastated and completely plundered;
for Yahweh has spoken this word.
4 The earth mourns and withers, the world shrivels up and withers,
the prominent people of the earth waste away.
5 The earth is polluted by its inhabitants
because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes,
and broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants are found guilty.
The inhabitants of the earth burn up, and few people are left.
7 The new wine mourns, the vine wastes away,
all the merry-hearted groan.
8 The happy sound of the tambourines stops,
and the revelry of those who rejoice;
the joy of the harp ceases.
9 They no longer drink wine and sing,
and the strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 The city of chaos has been broken down;
every house is closed up and empty.
11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine;
all joy is darkened, the gladness of the land has disappeared.
12 In the city is left a desolation,
and the gate is broken into a ruin.
13 For this is how it will be on the whole earth
among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
as the gleanings when the grape harvest is done.
14 They will lift up their voices
and shout the majesty of Yahweh,
and will joyfully shout from the sea.
15 Therefore in the east glorify Yahweh,
and in the isles of the sea give glory
to the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
16 From the farthest part of the earth we have heard songs,
"Glory to the righteous one!"
But I said, "I have wasted away,
I have wasted away, woe is me!
The treacherous have dealt treacherously;
yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously."
17 Terror, the pit, and the snare
are upon you, inhabitants of the earth.
18 He who flees from the sound of terror
will fall into the pit,
and he who comes up out of the middle of the pit
will be caught in the snare.
The windows of the heavens will be opened,
and the foundations of the earth will shake.
19 The earth will be completely broken, the earth ripped apart;
the earth will be violently shaken.
20 The earth will stagger like a drunkard,
and it will sway back and forth like a hut.
Its sin will be heavy on it
and it will fall and never rise again.
21 On that day Yahweh will punish
the host of the heaven in the heavens,
and the kings of the earth on the earth.
22 They will be gathered together,
prisoners in a pit,
and will be shut up in a prison;
and after many days they will be punished.
23 Then the moon will be ashamed,
and the sun disgraced,
for Yahweh of hosts will reign
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and before his elders in glory.
1 Yahweh, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago, in perfect faithfulness.
2 For you have made a city a heap,
a fortified city a ruin;
a palace of foreigners is no longer a city;
it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore a strong people will glorify you;
a city of ruthless nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a place of safety
for the one who is poor,
a shelter for the one who is needy in his distress—
a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.
When the breath of the ruthless
was like a storm against a wall,
5 and like heat in a dry land,
you subdued the noise of foreigners,
as the heat is subdued by the shade of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless ones is answered.
6 On this mountain Yahweh of hosts
will make for all peoples a feast of tender meats,
a feast of choice wines,
of tender meats filled with marrow,
of refined choice wines.
7 He will destroy on this mountain
the covering over all peoples,
the web woven over all the nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever,
and the Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears
from off all faces;
the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for Yahweh has spoken it.
9 It will be said on that day,
"Look, this is our God;
we have waited for him, and he will save us.
This is Yahweh; we have waited for him,
we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
10 For on this mountain the hand of Yahweh will rest;
and Moab will be trampled down in his place,
even as straw is trampled down in a pit filled with manure.
11 They will spread their hands in the midst of it,
as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim.
But Yahweh will bring down their pride
in spite of the skill of their hands.
12 The stronghold of your fortress walls he will bring down,
he will abase,
he will cause to fall to the ground, to the dust.
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
God has made salvation its walls and ramparts.
2 Open the gates,
that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
3 The mind that is stayed on you,
you will keep him in perfect peace, for he trusts in you.
4 Trust in Yahweh forever;
for in Yah, Yahweh is an everlasting rock. [1]
5 For he will bring down those
who live in the high place, the lofty city.
He will abase it.
He will abase it to the ground;
he will cause it to fall to the dust.
6 It will be trampled down
by the feet of the poor and the treading of the needy.
7 The path of the righteous is level,
Righteous One; the path of the righteous you make straight.
8 Yes, in the path of your judgments,
Yahweh, we wait for you;
your name and your reputation are our desire.
9 I have longed for you in the night;
yes, my spirit within me seeks you earnestly.
For when your judgments come on the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn about righteousness.
10 Let favor be shown to the wicked one,
but he will not learn righteousness.
In the land of uprightness he acts wickedly
and does not see the majesty of Yahweh.
11 Yahweh, your hand is lifted up,
but they do not notice.
But they will see your zeal for the people and be put to shame,
because fire of your adversaries will devour them.
12 Yahweh, you will ordain peace for us;
for indeed, you have also performed all our works for us.
13 Yahweh our God, other masters besides you have ruled over us;
but we praise your name alone.
14 They are dead, they will not live;
they are deceased, they will not arise.
Indeed, you came in judgment and destroyed them,
and made every memory of them to perish.
15 You have increased the nation, Yahweh,
you have increased the nation; you are honored;
you have extended all the borders of the land.
16 Yahweh, in trouble have they looked to you;
they whispered prayers when your discipline was on them. [2]
17 As a pregnant woman nears the time for her to give birth,
when she is in pain and cries out in her labor pains,
so we have been before you, Lord.
18 We have been pregnant, we have been in labor,
but it is as if we have only given birth to wind.
We have not brought salvation to the earth,
and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
19 Your dead will live; their dead bodies will arise.
Awake and sing for joy, you who live in the dust;
for your dew is the dew of light,
and the earth will bring forth its dead.
20 Go, my people, enter into your rooms
and shut your doors behind you;
hide for a short time,
until the indignation has passed by.
21 For, look, Yahweh is about to come out of his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
the earth will uncover her bloodshed,
and will no longer conceal those she killed.
1 On that day
Yahweh with his hard, great and fierce sword
will punish Leviathan the slithering serpent,
Leviathan the squirming serpent,
and he will kill the monster that is in the sea.
2 In that day:
A vineyard of wine, sing of it.
3 "I, Yahweh, am its protector;
I water it every moment.
I guard it night and day
so no one will hurt it.
4 I am not angry,
Oh, that there were briers and thorns!
In battle I would march against them;
I would burn them all together;
5 unless they take hold of my refuge
and make peace with me; let them make peace with me.
6 In the coming day, Jacob will take root;
Israel will blossom and bud;
and they will fill the surface of the world with fruit."
7 Has Yahweh attacked Jacob and Israel
as he attacked those nations who attacked them?
Have Jacob and Israel been killed
as their killers were killed?
8 In exact measure you have contended,
sending Jacob and Israel away;
he drove them away with his severe breath
in the day of the east wind. [1]
9 So in this way, the iniquity of Jacob will be atoned for,
for this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:
when he will make all the altar stones
as chalk and crushed to pieces,
and no Asherah poles or incense altars
will remain standing.
10 For the fortified city is desolate,
the habitation is deserted and abandoned like the wilderness.
There a calf feeds, and there he lies down
and consumes its branches.
11 When the boughs are withered, they will be broken off.
Women will come and make fires with them,
for this is not a people of understanding.
Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them,
and he who made them will not be merciful to them.
12 It will come about on that day that Yahweh will thresh from the Euphrates River to the Brook of Egypt and you, the people of Israel, will be gathered together one by one. 13 On that day a great ram's horn will be blown; and the perishing ones in the land of Assyria will come, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt. They will worship Yahweh on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
1 Woe to the proud garland crown
that is worn by each of the drunkards of Ephraim,
and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
the garland that is set on the head of the lush Valley
of those who are overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord sends one who is mighty and strong;
like a storm of hail and a destructive windstorm,
like a driving rain and overflowing waters;
and he will throw each garland crown down to the ground.
3 The proud garland of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trodden underfoot.
4 The fading flower of his glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley,
will be as the first ripe fig before the summer,
that, when someone sees it,
while it is yet in his hand, he swallows it down.
5 In that day Yahweh of hosts will become a beautiful crown
and a diadem of beauty for the remainder of his people,
6 a spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,
and strength for those who turn back their enemies at their gates.
7 But even these reel with wine,
and stagger with strong drink.
The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink,
and they are swallowed up by wine.
They stagger with strong drink,
staggering in vision and reeling in decision.
8 Truly, all tables are covered with filthy vomit,
so that there is no clean place.
9 To whom will he teach knowledge,
and to whom will he explain the message?
To those who are weaned from milk
or to those just taken from the breasts?
10 For it is
command upon command, command upon command;
rule upon rule, rule upon rule;
here a little, there a little.
11 Indeed, with mocking lips and a foreign tongue
he will speak to this people.
12 In the past he said to them
"This is the rest, give rest to him who is weary;
and this is the refreshing,"
but they would not listen.
13 So the word of Yahweh will be to them
command upon command, command upon command;
rule upon rule, rule upon rule;
here a little, there a little;
so that they may go and fall backward,
and be broken, ensnared, and captured.
14 So listen to the word of Yahweh, you who mock,
you who rule over this people who are in Jerusalem.
15 This will happen because you said,
"We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have reached an agreement.
So when the overwhelming whip passes through,
it will not reach us.
For we have made a lie our refuge,
and taken shelter in falsehood."
16 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says,
"See, I will lay in Zion a foundation stone, a tried stone,
a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.
He who believes will not be ashamed.
17 I will make justice the measuring stick,
and righteousness the plumbline.
Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be dissolved,
and your agreement with Sheol will not stand.
When the raging flood passes through,
you will become its trampling place.
19 Whenever it passes through, it will overwhelm you,
and morning by morning it will pass through
and by day and night it will come.
When the message is understood,
it will cause terror.
20 For the bed is too short for a man to stretch out on,
and the blanket too narrow for him to wrap himself in."
21 Yahweh will rise up as on Mount Perazim;
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon
to do his work, his strange work,
and perform his strange deed.
22 Now therefore do not mock,
or your bonds will be tightened.
I have heard from the Lord Yahweh of hosts,
a decree of destruction on the earth.
23 Pay attention and listen to my voice;
be attentive and listen to my words.
24 Does a farmer who plows all day to sow, only plow the ground?
Does he continually break up and harrow the field?
25 When he has prepared the ground,
does he not scatter caraway seed, sow the cumin,
put in the wheat in rows and the barley in the right place,
and the spelt at its edges? [1]
26 His God instructs him;
he teaches him wisely.
27 Moreover, the caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cumin;
but caraway is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
28 Bread grain is crushed,
but the one who grinds it does not thresh it forever.
The wheel of his cart and his horses would destroy it,
so he does not continue to grind it.
29 This too comes from Yahweh of hosts,
who gives wonderful counsel
and whose sound wisdom is great.
1 Woe to Ariel, Ariel,
the city where David encamped!
Add year to year;
let the festivals come round.
2 But I will besiege Ariel,
and she will be mourning and lamenting;
and she will be to me like Ariel.
3 I will encamp against you in a circle
and will lay siege against you with a garrison,
and I will raise siege works against you.
4 You will be abased and will speak from the ground;
your speech will be bowed down from the dust.
Your voice will sound like a spirit that speaks from the ground,
and out of the dust your speech will whisper.
5 The great number of your invaders will become like fine dust,
and the multitude of the ruthless ones as chaff that passes away.
It will happen suddenly, in an instant.
6 Yahweh of hosts will come to you
with thunder, earthquake, great noise,
with strong winds and violent storm, and the flames of a devouring fire.
7 It will be like a dream, a vision of the night:
A horde of all the nations will fight against Ariel
and her stronghold.
They will attack her and her fortifications to press upon her.
8 It will be like when a hungry man dreams he is eating,
but when he awakes, his stomach is empty.
It will be like when a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking
and he awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched.
Yes, so will be the great number of nations
that fights against Mount Zion.
9 Astonish yourselves and be astonished;
blind yourselves and be blind!
Be drunk, but not with wine;
stagger, but not with strong drink.
10 For Yahweh has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep.
He has closed your eyes, the prophets,
and has covered your heads, the seers.
11 All revelation has become to you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men might give to one who is learned, saying, "Read this." He also says, "I cannot, for it is sealed." 12 If the book is given to one who cannot read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot read."
13 The Lord said,
"This people comes close to me with their mouths
and honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me.
Their honor for me
is only a commandment of men that has been taught.
14 Therefore, see, I will proceed to do a marvelous thing
among this people, wonder after wonder.
The wisdom of their wise men will perish,
and the understanding of their prudent men will disappear."
15 Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from Yahweh,
and whose deeds are in darkness.
They say, "Who sees us, and who knows us?"
16 You turn things upside down!
Should the potter be considered like clay,
so that the thing that is made should say about him who made it,
"He did not make me,"
or the thing formed say about him who formed it,
"He does not understand"?
17 In just a little while,
Lebanon will be turned into a field,
and the field will become a forest.
18 On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book,
and the eyes of the blind will see out of the deep darkness.
19 The oppressed will again rejoice in Yahweh,
and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless will cease, and the mocker will vanish.
All those who love to do evil will be eliminated,
21 who by a word make a man out to be an offender.
They lay a snare for him who seeks justice at the gate
and put the righteous down with empty lies.
22 Therefore this is what Yahweh says concerning the house of Jacob—Yahweh, who redeemed Abraham,
"Jacob will no longer be ashamed,
nor will his face be pale.
23 But when he sees his children, the work of my hands,
they will make my name holy.
They will make holy the name of the Holy One of Jacob
and they will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who err in spirit will gain understanding,
and complainers will accept instruction."
1 "Woe to the rebellious children—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
They make plans, but not from me;
they make alliances with other nations,
but they were not directed by my Spirit,
so they add sin to sin.
2 They set out to go down into Egypt,
but have not asked for my direction.
They seek protection from Pharaoh
and take refuge in the shadow of Egypt.
3 Therefore Pharaoh's protection will be your shame,
and the refuge in Egypt's shade, your humiliation,
4 although their princes are at Zoan,
and their messengers have come to Hanes.
5 They will all be ashamed
because of a people who cannot help them,
who are neither help nor aid,
but a shame, and even a disgrace."
6 A declaration about the animals of the Negev:
Through the land of trouble and anguish,
of the lioness and the lion,
the viper and fiery flying serpent,
they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys,
and their treasures on the camels' humps,
to a people who cannot help them.
7 For Egypt's help is vain and empty;
therefore I have called her Rahab, who sits still.
8 Now go, write it in their presence on a tablet,
and inscribe it on a scroll,
that it may be preserved
for the time to come as a testimony.
9 For these are a rebellious people, lying children,
children who will not hear the instruction of Yahweh.
10 They say to the seers, "Do not see;"
and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy the truth to us;
speak flattering words to us,
prophesy illusions. 11 Turn aside from the way, stray off the path;
cause the Holy One of Israel
to cease speaking before our face."
12 Therefore the Holy One of Israel says,
"Because you reject this word
and trust in oppression and deceit and lean on it,
13 so this iniquity will be to you
like a broken part ready to fall, like a bulge in a high wall
whose fall will happen suddenly, in an instant."
14 It will break as a potter's vessel is broken;
he will not spare it,
so that there will not be found among its pieces a shard
with which to scrape fire from the hearth,
or to scoop up water out of the cistern.
15 For this is what the Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel says,
"In returning and resting you will be saved;
in quietness and in trust will be your strength.
But you were not willing.
16 You said, 'No, for we will flee on horses,'
so you will flee;
and, 'We will ride upon swift horses,'
so those who pursue you will be swift.
17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one;
at the threat of five you will flee
until your remnant will be
like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
or like a signal flag on a hill."
18 Yet Yahweh is waiting to be gracious to you,
therefore he is ready to show you mercy.
For Yahweh is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
19 For a people will live in Zion, in Jerusalem, and you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When he hears it, he will answer you. 20 Though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, even so, your teacher will not hide himself anymore, but you will see your teacher with your own eyes. 21 Your ears will hear a word behind you saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22 You will desecrate your carved figures overlaid with silver and your gold cast figures. You will throw them away like a menstrual rag. You will say to them, "Get out of here."
23 He will give the rain for your seed when you sow the ground, and bread with abundance from the ground, and the crops will be abundant. In that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures. 24 The oxen and the donkeys, who plow the ground, will eat seasoned feed that has been winnowed with a shovel and a fork. 25 On every high mountain and on every high hill, there will be flowing brooks and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter when the towers fall. 26 The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the sunlight of seven days. Yahweh will bind up the breaking of his people and heal the bruises of his wounding them.
27 Look, the name of Yahweh comes from a distant place,
burning with his anger and in dense smoke.
His lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire.
28 His breath is like an overflowing torrent
that reaches up to the middle of the neck,
to sift the nations with the sieve of worthlessness.
His breath is a bridle in the jaws of the peoples
to cause them to wander away.
29 You will have a song
as in the night when a holy feast is observed,
and gladness of heart,
as when one goes with a flute to the mountain of Yahweh,
to the Rock of Israel.
30 Yahweh will make the splendor of his voice heard
and show the motion of his arm
in raging anger and flames of fire,
with windstorm, rainstorm, and hailstones.
31 For at the voice of Yahweh, Assyria will be dismayed;
he will strike them with a staff.
32 Every stroke of the appointed rod
that Yahweh will lay on them
will be accompanied with the music of tambourines and harps
as he battles, waving his weapons, and fights with them.
33 For a place of burning was prepared long ago.
Indeed, it is prepared for the king,
and God has made it deep and wide.
The pile is ready with a fire and much wood.
The breath of Yahweh, like a stream of sulfur,
will set it on fire.
1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
and lean on horses,
and trust in chariots (for they are many)
and in horsemen (for they are mighty).
But they are not concerned about the Holy One of Israel,
nor do they seek Yahweh!
2 Yet he is wise, and he will bring disaster
and will not retract his words.
He will arise against the evil house
and against the helpers of those who behave wickedly.
3 Egypt is a man and not God,
their horses flesh and not spirit.
When Yahweh reaches out with his hand,
both the one who helps will stumble,
and the one who is helped will fall; both will perish together.
4 This is what Yahweh says to me,
"As a lion, even a young lion, growls over its torn prey,
when a group of shepherds is called out against it,
but it is not frightened by their voices,
nor does it creep away from their sound;
thus Yahweh of hosts will descend
to fight on Mount Zion, on that hill.
5 Like birds in flight,
so Yahweh of hosts will protect Jerusalem;
he will protect and rescue
as he passes over it and preserves it.
6 Return to him from whom you have deeply turned away, people of Israel. 7 For in that day each one will throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold that your own hands have made as a sin.
8 Assyria will fall by the sword;
a sword not wielded by man will consume him.
He will flee from the sword,
and his young men will be forced to do hard labor.
9 They will lose all confidence because of terror,
and his princes will be afraid
at the sight of Yahweh's signal flag—
this is the declaration of Yahweh—
whose fire is in Zion and whose firepot is in Jerusalem."
1 Look, a king will reign in righteousness,
and princes will rule in justice.
2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in a dry place,
like the shade of a great rock in a land of weariness.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be dim,
and the ears of those who hear will hear attentively.
4 The rash will think carefully with understanding,
and the stutterer will speak distinctly and with ease.
5 The fool will no longer be called honorable,
nor the deceiver called principled.
6 For the fool speaks folly,
and his heart plans evil
and godless actions,
and he speaks wrongly against Yahweh.
He makes the hungry empty,
and the thirsty he causes to lack drink.
7 The deceiver's methods are evil.
He devises wicked schemes
to destroy the poor with deceitful words,
even when the poor say what is right.
8 But the honorable man makes honorable plans;
and because of his honorable actions he will stand.
9 Rise up, you women who are at ease,
and listen to my voice;
you carefree daughters,
give ear to my word.
10 For in a little more than a year
your confidence will be broken,
you carefree women,
for the grape harvest will fail,
the ingathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease;
be troubled, you confident ones;
take off your fine clothes and make yourselves bare;
gird your loins with sackcloth.
12 You will wail for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vines.
13 The land of my people
will be overgrown with thorns and briers,
even in all the joyful houses in the jubilant city.
14 For the palace will be abandoned,
the crowded city will be deserted;
the hill and the watchtower will become caves forever,
a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks;
15 until the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field is considered as a forest.
16 Then justice will reside in the wilderness;
and righteousness will live in the fruitful field.
17 The work of righteousness will be peace;
and the result of righteousness,
quietness and confidence forever.
18 My people will live in a peaceful habitation,
in secure homes, and in quiet resting places.
19 Though hail flattens the forest
and the city is completely brought down,
20 you will be blessed
when you sow your seed beside every stream
and let the foot of the ox and donkey range free.
1 Woe to you, destroyer who has not been destroyed!
Woe to the betrayer whom they have not betrayed!
When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed.
When you stop betraying, they will betray you.
2 Yahweh, be gracious to us; we wait for you;
be our arm every morning,
our salvation in the time of trouble.
3 At the loud noise the peoples flee;
when you arise, the nations are scattered.
4 Your plunder is gathered as the locusts gather;
as locusts leap, men leap on it.
5 Yahweh is exalted. He lives in a high place.
He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 He will be the stability in your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of Yahweh is his treasure.
7 Look, their envoys cry in the streets;
the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted;
there are no more travelers.
Covenants are broken, witnesses are despised,
and mankind is not respected. [1]
9 The land mourns and wastes away;
Lebanon is ashamed and withers away; [2]
Sharon is like a desert plain;
and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10 "Now will I arise," says Yahweh;
"now I will be lifted up; now I will be elevated.
11 You conceive chaff, and you give birth to stubble;
your breath is a fire that will consume you.
12 The peoples will be burned to lime,
as thornbushes are cut down and are burned.
13 You who are far away, hear what I have done;
and, you who are near, acknowledge my might."
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling has seized the godless ones.
Who among us can sojourn with a raging fire?
Who among us can sojourn with everlasting burnings?
15 He who walks righteously and speaks honestly;
who despises the gain of oppression,
who shakes his hand so that it will not accept a bribe,
who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed,
and who shuts his eyes from looking on evil—
16 this is the man who will dwell on the heights,
his stronghold will be the fortress among the cliffs,
his food will be given,
and his water will be in steady supply.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty;
they will see a land off in the distance.
18 Your heart will recall the terror;
where is the scribe,
where is he who weighed the money?
Where is he who counted the towers?
19 You will no longer see the defiant people,
people who mock you
in a language that you do not understand.
20 Look at Zion, the city of our feasts;
your eyes will see Jerusalem as a quiet habitation,
a tent that will not be removed,
whose stakes will never be pulled up
nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 There Yahweh in majesty will be with us,
in a place of broad rivers and streams,
where no warship with oars will travel,
and no large ships will sail.
22 For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver,
Yahweh is our king; he will save us.
23 Your riggings are slack;
they cannot hold the mast in place;
they cannot spread the sail;
when the plunder of abundant prey is divided,
even the lame will take away booty.
24 The inhabitants will not say, "I am sick;"
the people who live there will be forgiven for their iniquity.
1 Come near, you nations, and listen;
pay attention, you people!
The earth and all that fills it must listen,
the world and all its produce.
2 For Yahweh is angry with all the nations,
and furious against all their armies;
he has completely destroyed them,
he has handed them over to the slaughter.
3 The bodies of their dead will be thrown out.
The stench of the dead bodies will be everywhere;
and the mountains will soak up their blood.
4 All the host of heaven will waste away,
and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll;
and all their stars will fade away,
as the leaf fades from off the vine,
and as the overripe figs from the fig tree.
5 For when my sword will have drunk its fill in heaven;
look, it will now come down on Edom,
on the people I am setting apart for destruction.
6 The sword of Yahweh is dripping with blood
and covered with fat,
dripping with the blood of lambs and goats,
covered with the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For Yahweh has a sacrifice in Bozrah
and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
7 Wild oxen will fall with them,
and young bulls with the mighty ones.
Their land will be drunk with blood,
and their dust made fat with fatness.
8 For it will be a day of vengeance for Yahweh
and a year when he will pay them back for the cause of Zion.
9 The streams of Edom will be turned into pitch,
her dust into sulfur,
and her land will become burning pitch.
10 It will burn night and day;
its smoke will rise forever;
from generation to generation it will be a wasteland;
no one will pass through it forever and ever.
11 But wild birds and animals will live there;
the owl and the raven will make their nest in it.
He will stretch over it the measuring line of ruin
and the plumbline of destruction.
12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom,
and all her princes will be nothing.
13 Thorns will overgrow her palaces,
nettles and thistles her fortresses.
It will be a habitation of jackals,
a place for ostriches.
14 The wild animals of the desert and the hyenas will meet there,
and the wild goats will cry to one another.
Nocturnal animals will settle there
and find for themselves a resting place.
15 Owls will make nests, lay and hatch their eggs,
hatch and protect their young.
Yes, there hawks will gather,
each one with its mate.
16 Search through the scroll of Yahweh;
not one of these will be missing.
None will lack for a mate; for his mouth has commanded it,
and his spirit has gathered them.
17 He has cast lots for their places,
and his hand has measured it out for them by a cord.
They will possess it forever;
from generation to generation they will live there.
1 The wilderness and the Arabah will be glad;
and the desert will rejoice and blossom.
Like the rose,
2 it will blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and joyful shouting;
the glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of Yahweh,
the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make steady the knees that shake.
4 Say to those with a fearful heart,
"Be strong, do not fear!
Look, your God will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God. He will come and save you."
5 Then the eyes of the blind will see,
and the ears of the deaf will hear.
6 Then the lame man will leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue will shout for joy,
for water breaks out in the Arabah,
and streams in the wilderness.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the place where jackals lived,
in their resting place, will be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 A highway will be there called The Holy Way.
The unclean will not travel it.
But it will be for him who walks in it.
No fool will go on it.
9 No lion will be there, no ferocious beast will be on it;
they will not be found there,
but the redeemed will walk there.
10 The ransomed of Yahweh will return
and come with singing to Zion,
and everlasting joy will be on their heads;
gladness and joy will overtake them;
sorrow and sighing will flee away.
1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 2 Then the king of Assyria sent the chief commander from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a great army. He approached the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the launderers' field, and stood by it. 3 The Israelite officials who went out of the city to talk with them were Hilkiah's son Eliakim, the palace administrator, Shebna the king's secretary, and Asaph's son Joah, who wrote down the government decisions.
4 The chief commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah that the great king, the king of Assyria, says, 'What is the source of your confidence? 5 You speak only useless words, saying there is counsel and strength for war. Now in whom are you trusting? Who has given you courage to rebel against me? 6 Look, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed that you use as a walking staff, but if a man leans on it, it will stick into his hand and pierce it. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to anyone who trusts in him. 7 But if you say to me, "We are trusting in Yahweh our God," is not he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem"? 8 Now therefore, I want to make you a good offer from my master the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to find riders for them. 9 How could you resist even one captain of the least of my master's servants? You have put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen! 10 Now then, have I traveled up here without Yahweh to fight against this land and destroy it? Yahweh said to me, "Attack this land and destroy it."'"
11 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah said to the chief commander, "Please speak to your servants in the Aramean language, Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak with us in the language of Judah in the ears of the people who are on the wall." 12 But the chief commander said, "Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?"
13 Then the chief commander stood and shouted in a loud voice in the language of Judah, saying, "Listen to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14 The king says, 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to rescue you. 15 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh, saying, "Yahweh will surely rescue us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria."' 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: 'Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and from his own fig tree, and drink from the water in his own cistern. 17 You will do this until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.' 18 Do not let Hezekiah mislead you, saying, 'Yahweh will rescue us.' Has any of the gods of the peoples rescued them from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my power? 20 Among all the gods of these lands, is there any god who has rescued his land from my power, as if Yahweh could save Jerusalem from my power?"
21 But the people remained silent and did not respond, for the king's command was, "Do not answer him." 22 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and reported to him the words of the chief commander.
1 It came about that when King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Yahweh. 2 He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, all covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet. 3 They said to him, "Hezekiah says, 'This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, like when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to give birth to her child. 4 It may be Yahweh your God will hear the words of the chief commander, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Now lift up your prayer for the remnant that is still here.'"
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 and Isaiah said to them, "Say to your master: 'Yahweh says, "Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me. 7 Look, I will put a spirit in him, and he will hear a rumor and go back to his own land. I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."'"
8 Then the chief commander returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had gone away from Lachish. 9 Then Sennacherib heard that Tirhakah king of Cush and Egypt had mobilized to fight against him, so he sent messengers again to Hezekiah with a message: 10 "Say to Hezekiah, king of Judah, 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, "Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 11 See, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them completely. So will you be rescued? 12 Have the gods of the nations rescued them, the nations that my fathers destroyed: Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the cities of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?'"
14 Hezekiah received this letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the house of Yahweh and spread it before him. 15 Hezekiah prayed to Yahweh: 16 "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, you who sit above the cherubim, you are God alone over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. 17 Turn your ear, Yahweh, and listen. Open your eyes, Yahweh, and see, and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18 It is true, Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations and their lands. 19 They have put their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men's hands, just wood and stone. So the Assyrians have destroyed them. 20 So now, Yahweh our God, save us from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are Yahweh alone."
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah, saying, "Yahweh, the God of Israel says, 'Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that Yahweh has spoken about him:
"The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you;
the daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head at you.
23 Whom have you defied and insulted?
Against whom have you exalted your voice
and lifted up your eyes in pride?
Against the Holy One of Israel.
24 By your servants you have defied the Lord
and have said, 'With the multitude of my chariots
I have gone up to the heights of the mountains,
to the highest elevations of Lebanon.
I will cut down its tall cedars
and choice cypress trees there,
and I will enter into its farthest high places,
its most fruitful forest.
25 I have dug wells and drunk water; [1]
I dried up all the rivers of Egypt under the soles of my feet.'
26 Have you not heard
how I determined it long ago
and worked it out in ancient times?
Now I am bringing it to pass.
You are here to reduce impregnable cities
into heaps of ruins.
27 Their inhabitants, of little strength,
are dismayed and ashamed.
They are plants in the field, green grass,
the grass on the roof or in the field,
before the east wind.
28 But I know your sitting down, your going out,
your coming in, and your raging against me.
29 Because of your raging against me,
and because your arrogance has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose, and my bit in your mouth;
I will turn you back the way you came."
30 This will be the sign for you:
This year you will eat what grows wild,
and in the second year what grows from that.
But in the third year you must plant and harvest,
plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
31 The remnant of the house of Judah that survives
will again take root and bear fruit.
32 For from Jerusalem a remnant will come out;
from Mount Zion an escaped remnant will come.
The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.'"
33 Therefore Yahweh says this about the king of Assyria:
"He will not come into this city
and he will not shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build up a siege ramp against it.
34 The way by which he came will be the same way he will leave;
he will not enter this city—this is Yahweh's declaration.
35 For I will defend this city and rescue it
for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant."
36 Then the angel of Yahweh went out and attacked the camp of the Assyrians, putting to death 185,000 soldiers. When the men arose early in the morning, dead bodies lay everywhere. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria left Israel and went home and stayed in Nineveh. 38 Later, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisrok his god, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword. Then they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
1 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the point of dying. So Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, came to him, and said to him, "Yahweh says, 'Set your house in order; for you will die, not live.'" 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh. 3 He said, "Please, Yahweh, I beg you, call to mind how I have faithfully walked before you with my whole heart, and how I have done what was good in your sight." Then Hezekiah wept loudly. 4 Then the word of Yahweh came to Isaiah, saying, 5 "Go and say to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what Yahweh, the God of David your ancestor, says: I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. See, I am about to add fifteen years to your life. 6 Then I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city. 7 This will be the sign to you from Yahweh, that I will do what I have promised. 8 Look, I will cause the shadow on the stairs of Ahaz to go back ten steps.'" So the shadow went back ten steps of the stairs on which it had advanced.
9 This was the written prayer of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and then recovered:
10 "I said that halfway through my life
I will go through the gates of Sheol;
I am sent there for the rest of my years.
11 I said that I will no longer see Yah,
Yah in the land of the living; [1]
I will no longer look on mankind
or the inhabitants of the world. [2]
12 My dwelling place is removed
and carried away from me like a shepherd's tent;
I have rolled up my life like a weaver;
you are cutting me off from the loom;
between day and night you are ending my life.
13 I cried out [3] until the morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones.
Between day and night you are ending my life.
14 Like a swallow I chirp;
I coo like a dove;
my eyes grow tired with looking upward.
Lord, I am oppressed; help me.
15 What can I say?
He has both spoken to me, and has done it;
I will walk slowly all my years
because of the bitterness of my soul.
16 Lord, the sufferings you send are good for me;
may my life be given back to me;
you have restored my life and health.
17 It was for my benefit
that I experienced such bitterness.
You have rescued me from the pit of destruction;
for you have thrown all my sins behind your back.
18 For Sheol does not thank you;
death does not praise you;
those who go down into the pit
do not hope in your trustworthiness.
19 The living person, the living person,
he is the one who gives you thanks, as I do this day;
a father makes known to children
your trustworthiness.
20 Yahweh is about to save me,
and we will celebrate with music
all the days of our lives in the house of Yahweh."
21 Now Isaiah had said, "Let them take a lump of figs and put it on the boil, and he will recover." 22 Hezekiah also had said, "What will be the sign that I should go up to the house of Yahweh?"
1 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah; for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah was pleased by these things; he showed the messengers his storehouse of valuable things—the silver, the gold, the spices and precious oil, the storehouse of his weapons, and all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his kingdom, that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him, "What did these men say to you? Where did they come from?" Hezekiah said, "They came to me from the distant country of Babylon." 4 Isaiah asked, "What have they seen in your house?" Hezekiah answered, "They have seen everything in my house. There is nothing among my valuable things that I have not shown them." 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to the word of Yahweh of hosts: 6 'Look, the days are about to come when everything in your palace, the things that your ancestors stored away until this present day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says Yahweh. 7 They will take away some of your own descendants, whom you will father, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'" 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of Yahweh that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "There will be peace and stability in my days."
1 "Comfort, comfort my people,"
says your God.
2 "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem;
and proclaim to her
that her warfare has ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received double
from Yahweh's hand for all her sins."
3 A voice cries out,
"In the wilderness prepare the way of Yahweh;
make straight in the Arabah a highway for our God." [1]
4 Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be brought low;
and the rugged land will be made level,
and the rough places a plain;
5 and the glory of Yahweh will be revealed,
and all people will see it together;
for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.
6 A voice says, "Cry."
Another answers, "What should I cry?"
"All flesh is grass,
and all their covenant faithfulness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flower fades
when the breath of Yahweh blows on it;
surely humanity is grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever."
9 Go up on a high mountain,
Zion, bearer of good news. [2]
Shout out loud,
Jerusalem. You who bring good news, raise your voice, do not be afraid. [3]
Say to the cities of Judah,
"Here is your God!"
10 Look, the Lord Yahweh comes as a victorious warrior,
and his strong arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense goes before him.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd,
he will gather in his arm the lambs,
and carry them close to his heart,
and will gently lead the ewes nursing their young.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
measured the sky with the span of his hand,
held the dust of the earth in a basket,
weighed the mountains in scales,
or the hills in a balance?
13 Who has comprehended the mind of Yahweh,
or instructed him as his counselor?
14 From whom did he ever receive instruction?
Who taught him the correct way to do things,
and taught him knowledge,
or showed to him the way of understanding?
15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket,
and are regarded like the dust on the scales;
see, he weighs the isles as a speck.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient fuel,
nor its wild animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are insufficient before him;
they are regarded by him as nothing and emptiness.
18 To whom then will you compare God?
To what idol will you liken him?
19 An idol! A craftsman casts it:
The goldsmith overlays it with gold
and forges silver chains for it.
20 To make an offering
one chooses a wood that will not rot;
he seeks a skillful artisan
to make an idol that will not fall over.
21 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 He is the one who sits above the horizon of the earth;
and the inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him.
He stretches out the heavens like a curtain
and spreads them out as a tent to live in.
23 He reduces rulers to nothing
and makes the rulers of the earth emptiness.
24 They are barely planted, barely sown,
their stem has barely taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them and they wither,
and the wind carries them away like straw.
25 "To whom then will you compare me,
whom do I resemble?" says the Holy One.
26 Look up at the sky!
Who has created all these stars?
He leads out their formations
and calls them all by name.
By the greatness of his might and by the strength of his power,
not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, Jacob, and declare, Israel,
"My way is hidden from Yahweh,
and my God is not concerned about my vindication"?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, Yahweh,
the Creator of the ends of the earth,
does not get tired or weary;
there is no limit to his understanding.
29 He gives strength to the tired;
and to the one who lacks might he gives power.
30 Even young people become tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall:
31 but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength;
they will soar with wings like eagles;
they will run and not be weary;
they will walk and not faint.
1 "Listen before me in silence, you coastlands;
let the nations renew their strength;
let them come near and speak;
let us come near together to argue a dispute.
2 Who has stirred up one from the east,
calling him in righteousness to his service?
He hands nations over to him
and helps him subdue kings.
He turns them to dust with his sword,
like windblown stubble with his bow.
3 He pursues them and passes by safely,
by a swift path that his feet scarcely touch.
4 Who has performed and accomplished these deeds?
Who has summoned the generations from the beginning?
I, Yahweh, the first, and with the last ones, I am he.
5 The isles have seen and are afraid;
the ends of the earth tremble;
they approach and come.
6 Everyone helps his neighbor,
and every one says to one another, 'Be encouraged.'
7 So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith,
and he who works with the hammer
encourages him who works with an anvil,
saying of the welding, 'It is good.'
They fasten it with nails so it will not topple over.
8 But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
the descendants of Abraham my friend,
9 I took you from the ends of the earth
and called you from the farthest places,
saying to you, 'You are my servant.'
I have chosen you and I have not rejected you.
10 Do not fear, for I am with you.
Do not be anxious, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, and I will help you,
and I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 See, they will be ashamed and disgraced,
all who have been angry with you;
they will be as nothing and will perish,
those who oppose you.
12 You will seek and will not find
those who contended with you;
those who warred against you
will be like nothing, absolutely nothing.
13 For I, Yahweh your God, will hold your right hand,
saying to you, 'Do not fear; I am helping you.'
14 Do not fear, Jacob you worm, and you men of Israel;
I will help you—this is the declaration of Yahweh,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 Look, I am making you like a sharp threshing sledge,
new and two-edged;
you will thresh the mountains and crush them;
you will make the hills like chaff.
16 You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away;
the wind will scatter them.
You will rejoice in Yahweh,
you will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
17 The oppressed and needy look for water, but there is none,
and their tongues are parched for thirst;
I, Yahweh, will respond to their prayers;
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
18 I will make streams to flow down the slopes,
and springs in the middle of the valleys;
I will make the desert into a pool of water,
and the dry land into springs of water.
19 In the wilderness I will set the cedar,
the acacia, and the myrtle, and the olive tree.
I will set the cypress in the desert plain,
with the pines and the cypress box trees.
20 I will do this so that the people
may see, learn, consider, and gain understanding together,
that the hand of Yahweh has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21 'Present your case,' says Yahweh,
'present your best arguments for your idols,'
says the King of Jacob.
22 Let them bring us their own arguments;
have them come forward and declare to us what will happen,
so we may know these things well.
Have them tell us of earlier predictive declarations,
so we can reflect on them and know how they were fulfilled.
23 Tell things about the future,
that we may know if you are gods;
do something good or evil,
that we may be frightened and impressed.
24 See, you idols are nothing and your deeds are nothing;
the one who chooses you is detestable.
25 I have raised up one from the north, and he comes;
from the sun's rising I summon him who calls on my name,
and he will trample the rulers like mud,
like a potter who is treading on the clay.
26 Who announced this from the beginning, that we might know?
Before this time, that we may say, 'He is in the right'?
Indeed none of them decreed it,
yes, none heard your words.
27 I first said to Zion,
'Look here they are!' I sent a herald to Jerusalem.
28 When I look, there is no one,
not one among them who can give good advice,
who, when I ask, can answer a word.
29 Look, all of them are nothing,
and their deeds are nothing;
their cast metal figures are wind and emptiness.
1 Behold, my servant, whom I uphold;
my chosen one, in him I take delight.
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry out nor shout,
nor make his voice heard in the streets.
3 A crushed reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench:
he will faithfully execute justice.
4 He will neither grow faint nor be crushed
until he has established justice on the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
5 This is what God Yahweh says—
the one who created the heavens and stretched them out,
the one who made the earth and all its produce,
the one who gives breath to the people on it
and life to those who live on it:
6 "I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness
and will hold your hand.
I will keep you and set you as a covenant for the people,
as a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open the eyes of the blind,
to release the prisoners from the dungeon,
and from the house of imprisonment
those who sit in darkness.
8 I am Yahweh, that is my name;
and my glory I will not share with another
nor my praise with carved idols.
9 See, the previous things came to pass,
now I am about to declare new events.
Before they begin to occur I will tell you about them."
10 Sing to Yahweh a new song,
and his praise from the end of the earth;
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
the coastlands, and those who live there.
11 Let the desert and the cities cry out,
the villages where Kedar lives, shout for joy!
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing;
let them shout from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to Yahweh
and declare his praise in the coastlands.
13 Yahweh will go out as a warrior;
as a man of war he will stir up his zeal.
He will shout, yes, he will roar his battle cries;
he will show his enemies his power.
14 I have kept quiet for a long time;
I have been still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in labor;
I will gasp and pant.
15 I will lay waste mountains and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
and I will turn the rivers into islands
and will dry up the marshes.
16 I will bring the blind by a way that they do not know;
in paths that they do not know I will lead them.
I will turn the darkness into light before them,
and make the crooked places straight.
These things I will do,
and I will not abandon them.
17 They will be turned back, they will be completely put to shame,
those who trust in carved figures,
who say to cast metal figures, "You are our gods."
18 Listen, you deaf;
and look, you blind, that you may see.
19 Who is blind but my servant?
Or deaf like my messenger I send?
Who is as blind as my covenant partner,
or blind as Yahweh's servant?
20 You see many things, but do not comprehend;
ears are open, but no one hears.
21 It pleased Yahweh to praise his justice
and to make his law glorious.
22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;
they are all trapped in pits, held captive in prisons;
they have become prey with no one to rescue them,
and no one says, "Bring them back!"
23 Who among you will listen to this?
Who will listen and hear in the future?
24 Who gave Jacob over to the robber,
and Israel to the looters?
Was it not Yahweh, against whom we have sinned,
in whose ways they refused to walk,
and whose law they refused to obey?
25 Therefore he poured out on them
the heat of his anger and the violence of war,
Its flames encircled them, yet they did not understand;
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.
1 But now this is what Yahweh says,
he who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel:
"Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire you will not be burned,
and the flames will not destroy you.
3 For I am Yahweh your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, I love you;
therefore I will give people in exchange for you,
and other peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, 'Hand them over;'
and to the south, 'Do not hold any back;'
Bring my sons from afar,
and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I have created for my glory,
whom I have formed, yes, whom I have made.
8 Bring out the people who are blind,
even though they have eyes,
and the deaf,
even though they have ears.
9 All the nations gather together,
and the peoples assemble.
Who among them could have declared this
and announced to us earlier events?
Let them bring their witnesses so they can be justified;
let them listen and affirm, 'It is true.'
10 You are my witnesses—this is Yahweh's declaration—
and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe in me,
and understand that I am he.
Before me there was no god formed,
and there will be none after me.
11 I, I am Yahweh,
and there is no savior but me.
12 I have declared, saved, and proclaimed,
and there is no other god among you.
You are my witnesses—
this is Yahweh's declaration—I am God.
13 From this day on I am he,
and no one can rescue anyone from my hand.
I act, and who can turn it back?"
14 This is what Yahweh says,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
"For your sake I send to Babylon
and lead them all down as fugitives,
turning the Chaldeans' expressions of joy
into songs of lamentation.
15 I am Yahweh, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King."
16 This is what Yahweh says
(who opened a way through the sea
and a path in the mighty waters,
17 who led out the chariot and the horse,
the army and the mighty man. They fell down together;
they will never rise again;
they are extinguished, quenched like a burning wick.)
18 "Do not think about these former things,
nor consider the things of long ago.
19 Look, I am about to do a new thing;
now it begins to happen; do you not know it?
I will make a road in the desert
and streams of water in the wilderness.
20 The wild animals of the field will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
because I give water in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert,
for my chosen people to drink,
21 this people whom I formed for myself,
that they might recount my praises.
22 But you have not called on me, Jacob;
you have become tired of me, Israel.
23 You have not brought me
any of your sheep as burnt offerings,
or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with grain offerings,
nor wearied you with demands for incense.
24 You have bought me no sweet-smelling cane with money,
neither have you poured out to me the fat of your sacrifices;
but you have burdened me with your sins,
you have wearied me with your evil deeds.
25 I, yes, I, am he who blots out your offenses for my own sake;
and I will not call to mind your sins any longer.
26 Remind me of what happened. Let us debate together;
present your cause, that you may be proved to be in the right.
27 Your first father sinned,
and your teachers have transgressed against me.
28 Therefore I will defile the holy officials;
I will hand Jacob over to complete destruction,
and Israel to abusive humiliation."
1 Now listen, Jacob my servant,
and Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 This is what Yahweh says,
he who made you and formed you in the womb
and who will help you: "Do not fear, Jacob my servant;
and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty ground,
and flowing streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit on your offspring
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will spring up among the grass,
like willows by the streams of water.
5 One will say, 'I belong to Yahweh,'
and another will call out the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand 'Belonging to Yahweh,'
and name himself by the name of Israel."
6 This is what Yahweh says—
the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts:
"I am the first, and I am the last;
and there is no God but me.
7 Who is like me? Let him announce it and explain to me
the events that occurred since I established my ancient people,
and let them declare the events to come.
8 Do not fear or be afraid.
Have I not declared to you long ago, and announced it?
You are my witnesses: Is there any God besides me?
There is no other Rock; I know of none."
9 All who fashion idols are nothing;
the things they delight in are worthless;
their witnesses cannot see or know anything,
and they will be put to shame.
10 Who would form a god
or cast an idol that is worthless?
11 Look, all his associates will be put to shame;
the craftsmen are only men.
Let them assemble together; let them stand up;
they will tremble and be put to shame.
12 The smith works with his tools,
forming it, working over the coals.
He shapes it with hammers
and works it with his strong arm.
He is hungry, and his strength wanes;
he drinks no water and becomes faint.
13 The carpenter measures the wood with a line,
and marks it with a stylus.
He shapes it with his tools
and marks it out with a compass.
He shapes it after the figure of a man,
like a glorious human, so it may stay in a house.
14 He cuts down cedars,
or chooses a cypress tree or an oak tree.
He makes it grow for himself among the trees in the forest.
He plants a fir tree and the rain makes it grow.
15 Then a man uses it for a fire and warms himself.
Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Then he makes from it a god and bows down to it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.
16 He burns part of the wood for the fire,
roasting his meat over it. He eats and is satisfied.
He warms himself and says,
"Ah, I am warm, I have seen the fire."
17 With the rest of the wood he makes a god, his carved image;
he bows down to it and reverences it,
and prays to it saying, "Rescue me, for you are my god."
18 They do not know, nor do they understand,
for their eyes are blind and cannot see,
and their hearts cannot gain understanding.
19 No one's heart remembers, and no one has the knowledge,
no one has the understanding to say,
"I have burned part of the wood in the fire;
yes, I have also baked bread upon its coals.
I have roasted meat over its coals and eaten.
Now should I make the other part
of the wood into an abomination?
Should I bow down to a block of wood?"
20 It is as if he were eating ashes; his deceived heart misleads him.
He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say,
"This thing in my right hand is a false god."
21 Think about these things, Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant:
I have formed you; you are my servant:
Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your rebellious deeds,
and like a cloud, your sins;
return to me,
for I have redeemed you.
23 Sing, you heavens, for Yahweh has done this;
shout for joy, you depths of the earth.
Break out into a shout of joy, you mountains,
you forest with every tree in it;
for Yahweh has redeemed Jacob,
and will show his glory in Israel.
24 This is what Yahweh says, your Redeemer,
he who formed you from the womb:
"I am Yahweh, who made everything,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who alone fashioned the earth.
25 I who frustrate the omens of the empty talkers
and who disgrace those who interpret omens;
I who overturn the wisdom of the wise
and make their advice foolish.
26 I, Yahweh, who confirmed the words of his servant
and brings to pass the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, 'She will be inhabited,'
and of the towns of Judah,
'They will be built again, and I will raise up their ruins';
27 who says to the deep sea,
'Be dry, and I will dry up your currents.'
28 Yahweh is the one who says of Cyrus,
'He is my shepherd, he will do my every wish;
he will decree about Jerusalem, 'She will be rebuilt,'
and about the temple, 'Let its foundations be laid.'"
1 This is what Yahweh says to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold,
in order to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings,
and to open the doors before him, so that gates remain open:
2 "I will go before you
and level the mountains;
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut in pieces their iron bars,
3 and I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden away,
that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, who call you by your name,
I, the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob my servant's sake,
and Israel my chosen,
I have called you by your name,
giving you a title of honor,
though you have not known me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is no other;
there is no God but me.
I will gird you,
though you have not known me;
6 that people may know
from the rising of the sun, and from the west,
that there is no god but me:
I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
7 I form the light and create darkness;
I bring peace and create disaster;
I am Yahweh, who does all these things.
8 You heavens, rain down from above!
Let the skies rain down righteousness.
Let the earth absorb it,
that salvation may bear fruit,
and righteousness spring up together with it.
I, Yahweh, have created them both.
9 Woe to anyone who argues with the one who formed him,
to him who is like any other earthen pot
among all the earthen pots in the ground!
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
or 'Your work has no handles on it'?
10 Woe to him who says to a father,
What are you fathering?'
or to a woman,
'What are you giving birth to?'
11 This is what Yahweh says,
the Holy One of Israel, his Maker:
'Why do you ask questions about what I will do for my children?
Do you command me concerning the work of my hands?'
12 'I made the earth
and created man on it.
It was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all the stars to appear.
13 I stirred Cyrus up in righteousness,
and I will smooth out all his paths.
He will build my city;
he will let my exiled people go home,
and not for price nor bribe,'"
says Yahweh of hosts.
14 This is what Yahweh says,
"The produce of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
with the Sabeans, men of tall stature,
will be brought to you.
They will be yours.
They will follow after you,
coming in chains.
They will bow down to you
and plead with you saying,
'Surely God is with you,
and there is no other except him.'"
15 Truly you are a God who hides yourself,
God of Israel, Savior.
16 They will all be ashamed and disgraced together;
those who carve idols will walk in humiliation.
17 But Israel will be saved by Yahweh
with an everlasting salvation;
you will never again be ashamed or humiliated.
18 This is what Yahweh says,
who created the heavens,
the true God
who created the earth and made it,
who established it.
He created it, not as a waste,
but designed it to be inhabited:
"I am Yahweh,
and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
in some dark land;
I did not say to Jacob's descendants,
'Seek me in vain!'
I am Yahweh, who speaks what is right;
I declare the things that are upright.
20 Assemble yourselves and come!
Gather together, you refugees from among the nations!
They have no knowledge, those who carry carved images
and pray to gods that cannot save.
21 Come close and declare it to me, bring the evidence!
Let them conspire together.
Who has shown this from long ago?
Who announced it?
Was it not I, Yahweh?
There is no God except me,
a just God and a Savior;
there is no one besides me.
22 Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I swear,
speaking my just decree,
and it will not turn back:
'To me every knee will bend,
every tongue will swear.
24 They will say of me, "In Yahweh alone
are righteousness and strength."'"
They will all be ashamed
who are angry at him.
25 In Yahweh all the descendants of Israel will be justified;
they will take pride in him.
1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low.
Their idols weigh down the animals who carry them,
and you load your cattle with heavy burdens
for weary animals.
2 Together they bend low, kneel down;
they cannot rescue the images,
and they themselves have gone off into captivity.
3 Listen to me, house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been carried by me from before your birth,
carried from the womb.
4 Even to your old age I am he,
and until your hair is gray I will carry you.
I made you and I will bear you;
I will carry you and I will rescue you.
5 To whom will you compare me? Who do you think I resemble,
so that we may be compared?
6 People pour out gold from the bag
and weigh silver on the scale.
They hire a metalsmith, and he makes it into a god;
they bow down and worship it.
7 They lift it on their shoulder and carry it;
they set it in its place, and it stands in its place
and does not move from it.
They cry out to it, but it cannot answer
nor save anyone from his trouble.
8 Think about these things;
never ignore them, you rebels!
9 Think about the earlier things, those of times past,
for I am God, and there is no other,
I am God, and there is no one like me.
10 I announce the end from the beginning,
and beforehand what has not yet happened;
I say, "My plan will happen,
and I will do as I desire."
11 I call a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my choice from a distant land;
yes, I have spoken; I will also accomplish it;
I have purposed, I will also do it.
12 Listen to me, you stubborn people,
who are far from doing what is right.
13 I am bringing my righteousness near;
it is not far away,
and my salvation does not wait;
and I will give salvation to Zion
and my beauty to Israel.
1 Come down and sit in the dust,
virgin daughter of Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
daughter of the Chaldeans.
You will no longer be called
dainty and delicate.
2 Take the millstone and grind flour;
remove your veil,
strip off your flowing robe, uncover your legs,
cross the streams.
3 Your nakedness will be uncovered,
yes, your shame will be seen:
I will take vengeance
and will not spare a man.
4 Our Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts is his name,
the Holy One of Israel.
5 Sit in silence and go into darkness,
daughter of the Chaldeans;
for you will no longer be called
queen of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with my people;
I defiled my heritage
and gave them over into your hand,
but you showed them no mercy;
you placed a very heavy yoke on the old people.
7 You said, "I will rule forever
as sovereign queen."
You did not take these things to heart,
nor did you consider how they would turn out.
8 So now hear this, you who love pleasure
and sit securely;
you who say in your heart,
"I exist, and there is no one else like me;
I will never sit as a widow,
nor will I ever experience loss of children."
9 But these two things will come to you
in a moment in one day:
the loss of children and widowhood;
in full force they will come on you,
despite your sorceries
and your many incantations and amulets.
10 You have trusted in your wickedness;
you have said, "No one sees me";
your wisdom and your knowledge lead you astray,
but you say in your heart,
"I exist, and there is no one else like me."
11 Disaster will overcome you;
you will not be able to drive it away with your incantations.
Destruction will fall on you;
you will not be able to ward it off.
Calamity will strike you suddenly,
before you know it.
12 Persist in casting your spells
and your many sorceries
which you have faithfully recited since your childhood;
perhaps you will profit from them,
perhaps you will cause trembling.
13 You are tired out from so much counsel;
let those men stand up and save you—
those who chart the heavens and prophesy by the stars,
those who declare the new moons—
let them save you from what will happen to you.
14 See, they will become like stubble.
The fire will burn them up.
They will not save themselves
from the hand of the flame.
There are no coals to warm them
and no fire for them to sit by!
15 This is what they have become to you—
those with whom you have worked,
and you have bought and sold with them since your youth—
they wandered about each one in his own direction;
there is no one who can rescue you."
1 Hear this, house of Jacob,
who are called by the name Israel
and have come from the waters of Judah;
you who swear by the name of Yahweh
and invoke the God of Israel,
but not sincerely nor in a righteous manner.
2 For they call themselves people of the holy city
and trust in the God of Israel.
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
3 "I have declared the things from long ago;
they came out from my mouth, and I made them known;
then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
4 Because I knew that you were obstinate,
your neck muscles tight as iron,
and your forehead like bronze,
5 therefore I declared these things to you beforehand;
before they happened I informed you,
so you could not say,
'My idol has done them,'
or 'My carved figure and my cast metal figure has ordained these things.'
6 You heard about these things; look at all this evidence;
and you, will you not admit what I said is true?
From now on, I am showing you new things,
hidden things that you have not known.
7 Now, and not from previously, they come into being,
and before today you have not heard about them,
so you will not be able to say,
'Yes, I knew about them.'
8 You never heard; you did not know;
these things were not unfolded to your ears beforehand.
For I knew that you have been very deceitful,
and that you have been a rebel from birth.
9 For the sake of my name I will defer my anger,
and for my honor I will hold back from destroying you.
10 Look, I refined you, but not as silver;
I have purified you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake I will act;
for how can I allow my name to be profaned?
I will not give my glory to anyone else.
12 Listen to me, Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called:
I am he;
I am the first, I also am the last.
13 Yes, my hand laid the foundation of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I call to them,
they stand up together.
14 Assemble yourselves, all of you, and listen!
Who among you has announced these things?
Yahweh's ally will accomplish his purpose against Babylon.
He will carry out Yahweh's will against the Chaldeans.
15 I, I have spoken,
yes, I have summoned him,
I have brought him,
and he will succeed.
16 Come near to me, listen to this:
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; when it happens, I am there."
Now the Lord Yahweh has sent me, and his Spirit.
17 This is what Yahweh,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says,
"I am Yahweh your God,
who teaches you how to profit,
who leads you by the way that you should go.
18 If only you had obeyed my commandments!
Then your peace and prosperity would have flowed like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as the sand,
and the offspring from your womb as numerous as the grains of sand;
their name would not have been cut off
nor blotted out from before me.
20 Come out from Babylon!
Flee from the Chaldeans!
With the sound of a ringing cry announce it!
Make this known,
make it go out to the ends of the earth!
Say, 'Yahweh has redeemed his servant Jacob.'
21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
he made the water to flow out of the rock for them;
he split open the rock,
and the waters gushed out.
22 There is no peace for the wicked—says Yahweh."
1 Listen to me, you coastlands!
Now pay attention, you distant peoples.
Yahweh has called me from birth by name,
when my mother brought me into the world.
2 He has made my mouth like a sharp sword;
he hid me in the shadow of his hand;
he has made me into a polished arrow;
in his quiver he has hidden me.
3 He said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, through whom I show my glory."
4 But I replied, "Though I thought I have labored in vain,
I have spent my energy for nothing,
yet my justice is with Yahweh,
and my reward is with my God."
5 Now Yahweh has spoken—
he who formed me from birth to be his servant,
to restore Jacob again to himself,
so that Israel would be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the eyes of Yahweh,
and my God has become my strength—
6 and he says, "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the survivors of Israel.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
that you may be my salvation to the ends of the earth."
7 This is what Yahweh says,
the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,
to the one whose life is despised, hated by the nations,
and a slave of rulers,
"Kings will see you and arise,
and princes will see you and bow down,
because of Yahweh who is faithful,
even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
8 This is what Yahweh says,
"At a time I decide to show my favor I will answer you,
and in a day of salvation I will help you;
I will protect you,
and give you as a covenant for the people,
to rebuild the land,
to reassign the desolate inheritance.
9 You will say to the prisoners, 'Come out;'
to those in dark dungeons, 'Show yourselves.'
They will graze along the roads,
and on all the bare slopes will be their pasture.
10 They will not be hungry or thirsty;
nor will the heat or sun beat on them,
for he who has mercy on them will lead them;
he will guide them to springs of water.
11 Then I will make all my mountains into a road,
and make my highways level."
12 Look, these will come from far away,
some from the north and the west;
and others from the land of Sinim.
13 Sing, heavens, and be joyful,
earth; break into joyful shouting, you mountains!
For Yahweh comforts his people,
and will have compassion on his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, "Yahweh has abandoned me,
and the Lord has forgotten me."
15 "Can a woman forget her baby, nursing at her breast,
so she does not have compassion on the son she has borne?
Yes, they may forget,
but I will not forget you.
16 Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms;
your walls are continually before me.
17 Your children are hurrying back,
while those who destroyed you and made you desolate are going away.
18 Look around and see,
they are all gathering and coming to you.
As surely as I live—this is Yahweh's declaration—
you will surely wear them like jewelry,
and you will put them on like a bride.
19 Though you were a waste and desolate,
a land that was in ruins,
now you will be too small for the inhabitants,
and those who devoured you will be far away.
20 The children born during the time of your bereavement
will say in your hearing,
'The place is too cramped for us,
make room for us, so we may live here.'
21 Then you will say in your heart,
'Who has borne these children for me?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and divorced.
Who has raised these children?
Look, I was left all alone;
where did these come from?'"
22 This is what the Lord Yahweh says,
"Look, I will raise my hand to the nations;
I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their bosoms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
23 Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursemaids;
they will bow down to you with their faces to the earth
and lick the dust of your feet;
and you will know that I am Yahweh;
those who wait for me will not be put to shame."
24 Can the booty be taken from the warrior,
or captives be rescued from the ruthless? [1]
25 But this is what Yahweh says,
"Yes, the captives will be taken away from the warrior,
and booty will be rescued from the ruthless;
for I will oppose your adversary
and save your children.
26 I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh;
and they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine.
Then all mankind will know
that I, Yahweh, am your Savior and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Jacob."
1 This is what Yahweh says,
"Where is the certificate of divorce
with which I divorced your mother?
To which of my creditors did I sell you?
Look, you were sold because of your iniquities,
and because of your rebellion your mother was sent away.
2 Why did I come but there was no one there?
Why did I call but no one answered?
Was my hand too short to ransom you?
Was there no power in me to rescue you?
Look, at my rebuke I dry up the sea;
I make the rivers a desert;
their fish die for lack of water and rot.
3 I clothe the sky with darkness;
I cover it with sackcloth."
4 The Lord Yahweh has given me a tongue as one of those who are taught,
so that I speak a sustaining word to the weary one; he wakes me morning by morning;
he awakens my ear to hear like those who are taught.
5 The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
nor did I turn away backward.
6 I gave my back to those who beat me,
and my cheeks to those who plucked out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from acts of shame and spitting.
7 For the Lord Yahweh will help me;
therefore I am not disgraced;
so I have made my face like flint,
for I know that I will not be put to shame.
8 He who will justify me is close by.
Who will oppose me?
Let us stand and confront one another.
Who is my accuser?
Let him come near to me.
9 See, the Lord Yahweh will help me.
Who will declare me guilty?
See, they will all wear out like a garment;
the moth will eat them up.
10 Who among you fears Yahweh?
Who obeys the voice of his servant?
Who walks in deep darkness
without light?
He should trust in the name of Yahweh
and lean on his God.
11 Look, all you who light fires,
who equip yourselves with torches:
walk in the light of your fire
and in the flames that you have ignited.
This is what you have received from me:
You will lie down in a place of pain.
1 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek Yahweh:
look at the rock from which you were chiseled
and to the quarry from which you were cut.
2 Look at Abraham, your father,
and to Sarah, who bore you;
for when he was a lone individual,
I called him. I blessed him and made him many.
3 Yes, Yahweh will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places;
her wilderness he made like Eden,
and her desert plains beside the Jordan River valley like the garden of Yahweh;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving, and the sound of singing.
4 "Be attentive to me, my people;
and listen to me, my people!
For a law will go out from me,
and I will make my justice to be a light for the nations.
5 My righteousness is near;
my salvation will go out,
and my arm will judge the nations;
the coastlands will wait for me;
for my arm they will eagerly wait.
6 Lift up your eyes to the sky,
and look at the earth beneath,
for the heavens will vanish away like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and its inhabitants will die like flies.
But my salvation will continue forever,
and my righteousness will never stop working.
7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,
you people who have my law in your heart:
Do not fear the scorn of men,
nor be dismayed by their abuse.
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool;
but my righteousness will be forever,
and my salvation to all generations."
9 Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength,
arm of Yahweh.
Awake as in the days of old,
the generations of ancient times.
Is it not you who crushed Rahab,
you who pierced the sea monster?
10 Did you not dry up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
and make the depths of the sea into a way
for the redeemed to pass through?
11 The ransomed of Yahweh will return
and come to Zion with cries of joy
and with gladness forever on their heads;
and gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and mourning will flee away.
12 "I, I, am he who comforts you.
Why are you afraid of men, who will die,
the sons of mankind, who are made like grass?
13 Why have you forgotten Yahweh your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth?
You are in constant dread every day
because of the hot fury of the oppressor
when he decides to destroy.
Where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The one who is bent down, Yahweh will hurry to release;
he will not die and go down to the pit, nor will he lack bread.
15 For I am Yahweh your God,
who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
16 I have placed my words in your mouth,
and I have covered you in the shadow of my hand,
that I may plant the heavens,
lay the foundations of the earth,
and say to Zion, 'You are my people.'"
17 Awake, awake,
stand up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk out of the hand of Yahweh
from the bowl of his anger;
you who have drunk out of the bowl,
down to the dregs from the cup of staggering.
18 There is no one among all the sons she has born
to guide her;
there is no one among all the sons that she has raised
to take her by the hand.
19 These two troubles happened to you—
who will grieve with you?—
desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword.
Who will comfort you? [1]
20 Your sons have fainted;
they lie at every street corner,
like an antelope in a net;
they are filled with the anger of Yahweh,
the rebuke of your God.
21 But now hear this, you oppressed one
and drunken one, but not drunk with wine:
22 Your Lord Yahweh, your God,
who pleads the cause of his people, says this,
"See, I have taken the cup of staggering from your hand—
the bowl, which is the cup of my anger—
so that you will not drink it again.
23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,
those who have said to you,
'Lie down, that we may walk over you';
you made your back like the ground
and like the street for them to walk on."
1 Awake, awake,
put on your strength, Zion;
put on your beautiful garments,
Jerusalem, holy city;
for never again will the uncircumcised
or the unclean enter you.
2 Shake yourself off from the dust;
arise and sit, Jerusalem;
take off the chain from your neck,
captive, daughter of Zion.
3 For this is what Yahweh says,
"You were sold for nothing,
and you will be redeemed without money."
4 For this is what the Lord Yahweh says,
"In the beginning my people went down to live temporarily in Egypt;
and Assyria has oppressed them for no good reason.
5 Now what do I have here—this is Yahweh's declaration—
seeing that my people are taken away for nothing?
Those who rule over them mock—this is Yahweh's declaration—
and my name is blasphemed continually
all day long. [1]
6 Therefore my people will know my name;
they will know in that day that I am the one who says,
"Yes, it is I!"
7 How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
who announces peace,
who bears good tidings,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
8 Listen, your watchmen raise their voices,
together they shout for joy,
for they will see, every eye of theirs,
Yahweh's return to Zion.
9 Break out into joyful singing together,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for Yahweh has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 Yahweh has bared his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations;
all the earth will see
the salvation of our God.
11 Leave, leave, go out from there;
touch nothing unclean;
leave from her midst; purify yourselves,
you who carry the vessels of Yahweh.
12 For you will not go out in a rush,
nor will you leave in a panic;
for Yahweh will go before you;
and the God of Israel will be your rearguard.
13 Look, my servant will act wisely;
he will be high and lifted up, and he will be exalted.
14 As many were horrified at you—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man,
and his form no longer looked like anything human.
15 Even so, my servant will sprinkle many nations
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For that which they had not been told, they will see,
and that which they had not heard, they will understand.
1 Who has believed our message,
and to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?
2 For he grew up before Yahweh like a sapling,
and like a sprout out of parched earth;
he had no remarkable appearance or splendor;
when we saw him, there was no beauty to attract us.
3 He was despised and rejected by people;
a man of sorrows, and one familiar with pain.
Like one from whom men hide their faces,
he was despised; and we considered him insignificant.
4 But surely he has borne our sicknesses
and carried our sorrows;
yet we thought he was being punished by God,
struck by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced because of our rebellious deeds;
he was crushed because of our iniquities.
The punishment for our peace was on him,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 We all like sheep have gone astray;
we have each turned to his own way,
and Yahweh has placed on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed; yet when he humbled himself,
he did not open his mouth;
as a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By coercion and judgment he was taken away.
As for his generation, who thought that he was cut off from the land of the living,
or that he was punished
for the transgression of my people?
9 They placed his grave with the criminals,
with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
nor had there been any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was Yahweh's will to crush him and make him ill.
When he makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring, he will prolong his days,
and Yahweh's purpose will be accomplished through him.
11 After the suffering of his life,
he will see light and be satisfied by his knowledge. [1]
My righteous servant will justify many;
he will bear their iniquities. [2]
12 Therefore will I give him his portion among the multitudes,
and he will divide the plunder with the many,
because he exposed himself to death
and was numbered with the transgressors.
He bore the sin of many
and made intercession for the transgressors.
1 "Sing, you barren woman,
you who have not given birth;
break into joyful singing and cry aloud,
you who have never been in birth labor.
For the children of the desolate one
are more than the children of the married woman,"
says Yahweh.
2 "Make your tent larger
and spread your tent curtains farther out,
unsparingly;
lengthen your ropes
and strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right hand and to the left,
and your descendants will conquer nations
and resettle desolate cities.
4 Do not fear for you will not be ashamed,
nor be discouraged for you will not be disgraced;
you will forget the shame of your youth
and you will remember no more the disgrace of your widowhood.
5 For your Maker is your husband;
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of the whole earth.
6 For Yahweh has called you back
as a wife abandoned and grieved in spirit,
like a woman married young and rejected,"
says your God.
7 "For a short time I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
8 In a flood of anger
I hid my face from you for a moment;
but with everlasting covenant faithfulness
I will have mercy on you—
says Yahweh, the one who rescues you.
9 For this is like the waters of Noah to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah would never again pass over the earth,
so have I sworn
that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.
10 Though the mountains may fall
and the hills be shaken,
yet my steadfast love will not turn away from you,
nor will my covenant of peace be shaken—
says Yahweh, who has mercy on you.
11 Afflicted one, storm-driven and uncomforted one,
look, I will set your pavement in turquoise,
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies
and your gates of sparkling stones,
and your outer wall of beautiful stones.
13 Then all your children will be taught by Yahweh;
and the peace of your children will be great.
14 In righteousness you will be established,
and you will be far from oppression,
for you will not fear;
and you will be far from terror,
for it will not come near to you.
15 Look, if anyone stirs up trouble, it will not be from me;
anyone who stirs up trouble with you will fall in defeat.
16 See, I have created the craftsman,
who blows the burning coals
and forges weapons as his work,
and I have created the destroyer to destroy.
17 No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;
and you will condemn everyone who accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of Yahweh,
and their vindication from me—
this is Yahweh's declaration."
1 "Hey! Everyone who is thirsty,
come to the water,
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why do you weigh out silver for what is not bread,
and why do you labor for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in fatness.
3 Turn your ears and come to me!
Listen, that you may live!
I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
my reliable, faithful love that I promised to David.
4 Look, I have placed him as a witness to the nations,
as a leader and commander to the peoples.
5 Look, you will call to a nation that you did not know;
and a nation that did not know you will run to you
because of Yahweh your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
who has glorified you."
6 Seek Yahweh while he may be found;
call on him while he is nearby.
7 Let the wicked leave his path,
and the man of sin his thoughts.
Let him return to Yahweh, and he will pity him,
and to our God, who will abundantly forgive him.
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
9 for as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain and snow
come down from heaven
and do not return there
unless they saturate the earth
and make it produce and sprout
and give seed to the farmer who sows and bread to the eater,
11 so also my word will be that goes from my mouth—
it will not return to me empty,
but it will achieve the purpose
for which I sent it.
12 For you will go out in joy
and be led along peacefully;
the mountains and the hills
will break out in joyful shouts before you,
and all the trees of the fields
will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbushes, the cypress will grow;
and instead of the brier, the myrtle tree will grow,
and it will be for Yahweh, for his name,
as an everlasting sign
that will not be cut off."
1 This is what Yahweh says,
"Observe what is right, do what is just;
for my salvation is near,
and my righteousness is about to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man that does this,
and who holds it tightly.
He observes the Sabbath, not defiling it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil."
3 Let no foreigner who has become a follower of Yahweh say,
"Yahweh will certainly exclude me from his people."
The eunuch should not say,
"See, I am a dry tree."
4 For this is what Yahweh says,
"To the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths
and choose what pleases me,
and hold fast my covenant,
5 to them I will set up in my house and within my walls
a monument
that is better than having sons and of daughters.
I will give them an everlasting monument
that will never be cut off.
6 Also foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh—
to serve him,
and who love the name of Yahweh,
to be his servants,
every one who observes the Sabbath and who keeps from defiling it,
and who holds fast my covenant—
7 I will bring to my holy mountain
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar.
For my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations,
8 this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel—
I will still gather others
in addition to them."
9 All you wild beasts of the field,
come and devour, all you beasts in the forest!
10 All their watchmen are blind,
they do not understand.
They are all silent dogs
who cannot bark.
They dream,
and lying down they love to sleep.
11 The dogs have big appetites;
they can never get enough;
they are shepherds without discernment;
they have all turned to their own way,
each one covetous for unjust gain.
12 "Come," they say, "let us get wine
and drink much strong drink.
Tomorrow will be like today,
a day great beyond measure."
1 The righteous perish,
but no one considers it,
and the people of covenant faithfulness are gathered away,
but no one understands
that the righteous is gathered
away from the evil.
2 He enters into peace;
they rest in their beds,
those who walk in their uprightness.
3 But come here, you sons of the sorceress,
children of the adulterer and the woman who has prostituted herself.
4 Whom are you merrily mocking?
Against whom are you opening the mouth
and sticking out the tongue?
Are you not children of rebellion,
children of deceit?
5 You heat yourselves up sleeping together under the oaks,
under every green tree,
you who kill your children in the dry riverbeds,
under the rocky overhangs.
6 Among the smooth things of the river valley are the things that have been assigned to you.
They are the object of your devotion.
You pour out your drink offering to them
and raise up a grain offering.
Concerning these things should I repent?
7 You prepared your bed on a high mountain;
you also went up there to offer sacrifices.
8 Behind the door and the doorposts
you set up your symbols;
you deserted me, made yourselves naked, and went up;
you made your bed wide.
You made a covenant with them; you loved their beds;
you saw their private parts.
9 You went to Molech with oil
and increased your perfumes. [1]
You send your ambassadors far away;
you went down to Sheol.
10 You were tired from your long journey,
but you never said, "It is hopeless."
You found life in your hand;
therefore you did not weaken.
11 "Whom are you worried about? Whom do you fear?
Is that the reason that you have acted deceitfully,
so that you do not remember me
or think about me?
Is it because I was silent for so long
that you are no longer afraid of me?"
12 I will proclaim all your righteous acts and tell all that you have done,
but they will not help you.
13 When you cry out,
let your collection of idols rescue you.
The wind will carry them all away,
a breath will carry them all away.
But he who takes refuge in me
will inherit the land
and will possess my holy mountain.
14 He will say,
'Build, build! Clear a way!
Remove all the stumbling blocks from the path of my people!'"
15 For this is what the high and elevated One says,
who lives eternally, whose name is holy,
"I live in the exalted and holy place,
with him also that is of a crushed and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble ones,
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 For I will not accuse forever,
nor will I be angry forever,
for then man's spirit would faint before me,
the lives that I have made.
17 Because of the sin of his violent gain,
I was angry, and I punished him; I hid my face and was angry,
but he went backward in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him.
I will lead him and comfort and console those who mourn for him,
19 and I create the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to those who are far off and to those who are near—
says Yahweh—I will heal them.
20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea,
which cannot rest,
and its waters churn up mire and mud.
21 There is no peace for the wicked one—says God."
1 "Cry loudly; do not hold back.
Lift up your voice like a ram's horn.
Confront my people with their rebellion,
and the house of Jacob with their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily
and delight in the knowledge of my ways,
like a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not abandon the law of their God.
They ask me for righteous judgments;
they take pleasure in the thought of God coming near.
3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'but you do not see it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
but you do not notice?'
Look, on the day of your fast you find your own pleasure
and oppress all your laborers.
4 Look, you fast in quarreling and strife,
and to hit with your fist of wickedness;
you do not fast today
to make your voice heard above.
5 Is this really the kind of fast that I would want:
A day for anybody to humble himself,
for him to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under himself?
Do you really call this a fast,
a day that pleases Yahweh?
6 Is not this the fast that I choose:
To release wicked bonds,
to undo the ropes of the yoke,
to set the crushed ones free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to break your bread with the hungry,
to bring the poor and homeless into your house,
to cloth the naked when you see them,
and not to hide yourself from your own relatives?
8 Then your light would be broken open like the sunrise,
and your healing would quickly sprout up;
your righteousness would go before you,
and the glory of Yahweh would be your rearguard.
9 Then you would call, and Yahweh would answer;
you would cry out for help, and he would say, 'Here I am.'
If you take away from among yourselves the yoke,
the accusing finger, and the speech of wickedness,
10 if you yourselves provide for the hungry
and satisfy the need of the distressed;
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your darkness will be like the noonday.
11 Then Yahweh will lead you continually
and satisfy you in regions where there is no water,
and he will strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.
12 Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
you will raise up the ruins of many generations;
you will be called 'The repairer of the wall,'
'The restorer of streets to live on.'
13 Suppose that you turn back your feet from traveling on the Sabbath day,
and from doing your own pleasure on my holy day.
Suppose that you call the Sabbath a delight,
and that you call the matters of Yahweh holy and honored.
Suppose that you honor the Sabbath by leaving your own business,
and by not finding your own pleasure and by not speaking your own words.
14 Then you will find delight in Yahweh;
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you from the inheritance of Jacob your father—
for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken."
1 Look, Yahweh's hand is not so short that it cannot save;
nor his ear so dull, that it cannot hear.
2 Your iniquities, however,
have separated you from your God,
and your sins have made him hide his face from you
and from hearing you.
3 For your hands are stained with blood
and your fingers with iniquity.
Your lips speak lies
and your tongue speaks maliciously.
4 No one calls in righteousness,
and none pleads his case in truth.
They trust in empty words, and tell lies;
they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity.
5 They hatch eggs of an adder
and weave a spider's web.
Whoever eats of their eggs dies,
and if an egg is crushed, it hatches into a viper.
6 Their webs cannot be used for garments,
nor can they cover themselves with their works.
Their works are works of sin,
and deeds of violence are in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil,
and they run to pour out innocent blood.
Their thoughts are thoughts of sin;
violence and destruction are their roads.
8 The way of peace they do not know,
and there is no justice in their paths.
They have made crooked paths;
whoever travels these paths does not know peace.
9 Therefore justice is far from us,
nor does righteousness reach us.
We wait for light, but see darkness;
we look for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
10 We grope for the wall like the blind,
like those who cannot see.
We stumble at noonday as in the twilight;
among the strong we are like dead men.
11 We growl like bears
and moan like doves;
we wait for justice, but there is none;
for rescue, but it is far from us.
12 For our many transgressions are before you,
and our sins testify against us;
for our transgressions are with us,
and we know our iniquities.
13 We have rebelled, denying Yahweh
and turning away from following our God.
We have spoken extortion and turning aside,
conceived complaining from the heart and words of lying.
14 Justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands far off;
for truth stumbles in the public square,
and uprightness cannot come near.
15 Trustworthiness has gone away,
and he who turns away from evil makes himself prey.
Yahweh saw it and was displeased
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no man,
and was appalled that there was no one to intervene.
Therefore his own arm brought salvation for him,
and his righteousness sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate
and a helmet of salvation upon his head.
He clothed himself with garments of vengeance
and wore zeal as a mantle.
18 He repaid them for their deeds,
wrath on his adversaries,
recompense to his enemies;
he repaid recompense to the islands.
19 So they will fear the name of Yahweh from the west,
and his glory from the sun's rising;
for he will come as a rushing stream,
driven by the breath of Yahweh.
20 "A redeemer will come to Zion
and to those who turn from their rebellious deeds in Jacob—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
21 As for me, this is my covenant with them—says Yahweh—my spirit who is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, will not leave your mouth, or go out of the mouth of your children, or go out of the mouths of your descendants—says Yahweh—from this time and forever."
1 Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you.
2 Though darkness will cover the earth,
and thick darkness the nations;
yet Yahweh will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen on you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to your bright light that is rising.
4 Look all around and see.
They all gather themselves together and come to you.
Your sons will come from far,
and your daughters will be carried in their arms.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
and your heart will rejoice and overflow,
because the abundance of the sea will be poured out to you,
the wealth of the nations will come to you.
6 Camel caravans will cover you,
the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
all of them will come from Sheba;
they will bring gold and frankincense,
and will bring the good news of the praises of Yahweh.
7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you,
the rams of Nebaioth will serve your needs;
they will be acceptable offerings on my altar;
and I will glorify my glorious house.
8 Who are these who fly along like a cloud,
and like the doves to their shelters?
9 The coastlands look for me,
and the ships of Tarshish lead,
to bring your sons from far,
their silver and their gold with them,
for the name of Yahweh your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because he has honored you.
10 Sons of foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you;
though in my wrath I punished you,
yet in my favor I will have compassion on you.
11 Your gates also will remain open continually;
they will not be shut day or night,
so that the wealth of the nations may be brought,
with their kings being led.
12 Indeed, nations and kingdoms that will not serve you will perish;
those nations will be completely ruined.
13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
the cypress tree, the fir, and the cypress box tree together,
to beautify my sanctuary;
and I will glorify the place of my feet.
14 They will come to you to bow down, the sons of those who humbled you;
those who showed contempt for you will bow at the soles of your feet;
they will call you The City of Yahweh,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 Instead of you remaining abandoned and hated,
with no one passing through you,
I will make you a thing of pride forever,
a joy from generation to generation.
16 You will also drink the milk of the nations,
and will nurse at the breast of kings;
you will know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
instead of iron I will bring silver;
instead of wood,
bronze, and instead of stones, iron.
I will appoint peace as your governors,
and justice your rulers.
18 Violence will no longer be heard in your land,
neither devastation nor crushing within your borders;
but you will call your walls Salvation,
and your gates Praise.
19 The sun will no longer be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you;
but Yahweh will be your everlasting light,
and your God your glory.
20 Your sun will no longer set,
nor will your moon withdraw and disappear;
for Yahweh will be your everlasting light,
and the days of your mourning will be ended.
21 All your people will be righteous;
they will take possession of the land for all time,
the branch of my planting,
the work of my hands,
that I may be glorified.
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I, Yahweh, will swiftly accomplish these things
when the time comes.
1 The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is on me,
because Yahweh has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the afflicted.
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison for those who are bound.
2 He has sent me to proclaim the year of Yahweh's favor,
the day of vengeance of our God,
and to comfort all who mourn.
3 He has sent me—to give to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a turban instead of ashes,
oil of joy
instead of mourning,
a mantle of praise
in place of a spirit of dullness,
to call them oaks of righteousness,
the planting of Yahweh,
that he may be glorified.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
they will restore the former desolations.
They will restore the ruined cities,
the desolations from many former generations.
5 Foreigners will stand and feed your flocks,
and sons of foreigners will be your farmers and vineyard workers.
6 You will be called the priests of Yahweh;
they will call you servants of our God.
You will eat the wealth of the nations,
and you will boast in their riches.
7 Instead of your shame
you will have double;
and instead of dishonor
they will rejoice over their share.
So they will have a double share of their land;
everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 For I, Yahweh, love justice,
and I hate robbery and violent injustice.
I will faithfully repay them,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge them,
that they are the people whom Yahweh has blessed.
10 I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh;
in my God I will be very glad.
For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has clothed me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns himself with a turban,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth produces its sprouting plants,
and as the garden makes its planting grow,
so the Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness
and praise to sprout up in front of all the nations.
1 For Zion's sake I will not be silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness proceeds brightly,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory.
You will be called by a new name
that Yahweh will choose.
3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Yahweh,
and a turban of kingship in the hand of your God.
4 It will no more be said of you, "Abandoned";
nor of your land any longer will it be said, "Desolate."
Indeed, you will be called "My delight is in her,"
and your land "Married,"
for Yahweh delights in you,
and your land will be married.
5 Truly, as a young man marries a young woman,
so your sons will marry you,
and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
your God will rejoice over you.
6 I have put watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem;
they are not silent day or night.
You who keep reminding Yahweh,
do not pause.
7 Do not allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem
and makes it a praise on earth.
8 Yahweh has sworn by his right hand
and by the arm of his strength,
"Surely I will no longer give your grain
as food for your enemies.
Foreigners will not drink your new wine,
for which you have worked.
9 For those who harvest the grain will eat it
and praise Yahweh,
and those who gather the grapes will drink the wine
in the courts of my holy sanctuary."
10 Come through, come through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people!
Build it, build the highway!
Gather out the stones!
Raise up a signal flag for the nations!
11 Look, Yahweh announces
to the ends of the earth,
"Say to the daughter of Zion:
Look, your salvation is coming!
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense is going before him."
12 They will call you, "The holy people;
the redeemed of Yahweh,"
and you will be called "Sought after;
a city not abandoned."
1 Who is this who comes from Edom,
wearing red garments, from Bozrah?
Who is this, splendid in his clothing,
marching in the greatness of his strength?
"It is I, speaking in righteousness,
and mighty to save."
2 Why are your clothes red,
and why do your garments look like you have been treading grapes in a winepress?
3 "I have trodden grapes in the winepress alone,
and no one from the nations joined me.
I trod them in my anger
and trampled them in my fury.
Their blood is spattered on my clothes
and stained all my clothes.
4 For I looked forward to the day of vengeance,
and the year for my redemption had arrived.
5 I looked, and there was no one to help.
I was appalled that there was none to help,
but my own arm brought victory for me,
and my strong anger drove me on.
6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger
and made them drunk in my wrath,
and I poured out their blood on the earth."
7 I will tell of the acts of Yahweh's covenant faithfulness,
the praises of Yahweh.
I will tell of all that Yahweh has done for us,
and of his great goodness to the house of Israel.
This compassion he has shown us because of his mercy,
and with many deeds of covenant faithfulness.
8 For he said, "For certain they are my people,
children who are not disloyal."
He became their Savior.
9 Through all their suffering, he suffered too,
and the angel from his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he saved them,
and he lifted them up and carried them
through all the ancient times.
10 But they rebelled
and grieved his holy Spirit.
So he became their enemy
and fought against them.
11 His people thought about the ancient times of Moses.
They said, "Where is God, who brought them up out of the sea
with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is God,
who put his holy Spirit among them?
12 Where is God,
who made his glorious power go with the right hand of Moses,
and divided the water before them,
to make an everlasting name for himself?
13 Where is God, who led them through the deep water?
Like a horse running in the wilderness,
they did not stumble.
14 As the cattle that go down into the valley,
the Spirit of Yahweh gave them rest.
So you led your people,
to make yourself a glorious name.
15 Look down from heaven and take notice
from your holy and glorious habitation.
Where are your zeal and your mighty acts?
Your pity and your compassionate actions are kept from us.
16 For you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us,
and Israel does not recognize us,
you, Yahweh, are our Father.
'Our Redeemer' has been your name from ancient times.
17 Yahweh, why do you make us wander from your ways
and harden our hearts so we do not fear you?
Return for your servants' sake,
the tribes of your inheritance.
18 Your holy people possessed your sanctuary for a short time,
but then our enemies trampled it.
19 We have become like those over whom you never ruled,
like those who were never called by your name."
1 "Oh, if you had split open the heavens and come down!
The mountains would have shaken at your presence,
2 as when fire kindles the brushwood,
or the fire makes water boil.
Oh, that your name would be known by your adversaries,
that the nations would tremble at your presence!
3 Previously, when you did awesome things that we had not expected,
you came down, and the mountains trembled at your presence.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard or listened,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who takes action for the one who waits for him.
5 You come to help those who rejoice in doing what is right,
those who remember you in your ways.
You became angry with us because we sinned for a long time.
How will we be saved?
6 For we have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag.
We have all withered like leaves;
our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.
7 There are none who calls on your name,
who makes an effort to take hold of you.
For you have hidden your face from us
and made us waste away in the hand of our iniquities.
8 Yet, Yahweh, you are our Father;
we are the clay. You are our potter;
and we all are the work of your hand.
9 Be not too angry, Yahweh,
nor remember our iniquity against us forever.
Please look at us all,
your people.
10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness;
Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised you,
has been destroyed by fire, and all that was so dear is in ruins.
12 How can you still hold back, Yahweh?
How can you remain silent and continue to humiliate us?"
1 "I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask;
I was ready to be found by those who did not seek.
I said, 'Here I am! Here I am!'
to a nation that did not call on my name.
2 I have spread out my hands all day
to a stubborn people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
who have walked after their own thoughts and plans!
3 They are a people who continually provoke me,
offering sacrifices in gardens,
and burning incense on brick tiles.
4 They sit among the graves
and keep watch all night,
and eat pork with the broth of foul meat in their dishes.
5 They say, 'Stand away, do not come near to me,
for I am holier than you.'
These things are smoke in my nose,
a fire that burns all day long.
6 Look, it is written before me:
I will not keep quiet, for I will pay them back;
I will repay them into their laps,
7 for their iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers together,"
says Yahweh.
"I will repay them for burning incense on the mountains
and for mocking me on the hills.
I will therefore measure out their past deeds
into their laps."
8 This is what Yahweh says,
"As when new wine is found in a cluster of grapes,
when one says, 'Do not ruin it,
for there is good in it,'
this is what I will do for my servants' sake:
I will not ruin them all.
9 I will bring descendants from Jacob,
and from Judah ones who will possess my mountains.
My chosen ones will possess the land,
and my servants will live there.
10 Sharon will become a pasture for the flocks,
and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
for my people who seek me.
11 But you who abandon Yahweh,
who forget my holy mountain,
who prepare a table for Fortune,
and fill wine glasses of mixed wine for Destiny.
12 I will appoint you for the sword,
and you will all bow down to the slaughter,
because when I called, you did not answer;
when I spoke, you did not listen.
But you did what was evil in my sight
and chose to do what displeases me."
13 This is what the Lord Yahweh says,
"Look, my servants will eat,
but you will be hungry;
look, my servants will drink,
but you will be thirsty;
look, my servants will rejoice,
but you will be put to shame.
14 Look, my servants will shout with joy
because of gladness of heart,
but you will cry because of the pain of the heart,
and will wail because of the crushing of the spirit.
15 You will leave behind your name
as a curse for my chosen ones to speak;
I, the Lord Yahweh, will kill you;
I will call my servants by another name.
16 Whoever pronounces a blessing on the earth
will be blessed by me, the God of truth.
Whoever takes an oath on the earth
will swear by me, the God of truth,
because the former troubles will be forgotten,
for they will be hidden from my eyes.
17 For see, I am about to create
new heavens and a new earth;
and the former things will not be remembered
or be brought to mind.
18 But you will be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am about to create.
See, I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and her people as a source of gladness.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and be glad over my people;
the sounds of weeping and cries of distress
will no longer be heard in her.
20 Never again will an infant live there
only a few days;
nor will an old man die before his time.
One who dies at one hundred years old
will be considered a young person.
Anyone who fails to reach the age of one hundred years old
will be considered cursed.
21 They will build houses and inhabit them,
and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build a house and another live in it;
they will not plant, and another eat;
for as the days of trees
will be the days of my people.
My chosen will fully outlive
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,
nor give birth to dismay.
For they are the children of those blessed by Yahweh,
and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call, I will answer;
and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox;
but dust will be the serpent's food.
They will no longer do evil or harm
on all my holy mountain,"
says Yahweh.
1 This is what Yahweh says,
"Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Where then is the house you will build for me?
Where is the place where I may rest?
2 My hand has made all these things;
that is how these things came to be—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
This is the man of whom I approve,
the broken and contrite in spirit,
and who trembles at my word.
3 He who slaughters an ox
also murders a man;
he who sacrifices a lamb
also breaks a dog's neck;
he who offers a grain offering
offers swine's blood;
he who offers a memorial of incense
also blesses wickedness.
They have chosen their own ways,
and they take pleasure in their abominations.
4 In the same way I will choose their own punishment;
I will bring on them what they fear,
because when I called, no one answered;
when I spoke, no one listened.
They did what was evil in my sight,
and chose to do what displeases me."
5 Hear the word of Yahweh,
you who tremble at his word,
"Your brothers who hate
and exclude you for my name's sake have said,
'May Yahweh be glorified,
then we will see your joy,'
but they will be put to shame.
6 A sound of battle tumult comes from the city,
a sound from the temple,
the sound of Yahweh
giving recompense to his enemies.
7 Before she goes into labor,
she gives birth;
before pain is upon her,
she gave birth to a son.
8 Who has heard of such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Will a land be born in one day?
Can a nation be established in one moment?
Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor,
she gives birth to her children.
9 Do I bring a baby to the birth opening
and not permit the child to be born?—asks Yahweh.
Or do I bring a child to moment of delivery
and then hold it back?—asks your God."
10 Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her,
all you who mourned over her!
11 For you will nurse and be satisfied;
with her breasts you will be comforted;
for you will drink them to the full
and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
12 This is what Yahweh says,
"I am about to spread prosperity over her like a river,
and the riches of the nations like an overflowing stream.
You will nurse at her side, be carried in her arms,
and be dandled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you,
and you will be comforted in Jerusalem."
14 You will see this, and your heart will rejoice,
and your bones will sprout like the tender grass.
The hand of Yahweh will be made known to his servants,
but he will show his anger against his enemies.
15 For look, Yahweh is coming with fire,
and his chariots are coming like the windstorm
to bring the heat of his anger
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For Yahweh executes judgment on mankind
by fire and with his sword.
Those killed by Yahweh will be many.
17 They consecrate themselves and make themselves pure, so they may enter the gardens, following the one in the middle of those who eat the flesh of pig and abominable things like mice. [1] "They will come to an end—this is Yahweh's declaration.
18 For I know their deeds and their thoughts. The time is coming when I will gather all nations and languages. They will come and will see my glory. [2]19 I will set a sign among them. Then I will send survivors from them to the nations: To Tarshish, the Libyans and Lydians, [3] who draw the bow, to Tubal, Greece, [4] and to the distant coastlands that have not heard reports about me nor seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 They will bring back all your brothers out of all the nations, as an offering to Yahweh. They will come on horses, and in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels, to my holy mountain Jerusalem—says Yahweh. For the people of Israel will bring a grain offering in a clean vessel into the house of Yahweh. 21 Some of these I will even choose as priests and Levites—says Yahweh.
22 For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I will make will remain before me—this is Yahweh's declaration—so your descendants will remain, and your name will remain. 23 From one month to the next, and from one Sabbath to the next, all people will come to bow down to me—says Yahweh. 24 They will go out and see the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me, for the worms that eat them will not die, and the fire that consumes them will not be quenched; and it will be an abhorrence to all flesh."
1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. 2 The word of Yahweh came to him in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It also came in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem were taken away as prisoners.
4 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb, I chose you;
before you came out from the womb I set you apart;
I made you a prophet to the nations."
6 "Ah, Lord Yahweh!" I said, "I do not know how to speak, for I am too young." 7 But Yahweh said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young.' You must go everywhere I send you, and you must say whatever I command you! 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to rescue you—this is Yahweh's declaration." 9 Then Yahweh reached out with his hand, touched my mouth, and said to me, "Now, I have placed my word in your mouth. 10 I am appointing you today over nations and over kingdoms, to uproot and break down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant."
11 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, "What do you see, Jeremiah?"
I said, "I see an almond branch."
12 Yahweh said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to carry it out."
13 The word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying, "What do you see?"
I said, "I see a heated pot, whose surface is churning, tipping away from the north."
14 Yahweh said to me, "Disaster will be opened up out of the north on all who live in this land. 15 For I am calling all the tribes of the northern kingdoms—this is Yahweh's declaration.
They will come, and everyone will set his throne
at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,
against all the walls that surround it,
and against all the cities of Judah.
16 I will pronounce sentence against them
for all their evil in abandoning me,
in burning incense to other gods,
and in worshiping the works of their own hands.
17 Gird up your loins! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be shattered before them, or I will shatter you before them! 18 Behold! Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they will not defeat you, for I will be with you to rescue you—this is Yahweh's declaration."
1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem. Say, 'Yahweh says this:
I have called to mind on your behalf
the covenant faithfulness of your youth,
your love at the time when we were engaged,
when you went after me in the wilderness,
the land that was not sown.
3 Israel was set apart to Yahweh,
the firstfruits of his harvest!
All who ate from the firstfruits were held guilty;
disaster came upon them—
this is Yahweh's declaration.'"
4 Hear the word of Yahweh, house of Jacob,
all you clans of the house of Israel.
5 Yahweh says this,
"What did your fathers find wrong with me,
that they went far from following me?
That they went after useless idols
and became useless themselves?
6 They did not say,
'Where is Yahweh,
who brought us up from the land of Egypt?
Where is Yahweh,
who led us to the wilderness,
into the land of the Arabah and pits,
in a land of drought and utter darkness,
a land through which no one passes and where no one lives?'
7 But I brought you to the land of Carmel,
to eat its fruit and other good things!
Yet when you came,
you defiled my land,
you made my inheritance an abomination!
8 The priest did not say
'Where is Yahweh?'
and the experts in the law did not care about me!
The shepherds transgressed against me.
The prophets prophesied for Baal
and walked after unprofitable things.
9 So I will still accuse you—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
and I will accuse your sons' sons.
10 For cross over to the coasts of Cyprus [1] and look.
Send messengers out to Kedar and find out
and see if there has ever before been anything like this.
11 Has a nation exchanged gods,
even though they were not gods?
But my people have exchanged their glory
for what cannot help them. [2]
12 Shudder, heavens, because of this
Be shocked and very desolate—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
13 For my people have committed two evils against me:
They have abandoned the springs of living waters,
and they have dug out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
14 Is Israel a slave?
Was he born in his master's home?
So why has he become plunder?
15 Young lions roared against him.
They made a lot of noise
and made his land a horror.
His cities are destroyed
without any inhabitants.
16 Also, the people of Memphis and Tahpanhes
will shave your skull.
17 Did you not do this to yourselves
when you abandoned Yahweh your God,
while he was leading you along the way?
18 So now, why take the road to Egypt
and drink the waters of Shihor?
Why take the road to Assyria
and drink the waters of the Euphrates River?
19 Your wickedness rebukes you,
and your acts of apostasy punish you.
So think about it and understand
that it is wicked and bitter
when you abandon Yahweh your God,
and have no fear of me—
this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts.
20 For in ancient days I broke your yoke;
I tore your fetters off you.
Still you said,
'I will not serve!'
On every high hill and beneath every leafy tree
you lay down as a prostitute.
21 I planted you as a choice vine,
completely from pure seed.
How then have you have changed yourself
into a corrupt, worthless vine?
22 For even if you clean yourself in the river
or wash with strong soap,
your iniquity is a stain before me—
this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh.
23 How can you say,
'I am not defiled!
I have not walked after the Baals'?
Look at what you did in the valleys!
Consider what you have done—
you are a swift female camel
running here and there,
24 a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
in her heat sniffing the wind!
Who can restrain her lust?
None of the males need wear themselves out pursuing her;
in her month they will find her.
25 You must restrain your feet from becoming bare
and your throat from being thirsty!
But you have said, 'It is hopeless!
No, I love strangers and go after them!'
26 Like the shame of a thief when he is found,
so the house of Israel will be ashamed—
they, their kings, their princes, and their priests and prophets!
27 These are the ones who say to the tree,
'You are my father,'
and to the stone, 'You gave birth to me.'
For their back faces me and not their faces.
Nevertheless, they say in the time of troubles,
'Arise and save us!'
28 Yet where are the gods that you made for yourselves?
Let them arise if they wish to save you in your time of troubles,
for your idols equal your cities in number, Judah!
29 So why do you accuse me of doing wrong?
All of you have sinned against me—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
30 I have punished your people in vain.
They would not accept discipline.
Your sword has devoured your prophets
like a destructive lion!
31 You who belong to this generation! Pay attention to my word, the word of Yahweh!
Have I been a wilderness to Israel?
Or a land of deep darkness?
Why would my people say,
'Let us wander around, we will not go to you anymore'?
32 Will a virgin forget her jewelry,
a bride her sash?
Yet my people have forgotten me
for days without number!
33 How well you make your way to look for love.
You have even taught your ways to wicked women.
34 The blood that was the life of innocent, poor people
has been found on your clothes.
These people were not discovered
in acts of burglary.
35 Yet you say,
'I am innocent;
surely his anger has turned away from me.'
But look! I will bring down judgment on you
because you say, 'I have not sinned.'
36 Why do you treat so very lightly
this change in your ways?
You will also be disappointed by Egypt,
just as you were by Assyria.
37 You will also go out from there dejected,
with your hands on your head,
for Yahweh has rejected the ones whom you trusted,
so you will not be helped by them."
1 "If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him
and becomes another man's wife,
will he return to her again?
Would that land not be greatly polluted?
You have lived as a prostitute who has many lovers;
and would you return to me?—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
2 Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and look!
Is there any place where you have not had illicit sex?
By the roadsides you sat waiting for your lovers,
as an Arab in the wilderness.
You have polluted the land
with your prostitution and wickedness.
3 So the showers have been withheld
and the spring rains have not come;
yet you have the forehead of a prostitute;
you refuse to be ashamed.
4 Have you not just now called to me: 'My Father!
My closest friend even from my youth!
5 Will he always be angry?
Will he always keep his wrath to the end?'
Look! This is what you have said,
but you do all the evil you can!"
6 Then Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, "Do you see what apostate Israel has done? She has gone up every high hill and under every leafy tree, and there she has acted like a prostitute. 7 I said, 'After she does all these things, she will return to me,' but she did not return. Then her faithless sister Judah saw these things. 8 So I saw that, in the same way that apostate Israel had committed adultery and I had sent her away and had given a certificate of divorce against her, her faithless sister Judah did not fear; she also went out and acted like a prostitute. 9 Her prostitution was nothing to her; she defiled the land, and she committed adultery with stones and trees. 10 Then after all of this, her faithless sister Judah returned to me, not with all her heart, but with a lie—this is Yahweh's declaration."
11 Then Yahweh said to me, "Apostate Israel has been more righteous than faithless Judah! 12 Go and proclaim these words to the north. Say,
'Return, apostate Israel!—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
I will not always be angry with you.
Since I am faithful—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
I will not stay angry forever.
13 Acknowledge your iniquity,
for you have transgressed against Yahweh your God;
you have shared your ways with strangers
under every leafy tree!
For you have not listened to my voice!—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
14 Return, faithless people!—this is Yawheh's declaration—I am your husband! I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion! 15 I will give you shepherds after my heart, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and insight. 16 Then it will happen that you will increase and bear fruit in the land in those days—this is Yahweh's declaration-they will no longer say, "The ark of the covenant of Yahweh!" This matter will no longer come up in their hearts or be remembered; it will not be missed, and another one will not be made.' 17 In that time they will proclaim about Jerusalem, 'This is Yahweh's throne,' and all the other nations will gather at Jerusalem in Yahweh's name. They will no longer walk in the stubbornness of their wicked hearts. 18 In those days, the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel. They will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
19 As for me, I said,
'How I want to treat you as my son
and give you a delightful land,
an inheritance more beautiful
than what is in any other nation!'
I would have said, 'You will call me "my Father".'
I would have said
that you would not turn from following me.
20 But like a woman faithless to her husband,
you have betrayed me, house of Israel—
this is Yahweh's declaration."
21 A voice is heard on the plains,
the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel!
For they have changed their ways;
they have forgotten Yahweh their God.
22 "Return, faithless people!
I will heal you of your apostasy!"
"Behold! We will come to you,
for you are Yahweh our God!
23 Surely lies come from the hills,
a confusing noise from the mountains;
surely Yahweh our God
is the salvation of Israel.
24 Yet since our youth shameful idols
have consumed the labor of our ancestors—
their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters!
25 Let us lie down in shame.
May our shame cover us,
for we have sinned against Yahweh our God!
We ourselves and our ancestors,
from the time of our youth to this present day,
have not listened to the voice of Yahweh our God!"
1 "If you return, Israel—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
then it should be to me that you return.
If you remove your detestable things from before me
and do not wander from me again,
2 and if you are truthful, just, and righteous
when you swear, 'As Yahweh lives,'
then the nations will bless themselves in him,
and in him they will glory."
3 For Yahweh says this to each person in Judah and Jerusalem:
'Plow your own ground,
and do not sow among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh,
and remove the foreskins of your heart,
men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or else my fury will break out like fire,
and burn with no one to quench it,
because of the wickedness of your practices.
5 Report in Judah and let it be heard in Jerusalem.
Say, "Blow the ram's horn in the land."
Proclaim, "Gather together.
Let us go to the fortified cities."
6 Lift up the signal flag and point it toward Zion,
and run for safety!
Do not stay, for I am bringing disaster
from the north and great crushing.
7 A lion is coming out from his thicket
and someone who will destroy nations is setting out.
He is leaving his place to bring horror to your land,
to turn your cities into ruins, where no one will live.
8 Because of this, gird yourselves with sackcloth,
lament and wail.
For the force of Yahweh's anger
has not turned away from us.
9 Then it will happen in that day—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
that the hearts of the king and his officials will die.
The priests will be appalled,
and the prophets will be astounded.'"
10 So I said, "Ah! Lord Yahweh. Surely you have completely deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, 'There will be peace for you.' Yet the sword is striking against their life."
11 In that time it will be said of this people and Jerusalem, "A burning wind from the plains of the desert will make its way to the daughter of my people. It will not winnow or cleanse them. 12 A wind far stronger than that will come at my command, and I will now pass sentence against them.
13 See, he comes up like clouds,
and his chariots are like a storm.
His horses are faster than eagles.
Woe to us, for we will be devastated! 14 Cleanse your heart from wickedness, Jerusalem,
so that you might be saved.
How long will wicked thoughts lodge within you? 15 For a voice is bringing news from Dan
and a report of trouble from the mountains of Ephraim. 16 Make the nations think about this:
See, announce to Jerusalem
that besiegers are coming from a distant land
to shout in battle against the cities of Judah. 17 They will be like the watchmen
of a cultivated field against her all around,
since she has been rebellious against me—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
18 and your conduct and your deeds
have done these things to you.
This will be your punishment.
How bitter it will be!
It will strike your very heart.
19 My heart! My heart!
I am in anguish in my heart.
My heart is turbulent within me.
I cannot keep quiet for I hear the sound of the horn,
an alarm for battle. 20 Disaster follows after disaster;
for all the land lies in ruins.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed,
my curtains in a moment. 21 How long will I see the signal flag?
Will I hear the sound of the horn?
22 For the foolishness of my people—
they do not know me.
They are stupid children,
and they have no understanding.
They are skilled at doing evil,
but they do not know how to do good.
23 I saw the land. Behold!
It was formless and empty.
For there was no light for the heavens.
24 I looked at the mountains.
Behold, they were trembling,
and all the hills were shaking about.
25 I looked. Behold, there was no one,
and all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26 I looked. Behold, the productive land was a wilderness
and all the cities had been pulled down before Yahweh,
before the fury of his wrath."
27 This is what Yahweh says,
"All the land will become a devastation,
but I will not completely destroy it
28 For this reason, the land will mourn,
and the heavens above will darken.
For I have declared my intentions;
I will not hold back;
I will not turn from carrying them out.
29 Every city will flee from the noise of the horseman
and the archer with a bow;
they will run into the forests.
Every city will climb up into the rocky places.
The cities will be abandoned,
for there will be no one to inhabit them.
30 Now that you have been devastated, what will you do? For though you are clothed in scarlet, and though you adorn yourself with gold jewelry, and though you make your eyes look bigger with paint, you are making yourself beautiful in vain. The men who lusted for you now reject you. They are trying to take away your life.
31 So I hear the sound of anguish,
distress as in the birth of a firstborn child,
the sound of the daughter of Zion.
She is gasping for breath.
She spreads out her hands,
'Woe to me! I am fainting because of these murderers.'"
1 "Rush about through the streets of Jerusalem;
search in her city squares, too.
Then look and think about this:
If you can find a man or anyone who is acting justly
and trying to act faithfully,
then I will forgive Jerusalem.
2 Although they say, 'As Yahweh lives,'
yet they are swearing falsely."
3 Yahweh, do your eyes not look for faithfulness?
You struck the people, but they do not feel pain.
You have completely defeated them,
but they still refuse to receive discipline.
They make their faces harder than rock,
for they refuse to repent.
4 So I said,
"Surely these are only poor people.
They are foolish, for they do not know Yahweh's ways
nor their God's decrees.
5 I will go to the important people
and declare God's messages to them,
for they at least know Yahweh's ways,
the decrees of their God."
But they all broke their yoke together;
they all tore apart the chains that bound them to God.
6 So a lion from a thicket will attack them.
A wolf from the Arabah will devastate them.
A leopard is watching their cities
Anyone who goes outside his city will be torn apart.
For their transgressions increase.
Their acts of apostasy are numerous.
7 Why should I pardon these people?
Your sons have abandoned me
and have made oaths by what are not gods.
I fed them fully
but they committed adultery
and walked in great number to the houses of prostitutes.
8 They were horses in heat.
They roamed about wanting to mate.
Each man neighed to his neighbor's wife.
9 So should I not punish them—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
and should I not avenge myself
on a nation that is like this?
10 Go up onto her vineyards' terraces and destroy.
But do not bring complete destruction to them.
Trim their vines,
since those vines do not come from Yahweh.
11 For the houses of Israel and Judah
have completely betrayed me—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
12 They have spoken falsely about Yahweh
and they said, "He will do nothing;
no harm will come upon us,
and we will not see sword or famine.
13 The prophets will become wind,
the word is not in them,
so let what they say be done to them."
14 So Yahweh, the God of hosts says this,
"Because you have said this, see,
I am about to place my word in your mouth.
It will be like a fire,
and this people will be like wood!
For it will consume them.
15 Behold! I am about to bring a nation
against you from far away, house of Israel—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
it is a lasting nation, an ancient nation!
It is a nation whose language you do not know,
nor will you understand what they say.
16 Its quiver is like an open tomb.
They are all soldiers.
17 They will eat up your harvest and your food.
They will devour your sons and daughters.
They will devour your flocks and herds.
They will devour your vines and fig trees.
They will beat down with a sword
your fortified cities in which you put your trust.
18 But even in those days—this is Yahweh's declaration—I do not intend to destroy you completely. 19 When you, Israel and Judah, say, 'Why has Yahweh our God done all these things to us?' then you, Jeremiah, will say to them, 'Just as you abandoned Yahweh and served foreign gods in your land, so you must also serve strangers in a land that is not your own.'
20 Report this to the house of Jacob
and let it be heard in Judah. Say,
21 'Hear this, you foolish people
who have no understanding;
you have eyes but you cannot see,
and you have ears but you cannot hear.
22 Do you not fear me—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
or tremble before my face?
I have placed a border of sand against the sea
an ongoing decree that it does not violate—
even though the sea rises and falls,
still it does not violate it.
Even though its waves roar,
they do not cross it.
23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart.
They have turned aside and gone away.
24 For they do not say in their hearts,
"Let us fear Yahweh our God,
the one who brings the rain—
the early rain and the late rains—
in their right time,
keeping the appointed weeks of the harvest for us."
25 Your iniquities kept these things from happening.
Your sins have stopped good from coming to you.
26 For wicked men are found with my people.
They watch as someone crouches to capture birds;
they set a trap and catch people.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit.
So they grow large and become rich.
28 They have become fat;
they shine with well-being.
They crossed over all bounds of wickedness.
They do not plead the cause of the people,
or the cause of the orphan.
They prosper even though they have not
given justice to the needy.
29 Should I not punish them for these things—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
and will I not take vengeance for myself
on a nation like this?
30 An appalling and horrifying thing
has occurred in the land.
31 The prophets prophesy with deceit,
and the priests rule with their own power.
My people love it this way,
but what will happen in the end?'"
1 Find safety, people of Benjamin, by leaving Jerusalem.
Blow a ram's horn in Tekoa.
Raise up over Beth Hakkerem a signal,
since wickedness is appearing from the north;
a great crushing is coming.
2 The daughter of Zion,
the beautiful and delicate woman, will be destroyed.
3 The shepherds and their flocks will go to them;
they will set up tents against her all around;
each man will shepherd with his own hand.
4 "Dedicate yourselves to the gods for the battle.
Arise, let us attack at noon.
Woe to us! For the daylight is fading away
and the evening shadows are falling.
5 But let us attack at night
and destroy her fortresses."
6 For Yahweh of hosts says this:
Cut her trees,
and heap up siege works against Jerusalem.
This is the right city to attack,
because it is filled with oppression.
7 As a well pours out fresh water,
so this city keeps producing wickedness.
Violence and devastation are heard within her;
sickness and wounds are continually before my face.
8 Accept discipline, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away from you
and make you into a ruin, an uninhabited land.'"
9 Yahweh of hosts says this,
"They will certainly glean the remnant of Israel like a vineyard.
Reach out again with your hand to pick grapes from the vines.
10 To whom should I declare and warn
so they will listen?
Look! Their ears are uncircumcised;
they are not able to pay attention!
Look! The word of Yahweh has come to them to correct them,
but they do not want it."
11 But I am filled with Yahweh's fury.
I am tired of holding it in.
He said, to me,
"Pour it out on the children in the streets
and on the groups of young men.
For every man will be taken away with his wife;
and every old person heavy with years.
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,
both their fields and their wives together.
For I will attack the inhabitants of the land with my hand—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
13 Yahweh declares that from the least to the greatest,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.
From the prophet to the priest,
all of them practice deceit.
14 They have healed the brokenness of my people lightly,
saying, 'Peace, Peace,' when there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they practiced abominations?
They were not ashamed;
they did not know how to blush!
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down
when they are punished, says Yahweh.
16 Yahweh says this,
"Stand at the road crossing and look;
ask for the ancient pathways.
'Where is this good way?'
Then go on it and find a resting place for yourselves.
But the people say,
'We will not go.'
17 I appointed for you watchmen to listen for the ram's horn.
But they said, 'We will not listen.'
18 Therefore, nations, listen!
See, you witnesses, what will happen to them.
19 Hear, earth!
See, I am about to bring disaster to this people,
the fruit of their thoughts,
because they paid no attention to my word
and they have rejected my law.
20 What does this frankincense going up from Sheba mean to me
or these sweet smells from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable to me,
nor are your sacrifices.
21 So Yahweh says this,
'See, I am about to place a stumbling block against this people.
They will stumble over it-fathers and sons together.
Inhabitants and their neighbors will also perish.'
22 Yahweh says this,
'See, a people is coming from the land of the north,
a great nation is being stirred up from the farthest parts of the earth.
23 They will pick up bows and spears.
They are cruel and have no compassion.
Their sound is like the sea roar,
and they are riding on horses,
set out in order as men for battle,
against you, daughter of Zion.'"
24 We have heard the reports about them
and our hands fall limp in distress.
Anguish seizes us as a woman giving birth.
25 Do not go out to the fields,
and do not walk on the roads,
for the swords of the enemy and terror are all around.
26 Daughter of my people,
gird yourself with sackcloth and roll in ashes;
mourn with painful sobs as for an only son,
for the destroyer will suddenly come upon us.
27 "I have made you, Jeremiah,
one who tests my people like one would test metal,
so you will inspect and test their ways.
28 They are all the most stubborn of people,
who go about slandering others.
All of them are bronze and iron, acting corruptly.
29 The bellows are scorched by the fire that is burning them;
the lead is consumed in the flames.
The refining continues among them,
but it is useless, because the evil is not removed.
30 They will be called rejected silver,
for Yahweh has rejected them."
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 "Stand at the gate of the house of Yahweh and proclaim this word! Say, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, all you of Judah, you who enter these gates to worship Yahweh. 3 Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Make your ways and practices good, and I will let you continue to live in this place. 4 Do not entrust yourself to deceitful words and say, "Temple of Yahweh! Temple of Yahweh! Temple of Yahweh!" 5 For if you actually make your ways and practices good; if you completely execute justice between a man and his neighbor— 6 if you do not oppress the sojourner, the orphan, or the widow and do not pour out innocent blood in this place, and do not walk after other gods to your own harm— 7 then I will let you stay in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestors from ancient times and forever.
8 Behold! You are entrusting yourselves to deceitful words that do not help you. 9 Do you steal, kill, and commit adultery? Do you swear deceitfully and offer incense to Baal and walk after other gods whom you have not known? 10 Then do you come and stand before me in this house that is called by my name and say, "We are saved," so you can do all of these abominations? 11 Is this house, which carries my name, a den of bandits in your eyes? But behold, I have seen it—this is Yahweh's declaration.'
12 'So go to my place that was in Shiloh, where I allowed my name to stay there in the beginning, and look at what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 So now, on account of your doing all of these practices—this is Yahweh's declaration—I spoke to you time and time again, but you did not listen. I summoned you, but you did not answer. 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh, I will also do to this house that is called by my name, the house in which you have trusted, this place that I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 For I will send you out from before me just as I had sent out all your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.'
16 As for you, Jeremiah, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry of distress or say a prayer on their behalf, and do not petition me, for I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children are gathering wood and the fathers kindling the fire! The women are kneading dough to make cakes for the queen of the heavens and pour out drink offerings for other gods so that they will provoke me. 19 Are they truly provoking me?—this is Yahweh's declaration—is it not themselves whom they are provoking, so that shame is on them? 20 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'See, my anger and wrath will gush out onto this place, on both man and animals, on the tree in the fields and the fruit on the ground. It will burn and never be extinguished.'
21 Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel says this: 'Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat the meat. 22 For when I brought your ancestors out from the land of Egypt, I did not require anything from them. I gave them no command about matters of burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 I only gave them this command, "Listen to my voice, and I will be your God and you will be my people. So walk in all the ways that I am commanding you, so that it may go well with you." 24 But they did not listen or incline their ear. They lived by their own stubborn plans of their wicked hearts, so they went backwards, not forward. 25 Ever since the day when your ancestors went out from the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent every one of my servants, my prophets, to you. I persisted in sending them. 26 But they did not listen to me or incline their ear. Instead, they stiffened their necks. They were more wicked than their ancestors.'
27 So proclaim all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. Proclaim these things to them, but they will not answer you. 28 Say to them: This is a nation that does not listen to the voice of Yahweh its God and does not receive discipline. Truth is destroyed and cut off from their mouths.
29 Cut off your hair and shave yourself, and throw away your hair. Sing a dirge over the open places. For Yahweh has rejected and abandoned this generation in his rage. 30 For the sons of Judah have done evil in my eye—this is Yahweh's declaration—they have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, in order to defile it. 31 Then they built the high place of Topheth that is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. They did this to burn their sons and daughters in fire—something that I did not command, nor did it enter my mind. 32 So see, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when it will no longer be called Topheth or Valley of Ben Hinnom. It will be the Valley of Slaughter; they will bury bodies in Topheth until there is no room left. 33 The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the skies and the wild animals of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 34 I will put an end to the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride, for the land will become a desolation."
1 "At that time—this is Yahweh's declaration—they will bring out from the graves the bones of the kings of Judah and its officials, the bones of the priests and the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 2 Then they will spread them out in the light of the sun and moon and all the stars of the skies; these things in the sky that they have followed and served, that they have walked after and sought, and that they have worshiped. The bones will not be gathered or buried again. They will be like dung on the surface of the earth. 3 In every place where I have driven them, death will be chosen instead of life by all who remain from this evil family—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
4 So say to them, 'Yahweh says this:
Does anyone fall and not get up?
Does anyone get lost and not try to return?
5 Why has this people, Jerusalem,
turned away in permanent apostasy? hold on to deceit
and refuse to repent.
6 I paid attention and listened,
but they did not speak right;
no one repented of his wickedness,
no one who says, "What have I done?"
All of them go where they wish,
like a horse rushing toward battle.
7 Even the stork in heaven knows the right times;
and the doves, swifts, and cranes.
They go on their migrations at the right time,
but my people do not know Yahweh's decrees.
8 How can you say,
"We are wise, for the law of Yahweh is with us"?
Indeed, see!
The deceitful pen of the scribes has created deceit.
9 The wise men will be ashamed.
They are dismayed and trapped.
Behold! They reject Yahweh's word,
so what use is their wisdom?
10 So I will give their wives to others,
and their fields to those who will possess them,
because from the least to the greatest,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain!
From the prophet to the priest,
all of them practice deceit.
11 They have healed the brokenness of my people lightly,
saying, "Peace, Peace," when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they practiced abominations?
They were not ashamed;
they did not know how to blush!
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished,
says Yahweh.
13 I will remove them completely—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
there will be no grapes on the vine,
nor will there be figs on the fig trees.
For the leaf will wither,
and what I have given to them will pass away.
14 Why are we sitting here?
Come together;
let us go to the fortified cities,
and we will become silent there in death.
For Yahweh our God will silence us.
He will make us drink poison,
since we have sinned against him.
15 We are hoping for peace,
but there will be nothing good.
We are hoping for a time of healing,
but see, there will be terror. 16 The snorting of his stallions is heard from Dan.
The whole earth shakes
at the sound of the neighing of his strong horses.
For they will come
and consume the land and its wealth,
the city and the ones living in it.
17 For see, I am sending out snakes among you,
adders that you cannot charm.
They will bite you—
this is Yahweh's declaration.'"
18 My sorrow has no end
and my heart is sick.
19 Behold! The cry for help of the daughter of my people
from a land far away!
Is Yahweh not in Zion?
Is her king no longer there?
Why then do they provoke me to anger with their carved figures
and their worthless foreign idols?
20 The harvest has passed on, summer is over.
But we have not been saved.
21 I am hurt because of the hurt of the daughter of my people.
I mourn at the horrible things that have happened to her;
I am dismayed.
22 Is there no medicine in Gilead?
Is there no healer there?
Why will the healing of the daughter of my people not happen?
1 If only my head could produce water,
and my eyes be a fountain of tears!
For I wish to weep day and night for those
among the daughter of my people who have been killed.
2 If only someone would give me a place for travelers in the wilderness to stay,
where I could go to abandon my people.
If only I could leave them,
since all of them are adulterers, a company of traitors!
3 "They bend their tongues like their bows for lies,
and it is not because of any faithfulness of theirs
that they grow strong on the earth.
For they go from one wicked act to another.
They do not know me." This is Yahweh's declaration.
4 Each of you, be on guard against your neighbor
and do not trust in any brother.
For every brother is certainly a deceiver,
and every neighbor walks in slander.
5 Each man mocks his neighbor
and does not speak the truth.
Their tongues teach deceitful things.
They are exhausted from committing iniquity.
6 Your dwelling is in the midst of deception;
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me—
this is Yahweh's declaration."
7 Yahweh of hosts says this,
"See, I am about to refine them and test them,
for what else can I do, because of what my people have done?
8 Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deceit.
With their mouths they proclaim peace with their neighbors,
but with their hearts they lie in wait for them.
9 Should I not punish them because of these things—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
and should I not avenge myself on a nation that is like this?
10 I will sing a song of mourning and wailing for the mountains,
and a dirge will be sung for the meadows in the wilderness.
For they have been made desolate
and no one can pass through them,
and the lowing of the cattle is not heard.
The birds of the skies and the animals
have all fled away.
11 So I will turn Jerusalem into piles of ruins,
a hideout for jackals.
I will make Judah's cities ruined places
without inhabitants."
12 What man is wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of Yahweh spoken, and he will declare it? Why has the land perished and been made desolate like the wilderness that no one can pass through?
13 Yahweh says, "It is because they have abandoned my law that I set before them, because they do not listen to my voice or walk by it. 14 It is because they have walked by their stubborn hearts and have followed the Baals as their fathers taught them to do. 15 Therefore Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says this, 'See, I am about to make this people eat wormwood and drink poisonous water. 16 Then I will scatter them among the nations that they have not known, neither they nor their ancestors. I will send out a sword after them until I have completely destroyed them.'"
17 Yahweh of hosts says this,
"Think about this: Summon
funeral singers; let them come.
Send out for women skilled at lamenting;
let them come.
18 Let them hurry and sing a mournful song over us,
so our eyes may run with tears and our eyelids flow with water.
19 For the sound of wailing is heard in Zion,
'How we are devastated.
We are greatly ashamed,
for we have abandoned the land
since they tore down our houses.'
20 So you women, hear Yahweh's word;
pay attention to the messages that come from his mouth.
Then teach your daughters a mourning song,
and each neighbor woman a dirge.
21 For death has come through our windows;
it goes into our palaces.
It destroys children from outside,
and young men in the city squares.
22 Declare this, 'This is Yahweh's declaration—
the corpses of men will fall like dung in the fields,
and like grain stalks after the reapers,
and there will be no one to gather them.'"
23 Yahweh says this,
"Do not let the wise man take pride in his wisdom,
or the warrior in his might.
Do not let the wealthy man take pride in his riches.
24 For if a man takes pride in anything,
let it be in this, that he has insight and knows me.
For I am Yahweh, who acts with covenant loyalty,
justice and righteousness on earth.
For it is in these that I take pleasure—
this is Yahweh's declaration."
25 "See, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will punish all the circumcised who are such only in their body. 26 I will punish Egypt and Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and all the desert people who cut the hair on the sides of their heads very short. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel has an uncircumcised heart."
1 "Hear the word that Yahweh is announcing to you, house of Israel. 2 Yahweh says this,
'Do not learn the ways of the nations,
and do not be dismayed by the signs in the heavens,
for the nations are dismayed by these.
3 For the customs of these people are worthless.
Someone cuts down a tree from the forest.
It is the work of the hands of a craftsman using an axe.
4 Then they decorate it with silver and gold.
They strengthen it with hammer and nails so it will not fall over.
5 What they make with their hands is like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
because they, too, can say nothing,
and they have to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them, for they cannot bring about evil,
nor are they able to do anything good.'"
6 There is no one like you, Yahweh.
You are great, and your name is great in power.
7 Who does not fear you, king of the nations?
For this is what you deserve,
for there is no one like you among all the wise men of the nations
or all their royal kingdoms.
8 They are both brutish and stupid.
Their vain discipline—it is nothing but wood.
9 They bring hammered silver from Tarshish,
and gold from Uphaz made by artificers,
the hands of refiners.
Their clothes are blue and purple cloth.
Their skillful men made all of these things.
10 But Yahweh is the true God.
He is the living God and eternal king.
The earth quakes at his anger,
and the nations cannot endure his anger.
11 You will speak to them like this, "The gods that did not make the heavens and earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens."
12 But it was he who made the earth by his power,
and he established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding he stretched out the heavens.
13 His voice makes the roar of waters in the heavens,
and he brings up the mists from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and sends out wind from his storehouse.
14 Every man has become stupid, without knowledge.
Every metalworker is put to shame by his idols.
For his cast metal images are frauds;
there is no life in them.
15 They are useless, the work of mockers;
they will perish at the time of their punishment.
16 But God, the portion of Jacob, is not like these,
for he is the molder of all things.
Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
17 Gather your bundle and leave the land,
you people who have been living under the siege.
18 For Yahweh says this,
"See, I am about to throw the inhabitants of the land out this time.
I will cause them distress,
and they will find it to be so."
19 Woe to me!
Because of my broken bones, my wound is infected.
So I said,
"Surely this is agony, but I must bear it."
20 My tent is devastated,
and all of my tent cords are cut in two.
They have taken my children away from me,
so they no longer exist.
There is no longer anyone to spread out my tent
or to raise up my tent curtains.
21 For the shepherds are stupid
and they do not seek Yahweh;
so they have not prospered,
and all their flock has been scattered.
22 The report of news has arrived, "See! It is coming,
a great earthquake is coming from the land of the north
to make the cities of Judah into ruins,
hideouts for jackals."
23 I know, Yahweh,
that the way of a man does not come from himself.
No person walking directs his own steps.
24 Discipline me, Yahweh, with justice,
not in your anger or you would destroy me.
25 Pour your fury on the nations that do not know you
and on the families that do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob and consumed him
so as to completely destroy him and demolish his habitation.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 "Listen to the words of this covenant, and declare them to each man in Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3 Say to them, 'Yahweh, God of Israel says this: Cursed is anyone who does not listen to the words of this covenant. 4 This is the covenant that I commanded your ancestors to keep the day I brought them out from the land of Egypt, from the furnace for smelting iron. I said, "Listen to my voice and do all of these things just as I have commanded you, for you will be my people and I will be your God." 5 Obey me so that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your ancestors, the oath that I would give them the land flowing with milk and honey, where you live today.'" Then I, Jeremiah, answered and said, "Let it be so, Yahweh!"
6 Yahweh said to me, "Proclaim all these things in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Say, 'Listen to the words of this covenant and carry them out. 7 For I have been giving solemn commands to your ancestors from the day I brought them up from the land of Egypt until this present time, persistently warning them and saying, "Listen to my voice."' 8 But they did not listen or incline their ear. Each person has been walking in the stubbornness of his wicked heart. So I brought all the curses in the covenant that I commanded them to obey, but the people still did not obey."
9 Next Yahweh said to me, "A conspiracy has been discovered among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the iniquities of their earliest ancestors, who refused to listen to my word. They walked after other gods to worship them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah broke my covenant that I established with their ancestors. 11 Therefore Yahweh says this, 'See, I am about to bring disaster on them, disaster from which they will not be able to escape. Then they will call out to me, but I will not listen to them. 12 The cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and call out to the gods to which they had given offerings, but they will certainly not be saved by them at the time of their disaster. 13 For you Judah, the number of your gods has increased to equal the number of your cities. You have made the number of shameful altars in Jerusalem, incense altars for Baal, equal to the number of her streets.
14 So you yourself, Jeremiah, must not pray for this people. You must not cry for help or pray on their behalf. For I will not be listening when they call on me in their disaster.
15 Why is my beloved one
the one who has had so many wicked intentions,
in my house?
The meat of your sacrifices cannot help you.
You rejoice because of your evil actions.
16 In the past Yahweh called you a leafy olive tree,
beautiful with lovely fruit.
But he will light a fire on it that will sound like the roar of a storm;
its branches will be broken.
17 For Yahweh of hosts, the one who planted you, has decreed disaster against you because of the wicked acts that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have committed—they have angered me by giving offerings to Baal.'"
18 Yahweh made me know these things, so I know them. You, Yahweh, made me see their deeds. 19 I was like a gentle lamb being led to the slaughter. I did not know that they had formed plans against me,
"Let us destroy the tree with its fruit!
Let us cut him off from the land of the living
so his name will be no longer remembered."
20 Yet Yahweh of hosts is the righteous judge
who examines the heart and the mind.
I will witness your vengeance against them,
for I have presented my case to you.
21 Therefore Yahweh says this concerning the people of Anathoth who are seeking your life, "They say, 'You must not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, or you will die by our hand.' 22 Therefore Yahweh of hosts says this, 'See, I am about to punish them. Their vigorous young men will die by the sword. Their sons and their daughters will die by famine. 23 No remnant will be left for them, because I am bringing disaster against the people of Anathoth, a year of their punishment.'"
1 You are righteous, Yahweh,
whenever I bring disputes to you.
I must certainly tell you of my reason to complain:
Why do the ways of the wicked succeed?
All the treacherous are at ease.
2 You planted them and they took root.
They continue to produce fruit.
You are near to them in their mouths,
but far away from their hearts.
3 Yet you, Yahweh, know me.
You see me and you test my heart toward you.
Take them away like sheep to the slaughter,
and set them apart for the day of slaughter!
4 How long will the land mourn
and the grass in the field be withered?
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and the birds have been swept away,
because the people said,
"He will not see what happens to us."
5 Yahweh said, "Indeed, if you, Jeremiah,
have run with foot soldiers and they have tired you out,
how can you compete against horses?
And if you are confident only in a peaceful land,
how will you do in the majesty along the Jordan?
6 For even your brothers and your father's family
have betrayed you and have raised their voice against you.
Do not trust in them,
even if they say nice things to you.
7 I have abandoned my house;
I have abandoned my inheritance.
I have given my beloved into the hands of her enemies.
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lion in a thicket;
she sets herself against me with her own voice,
so I hate her.
9 Has not my prized possession become a speckled bird,
that other birds of prey go against her all around?
Go and gather all the wild beasts
and bring them to devour her.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard.
They have trampled on my portion of land;
they turned my delightful portion into a wilderness,
a desolation.
11 They have made her a desolation.
I mourn for her; she is desolate.
All the land has been made desolate,
for there is no one who takes it to heart.
12 Destroyers have come against all
the bare places in the wilderness,
for Yahweh's sword is devouring
from one end of the land to the other.
There is no safety in the land
for any living creature.
13 They have sown wheat but harvest thornbushes.
They are exhausted from work but have gained nothing.
So be ashamed of your gain
because of Yahweh's anger."
14 Yahweh says this against all my neighbors, the wicked ones who strike at the possession that I made my people Israel inherit, "See, I am the one who is about to uproot them from their own ground, and I will pull up the house of Judah from among them. 15 Then after I uproot those nations, it will happen that I will have compassion on them and bring them back; I will return them—each man to his inheritance and his land. 16 It will come about that if those nations carefully learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name 'As Yahweh lives' just as they have taught my people to swear by Baal, then they will be built up in the midst of my people. 17 But if any do not listen, then I will uproot that nation. It will certainly be uprooted and destroyed—this is Yahweh's declaration."
1 Yahweh said this to me, "Go and buy a linen undergarment and put it on around your waist, but do not put it in water first." 2 So I bought an undergarment as Yahweh directed, and I put in on around my waist. 3 Then the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying, 4 "Take the undergarment that you purchased that is around your waist, get up and go now to Perath. [1] Hide it there in a rock crevice." 5 So I went and hid it in Perath, just as Yahweh had commanded me. 6 After many days, Yahweh said to me, "Get up and go back to Perath. Take from there the undergarment that I commanded you to hide." 7 So I went back to Perath [2] and dug out the undergarment where I had hid it, and behold, it was destroyed and completely useless.
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 "Yahweh says this: In the same way I will destroy the pride of Judah and the great majesty of Jerusalem. 10 This wicked people who refuses to listen to my word, who walk in the hardness of their heart, who go after other gods to worship them and bow down to them—they will be like this undergarment that is good for nothing. 11 For just as an undergarment clings to someone's hips, so I have made all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah cling to me—this is Yahweh's declaration—to be my people, to bring me fame, praise, and honor. But they would not listen to me.
12 So you must speak this word to them, 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: Every jar will be filled with wine.' They will say to you, 'Do we not indeed know that every jar will be filled with wine?' 13 So say to them, 'Yahweh says this: See, I am about to fill with drunkenness every inhabitant of this land, the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 14 Then I will smash each man against the other, fathers and children together—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will not pity them or have compassion, and I will not spare them from destruction.'"
15 Listen and pay attention.
Do not be arrogant, for Yahweh had spoken.
16 Give honor to Yahweh your God
before he brings darkness,
and before he causes your feet to stumble
on the mountains at twilight.
For you are hoping for light,
but he will turn it to deep darkness
and change it to deep gloom.
17 So if you will not listen,
I will weep alone because of your pride.
My eyes will certainly weep and flow with tears,
for Yahweh's flock has been taken captive.
18 "Say to the king and to the queen mother,
'Humble yourselves! Sit!
For your splendid crowns
have fallen from your heads.'
19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up,
with no one to open them.
All Judah will be taken captive,
completely taken captive.
20 Lift up your eyes
and look at the ones coming from the north.
Where is the flock he gave to you,
the flock that was so beautiful to you?
21 What will you say when God sets over you
those whom you yourself had trained
to be your special allies?
Are these not the beginnings of the labor pains
that will seize you just like a woman in childbirth?
22 Then you might say in your heart,
'Why are these things happening to me?'
It will be for the multitude of your iniquities
that your skirts are raised up
and you have been violated.
23 Can the people of Cush change their skin color,
or a leopard change its spots?
If so, then you yourself,
although accustomed to wickedness,
would be able to do good.
24 So I will scatter them like chaff
that perishes in the desert wind.
25 This is what I have given to you,
the portion I have decreed for you—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
because you have forgotten me
and trusted in deceit.
26 So also I myself will strip your skirts off you,
and your nakedness will be seen.
27 I have seen your adultery and neighing,
the wickedness of your prostitution
on the hills and in the fields,
and I have seen these detestable things!
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
How long until you are made clean again?"
1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah regarding the drought,
2 "Let Judah mourn;
let her gates waste away.
They are wailing for the land;
their cries for Jerusalem are going up.
3 Their mighty ones send out their servants for water.
When they go to the trenches,
they cannot find water.
They all return with empty vessels;
they cover their heads ashamed and dishonored.
4 Because of this the ground is cracked,
for there is no rain in the land.
The plowmen are ashamed
and cover their heads.
5 For even the doe leaves her young in the fields
and abandons them, for there is no grass.
6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare plains
and they pant in the wind like jackals.
Their eyes fail to work,
for there is no vegetation."
7 Even though our iniquities testify against us
Yahweh, act for the sake of your name.
For our acts of apostasy increase;
we have sinned against you.
8 You are the Hope of Israel,
the one who saves him in the time of distress,
why will you be like a stranger in the land,
like a foreign wanderer who stretches out and spends just one night?
9 Why are you like someone who is astounded,
or like a warrior who has no power to rescue?
You are in our midst, Yahweh,
and your name is called over us.
Do not leave us!
10 Yahweh says this to this people:
"Since they love to wander,
they have not held back their feet from doing so."
Yahweh is not pleased with them
Now he calls to mind their iniquity
and has punished their sins.
11 Yahweh said to me, "Do not pray for good on behalf of this people. 12 For if they fast, I will not listen to their outcry, and if they offer up burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not take pleasure in them. For I will put an end to them by sword, famine, and plague."
13 Then I said, "Oh, Lord Yahweh! Behold! The prophets are saying to the people, 'You will not see the sword; there will be no famine for you, for I will give you true peace in this place.'"
14 Yahweh said to me, "The prophets prophesy deceit in my name. I did not send them out, nor did I give them any command or speak to them. But deceitful visions and worthless divination and the deceitfulness of their hearts—that is what they are prophesying to you." 15 Therefore Yahweh says this, "About the prophets prophesying in my name but whom I did not send out—those who say there will be no sword or famine in this land: These prophets will perish by sword and famine. 16 Then the people to whom they prophesied will be thrown out in the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and sword, for there will be no one to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters—for I will pour out their wickedness on them.
17 Say this word to them:
'Let my eyes flow with tears
night and day.
Do not let them stop,
for there will be a great collapse
of the virgin daughter of my people—
a great and incurable wound.
18 If I go out to the field,
there are the ones who were killed by the sword!
If I come to the city,
there are the diseases that are caused by famine.
Both the prophet and the priest wander about the land,
and they do not know.'"
19 Have you completely rejected Judah?
Do you hate Zion?
Why will you afflict us when there is no healing for us?
We hoped for peace, but there was nothing good—
and for a time of healing,
but see, there is only terror.
20 We admit, Yahweh, our offenses,
the iniquity of our ancestors,
for we have sinned against you.
21 Do not reject us!
For the sake of your name,
do not make your glorious throne a disgrace.
Remember and do not break
your covenant with us.
22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?
Or can the skies themselves send down showers?
Are you not the one, Yahweh our God?
We wait for you, for you are the one
who does all these things.
1 Then Yahweh said to me, "Even if Moses or Samuel were standing in front of me, I would still not be in favor of this people. Send them out from before me, for them to go away. 2 It will happen that they will say to you, 'Where should we go?' Then you must say to them, 'Yahweh says this:
Those who are for death should go to death;
those who are for the sword should go to the sword.
Those who are for famine should go to famine;
and those who are for captivity should go to captivity.'
3 For I will assign them to four groups—this is Yahweh's declaration—the sword to slaughter some, the dogs to drag some away, the birds of the skies and the wild animals of the earth to consume and destroy some. 4 I will make of them a horrifying thing to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.
5 For who will have compassion for you, Jerusalem?
Who will grieve for you?
6 You have abandoned me—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
you have gone back from me.
So I will strike you with my hand and destroy you.
I am tired of relenting.
7 So I will winnow them with a pitchfork
at the gates of the land.
I will bereave them.
I will destroy my people
since they will not turn from their ways.
8 I will make their widows more numerous
than the sands of the seashore.
Against the mothers of young men I will send
the destroyer at noonday.
I will make horror and dismay suddenly fall on them.
9 The mother who has borne seven children will waste away.
She will gasp.
Her sun will set while it is still day.
She will be ashamed and embarrassed,
for I will give those who remain to the sword
in the presence of their enemies—
this is Yahweh's declaration."
10 Woe to me, my mother!
For you have borne me,
I who am a man of strife and argument through all the land.
I have not lent, nor has anyone lent to me,
but they all curse me.
11 Yahweh said:
"Will I not rescue you for good?
I will certainly make your enemies beg for help
in the time of calamity and distress.
12 Can one smash iron?
Especially iron from the north that is mixed with bronze?
13 I will give to your enemies
your wealth and treasures as free plunder.
I will do this because of all your sins
committed within all your borders.
14 Then I will make you serve your enemies
in a land that you do not know,
for a fire will ignite,
kindled in my wrath against you." [1]
15 Yahweh, you know
Remember me and help me
Bring vengeance for me
against those who persecute me.
You are patient, but do not allow them to take me away;
know that I have suffered insult for your sake.
16 Your words have been found, and I consumed them
Your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I bear your name,
Yahweh God of hosts.
17 I did not sit in the circle
of those who celebrated or rejoiced.
I sat alone because of your powerful hand,
for you filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain constant and my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Will you be like deceitful waters to me,
waters that dry up?
19 Therefore Yahweh said this,
"If you repent, Jeremiah,
then I will restore you,
and you will stand before me and serve me.
For if you separate the foolish things from the precious things,
you will be like my mouth.
The people will come back to you,
but you yourself must not go back to them.
20 I will make you like an impenetrable bronze wall to this people,
and they will wage war against you.
But they will not defeat you,
for I am with you to save and rescue you—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
21 for I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked
and redeem you from the hand of the ruthless."
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Do not take a wife for yourself, and do not have sons or daughters for yourself in this place. 3 For Yahweh says this to the sons and daughters who are born in this place, to the mothers who bear them, and to the fathers who caused them to be born in this land, 4 'They will die diseased deaths. They will not be mourned or buried. They will be like dung on the ground. For they will come to an end by sword and famine, and their corpses will be food for the birds of the skies and the wild animals of the earth.'
5 For the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 'Do not enter a house where there is mourning. Do not go to mourn or to show sympathy for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people—this is Yahweh's declaration—and my steadfast love and mercy. 6 Both the great and the small will die in this land. They will not be buried, and no one will mourn for them or cut themselves or shave their heads for them. 7 No one must share any food in mourning to comfort them because of the deaths, and none must give a comforting cup to his father or his mother in order to comfort them. 8 You must not go to a banquet house to sit with them in order to eat or drink.' 9 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, before your eyes, in your days and in this place, I am about to put an end to the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride.'
10 Then it will happen that you will report all these words to this people, and they will say to you, 'Why has Yahweh decreed all this great disaster against us? What is our iniquity and sin that we sinned against Yahweh our God?' 11 So say to them, 'Because your ancestors abandoned me—this is Yahweh's declaration—and they went after other gods and worshiped and bowed down to them. They abandoned me and have not kept my law. 12 But you yourselves have brought about more wickedness than your ancestors, for see, each person is walking by the stubbornness of his wicked heart; there is no one who listens to me. 13 So I will throw you from this land to a land that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors, and you will worship other gods there by day and night, for I will not give any favor to you.'
14 Therefore, behold, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when it will no longer be said, 'As Yahweh lives, the one who brought up the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.' 15 but, 'As Yahweh lives, the one who brought up the people of Israel from the land of the north and from the lands where he had scattered them.' For I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestors.
16 Behold! I will send for many fishermen—this is Yahweh's declaration—so they will fish the people out. After this I will send for many hunters so they will hunt for them among all the mountains and hills, and in rock crevices. 17 For my eye is on all their ways; they cannot be hidden from before me. Their iniquity cannot be concealed from before my eyes. 18 I will first pay back double for their iniquity and sin. They have polluted my land. They have filled my inheritance with the corpses of their detestable idols and their abominations."
19 Yahweh, you are my stronghold and my refuge,
my place of safety in the day of distress.
The nations will go to you from the ends of the earth and say,
"Surely our ancestors inherited deceit.
They are empty;
there is no profit in them.
20 Do people make gods for themselves?
But they are not gods."
21 Therefore see! I will cause them to know in this time,
I will cause them to know my hand and my power,
so they will know that Yahweh is my name.
1 "The sin of Judah is written
with an iron stylus having a diamond point.
It is engraved on the tablet of their heart
and on the horns of your altars.
2 Even their children remember their altars
and their Asherah poles
that were beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.
3 My mountain in the open country,
and your wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,
together with your high places,
because of the sin you committed in all your territories.
4 You will, by your own actions,
let go of the inheritance that I gave to you.
I will enslave you to your enemies
in a land that you do not know,
for you have ignited a fire in my wrath,
which will burn forever."
5 Yahweh says,
"The person who trusts in mankind is accursed;
he makes flesh his strength
but turns his heart away from Yahweh.
6 For he will be like a small bush in the Arabah
and will not see anything good coming.
He will stay in the stony places in the wilderness,
barren land without inhabitants.
7 But the person who trusts in Yahweh is blessed,
for Yahweh is his reason for confidence.
8 For he will be like a tree planted by water,
its roots will spread out by the stream.
It will not fear the heat when it comes,
for its leaves are always green.
It is not anxious in a year of drought,
and it will not stop producing fruit.
9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else.
It is sick; who can understand it?
10 I am Yahweh,
the one who searches through the mind,
who tests the hearts.
I give to each person according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.
11 A partridge hatches an egg that she did not lay.
Someone may become rich unjustly,
but when half his days are over,
those riches will abandon him,
and in the end he will be a fool."
12 "The place of our sanctuary is a glorious throne,
elevated from the beginning.
13 Yahweh is the hope of Israel.
All who abandon you will be put to shame;
those in the land who turn away from you
will be written in the earth,
for they have abandoned Yahweh,
the fountain of living waters.
14 Heal me, Yahweh, and I will be healed!
Rescue me, and I will be rescued
For you are my song of praise.
15 See, they are saying to me,
'Where is the word of Yahweh? Let it come!'
16 As for me,
I did not run from being a shepherd following you.
I did not long for the day of disaster.
You know the proclamations that came from my lips.
They were made in your presence.
17 Do not be a terror to me.
You are my refuge on the day of calamity.
18 May my pursuers be ashamed,
but do not let me be ashamed.
May they be dismayed,
but do not let me be dismayed.
Send the day of disaster against them
and shatter them with a double share of destruction."
19 Yahweh said this to me: "Go and stand in the gate of the people where the kings of Judah enter and where they exit, then in all the other gates of Jerusalem. 20 Say to them, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, kings of Judah and all you people of Judah, and every resident of Jerusalem who comes in through these gates. 21 Yahweh says this: "Be careful for the sake of your lives and do not carry a burden on the Sabbath day to bring it to the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not bring a load out from your house on the Sabbath day. Do not do any work, but set apart the Sabbath day, just as I commanded your ancestors to do."' 23 They did not listen or pay attention, but stiffened their neck so they would not hear me nor accept discipline.
24 It will happen that if you truly listen to me—this is Yahweh's declaration—and do not bring a load to the gates of this city on the Sabbath day but instead set apart the Sabbath day and not do any work on it, 25 then kings, princes, and those who sit on David's throne will come to the gates of this city in chariots and with horses, they and their leaders, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come from the cities of Judah and from all around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and the lowlands, from the mountains, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, thank offerings to the house of Yahweh. 27 But if you do not listen to me—to set apart the Sabbath day and to not carry heavy loads and to not enter the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day—then I will light a fire in its gates, and it will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem, and it cannot be put out."
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 "Arise and go out to the potter's house, for I will have you hear my word there." 3 So I went out to the potter's house, and behold! The potter was working on the potter's wheel. 4 But the pot he was making from the clay was ruined in the potter's hand, so he returned the clay and formed it into another pot, and he made that pot an object that was pleasing in his eyes.
5 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 6 "Should I not be able to act like this potter with you, house of Israel?—this is Yahweh's declaration. Behold! Like clay in a potter's hand—that is how you are in my hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment, I may proclaim something about a nation or a kingdom, that I will drive it out, tear it down, or destroy it. 8 But if the nation about which I have made that proclamation turns from its evil, then I will relent from the disaster that I was planning to bring upon it.
9 At another moment, I may proclaim something about a nation or a kingdom, that I will build it up or plant it. 10 But if it does evil in my eyes by not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had said I would do for them. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and say, 'Yahweh says this: See, I am about to form disaster against you. I am about to devise a plan against you. Repent, each person from his wicked way, so your ways and your practices will bring good to you.' 12 But they will say, 'This is no use. We will act according to our own plans. Each one of us will do what his evil, stubborn heart desires.'
13 Therefore Yahweh says this,
'Ask the nations,
who has ever heard of such a thing as this?
The virgin Israel has committed a horrible act.
14 Does the snow in Lebanon
ever leave the rocky hills on its sides?
Are the mountain streams coming from far away
ever destroyed, those cold streams?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me.
They have made offerings to useless idols
and been made to stumble in their paths;
they have left the ancient paths
to walk lesser paths.
16 Their land will become a horror,
an object of everlasting hissing.
Everyone who passes by her
will be astonished and shake his head.
17 I will scatter them before their enemies
like an eastern wind.
I will show them my back, and not my face,
on the day of their disaster.'"
18 So the people said, "Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, since the law will never perish from the priests, or advice from the wise men, or words from the prophets. Come, let us attack him with our words and no longer pay attention to anything he proclaims."
19 Pay attention to me, Yahweh,
and listen to the voice of my enemies.
20 Will disaster from them really be my reward
for being good to them?
For they have dug a pit for me.
Remember how I stood before you to speak for their welfare,
to cause your fury to turn away from them.
21 Therefore give their children over to famine,
and give them to the hands of those who use the sword.
So let their women become bereaved and widows,
and their men be killed,
and their young men killed by the sword in battle.
22 Let a distressed shout be heard from their houses,
as you suddenly bring raiders against them.
For they have dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden traps for my feet.
23 But you, Yahweh
you know all of their plans against me to kill me.
Do not forgive their iniquities.
Do not wipe their sins away from you.
Let them be overthrown before you.
Act against them in the time of your wrath.
1 Yahweh said this, "Go and purchase a potter's clay flask while you are with the elders of the people and the priests. 2 Then go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom at the entry of the Broken Pottery Gate, and there proclaim the words that I will tell you. 3 Say, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, "See, I am about to bring disaster on this place, and the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 4 I will do this because they have abandoned me and profaned this place. In this place they offer sacrifices to other gods that they did not know. They, their ancestors, and the kings of Judah have also filled this place with innocent blood. 5 They built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to him—something that I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.
6 Therefore, see, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when this place will no longer be called Topheth, the Valley of Ben Hinnom, for it will be the Valley of Slaughter. 7 In this place I will make the plans of Judah and Jerusalem useless. I will make them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of the ones seeking their lives. Then I will give their corpses as food to the birds of the heavens and the wild animals of the earth. 8 Then I will make this city a ruin and the object of hissing, for everyone passing by it will be astonished and hiss regarding all of its plagues. 9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters; each man will consume the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and the ones seeking their lives distress them."'
10 Then you will break the clay flask in the sight of the men who went with you. 11 You will say to them, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: I will do this same thing to this people and this city—this is Yahweh's declaration—just as Jeremiah shattered the clay flask so that it could not be repaired again. People will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no place left for any more dead. 12 This is what I will do to this place and its inhabitants when I make this city like Topheth—this is Yahweh's declaration— 13 so the houses of Jerusalem and of the kings of Judah will become like Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops the unclean people worship all the stars of the heavens and pour out drink offerings to other gods.'"
14 Then Jeremiah went from Topheth, where Yahweh had sent him to prophesy. He stood in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh and he said to all the people, 15 "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, I am about to bring to this city and to all of its towns all the disaster that I have proclaimed against it, since they stiffened their neck and refused to listen to my words.'"
1 Pashhur son of Immer the priest—he was a leading officer—heard Jeremiah prophesying these words before the house of Yahweh. 2 So Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet and then placed him in the stocks that were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the house of Yahweh. 3 It happened on the next day that Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, "Yahweh has not called your name Pashhur, but you are Magor Missabib. 4 For Yahweh says this, 'Look, I will make you an object of horror, you and all of your loved ones, for they will fall by the sword of their enemies and your eyes will see it. I will give all of Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He will make them captives in Babylon or attack them with the sword. 5 I will give him all the wealth of this city and all the products of its labor, all of its precious items, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. I will place these things in the hand of your enemies, and they will plunder them. They will seize them and bring them to Babylon. 6 But you, Pashhur, and all the inhabitants of your house will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon and die there. You and all of your loved ones to whom you prophesied deceitful things will be buried there.'"
7 "Yahweh, you deceived me, and I was deceived.
You are stronger than I,
and you overpowered me.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8 For whenever I have spoken,
I have called out and proclaimed,
'Violence and destruction.'
So the word of Yahweh
has brought me insult and mocking all the day.
9 If I say, 'I will not think about Yahweh anymore.
I will not speak any longer in his name.'
Then it is like a burning fire in my heart,
held within my bones.
So I struggle to contain it but I cannot.
10 I have heard rumors of terror
from many people all around.
'Report! We must report it!'
Every one of my men of peace
watches to see if I will fall.
'Perhaps he can be tricked.
If so, we can overpower him
and take our revenge on him.'
11 But Yahweh is with me like a terrifying warrior,
so the ones pursuing me will stagger.
They will not defeat me.
They will be greatly ashamed,
because they will not succeed.
They will have unending shame,
it will never be forgotten.
12 But Yahweh of hosts,
you examine the righteous
and see the mind and the heart.
Let me see your vengeance on them
for I have committed my cause to you.
13 Sing to Yahweh!
Praise Yahweh!
For he has rescued the lives of those
who are oppressed from the hand of evildoers.
14 Let the day when I was born be cursed.
Do not let the day that my mother bore me be blessed.
15 Let the man who brought the joyful news
to my father be cursed,
the one who said,
'A male child has been born to you,' causing great joy.
16 Let that man be like the cities that Yahweh overthrew
and he did not have compassion on them.
Let him hear a cry for help in the dawn,
a battle cry at noontime,
17 because he did not kill me in the womb,
making my mother to be my tomb,
a womb that was pregnant forever.
18 Why is it that I came out from the womb
to see troubles and agony,
so that my days are filled with shame?"
1 The word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest to him, and they said, 2 "Seek advice from Yahweh on our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war on us. Perhaps Yahweh will do miracles for us, as in times past, and will make him withdraw from us."
3 So Jeremiah said to them, "This is what you must say to Zedekiah, 4 'Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: See, I am about to turn back the instruments of war that are in your hand, with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are closing you in from outside the walls! For I will gather them in the middle of this city. 5 Then I myself will fight against you with a raised hand and a strong arm, and with wrath, fury, and great anger. 6 For I will attack the inhabitants of this city, both man and animal. They will die in a severe plague. 7 After this—this is Yahweh's declaration—Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, the people, and whoever remains in this city after the plague, the sword, and the famine, I will give them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those seeking their life. Then he will kill them with the edge of the sword. He will not pity them, spare them, or have compassion.'
8 Then to this people you must say, 'Yahweh says this: See, I am about to place before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Anyone staying in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague; but anyone going out and falling on his knees before the Chaldeans who have closed in against you will live. His life will be his loot. 10 For I have set my face against this city in order to bring disaster and not to bring good—this is Yahweh's declaration. It has been given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it.'
11 Concerning the house of the king of Judah, listen to the word of Yahweh. 12 House of David, Yahweh says,
'Bring about justice in the morning.
Rescue the one who has been robbed
by the hand of the oppressor,
or my fury will go out like fire and burn,
and there is no one who can quench it,
because of the wickedness of your practices.
13 See, inhabitant of the valley!
I am against you, rock of the plain—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
I am against anyone who is saying,
"Who will come down to attack us?"
or "Who will enter our houses?"
14 I have assigned the fruit of your practices
to come against you—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
and I will light a fire in the thickets,
and it will consume everything around it.'"
1 This is what Yahweh says, "Go down to the house of the king of Judah and proclaim this word there. 2 Say, 'King of Judah, listen to the word of Yahweh—you who sit on David's throne—you, and your servants, and your people who come through these gates. 3 Yahweh says this, "Perform justice and righteousness, and anyone who has been robbed—rescue him from the hand of the oppressor. Do not mistreat any foreigner in your land, or any orphan or widow. Do not commit violence or pour out innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you truly do these things, then kings sitting on David's throne will enter the gates of this house riding in a chariot and on horses—he, his servants, and his people! 5 But if you do not listen to these words, then I have sworn by myself—this is Yahweh's declaration—that this royal house will become a ruin."'
6 For Yahweh says this concerning the house of the king of Judah,
'You are like Gilead,
or like the summit of Lebanon to me.
Yet I will turn you into a wilderness,
into cities with no inhabitants.
7 For I have appointed destroyers to come against you!
Men with their weapons
will cut off the best of your cedars
and let them fall into the fire.
8 Then many nations will pass by this city. Each person will say to the next, "Why has Yahweh acted in this way toward this great city?" 9 Then the other will answer, "Because they abandoned the covenant of Yahweh their God and bowed down to other gods and worshiped them."
10 Do not weep for the one who is dead
or mourn for him;
but weep bitterly for him who is about to go away,
because he will never return
and see the land of his birth again.'
11 For Yahweh says this about Shallum son of Josiah king of Judah, who served as king instead of Josiah his father, 'He has gone from this place and will not come back. 12 He will die there in the place to where they have exiled him, and he will never again see this land.'
13 Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
who makes his neighbor work for him for nothing,
and he does not give him his wages;
14 he says, 'I will build for myself a large house
with spacious upper rooms.'
So he cuts out large windows for it,
and he panels it with cedar, and he paints it red.
15 Is this what makes you a good king,
that you wanted to have boards of cedar?
Did not your father also eat and drink,
yet do justice and righteousness?
Then things went well for him.
16 He judged in favor of the poor and needy.
It was good then.
Is this not what it means to know me?
—this is Yahweh's declaration. 17 But there is nothing in your eyes and heart
except worry for your unjust profit
and for pouring out innocent blood,
for producing oppression and crushing of others.
18 Therefore this is what Yahweh says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:
They will not lament for him, saying,
'Woe, my brother!' or 'Woe, my sister!'
They will not lament for him, saying,
'Woe, master!' or 'Woe, majesty!'
19 He will be buried with a donkey's burial,
dragged away and thrown out
beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up Lebanon's mountains and shout.
Lift your voice in Bashan.
Shout from the Abarim mountains,
for all of your friends will be destroyed.
21 I spoke to you when you were safe,
but you said, 'I will not listen.'
This was your custom since your youth,
for you have not listened to my voice.
22 The wind will shepherd away all your shepherds,
and your friends will go into captivity.
Then you will certainly be ashamed and humiliated
by all of your evil deeds.
23 You who live in 'Lebanon,'
who is nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will be pitied when the labor pains come upon you,
pain like that of a woman in labor!
24 "As I live—this is Yahweh's declaration—even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on my right hand, I would tear you off. 25 For I have given you to the hand of the ones seeking your life and to the hand of those before whom you are afraid, even to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26 I will throw you and your mother who bore you into another land, a country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 About this land to which they will want to return, they will not come back here.
28 Is this a despised and shattered vessel?
Is this man Jehoiachin a pot that pleases no one?
Why have they thrown him and his descendants out,
and have poured them out into a land that they did not know?
29 Land, Land, Land!
Hear the word of Yahweh!
30 Yahweh says this,
'Write about this man Jehoiachin:
He will be childless.
He will not prosper during his days,
and no one among his descendants
will achieve success
or ever again sit on David's throne
and rule over Judah.'"
1 "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture—this is Yahweh's declaration." 2 Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this concerning the shepherds who are shepherding his people, "You have scattered my flock and have driven them away. You have not cared for them. So I am about to punish you for the wickedness of your practices—this is Yahweh's declaration. 3 I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all of the lands where I have driven them, and I will return them to a grazing place, where they will be fruitful and increase. 4 Then I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them so they will no longer fear or be dismayed. None of them will go missing—this is Yahweh's declaration.
5 See, the days are coming
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—when I will raise up for David a righteous branch.
He will reign as king;
he will act wisely
and cause justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be rescued,
and Israel will live in security.
Then this is the name by which he will be called:
Yahweh is our righteousness.
7 Therefore see, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when they will no longer say, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought the people of Israel up from the land of Egypt.' 8 Instead they will say, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought up and who led back the descendants of the house of Israel from the northern land and all the lands where I had driven them.' Then they will live in their own land."
9 Regarding the prophets,
my heart is broken in me,
and all of my bones tremble.
I have become like a drunk man,
like a man whom wine has overpowered,
because of Yahweh and his holy words.
10 For the land is full of adulterers.
Because of the curse the land mourns.
The meadows in the wilderness dry up.
These prophets' paths are wicked;
their power is not used in a right manner.
11 "For both the prophets and the priests are polluted.
I even found their wickedness in my house!
—this is Yahweh's declaration—
12 therefore their way will be
like a slippery place in the darkness.
They will be pushed down.
They will fall in it.
For I will send disaster against them
in the year of their punishment
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
13 For I have seen the prophets in Samaria
doing what is repulsive:
They prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel astray.
14 Among the prophets in Jerusalem
I have seen horrible things:
They commit adultery and walk in deceit.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers;
no one turns back from his wickedness.
All of them have become like Sodom to me
and its inhabitants like Gomorrah!"
15 Therefore Yahweh of hosts says this concerning the prophets,
"Look, I am about to make them eat wormwood
and drink poisonous water,
for pollution has gone out from the prophets of Jerusalem
to all the land."
16 Yahweh of hosts says this,
"Do not listen to the words of the prophets
who prophesy to you.
They are leading you into vanity!
They are announcing visions from their own minds,
not from Yahweh's mouth.
17 They are constantly saying to those who dishonor me,
'Yahweh declares there will be peace for you.'
For everyone walking
in the stubbornness of his own heart says,
'Disaster will not come upon you.'
18 Yet who has stood in Yahweh's council meeting?
Who sees and hears his word?
Who pays attention to his word and listens?
19 See, there is a storm coming from Yahweh!
His fury is going out, and a tempest is whirling about.
It is whirling around the heads of the wicked.
20 Yahweh's wrath will not return
until it has carried out
and brought into being his heart's purposes.
In the final days,
you will understand it.
21 I did not send out these prophets,
but they ran.
I did not proclaim anything to them,
but they have still prophesied.
22 For if they had stood in my council meeting,
they would have caused my people to hear my word;
they would have caused them to turn from their wicked words
and from the wickedness of their practices.
23 Am I only a God nearby
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—and not also a God far away?
24 Can anyone hide in a secret place so I cannot see him?
—this is Yahweh's declaration—
and do I not fill the heavens and the earth?
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
25 I have heard what the prophets have said, those who were prophesying deceit in my name. They said, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' 26 How long will this go on, prophets who prophesy lies from their minds, and who prophesy from the deceit in their hearts? 27 They are planning on making my people forget my name with the dreams that they report, each one to his neighbor, just as their ancestors forgot my name in favor of Baal's name.
28 The prophet who has a dream, let him report the dream. But the one to whom I have declared something, let him declare my word truthfully. What does straw have to do with grain?—this is Yahweh's declaration— 29 Is not my word like fire?—this is Yahweh's declaration—and like a hammer that shatters a rock into pieces? 30 So see, I am against the prophets—this is Yahweh's declaration—anyone who steals words from another person and says they come from me. 31 See, I am against the prophets—this is Yahweh's declaration—who use their tongues to prophesy proclamations. 32 See, I am against the prophets who dream deceitfully—this is Yahweh's declaration—and then proclaim them and in this way mislead my people with their deceit and boasting. I am against them, for I have not sent them out nor given them commands. So they will certainly not help this people—this is Yahweh's declaration.
33 When these people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, 'What is the burden of Yahweh?' you will say to them, 'You are the burden, and I will cast you off'—this is Yahweh's declaration. 34 As for the prophets, priests, and people who are saying, 'This is the burden of Yahweh' I will punish that man and his house. 35 You continue to say, each person to his neighbor and each man to his brother, 'What did Yahweh answer?' and 'What did Yahweh declare?' 36 But you must no longer talk about the 'burden of Yahweh,' for the burden is every man's own word, and you have perverted the words of the living God, Yahweh of hosts, our God. 37 This is what you will say to the prophet, 'What answer did Yahweh give you?' or 'What did Yahweh say?' 38 But if you say, 'The burden of Yahweh', this is what Yahweh says: 'Because you have said these words, 'The burden of Yahweh,' when I sent to you, saying, 'You will not say, "The burden of Yahweh,"' 39 therefore, behold, I am about to pick you up and throw you away from me, along with the city that I gave you and your ancestors. 40 Then I will put everlasting disgrace and everlasting shame on you that will not be forgotten.'"
1 Yahweh showed me something. Behold, two baskets of figs were placed before the temple of Yahweh. (This vision happened after Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took into exile Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, the officials of Judah, the craftsmen and the metalworkers from Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon.) 2 One basket of figs was very good, like first ripe figs, but the other basket of figs was so very bad that they could not be eaten. 3 Yahweh said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I said, "Figs. Figs that are very good and figs that are so very bad they cannot be eaten."
4 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 5 "Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: I will look on the exiles of Judah for their benefit, just like these good figs, the exiles whom I have sent out from this place to the land of Chaldea. 6 I will set my eyes on them for good and restore them to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down. I will plant them, and not uproot them. 7 Then I will give them a heart to know me, for I am Yahweh. They will be my people and I will be their God, so they will turn to me with all their heart.
8 But like the bad figs that are too bad to be eaten—this is what Yahweh says—I will act in this way with Zedekiah, king of Judah, with his officials, and with the rest of Jerusalem who remain in this land or go to stay in the land of Egypt. 9 I will turn them into a terrifying thing, a disaster, in the sight of all the kingdoms on earth, a disgrace and a subject for proverbs, taunts, and curses in every place where I will have driven them. 10 I will send out sword, famine, and plague against them, until they are destroyed from the land that I gave them and their ancestors."
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah about all the people of Judah. It came in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah. That was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. 2 Jeremiah the prophet proclaimed this to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3 He said, "For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah until this day, Yahweh's words have been coming to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. 4 Yahweh sent out all his servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or turned your ear to hear. 5 These prophets said, 'Let each man turn from his wicked way and the wickedness of his practices and return to the land that Yahweh gave in ancient times to your ancestors and to you, as a permanent gift. 6 So do not walk after other gods to worship them or bow down to them, and do not provoke him with the work of your hands so that he does you harm.' 7 But you have not listened to me—this is Yahweh's declaration—so you have provoked me with the work of your hands to do harm to you. 8 So Yahweh of hosts says this, 'Because you did not listen to my words, 9 see, I am about to send out a command to gather all the peoples of the north—this is Yahweh's declaration—with Nebuchadnezzar my servant, king of Babylon, and bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all the nations around you. For I will set them apart for destruction. I will turn them into a horror, an object for hissing, and an unending desolation. 10 I will put an end to the sound of joy and sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 Then all of this land will become a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
12 Then it will happen when seventy years have been completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans—this is Yahweh's declaration—for their iniquity and make it an unending desolation. 13 Then I will carry out against that land all the words that I had spoken, and everything written in this book that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 14 For also many other nations and great kings will make slaves out of these nations. I will repay them for their deeds and the works of their hands.'"
15 For Yahweh, God of Israel, said this to me, "Take this cup of the wine of fury from my hand and make all the nations to which I am sending you drink it. 16 For they will drink and then stagger about and rant madly before the sword that I am sending out among them." 17 So I took the cup from Yahweh's hand, and I made all the nations to which Yahweh had sent me drink it: 18 Jerusalem, the cities of Judah and her kings and officials—to turn them into ruins and a waste, and into an object for hissing and cursing, as they are at this present day. 19 Other nations also had to drink it: Pharaoh king of Egypt and his servants; his officials and all his people; 20 all people of mixed heritage and all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the land of the Philistines—Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; 21 Edom and Moab and the people of Ammon. 22 The kings of Tyre and Sidon, the kings of the coasts on the other side of the sea, 23 Dedan, Tema, and Buz with all the ones who cut the hair on the sides of their heads very short, they also had to drink it. 24 All the kings of Arabia and all the kings of people of mixed heritage who live in the wilderness; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; 26 all the kings of the north, the ones close by and the ones far away—everyone with his brother and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the surface of the earth, all of them had to drink the cup from Yahweh's hand. Finally, the king of Babylon will also drink from that cup.
27 Yahweh said to me, "Now you must say to them, 'Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Drink and become drunk, then vomit, fall down, and do not rise before the sword that I am sending among you.' 28 Then it will happen that if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, you will say to them, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: You must certainly drink it. 29 For see, I am about to bring disaster on the city that is called by my name, and should you yourselves be free from punishment? You will not be free, for I am calling a sword against all the inhabitants of the land!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.'
30 You must prophesy all these words against them, and say to them,
'Yahweh will roar from the heights
and he will shout with his voice from his holy dwelling,
and he will roar mightily against his fold;
and he will shout, like those who tread the grapes
against all those who live on the earth.
31 The sound of battle will resound to the ends of the earth,
for Yahweh brings charges against the nations,
and he brings judgment on all flesh,
and the wicked ones he will put to the sword
—this is Yahweh's declaration.'
32 Yahweh of hosts says this,
'See, disaster is going out from nation to nation,
and a great storm is beginning
from the farthest parts of the earth.
33 Then those killed by Yahweh will on that day extend from one end of the earth to the other; they will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung on the ground.
34 Wail, shepherds, and shout for help!
Roll about in the dust, you noblemen of the flock,
for the days of your slaughter have come;
you will be scattered when you fall like fine pottery.
35 There is no refuge for the shepherds,
there will be no escape for the noblemen of the flock.
36 Hear the outcry of the shepherds
and the wails of the noblemen of the flock,
for Yahweh is destroying their pastures.
37 So the peaceful pastures will be devastated
because of Yahweh's fierce anger.
38 Like a young lion, he has left his den,
for their land will become a horror
because of the oppressor's anger,
because of his angry wrath.'" [1]
1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from Yahweh, saying, 2 "Yahweh says this: Stand in the courtyard of my house and speak about all the cities of Judah who come to worship at my house. Proclaim all the words that I have commanded you to say to them. Do not cut short any word! 3 It may be that they will listen, that each man will turn from his wicked ways, so I will relent concerning the disaster that I am planning to bring on them because of the wickedness of their deeds. 4 So you must say to them, 'Yahweh says this: If you do not listen to me so as to walk in my law that I have placed before you— 5 if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I am persistently sending to you—but you have not listened!— 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh; I will turn this city into a curse in the sight of all the nations on earth.'"
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah announcing these words in the house of Yahweh. 8 So it happened that when Jeremiah had finished announcing all that Yahweh commanded him to say to all the people, the priests, prophets, and all the people seized him and said, "You will certainly die! 9 Why have you prophesied in Yahweh's name and said that this house will become like Shiloh and this city will become desolate, with no inhabitant?" For all the people had assembled together against Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh.
10 Then the officials of Judah heard these words and went up from the house of the king to the house of Yahweh. They sat in the gateway at the New Gate of the house of Yahweh. 11 The priests and the prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people. They said, "It is right for this man to die, for he prophesied against this city, just as you heard with your own ears!" 12 So Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people and said, "Yahweh has sent me out to prophesy against this house and this city, to say all the words that you have heard. 13 So now, improve your ways and your practices, and listen to the voice of Yahweh your God so that he will relent concerning the disaster that he has proclaimed against you. 14 I myself—look at me!—am in your hand. Do to me what is good and right in your eyes. 15 But you must surely know that if you kill me, then you are bringing innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and its inhabitants, for Yahweh has truly sent me to you to proclaim all these words for your ears."
16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and prophets, "It is not right for this man to die, for he has proclaimed things to us in the name of Yahweh our God." 17 Then men from the elders of the land rose up and spoke to the entire assembly of the people. 18 They said, "Micah of Moresheth was prophesying in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He spoke to all the people of Judah and said, 'Yahweh of hosts says this:
Zion will become a plowed field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
and the hill of the temple will become a thicket.'
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all of Judah put him to death? Did he not fear Yahweh and appease the face of Yahweh so that Yahweh would relent concerning the disaster that he proclaimed to them? So will we do greater evil against our own lives?"
20 Meanwhile there was another man who prophesied in the name of Yahweh—Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim—he also prophesied against this city and this land, agreeing with all of Jeremiah's words. 21 But when King Jehoiakim and all his soldiers and officials heard his word, then the king tried to put him to death, but Uriah heard and was afraid, so he ran away and went to Egypt. 22 Then King Jehoiakim sent out men to go to Egypt—Elnathan son of Akbor and men to go into Egypt after Uriah. 23 They took Uriah out from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim. Then Jehoiakim killed him with a sword and sent his corpse out to the graves of the ordinary people. 24 But the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so he was not given into the hand of the people to be put to death.
1 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh. [1]2 This is what Yahweh said to me, "Make fetters and a yoke for yourself. Place them on your neck. 3 Then send them out to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the people of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon. Send them by the hand of those kings' ambassadors who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give commands to them for their masters and say, 'Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: This is what you must say to your masters, 5 "I myself made the earth by my great strength and my raised arm. I also made men and animals on the earth, and I give it to anyone who is right in my eyes. 6 So now, I myself am giving all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant. Also, I am giving the living things in the fields to him to serve him. 7 For all the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until the time for his land comes. Then many nations and great kings will subdue him. 8 So the nation and the kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and that does not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon—I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with the plague—this is Yahweh's declaration—until I have destroyed it by his hand. 9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, and sorcerers, who have been speaking to you and saying, 'Do not serve the king of Babylon.' 10 For they are prophesying deceit to you in order to send you far away from your lands, for I will drive you away, and you will die. 11 But the nation that places its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will allow it to rest in its land—this is Yahweh's declaration—and they will cultivate it and make their homes in it."'"
12 So I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah and gave him this message, "Place your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and you will live. 13 Why will you die—you and your people—by the sword, famine, and plague, just as I have declared about the nation that refuses to serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you and say, 'Do not serve the king of Babylon,' for they are prophesying lies to you. 15 'For I have not sent them out—this is Yahweh's declaration—for they are prophesying deceit in my name so that I will drive you out and you will perish, both you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.'"
16 I proclaimed this to the priests and all the people and said, "Yahweh says this: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you and say, 'Look! The objects belonging to the house of Yahweh are being returned from Babylon now!' They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Do not listen to them. You should serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a ruin? 18 If they are prophets, and if the word of Yahweh has truly come to them, let them beg Yahweh of hosts not to send to Babylon the objects that remain in his house, the house of the king of Judah, and Jerusalem. 19 Yahweh of hosts says this about the pillars, the large basin known as "The Sea" and its base, and the rest of the objects that remain in this city— 20 the objects that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. 21 Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this about the objects that remain in the house of Yahweh, the house of the king of Judah, and Jerusalem, 22 'They will be brought to Babylon, and they will remain there until the day I have set to come for them—this is Yahweh's declaration—then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.'"
1 It happened in that year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year and the fifth month, Hananiah son of Azzur the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of Yahweh in front of the priests and all the people. He said, 2 "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: I have broken the yoke imposed by the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the objects belonging to the house of Yahweh house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took from this place and transported to Babylon. 4 Then I will bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the captives of Judah who were sent to Babylon—this is Yahweh's declaration—for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon."
5 So Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Hananiah the prophet in front of the priests and to all the people who stood in the house of Yahweh. 6 Jeremiah the prophet said, "Let it be so! May Yahweh confirm the words that you prophesied and bring back to this place the objects belonging to the house of Yahweh and all the captives from Babylon. 7 However, listen to the word that I am proclaiming in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who existed before me and you from long ago also prophesied about many nations and against great kingdoms, about war, famine [1] , and plague. 9 So the prophet who prophesies that there will be peace—if his word comes true, then it will be known that he is indeed a prophet sent out by Yahweh." 10 But Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11 Then Hananiah spoke in front of all the people and said, "Yahweh says this: Just like this, within two years I will break from off the neck of every nation the yoke imposed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon." Then Jeremiah the prophet went on his way.
12 After Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 13 "Go and speak to Hananiah and say, 'Yahweh says this: You broke yokes of wood, and in their place you have made yokes of iron.' 14 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: I have placed a yoke of iron on the neck of all of these nations to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I have also given him the wild beasts in the fields to rule over." 15 Next Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, "Listen Hananiah! Yahweh has not sent you, but you yourself have caused this people to trust in a lie. 16 So Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to send you out from the earth. You will die this year, since you proclaimed rebellion against Yahweh." 17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.
1 These are the words in the scroll that Jeremiah the prophet sent out from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the captives and to the priests, prophets, and all the people that Nebuchadnezzar exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after Jehoiachin the king, the queen mother, and the high officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen had been sent away from Jerusalem. 3 He sent this scroll by the hand of Elasah son of Shapan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah whom Zedekiah, king of Judah, had sent to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 4 The scroll said, "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this to all the captives whom I caused to be exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 'Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and give birth to sons and daughters. Then take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands. Let them give birth to sons and daughters and increase there so you do not become too few. 7 Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be exiled, and intercede with me on its behalf since there will be peace for you if it is at peace.' 8 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that you encourage them to dream. 9 For they are prophesying deceitfully to you in my name. I did not send them—this is Yahweh's declaration.'
10 For Yahweh says this, 'When Babylon has ruled you for seventy years, I will help you and carry out my good word for you to bring you back to this place. 11 For I myself know the plans that I have for you—this is Yahweh's declaration—plans for peace and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call to me, and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 For you will seek me and find me, since you will seek me with all your heart. 14 Then I will be found by you—this is Yahweh's declaration—and I will reverse your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and places where I scattered you—this is Yahweh's declaration—for I will bring you back to the place from where I caused you to be exiled.'
15 Since you said that Yahweh has raised up prophets for us in Babylon, 16 Yahweh says this to the king who sits on the throne of David and to all the people who are staying in that city, your brothers who have not gone out with you into captivity— 17 Yahweh of hosts says this, 'See, I am about to send sword, famine, and plague on them. For I will make them like rotten figs that are too bad to be eaten. 18 Then I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague and make them a terrifying thing to all the kingdoms on earth—a horror, an object of curses and hissing, and a shameful thing among all the nations where I scattered her. 19 This is because they did not listen to my word—this is Yahweh's declaration—that I sent out to them through my servants the prophets. I repeatedly sent them, but you would not listen—this is Yahweh's declaration.' 20 So you yourselves listen to the word of Yahweh, all you exiles whom he has sent out from Jerusalem to Babylon,
21 'Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely to you in my name: See, I am about to put them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He will kill them before your eyes. 22 Then a curse will be spoken about these persons by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon. The curse will say: "May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in fire." 23 This will happen because of the disgraceful things they did in Israel when they committed adultery with their neighbor's wives and declared false words in my name, things that I never commanded them to say. For I am the one who knows; I am the witness—this is Yahweh's declaration.'"
24 About Shemaiah the Nehelamite, say this: 25 "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Because you sent out letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, and said, 26 'Yahweh has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, for you to be the overseer of the house of Yahweh. You are in control of all the people who rave and make themselves into prophets. You should put them in stocks and chains. 27 So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself into a prophet against you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon and said, 'It will be a long time. Build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit."'" 29 Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 31 "Send word to all the exiles and say, 'Yahweh says this about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you when I myself did not send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie, 32 therefore Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. There will not be a man for him to stay among this people. He will not see the good that I will do for my people—this is Yahweh's declaration—for he has proclaimed rebellion against Yahweh.'"
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 "This is what Yahweh, God of Israel, says, 'Write in a scroll all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For look, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will reverse the captivity of my people, Israel and Judah. I, Yahweh, have said it. For I will bring them back to the land that I gave their ancestors, and they will possess it.'"
4 These are the words that Yahweh declared concerning Israel and Judah, 5 "For Yahweh says this,
'We have heard a trembling voice
of dread and not of peace.
6 Ask and see if a man bears a child.
Why do I see every young man with his hand on his loins
like a woman bearing a child?
Why have all their faces become pale?
7 Woe! For that day will be great,
with none like it.
It will be a time of distress for Jacob,
but he will be rescued from it.
8 For it will be in that day
—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts
—that I will break the yoke off your neck,
and I will shatter your chains,
so foreigners will no longer enslave you.
9 But they will worship Yahweh their God
and serve David their king,
whom I will make king over them.
10 So you, my servant Jacob, do not fear
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—and do not be dismayed, Israel.
For see, I am about to deliver you from the faraway place,
and your descendants from the land of captivity.
Jacob will return and be at ease;
he will rest secure,
and there will be no more terror.
11 For I am with you
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—to save you.
Then I will bring a complete end
to all the nations where I have scattered you.
But I will certainly not put an end to you,
though I discipline you justly
and will certainly not leave you unpunished.'
12 For Yahweh says this,
'Your injury is incurable;
your wound is infected.
13 There is no one to plead your case;
there is no remedy for your wound to heal you.
14 All of your lovers have forgotten you.
They will not look for you,
for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy
and the discipline of a cruel master
because of your many iniquities
and your numerous sins.
15 Why do you call for help for your injury?
Your pain is incurable.
Because of your many iniquities,
your numerous sins,
I have done these things to you.
16 So everyone who consumes you
will be consumed,
and all of your adversaries will go into captivity.
For the ones who have plundered you
will become plunder,
and I will make all of the ones despoiling you a spoil.
17 For I will bring healing on you;
I will heal you of your wounds
—this is Yahweh's declaration—
I will do this because they called you:
Outcast. No one cares for this Zion.'"
18 Yahweh says this,
"See, I am about to bring back
the fortunes of Jacob's tents
and have compassion on his homes.
Then a city will be built on the heap of ruins,
and a stronghold will exist again where it used to be.
19 Then a song of praise and a sound of merriment
will go out from them,
for I will increase them and not diminish them;
I will honor them so they will not be humbled.
20 Then their people will be like before,
and their assembly will be established before me
when I punish all the ones
who are now oppressing them.
21 Their ruler will come from among them.
He will emerge from their midst
when I draw him near and when he approaches me.
If I do not do this,
who would dare come close to me?
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
22 Then you will be my people,
and I will be your God.
23 See, the tempest of Yahweh,
his fury, has gone out.
It is a continual tempest.
It will whirl on the heads of the wicked people.
24 Yahweh's wrath will not return
until it has carried out and brought into being
his heart's purposes.
In the final days,
you will understand it."
1 "At that time—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they will be my people."
2 Yahweh says this,
"The people who have survived the sword
have found favor in the wilderness;
I will go out to give rest to Israel."
3 Yahweh appeared to me in the past and said,
"I have loved you, Israel, with everlasting love.
So I have drawn you toward myself
with covenant faithfulness.
4 I will build you up again
so you will be built, virgin Israel.
You will again pick up your tambourine
and go out with happy dances.
5 You will plant vineyards again
on the mountains of Samaria;
the farmers will plant and put the fruit to good use.
6 For a day will come
when the watchmen in the mountains of Ephraim will proclaim,
'Arise, let us go up to Zion to Yahweh our God.'
7 For Yahweh says this,
"Shout for joy over Jacob!
Shout in gladness for the chief people of the nations!
Let praise be heard.
Say, 'Yahweh has rescued his people, the remnant of Israel.'
8 See, I am about to bring them from the northern lands.
I will gather them from the farthest parts of the earth.
The blind and lame will be among them;
pregnant women and those who are about to give birth
will be with them.
A great assembly will return here.
9 They will come weeping;
I will lead them as they make their pleas.
I will have them journey to streams of water
on a straight road.
They will not stumble on it,
for I will be a Father to Israel,
and Ephraim will be my firstborn.
10 "Hear the word of Yahweh, nations.
Report along the coasts in the distance.
You nations must say,
'The one who scattered Israel is gathering her up
and keeping her as a shepherd keeps his sheep.'
11 For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob
and has redeemed him from the hand
that was too strong for him.
12 Then they will come and rejoice on the heights of Zion.
Their faces will shine because of Yahweh's goodness,
over the grain and the new wine,
over the oil and the offspring of the flocks and herds.
For their lives will become like a watered garden,
and they will never again feel any more sorrow.
13 Then virgins will rejoice with dancing,
and young and old men will be together.
For I will change their mourning into celebration.
I will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow.
14 Then I will saturate the lives of the priests
with abundance.
My people will fill themselves with my goodness
—this is Yahweh's declaration."
15 Yahweh says this
"A voice is heard in Ramah,
wailing and bitter weeping.
It is Rachel weeping for her children.
She refuses to be comforted over them,
for they live no longer."
16 Yahweh says this,
"Hold your voice back from weeping
and your eyes from tears;
there is a reward for your work
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—your children will return from the land of the enemy.
17 There is hope for your future
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—your descendants will return inside their borders.
18 "I have certainly heard Ephraim sorrowing,
'You punished me,
and I have been punished like an untrained calf.
Bring me back and I will be brought back,
for you are Yahweh my God.
19 For after I turned back to you, I repented;
after I was trained, I slapped my thigh.
I was ashamed and humiliated,
for I have borne the disgrace of my youth.'
20 Is not Ephraim my precious child?
Is he not my dear, delightful son?
For whenever I speak against him,
I certainly still call him to my loving mind.
In this way my heart longs for him.
I will certainly have compassion on him
—this is Yahweh's declaration."
21 Place road signs for yourself.
Set up guideposts for yourself.
Set your mind on the right path,
the way you should take.
Come back, virgin Israel!
Come back to these cities of yours.
22 How long will you waver, faithless daughter?
For Yahweh has created something new on earth
—a woman surrounds a strong man.
23 Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says this, "When I reverse their captivity, they will say this in the land of Judah and its cities, 'May Yahweh bless you, you righteous place where he lives, you holy mountain.' 24 For Judah and all its cities will live together there, as will farmers and those who set out with flocks. 25 For I will cause those who are weary to drink their fill, and I fill up those who are faint." 26 After this I awoke, and I realized that my sleep had been refreshing.
27 "Look, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will sow the houses of Israel and Judah with the seed of man and the seed of animals. 28 In the past, I kept them under surveillance in order to uproot them and to tear them down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring them harm. But in the coming days, I will watch over them, in order to build them up and to plant them—this is Yahweh's declaration. 29 In those days no one will say any longer,
'Fathers have eaten sour grapes,
but the children's teeth are dulled.'
30 For each man will die in his own iniquity; everyone who eats sour grapes, his teeth will be dulled.
31 Look, the days are coming—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
when I will establish a new covenant
with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
that I established with their fathers in the days
when I took them by their hand
to bring them out from the land of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
although I was a husband for them—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
33 This is the covenant
that I will establish with the house of Israel
after these days
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
I will place my law within them
and will write it on their heart,
for I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 Then each man will no longer teach his neighbor,
or a man teach his brother and say, 'Know Yahweh!'
For all of them will know me,
from the smallest of them to the greatest
—this is Yahweh's declaration—
for I will forgive their iniquity
and will no longer call their sins to mind."
35 Yahweh says this,
it is he who gives the sun for light by day
and the ordinance of the moon and stars
for light by night.
He is the one who sets the sea in motion
so that its waves roar—
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
36 "Only if these permanent things vanish from my sight
—this is Yahweh's declaration—
will Israel's descendants ever stop
from forever being a nation before me."
37 Yahweh says this,
"Only if the highest heavens can be measured,
and only if the earth's foundation below can be discovered,
will I reject all of Israel's descendants
because of all that they have done
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
38 "Look, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when the city will be rebuilt for me, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 Then the measuring line will go out again farther, to the hill of Gareb and around Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the terraced fields going out to the Kidron Valley as far as the corner of the Horse Gate on the east, will be set apart for Yahweh. The city will not be pulled up or overthrown again, forever."
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 At that time, the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard at the house of the king of Judah. 3 Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him and said, "Why do you prophesy and say, 'Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to give over this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, for he will certainly be given into the hand of the king of Babylon. His mouth will speak to the king's mouth, and his eyes will see the king's eyes. 5 He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will remain there until I have dealt with him—this is Yahweh's declaration. Though you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.'?"
6 Jeremiah said, "The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 7 'Look, Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you and will say, "Buy my field that is in Anathoth for yourself, for the right of redemption belongs to you."'" 8 Then, as Yahweh had declared, Hanamel, the son of my uncle, came to me in the courtyard of the guard, and he said to me, "Buy my field that is in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of inheritance is yours, and the right of redemption belongs to you. Buy it for yourself." Then I knew that this was Yahweh's word. 9 So I bought the field in Anathoth from Hanamel, the son of my uncle, and I weighed out for him the silver, seventeen shekels in weight. 10 Then I wrote in a scroll and sealed it, and had witnesses witness it. Then I weighed the silver in the scales. 11 Next I took the deed of purchase that was sealed, following the command and the statutes, as well as the unsealed deed. 12 I gave the sealed scroll to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah in front of Hanamel, the son of my uncle, and the witnesses who had written in the sealed scroll, and in front of all the Jews who sat in the courtyard of the guard. 13 So I gave a command to Baruch before them. I said, 14 "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Take these documents, both this receipt of purchase that is sealed and the unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last for a long time. 15 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land."
16 After I gave the receipt of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to Yahweh and said,
17 "Woe, Lord Yahweh! Look! You alone have made the heavens and the earth by your great strength and with your raised arm. Nothing you say is too difficult for you to do. 18 You show steadfast love to thousands and pour the guilt of fathers into the laps of their children after them. You are the great and mighty God; Yahweh of hosts is your name. 19 You are great in wise counsel and mighty in deeds, for your eyes are open to all the ways of people, to give to each man what his conduct and deeds deserve. 20 You did signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. To this present day here in Israel and among all mankind, you have made your name famous. 21 For you brought your people Israel out from the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand, with a raised arm, and with great terror. 22 Then you gave them this land—which you had sworn to their ancestors to give to them—a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 So they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or live in obedience to your law. They did nothing of what you had commanded them to do, so you brought all this disaster on them. 24 Look! The siege mounds have reached up to the city to capture it. For because of sword, famine, and plague, the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. For what you have said would happen is happening, and see, you are watching. 25 Then you, Lord Yahweh, said to me, "Purchase a field for yourself with silver and have witnesses witness it, even though this city is being given into the hand of the Chaldeans."
26 The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 "Look! I am Yahweh, God of all mankind. Is anything too difficult for me to do? 28 Therefore Yahweh says this, 'See, I am about to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He will capture it. 29 The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come and set fire to this city and burn it, along with the houses on the roofs of which the people worshiped Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods in order to provoke me. 30 For the people of Israel and Judah have certainly been people who have been doing evil before my eyes since their youth. The people of Israel have certainly provoked me to anger with the works of their hands—this is Yahweh's declaration. 31 Yahweh declares that this city has been a provocation of my wrath and fury since the day that they built it. It has been that right up to this present day. So I will remove it from before my face 32 because of all the wickedness of the people of Israel and Judah, the things that they have done to provoke me—they, their kings, princes, priests, prophets, and every person in Judah and inhabitant of Jerusalem. 33 They turned their backs to me instead of their faces. Though I persistently taught them, not one of them listened in order to receive correction. 34 They set up their abominable idols in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom in order to put their sons and daughters in the fire for Molech. I did not command them. It never entered my mind that they should do this detestable thing and so cause Judah to sin.'
36 So now therefore, I, Yahweh, the God of Israel, say this concerning this city, the city about which you are saying, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, famine, and plague.' 37 See, I am about to gather them from every land where I had driven them in my wrath, fury, and great anger. I am about to bring them back to this place and enable them to live in security. 38 Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them one heart and one way to honor me every day so it will be good for them and their descendants after them. 40 Then I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. I will set honor for me in their hearts, so that they will never turn away from me. 41 Then I will rejoice in doing good to them. I will faithfully plant them in this land with all my heart and all my life.
42 For Yahweh says this, 'Just as I have brought all this great disaster on this people, so I will bring on them all the good things that I have said I would do for them. 43 Then fields will be bought in this land, about which you are saying, "This is a ruined land, which has neither man nor animal. It has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans." 44 They will buy fields with silver and write in sealed scrolls. They will assemble witnesses in the land of Benjamin, all around Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, in the cities in the hill country and in the lowlands, and in the cities of the Negev. For I will reverse their captivity—this is Yahweh's declaration.'"
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut within the courtyard of the guard, saying, 2 "Yahweh the maker, says this—Yahweh, who forms in order to establish—Yahweh is his name, 3 'Call to me, and I will answer you. I will demonstrate great things to you, mysteries that you do not understand.' 4 For Yahweh, God of Israel, says this concerning the houses in this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that are torn down because of the siege ramps and the sword, 5 'The Chaldeans are coming to fight and to fill the houses with corpses of people whom I will kill in my wrath and fury, when I hide my face from this city because of all their wickedness. 6 But see, I am about to bring healing and a cure, for I will heal them and will bring to them abundance, peace, and faithfulness. 7 For I will reverse the captivity of Judah and Israel; I will build them up as in the beginning. 8 Then I will purify them from all the iniquity that they have committed against me. I will pardon all the iniquities that they have done against me, and all the ways that they rebelled against me. 9 For this city will become for me a joyful name, a song of praise and honor for all the nations of the earth who will hear of all the good things that I am going to do for it. Then they will fear and tremble because of all the good things and the peace that I will give to it.'
10 Yahweh says this, 'In this place about which you are now saying, "It is desolate, a place with neither man nor animal," in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, having neither man nor animal, there will be heard again 11 the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride, the sound of those who say, while they bring thank offerings to the house of Yahweh,
"Give thanks to Yahweh of hosts, for Yahweh is good,
and his unfailing love lasts forever!"
For I will reverse the captivity of the land to what they were before,' says Yahweh.
12 Yahweh of hosts says this: 'In this desolate place, where now there is neither man nor animal—in all its cities there will again be pastures where shepherds can rest their flocks. 13 In the cities in the hill country, the lowlands, and the Negev,in the land of Benjamin and all around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the ones counting them,' says Yahweh.
14 'Look! Days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will do what I have promised for the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
15 In those days and in that time
I will make a righteous branch to grow for David,
and he will carry out justice and righteousness in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved,
and Jerusalem will live in security,
for this is what she will be called,
"Yahweh is our righteousness."'
17 For Yahweh says this: 'A man from David's line will never be lacking to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 nor will a man from the Levitical priests be lacking before me to raise burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to perform sacrifices all the time.'"
19 The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 20 "Yahweh says this: 'If you can break my covenant with day and night so that there will no longer be day or night at their proper times, 21 then you will be able to break my covenant with David my servant, so that he will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests, my servants. 22 As the hosts of heaven cannot be counted, and as the sand of the seashores cannot be measured, so I will increase the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who serve before me.'"
23 The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 "Have you not considered what this people has declared when they said, 'The two families that Yahweh chose, now he has rejected them'? In this way they despise my people, saying that they are no longer a nation in their sight. 25 I, Yahweh, say this, 'If I have not established the covenant of day and night, and if I have not fixed the laws of heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and not bring from them a person to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will reverse their captivity and show mercy to them.'"
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all of his army, together with all the kingdoms of the earth, the domains under his dominion, and all their people were waging war against Jerusalem and all of her cities, saying: 2 "Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, 'Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon. He will burn it. 3 You will not escape from his hand, for you will certainly be seized and given into his hand. Your eyes will look at the eyes of the king of Babylon; he will speak directly to you as you go to Babylon.' 4 Listen to the word of Yahweh, Zedekiah king of Judah! Yahweh says this concerning you, 'You will not die by the sword. 5 You will die in peace. As in the funeral burning of your ancestors, the kings who were before you, they will burn your body. They will say, "Woe, master!" They will lament for you. Now I have spoken—this is Yahweh's declaration.'"
6 So Jeremiah the prophet proclaimed to Zedekiah king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem. 7 The army of the king of Babylon made war against Jerusalem and all the remaining cities of Judah: Lachish and Azekah. These cities of Judah remained as fortified cities.
8 The word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem, to proclaim freedom to them, 9 that each man must send away his Hebrew slaves free, both male and female, so no one was to make a slave of a Jew, who was his brother. 10 So all the leaders and people entered into the covenant that each person would free his male and female slaves so that they would not be enslaved any longer. They obeyed and set them free. 11 But after this they changed their minds. They brought back the slaves whom they had sent away free. They forced them to become slaves again.
12 So the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 13 "Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, 'I myself made a covenant with your ancestors on the day that I brought them out from the land of Egypt, out from the house of slavery. That was when I said, 14 "At the end of every seven years, each man must send away his brother, his fellow Hebrew who had sold himself to you and served you for six years. Send him away in freedom." But your ancestors did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. 15 Now you yourselves repented and began to do what is right in my eyes. You proclaimed freedom, each man to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name. 16 But then you turned and polluted my name; you caused each man to bring back his male and female slaves, the ones whom you had sent away free. You forced them to become your slaves again.'
17 Therefore Yahweh says this, 'You yourselves have not listened to me. You should have proclaimed freedom, every one of you, to your brothers and fellow Israelites. So look! I am about to proclaim freedom to you—this is Yahweh's declaration—freedom for the sword, the plague, and famine, for I am going to make you a terrifying thing in the sight of every kingdom on earth. 18 Then I will deal with the people who have broken my covenant, who did not keep the words of the covenant that they established before me when they cut a bull in two and walked between its parts, 19 and then the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests, and all the people of the land walked between the parts of the bull. 20 I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who are seeking their lives. Their corpses will be food for the birds of the skies and the wild animals on the earth. 21 So I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his leaders into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who are seeking their life, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon that has risen up against you. 22 Look, I am about to give a command—this is Yahweh's declaration—and will bring them back to this city to wage war against it and take it, and to burn it. For I will turn the cities of Judah into ruined places in which there will be no inhabitants.'"
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, 2 "Go to the family of the Rekabites and speak with them. Then bring them to my house, into one of the rooms there, and give them wine to drink." 3 So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah and his brothers, all his sons, and all the family of the Rekabites. 4 I took them to the house of Yahweh, into the rooms of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the man of God. These rooms were beside the room of the leaders, which was above the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum, the gatekeeper. 5 Then I placed bowls and cups full of wine in front of the Rekabites and said to them, "Drink some wine." 6 But they said, "We will not drink any wine, for our ancestor, Jonadab son of Rekab, commanded us, 'Do not drink any wine, neither you nor your descendants, forever. 7 Also, do not build any houses, sow any seeds, or plant any vineyards; this is not for you. For you must live in tents all your days, so that you might live many days in the land where you are staying as foreigners.' 8 We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab son of Rekab, our ancestor, in all that he commanded us, to never drink wine all of our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters. 9 We will never build houses to live in, and there will be no vineyard, field, or seed in our possession. 10 We have lived in tents and we have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our ancestor commanded us. 11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked the land, we said, 'Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape from the Chaldean and Aramean armies.' So we are living in Jerusalem."
12 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 13 "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Will you not receive correction and listen to my words?—this is Yahweh's declaration. 14 The words of Jonadab son of Rekab that he gave to his sons as a command, not to drink any wine, have been observed to this very day. They have obeyed their ancestor's command. But as for me, I myself have been making persistent proclamations to you, but you do not listen to me. 15 I persistently sent to you all my servants, the prophets, saying 'Let each person turn from his wicked way and do good deeds; let no one walk any longer after other gods and worship them. Then you will live in the land that I gave to you and your ancestors.' But you did not incline your ears and you did not listen to me. 16 For the descendants of Jonadab son of Rekab have observed the commands of their ancestor that he commanded them, but this people refuses to listen to me."' 17 So Yahweh, God of hosts and God of Israel, says this, 'Look, I am bringing upon Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem, all the disasters I pronounced against them because I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.'"
18 Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: You have listened to the commands of Jonadab your ancestor and have kept them all—you have obeyed all that he commanded you to do— 19 so Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'There will always be someone descended from Jonadab son of Rekab to serve me.'"
1 It came about in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, and he said, 2 "Take a scroll for yourself and write on it all the words that I have told you concerning Israel and Judah, and every nation. Do this for everything I have told from the days of Josiah until this very day. 3 Perhaps the people of Judah will listen to all the disasters that I intend to bring on them. Perhaps everyone will turn away from his wicked way, so I can forgive their iniquity and their sin."
4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote in a scroll, at Jeremiah's dictation, all the words of Yahweh spoken to him. 5 Next Jeremiah gave a command to Baruch. He said, "I am in prison and cannot go to the house of Yahweh. 6 So you must go and read from the scroll that you wrote at my dictation. On the day of the fast, you must read Yahweh's words in the hearing of the people in his house, and also in the hearing of all of Judah who have come from their cities. Proclaim these words to them. 7 Perhaps their pleas for mercy will come before Yahweh. Perhaps each person will turn from his wicked way, since the wrath and fury that Yahweh has proclaimed against this people are severe." 8 So Baruch son of Neriah did everything that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him to do. He read aloud from the scroll the words of Yahweh in the house of Yahweh.
9 It came about in the fifth year and ninth month of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, that all the people in Jerusalem and the people who came to Jerusalem from the cities of Judah proclaimed a fast before Yahweh. 10 Baruch read aloud from the scroll Jeremiah's words in the house of Yahweh, from the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper courtyard, by the gate of the entrance to the house of Yahweh. He did this in the hearing of all the people.
11 Now Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan heard all of Yahweh's words in the scroll. 12 He went down to the house of the king, to the secretary's room. Look, all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the officials. 13 Then Micaiah reported to them all the words that he had heard that Baruch read aloud from the scroll in the hearing of the people. 14 So all the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah son of Shelemiah son of Cushi, to Baruch. Jehudi said to Baruch, "Take the scroll in your hand, the scroll from which you were reading in the hearing of the people, and come." So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and went to the officials. 15 Then they said to him, "Sit down and read this in our hearing." So Baruch read the scroll. 16 It happened that when they heard all these words, each man turned in fear to the one next to him and said to Baruch, "We must certainly report all of these words to the king." 17 Then they asked Baruch, "Tell us, how did you come to write all these words at Jeremiah's dictation?" 18 Baruch said to them, "He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on this scroll." 19 Then the officials said to Baruch, "Go, hide yourself, and Jeremiah, too. Do not let anyone know where you are."
20 So they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, and they went to the king in the courtyard and they reported everything in the hearing of the king. 21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi took it from the room of Elishama the secretary. Then he read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials who were standing beside him. 22 Now the king was staying in the winter house in the ninth month, and a brazier was burning in front of him. 23 It happened that as Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut it off with a knife and throw it into the fire in the brazier until all of the scroll was destroyed. 24 But neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words were frightened, nor did they tear their clothes. 25 Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah had even urged the king not to burn the scroll, but he did not listen to them. 26 Then the king commanded Jerahmeel, a relative, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but Yahweh had hidden them.
27 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, saying, 28 "Go back, take another scroll for yourself, and write in it all the words that were on the original scroll, the one that Jehoiakim king of Judah burned. 29 Then you must say this to Jehoiakim king of Judah: 'You burned that scroll, saying, "Why have you written on it, 'The king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, for he will cut off both man and animal from it'?"'" 30 Therefore Yahweh says this concerning you, Jehoiakim king of Judah: "No descendant of yours will ever sit on the throne of David. As for you, your corpse will be thrown out into the heat of day and the frost of night. 31 For I will punish you, your descendants, and your servants for the iniquity of you all. I will bring on you, on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on every person in Judah all the disasters with which I have threatened you—but you paid no attention." 32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch son of Neriah the scribe. Baruch wrote on it at Jeremiah's dictation all the words that had been in the scroll burned by Jehoiakim king of Judah. Furthermore, many other similar words were added to this scroll.
1 Now Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned as king in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made Zedekiah king over the land of Judah. 2 But Zedekiah, his servants, and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Yahweh that he proclaimed by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet.
3 So King Zedekiah, Jehukal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest sent a message to Jeremiah the prophet. They said, "Pray on our behalf to Yahweh our God." 4 Now Jeremiah was coming and going among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. 5 Pharaoh's army came out from Egypt, and the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the news about them and left Jerusalem.
6 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 7 "Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: This is what you will say to the king of Judah, because he has sent you to seek advice from me, 'See, Pharaoh's army, which came to help you, is about to go back to Egypt, its own land. 8 The Chaldeans will return. They will fight against this city, capture it, and burn it.' 9 Yahweh says this: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, 'Surely the Chaldeans are leaving us,' for they will not leave. 10 Even if you had defeated the entire Chaldean army that is fighting you so that only badly wounded men were left in their tents, they would get up and burn this city."
11 So it was when the Chaldean army had left Jerusalem as Pharaoh's army was coming, 12 then Jeremiah went out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin. He wanted to take possession of a tract of land there among his people. 13 As he was in the Benjamin Gate, a chief guard was there. His name was Irijah son of Shelemiah son of Hananiah. He grabbed hold of Jeremiah the prophet and said, "You are deserting to the Chaldeans." 14 But Jeremiah said, "That is not true. I am not deserting to the Chaldeans." But Irijah did not listen to him. He took Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 The officials were angry with Jeremiah. They beat him and put him in prison, which had been the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had turned it into a prison.
16 So Jeremiah was put into a dungeon, where he stayed for many days. 17 Then King Zedekiah sent someone who brought him to the palace. In his house, the king asked him privately, "Is there any word from Yahweh?" Jeremiah answered, "There is a word: You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon." 18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, "How have I sinned against you, your servants, or this people so that you have placed me in prison? 19 Where are your prophets, the ones who prophesied for you and said the king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land? 20 But now listen, my master the king! Let my plea for favor come before you. Do not return me to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there." 21 So King Zedekiah gave an order. His servants confined Jeremiah in the courtyard of the guard. A loaf of bread was given him every day from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.
1 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehukal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard the words that Jeremiah was declaring to all the people. He was saying, 2 "Yahweh says this: Anyone staying in this city will be killed by sword, famine, and plague. But anyone who goes out to the Chaldeans will survive. His life will be his loot, but he will survive. 3 Yahweh says this: This city will be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it." 4 So the officials said to the king, "Let this man die, for in this way he is weakening the hands of the fighting men who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people. He is proclaiming these words, for this man is not working for safety for this people, but disaster." 5 So King Zedekiah said, "Look, he is in your hand since there is no king able to resist you." 6 Then they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malkijah, son of the king. The cistern was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah down on ropes. There was no water in the cistern, but it was muddy, and he sank down into the mud.
7 Now Ebed-Melek the Cushite was one of the eunuchs in the king's house. He heard that they had placed Jeremiah in the cistern. Now the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate. 8 So Ebed-Melek went from the king's house and spoke with the king. He said, 9 "My master the king, these men have done evil with the way they have treated Jeremiah the prophet. They threw him into a cistern for him to die in it from hunger, since there is no more food in the city." 10 Then the king gave a command to Ebed-Melek the Cushite. He said, "Take command of thirty men from here and take Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies." 11 So Ebed-Melek took command of those men and went to the king's house, to a storeroom for clothing under the house. From there he took rags and worn-out clothing and then let them down by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, "Put the rags and worn-out clothing under your arms and on top of the ropes." So Jeremiah did so. 13 Then they pulled Jeremiah by the ropes. In this way they brought him up from the cistern. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.
14 Then King Zedekiah sent word and brought Jeremiah the prophet to himself, to the third entrance in the house of Yahweh. The king said to Jeremiah, "I want to ask you something. Do not keep the answer from me." 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I answer you, will you not certainly kill me? But if I give you advice, you will not listen to me." 16 But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private and said, "As Yahweh lives, the one who made us, I will not kill you or give you into the hand of those men who are seeking your life."
17 So Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Yahweh, God of hosts, God of Israel, says this: If you indeed go out to the officials of the king of Babylon then you will live, and this city will not be burned. You and your family will live. 18 But if you do not go out to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans. They will burn it, and you will not escape from their hand." 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "But I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, because I might be given over into their hand, for them to treat me badly." 20 Jeremiah said, "They will not give you over to them. Obey the message from Yahweh that I am telling you, so that things will go well for you, and so that you will live. 21 But if you refuse to go out, this is what Yahweh has shown me. 22 Look! All the women who are left in your house, king of Judah, will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. These women will say to you,
'You have been deceived by your men of peace;
they have ruined you.
Your feet are now sunk into the mud,
and your friends will turn away from you.'
23 For all of your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from their hand. You will be captured by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned."
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not inform anyone about these words, so that you do not die. 25 If the officials hear that I have talked with you, and if they come and say to you, 'Tell us what you said to the king and do not hide it from us, or we will kill you,' 26 then you must say to them, 'I made a humble plea before the king that he would not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.'" 27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, so he answered them as the king had commanded him. So they stopped talking with him, because they had not heard the conversation between Jeremiah and the king. 28 So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
1 In the ninth year and tenth month of Zedekiah king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 In the eleventh year and fourth month of Zedekiah, on the ninth day of the month, the city was broken into. 3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim an important official, and Nebo-Sarsekim a high official, and all the remaining officials of the king of Babylon.
4 It happened that when Zedekiah, king of Judah, and all his fighting men saw them, they fled. They went out at night from the city by the king's garden path, through the gate between the two walls. The king went out in the direction of the Arabah. 5 But the army of Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of the Jordan River valley near Jericho. Then they captured him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him. 6 The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons before his own eyes at Riblah. He also slaughtered all the noblemen of Judah. 7 Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him in bronze chains in order to take him to Babylon. 8 Then the Chaldeans burned the king's house and the people's houses. They also tore down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the king's bodyguards, took into exile in Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city. This included the people who had deserted to the Chaldeans and the rest of the people who were left in the city. 10 But Nebuzaradan the commander of the king's bodyguards allowed the poorest people who had nothing for themselves to remain in the land of Judah. He gave them vineyards and fields on that same day.
11 Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had given an order about Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the commander of the king's bodyguards. He had said, 12 "Take him and care for him. Do not harm him. Do for him anything he tells you." 13 So Nebuzaradan the commander of the king's bodyguards, Nebushazban the high eunuch, Nergal-Sharezer the high official, and all the most important officials of the king of Babylon sent men out. 14 Their men took Jeremiah from the courtyard of the guard and entrusted him to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, to take him home, so Jeremiah stayed among the people.
15 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah while he was under arrest in the courtyard of the guard, saying, 16 "Speak to Ebed-Melek the Cushite and say, 'Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: See, I am about to carry out my words against this city for disaster and not for good. For they will all come true before you on that day. 17 But I will rescue you on that day—this is Yahweh's declaration—and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you fear. 18 For I will certainly rescue you. You will not fall by the sword. Your life will be your loot since you trust in me—this was Yahweh's declaration.'"
1 The word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after Nebuzaradan the commander of the king's bodyguards had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound with chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. 2 The chief guard took Jeremiah and said to him, "Yahweh your God decreed this disaster for this place. 3 So Yahweh brought it about. He did just as he had decreed, since you people sinned against him and did not obey his voice. That is why this thing has happened to you people. 4 But now look! I have released you today from the chains that were on your hands. If it is good in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will take care of you. But if it is not good in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, then do not do so. Look at all the land before you. Go where it is good and right in your eyes to go." 5 When Jeremiah did not reply, Nebuzaradan said, "Go to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has put in charge of the cities of Judah. Stay with him among the people or go wherever it is good in your eyes to go." The commander of the king's bodyguards gave him food and a gift, and then sent him away. 6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. He stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.
7 Now some commanders of Judean soldiers who were still in the countryside—they and their men—heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah son of Ahikam governor over the land. They also heard that he had put him in charge of the men, women, and children who were the poorest people in the land, those who had not been exiled to Babylon. 8 So they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah. These men were Ishmael son of Nethaniah; Johanan and Jonathan, sons of Kareah; Seraiah son of Tanhumeth; the sons of Ephai the Netophathite; and Jaazaniah son of the Maakathite—they and their men. 9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan took an oath to them and to their men and said to them, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you. 10 Look, I am living in Mizpah to meet with the Chaldeans who came to us. So harvest wine, summer fruit, and oil and store them in your containers. Live in the cities that you have occupied." 11 Then all the Jews in Moab, among the people of Ammon, and in Edom, and in every land heard that the king of Babylon had allowed a remnant of Judah to stay, that he had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan over them. 12 So all the Jews returned from every place where they had been scattered. They came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They harvested wine and summer fruit in great abundance.
13 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders in the countryside came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. 14 They said to him, "Do you realize that Baalis king of the people of Ammon sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to murder you?" But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them. 15 So Johanan son of Kareah spoke privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah and said, "Allow me to go kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah. No one will suspect me. Why should he kill you? Why allow all of Judah that has been gathered to you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah destroyed?" 16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Do not do this thing, for you are telling lies about Ishmael."
1 But it happened that in the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, from the royal family, and some officers of the king, came—ten men were with him—to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. They ate food together there in Mizpah. 2 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him rose up and attacked Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, with the sword. Ishmael killed Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had put in charge of the land. 3 Then Ishmael killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah in Mizpah and the Chaldean fighting men found there.
4 Then it was the second day after the killing of Gedaliah, but no one knew. 5 Some men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria—eighty men who had shaved their beard, torn their clothes, and cut themselves—with food offerings and frankincense in their hands to go to the house of Yahweh. 6 So Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them as they went, walking and weeping. Then it happened that as he encountered them, he said to them, "Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam!" 7 It came about that when they came into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah slaughtered them and threw them into a pit, he and the men who were with him. 8 But there were ten men among them who said to Ishmael, "Do not kill us, for there are provisions of ours in a field: Wheat and barley, oil and honey." So he did not kill them with their other companions. 9 The cistern where Ishmael threw all the dead bodies that he had killed, was a large cistern that King Asa dug to make a defense against King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it in with the dead. 10 Next Ishmael captured all the people who remained in Mizpah, the king's daughters and all the people who were left in Mizpah whom Nebuzaradan the chief guard had assigned to Gedaliah son of Ahikam. So Ishmael son of Nethaniah captured them and went to cross over to the people of Ammon.
11 But Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders with him heard of all the harm that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had done. 12 So they took all their men and went to fight against Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They found him at the great pool of Gibeon. 13 Then it happened that when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders who were with him, they were very happy. 14 So all the people whom Ishmael had captured at Mizpah turned around and went to Johanan son of Kareah.
15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah fled with eight men from Johanan. He went to the people of Ammon. 16 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders with him took from Mizpah all the people who had been rescued from Ishmael son of Nethaniah. This was after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Johanan and his companions took the strong men, the fighting men, the women and children, and the eunuchs who had been rescued at Gibeon. 17 Then they went and stayed for a while in Geruth Kimham, which is near Bethlehem. They were going to go to Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans. They were afraid of them since Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had put in charge of the land.
1 Then all the army commanders and Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet. 2 They said to him, "Let our plea for favor come before you. Pray for us to Yahweh your God for these people who remain since we are so few in number, as you see. 3 Ask Yahweh your God to tell us the way we should go and what we should do." 4 So Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard you. Look, I will pray to Yahweh your God as you have requested. Whatever Yahweh answers, I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you." 5 They said to Jeremiah, "May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not do everything that Yahweh your God tells us to do. 6 Whether it is good or if it is bad, we will obey the voice of Yahweh our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of Yahweh our God."
7 At the end of ten days, the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah. 8 So Jeremiah called to Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders with him, and to all the people from the least to the greatest. 9 Then he said to them, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel—to whom you sent me so I might lay your pleas before him—says, 10 'If you go back and live in this land, then I will build you and not tear you down; I will plant you and not pull you up, for I will relent concerning the disaster that I have brought on you. 11 Do not fear the king of Babylon, whom you are fearing. Do not fear him—this is Yahweh's declaration—since I am with you to save you and rescue you from his hand. 12 For I will give you mercy. I will have compassion on you, and I will bring you back to your land. 13 But suppose that you say, "We will not stay in this land"—if you do not listen to my voice, the voice of Yahweh your God. 14 Suppose that you say, "No! We will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see any war, where we will not hear the sound of the ram's horn, and we will not go hungry for food. We will live there." 15 Now listen to this word of Yahweh, you remnant of Judah. Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'If you actually set out to go to Egypt, to go and live there, 16 then the sword that you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt. The famine that you are anxious about will pursue you to Egypt, and you will die there. 17 So it will happen that all the men who set out to go to Egypt to live there will die by sword, famine, or plague. There will be no survivor of them, no one to escape the disaster that I will bring on them.
18 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Just as my wrath and my fury were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, in the same way my fury will be poured out on you if you go to Egypt. You will become an object of cursing and a horror, an object for speaking curses, and something dishonorable, and you will not see this place again.'" 19 Then Jeremiah said, "Yahweh has spoken concerning you—the remnant of Judah. Do not go to Egypt! You certainly know that I have been a witness against you today. 20 For you fatally deceived yourselves when you sent me to Yahweh your God and said, 'Pray to Yahweh our God for us. Everything that Yahweh our God says, tell us, and we will carry it out.' 21 For I have reported to you today, but you have not listened to the voice of Yahweh your God or to anything about which he sent me to you. 22 So now, you should certainly know that you will die by sword, famine, and plague in the place where you desired to go to live."
1 It happened that Jeremiah finished proclaiming to all the people all the words of Yahweh their God that Yahweh their God had told him to say. 2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are telling lies. Yahweh our God has not sent you to say, 'Do not go to Egypt to live there.' 3 For Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, for you to cause our death and to make us captives in Babylon." 4 So Johanan son of Kareah, all the princes of the army, and all the people refused to listen to Yahweh's voice to live in the land of Judah. 5 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders took away all the remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations where they had been scattered to live in the land of Judah. 6 They took the men and women, the children and the king's daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan, the commander of the king's bodyguards, had let remain with Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. They also took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. 7 They went to the land of Egypt, to Tahpanhes, because they did not listen to Yahweh's voice.
8 So the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 "Take some large stones in your hand, and, in the sight of some Jewish men, hide them in the mortar in the pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes." 10 Then say to them, "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, I am about to send messengers to bring Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant. I will place his throne over these stones that you, Jeremiah, have buried. Nebuchadnezzar will place his pavilion over them. 11 For he will come and attack the land of Egypt. Anyone who is assigned to death will be given to death. Anyone who is assigned to captivity will be taken captive. Anyone who is assigned to the sword will be given to the sword. 12 Then I will light a fire in the temples of Egypt's gods. Nebuchadnezzar will burn them or capture them. He will clean out the land of Egypt just as shepherds clean vermin off their clothes. He will go out from that place in victory. [1]13 He will break the stone pillars at Heliopolis in the land of Egypt. He will burn the temples of Egypt's gods.'"
1 The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who lived in the land of Egypt, the ones staying in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in Upper Egypt: 2 "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says, 'You yourselves have seen all the disasters that I brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah. See, they are ruins today. There is no one to live in them. 3 This is because of the wicked things they did to provoke me to anger by going to burn incense and to worship other gods. These were gods that neither they themselves, nor you, nor your ancestors knew.' 4 So I repeatedly sent all of my servants the prophets to them. I sent them to say, 'Stop doing these abominable things that I hate.' 5 But they did not listen. They refused to pay attention or turn from their wickedness in burning incense to other gods. 6 So my fury and my wrath were poured out and kindled a fire in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. So they became ruins and devastations, as at this present day.' 7 So now Yahweh, the God of hosts and the God of Israel, says this, 'Why are you doing great wickedness against yourselves? Why are you causing yourselves to be cut off from among Judah—men and women, children and babies? No remnant of you will be left. 8 By your wickedness you have provoked me to anger with the deeds of your hands, by burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to live. You have gone there so that you will be destroyed, so that you will be a curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth. 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and the wickedness committed by the kings of Judah and their wives? Have you forgotten the evil committed by yourselves and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? 10 To this day, they still are not humbled. They do not honor my law or decrees that I placed before them and their ancestors, nor do they walk in them.'
11 Therefore Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, I am about to set my face against you to bring disaster to you and to destroy all of Judah. 12 For I will take the remnant of Judah that has set out to go to the land of Egypt to live there. I will do this so that they will all perish in the land of Egypt. They will fall by sword and famine. From the least to the greatest they will die by sword and famine. They will die and will become a curse, an object of horror—a curse and an insult. 13 For I will punish the people inhabiting the land of Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem with the sword, with famine, and with the plague, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in the land of Egypt will escape or survive or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return and live; and none of them will return except a few who escaped from there.'"
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, and all the women who were in the great assembly, and all the people who were living in Lower and Upper Egypt, answered Jeremiah. 16 They said, "About the word that you have told us in Yahweh's name—we will not listen to you. 17 For we will certainly do all the things that we said we would do—burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders did in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. Then we will be filled with food and will prosper, without experiencing any disaster. 18 When we refrained from doing these things, not offering incense to the queen of heaven and not pouring out drink offerings to her, we were all suffering poverty and were dying by sword and famine." 19 The women said, "When we were making incense offerings before the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, was it against our husbands that we did these things, making cakes in her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?"
20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people—to the men and women, and all the people who answered him—he proclaimed and said, 21 "Did not Yahweh remember the incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem—you and your ancestors, your kings and leaders, and the people of the land? For Yahweh calls this to mind; it comes to his thoughts. 22 Then he was no longer able to bear it because of the wickedness of your practices, because of the abominations that you did. Then your land became a desolation, a horror, and a curse so there was no longer an inhabitant as at this present day. 23 Because you burned incense and sinned against Yahweh, and because you would not listen to his voice, his law, his statutes, or his covenant decrees, this disaster against you has happened as at this present day."
24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, "Hear the word of Yahweh, all of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'You and your wives both have said with your mouths and carried out with your hands what you said, "We will certainly carry out the vows that we made to worship the queen of heaven, to pour out drink offerings to her." Now fulfill your vows; carry them out.' 26 So then, hear the word of Yahweh, all of Judah who are staying in the land of Egypt, 'See, I have sworn by my great name—says Yahweh. My name will no longer be called upon by the mouths of any of the men of Judah in all the land of Egypt, you who now say, "As the Lord Yahweh lives." 27 See, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. Every person of Judah in the land of Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all finished. 28 Then the survivors of the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, only a small number of them. So all the remnant of Judah who went to the land of Egypt to live there will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs. 29 This will be the sign for you—this is Yahweh's declaration—that I am setting against you in this place, so that you will know that my words will certainly attack you with disaster.' 30 Yahweh says this, 'Look, I am about to give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek to kill him. It will be the same as when I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.'"
1 This is the word that Jeremiah the prophet told Baruch son of Neriah. This happened when he wrote in a scroll these words from the mouth of Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah. He said, 2 "Yahweh, God of Israel, says this to you, Baruch: 3 You have said, 'Woe is me, for Yahweh has added agony to my pain. My groaning has wearied me; I find no rest.' 4 This is what you must say to him: 'Yahweh says this: See, what I built, I am now tearing down. What I planted, I am now pulling up—I will do this throughout all the earth. 5 But are you hoping for great things for yourself? Do not hope for that. For see, disaster is coming on all humanity—this is Yahweh's declaration—but I am giving you your life as loot everywhere you will go.'"
1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.
2 For Egypt: "This is about the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt that was at Carchemish by the Euphrates River. This was the army that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:
3 Get the small shields and the large shields ready,
and go forward to fight.
4 Put the harness on the horses;
mount up on the horses
and take your stand with your helmets on;
polish the spears and put on your armor.
5 What am I seeing here?
They are dismayed and are running away,
for their soldiers have been completely destroyed.
They are fleeing for refuge and are not looking back.
Terror is all around
—this is Yahweh's declaration—
6 the swift cannot run away,
and the soldiers cannot escape.
They stumble in the north
and fall beside the Euphrates River.
7 Who is this who rises like the Nile,
whose waters toss up and down like the rivers?
8 Egypt rises like the Nile,
like rivers of water that rise and fall.
Egypt says, 'I will go up and I will cover the earth.
I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.
9 Go up, horses.
Be angry, you chariots.
Let the soldiers go out,
Cush and Put, men skillful with a shield, and Lydia,
[1] men skillful at bending their bows.'
10 That day will be the day of vengeance
for the Lord Yahweh of hosts,
and he will avenge himself on his foes.
The sword will devour and be satisfied.
It will drink its fill of their blood.
For there will be a sacrifice
to the Lord Yahweh of hosts
in the northern land by the Euphrates River.
11 Go up to Gilead and obtain medicine,
virgin daughter of Egypt.
It is useless that you put much medicine on yourself.
There is no cure for you.
12 The nations have heard of your disgrace.
The earth is filled with your cry of distress,
for soldier stumbles against soldier;
both of them fall together."
13 This is the word that Yahweh told Jeremiah the prophet when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came and attacked the land of Egypt:
14 "Announce in Egypt,
and proclaim it in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes.
'Take your station and prepare yourself,
for the sword will devour those around you.'
15 Why are your mighty ones facedown on the ground?
They will not stand,
because Yahweh has pushed them to the ground.
16 He increases the numbers of those who stumble.
Each soldier falls against the next one.
They are saying, 'Get up. Let us go home.
Let us go back to our own people,
to the land of our birth,
and away from the sword of the oppressor.'
17 They proclaimed there,
'Pharaoh the king of Egypt is only a noise,
one who has let his opportunity slip away.'
18 As I live—declares the King,
whose name is Yahweh of hosts—
someone will come like Mount Tabor
and Mount Carmel by the sea.
19 Pack for yourselves baggage to carry into exile,
you who live in Egypt.
For Memphis will become a waste;
it will be burned, and no one will live there.
20 Egypt is a very beautiful young cow,
but a stinging insect is coming from the north
It is coming.
21 The hired soldiers in her midst are like a fattened bull,
but they will also turn away and run away.
They will not stand together,
for the day of their disaster is coming against them,
the time of their punishment.
22 Egypt hisses like a snake and crawls away,
for her enemies are marching against her.
They are going toward her like woodcutters with axes.
23 They will cut down the forests
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—although it is very dense.
For the enemies will be more numerous than locusts,
unable to be counted.
24 The daughter of Egypt will be made ashamed.
She will be given into the hand of people from the north."
25 Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says, "See, I am about to punish Amon of Thebes, Pharaoh, Egypt and her gods, her kings the Pharaohs, and those who trust in them. 26 I am giving them into the hand of the ones seeking their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his servants. Then after this Egypt will be inhabited as in previous days—this is Yahweh's declaration.
27 But you, my servant Jacob, do not fear.
Do not be dismayed, Israel, for see,
I am about to deliver you from the faraway place,
and your descendants from the land of their captivity.
Jacob will return and be at ease;
he will rest secure, and there will be no more terror.
28 You, my servant Jacob, do not fear
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—for I am with you,
so I will bring complete destruction against all the nations
where I scattered you.
But I will not destroy you completely.
Yet I will discipline you justly
and will certainly not leave you unpunished."
1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines. This word came to him before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.
2 "Yahweh says this:
See, floods of water are rising in the north.
They will be like an overflowing river!
Then they will overflow the land and everything in it,
its cities and its inhabitants!
So everyone will shout for help,
and all the inhabitants of the land will howl.
3 At the sound of the stamping of their strong horses' hooves,
at the roar of their chariots and the noise of their wheels,
fathers will not help their children
because of the weakness of their own hands.
4 For the day is coming that will devastate all of the Philistines,
to cut off from Tyre and Sidon
every survivor who wants to help them.
For Yahweh is devastating the Philistines,
those who remain from the island of Caphtor.
5 Baldness will come upon Gaza.
Ashkelon has been silenced.
You remnant in their valley,
how long will you cut yourself?
6 Woe, sword of Yahweh!
How long will it be until you become silent?
Go back to your scabbard!
Stop and be silent.
7 How can it rest when Yahweh has commanded it,
when he has appointed it to attack Ashkelon
and the coastlands along the sea?"
1 To Moab, Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this,
"Woe to Nebo, for it has been devastated.
Kiriathaim has been humiliated and captured.
Her fortress has been disgraced and crushed.
2 The honor of Moab is no more.
Their enemies in Heshbon plotted disaster against her.
They said, 'Come and let us destroy her as a nation.
Madmen will also perish
—a sword will go after you.'
3 Listen! A sound of an outcry is coming from Horonaim,
where there is ruin and great destruction.
4 Moab has been destroyed.
Her children have made their cries heard.
5 They go up the hill of Luhith weeping,
for on the way down to Horonaim,
screams are heard because of the destruction.
6 Flee! Save your lives
and become like a juniper bush in the wilderness.
7 For because of your trust in your practices
and your wealth
you also will be captured.
Then Chemosh will go away into captivity
together with his priests and leaders.
8 For the destroyer will come to every city;
no city will escape.
So the valley will perish
and the plain will be devastated,
as Yahweh has said.
9 Give wings to Moab,
for she must certainly fly away.
Her cities will become a wasteland,
where there is no one to live in them.
10 May anyone who is lazy in doing Yahweh's work
be cursed!
May anyone who keeps his sword back from shedding blood
be cursed!
11 Moab has rested secure since he was young.
He is like his wine that has never been poured from pot to pot.
He has never gone into captivity.
Therefore he tastes as good as ever;
his flavor remains unchanged.
12 So see, the days are coming
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—when I will send him those who will tip him over
and pour out all his pots and shatter his jars.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh
just as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel,
their object of trust.
14 How can you say,
'We are soldiers, powerful fighting men'?
15 Moab will be devastated and its cities attacked.
For its finest young men
have gone down to the place of slaughter.
This is the king's declaration!
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
16 Moab's disaster is soon to happen;
calamity is hurrying quickly.
17 All you who are around Moab, wail;
and all you who know its fame, shout this,
'Woe, the strong staff,
the honored rod, has been broken.'
18 Come down from your honored place
and sit on the dry ground,
you daughter living in Dibon.
For the destroyer of Moab will come up against you,
he will ruin your strongholds.
19 Stand on the road and watch,
you people who live in Aroer.
Ask the ones who are fleeing and escaping.
Say, 'What has happened?'
20 Moab has been shamed,
for it has been shattered.
Howl and lament;
shout for help.
Tell it to people by the Arnon River
that Moab has been devastated.
21 Now punishment has come to the hill country,
to Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,
22 to Dibon, Nebo, and Beth Diblathaim,
23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, and Beth Meon,
24 To Kerioth and Bozrah,
and to all the cities in the land of Moab—
the farthest and the closest cities.
25 The horn of Moab has been hacked off;
its arm has been broken
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
26 Make him drunk,
because he acted proudly against Yahweh.
Let Moab wallow in his vomit,
and let him be an object of ridicule.
27 For did not Israel become an object for laughter to you?
Was he found among thieves,
so that you shook your head at him
as often as you spoke about him?
28 Abandon the cities and camp on the cliffs,
inhabitants of Moab.
Become like a dove that is nesting
over the mouth of a hole in the rocks.
29 We have heard of Moab's pride
—his arrogance,
his haughtiness, his pride,
his self-glory and the conceit in his heart.
30 This is Yahweh's declaration
—I myself know his arrogant speech,
which amounts to nothing, like his deeds.
31 So I will howl a lament for Moab,
and I will shout in sorrow for all of Moab.
I will lament for the people of Kir Hareseth.
32 I will weep for you more than I did for Jazer,
vine of Sibmah!
Your branches passed across the Salt Sea
and reached as far as Jazer.
The destroyer has attacked
your summer fruit and your grapes.
33 So celebration and rejoicing have been taken away
from the fruit trees and the land of Moab.
I have put an end to the wine from their winepresses.
They will not tread with joyful shouts.
Any shouts will not be shouts of joy.
34 From the shouts at Heshbon as far as Elealeh
their sound is heard at Jahaz,
from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah,
since even the waters of Nimrim have become desolate.
35 For I will put an end to anyone in Moab
who makes sacrifices on the high places
and burns incense to his gods
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
36 So my heart is lamenting for Moab like a flute.
My heart is lamenting like flutes
for the people of Kir Hareseth.
The riches they gained are gone.
37 For every head is bald and every beard shaved.
Incisions are on every hand,
and sackcloth is around their waists.
38 There is mourning everywhere,
on every flat roof of Moab and in Moab's plazas.
For I have destroyed Moab like pots that no one wants
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
39 How it has been shattered!
How they howl in their lamenting!
Moab turns its back in shame!
So Moab will become an object of derision
and a terror to all those who are around him."
40 For Yahweh says this,
"See, the enemy will come flying like an eagle,
spreading out his wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth has been captured,
and its strongholds have been seized.
For in that day the hearts of Moab's soldiers
will be like the hearts of women in birth labor.
42 So Moab will be destroyed and be no longer a people,
because he made himself to be great against Yahweh.
43 Terror, the pit, and a trap are coming on you,
inhabitant of Moab
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
44 Anyone who flees because of terror will fall into the pit,
and anyone who climbs out of the pit
will be caught in the trap
for I will bring this on them, the people of Moab,
in the year of my vengeance against them
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
45 The ones who flee will stand in the shadow of Heshbon
without any strength,
for fire will go out from Heshbon,
flame from the middle of Sihon.
It will devour the forehead of Moab
and the scalps of the boastful people.
46 Woe to you, Moab!
Chemosh's people are destroyed,
For your sons are taken as captives
and your daughters into captivity.
47 But I will reverse the captivity of Moab in later days
—this is Yahweh's declaration."
The judgment on Moab ends here.
1 About the people of Ammon, Yahweh says this,
"Does Israel have no children?
Is there no one to inherit anything in Israel?
Why does Molech occupy Gad,
and his people live in its cities? [1]
2 So look, the days are coming
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—when I will cause a trumpet call
for battle against Rabbah
to be heard among the people of Ammon,
so it will become a deserted heap
and its villages will be set on fire.
For Israel will possess those who possessed him,"
says Yahweh.
3 "Howl in lament, Heshbon,
for Ai will be devastated!
Shout out, daughters of Rabbah!
Gird yourselves with sackcloth.
Lament and run about in futility,
for Molech is going into captivity,
together with his priests and leaders.
4 Why do you brag about your valleys,
your valleys that are so fruitful, faithless daughter?
you who trust in your wealth and say,
'Who will come against me?'
5 See, I am about to bring terror on you
—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts—
this terror will come from all those who surround you.
Each one of you will be scattered before it.
There will be no one to gather those running away.
6 But after this I will reverse the captivity of the people of Ammon
—this is Yahweh's declaration."
7 About Edom, Yahweh of hosts says this,
"Is there no longer any wisdom to be found in Teman?
Has good advice disappeared
from those who have understanding?
Has their wisdom become corrupted?
8 Flee! Turn back!
Stay in holes in the ground, inhabitants of Dedan.
For I am bringing the disaster of Esau on him
at the time that I punish him.
9 If grape harvesters came to you,
would they not leave a little bit behind?
If thieves came in the night,
would they not spoil only as much as they wanted?
10 But I have stripped Esau bare.
I have revealed his hiding places.
So he will not be able to hide himself.
His children, his brothers, and his neighbors are destroyed,
and he is gone.
11 Leave your orphans behind.
I will take care of their lives,
and your widows can trust in me."
12 For Yahweh says this, "See, those who did not deserve it must certainly drink some of the cup. Do you yourself think you will go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for you will certainly drink. 13 For I have sworn by myself—this is Yahweh's declaration—that Bozrah will become a horror, a disgrace, a devastation, and an object for cursing. All of its cities will become ruins forever.
14 I have heard news from Yahweh,
and a messenger has been sent out to the nations,
'Gather together and attack her.
Get ready for battle.'
15 "For see, I have made you small compared to the other nations,
despised by people.
16 As for your fearsomeness,
your heart's pride has deceived you,
inhabitants of places on the cliff,
you who have occupied the highest hills
so that you may make your nest high like an eagle.
I will bring you down from there
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
17 Edom will become a horror to everyone passing by it.
Every such person will be appalled
and hiss because of all of its disasters.
18 Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighbors, says Yahweh,
and no one will live there;
no person will stay there.
19 See, he will go up like a lion
from the majesty of the Jordan
to the green pasturelands.
For I will quickly make Edom run from it,
and I will put someone who will be chosen in charge of it.
For who is like me,
and who will summon me?
What shepherd is able to resist me?
20 So listen to the plans that Yahweh has decided against Edom,
the plans that he has formed
against the inhabitants of Teman.
They will certainly be dragged away,
even the smallest flock.
Their pasturelands will be turned into ruined places.
21 At the sound of their falling the earth shakes.
The sound of cries of distress is heard at the Sea of Reeds.
22 See, someone will attack like an eagle,
and swoop down and spread his wings over Bozrah.
Then on that day, the hearts of Edom's soldiers
will become like the heart of a woman in birth labor."
23 About Damascus:
"Hamath and Arpad will be ashamed,
for they have heard news of disaster.
They melt away!
Anxiety is in the sea.
It cannot stay calm.
24 Damascus has become very weak.
It turns away to flee;
terror seizes it.
Distress and pain seize it,
like the pain of a woman giving birth.
25 How has the city of praise not been abandoned,
the town of my joy?
26 Therefore its young men will fall in its plazas,
and all the fighting men will perish on that day
—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts."
27 "For I will light a fire on the wall of Damascus,
and it will devour the strongholds of Ben-Hadad."
28 About Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, Yahweh says this to Nebuchadnezzar (now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon was going to attack these places):
"Arise and attack Kedar
and destroy those people of the east.
29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken,
along with their tent curtains and all of their equipment;
their camels will be led away from them,
and men will shout to them,
"Terror is on every side!"
30 Flee! Wander far away!
Stay in holes in the ground, inhabitants of Hazor
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
has devised a plan against you.
Flee! Turn back!
31 Arise! Attack the nation at ease,
that lives in safety," says Yahweh.
"They have no gates or bars in them,
and its people live by themselves.
32 For their camels will become plunder,
and the abundance of their property
will become war plunder.
Then I will scatter to every wind
those who cut the hair on the sides of their heads very short,
and I will bring disaster on them from every side
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
33 Hazor will become a lair of jackals,
a permanent wasteland.
No one will live there;
no human being will stay there."
34 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet about Elam. This happened at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, and he said,
35 "Yahweh of hosts says this:
See, I am about to break the bowmen of Elam,
the main part of their power. 36 For I will bring the four winds
from the four corners of the heavens,
and I will scatter the people of Elam to all of those winds.
There is no nation
to which those scattered from Elam will not go.
37 So I will shatter Elam before their enemies
and before those who seek their lives.
for I will bring disaster against them, the fury of my wrath
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—and I will send the sword after them
until I have consumed them.
38 Then I will put my throne in Elam
and will destroy its king and leaders from there
—this is Yahweh's declaration
39 —and it will happen in later days
that I will reverse the captivity of Elam
—this is Yahweh's declaration."
1 This is the word that Yahweh declared about Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet,
2 "Report to the nations and cause them to listen.
Lift up a signal and cause them to listen.
Do not conceal it.
Say, 'Babylon is taken. Bel is made ashamed.
Marduk is dismayed.
Its idols are put to shame;
its images are dismayed.'
3 A nation from the north will arise against it,
and make her land a desolation.
No one will live in it;
both men and animals will flee away.
4 In those days and at that time
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—the people of Israel and the people of Judah
will come together to go with weeping
and seek Yahweh their God.
5 They will ask the way to Zion
and will set off toward it, saying,
We will go and join ourselves to Yahweh
in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten."
6 My people have been a lost flock.
Their shepherds have led them astray in the mountains;
they have turned them around from hill to hill.
They went, they have forgotten their resting place.
7 Everyone who went out to them devoured them.
Their adversaries said, 'We are not guilty,
because they sinned against Yahweh,
their true home—Yahweh,
the hope of their ancestors.'
8 Leave from the midst of Babylon;
go out from the land of the Chaldeans;
be like male goats
that leave before the rest of the flock does.
9 For see, I am about to set in motion
and raise up a group of great nations
from the north against Babylon.
They will arrange themselves against her.
Babylon will be captured from there.
Their arrows are like a skilled warrior
who does not return empty-handed.
10 Chaldea will become plunder.
All those who plunder it will be satisfied
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
11 You rejoice, you celebrate the plundering of my inheritance;
you jump around like a calf stamping in its pasture;
you neigh like a powerful horse.
12 So your mother will be greatly ashamed;
the one who bore you will be embarrassed.
See, she will be the least of nations,
a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 Because of Yahweh's anger,
Babylon will not be inhabited,
but will be a complete devastation.
Everyone who passes by will be appalled because of Babylon
and will hiss because of all of its wounds.
14 Arrange yourselves against Babylon all around her.
Everyone who bends a bow must shoot at her.
Do not spare any of your arrows,
for she has sinned against Yahweh.
15 Raise a shout against her all around!
She has surrendered;
her towers have fallen;
her walls are torn down,
for this is Yahweh's vengeance.
Take vengeance on her!
Do to her just as she has done!
16 Destroy both the farmer who sows seed
and the one who uses a sickle
at the time of harvest in Babylon.
Let each person turn back to his own people
from the oppressor's sword;
let them flee to their own land.
17 Israel is a scattered flock
driven away by lions.
First the king of Assyria devoured him; then after this,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon broke his bones.
18 Therefore Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says this:
See, I am about to punish the king of Babylon and his land,
just as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 I will restore Israel to his homeland;
he will graze on Carmel and Bashan.
Then he will be satisfied
in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days and at that time, says Yahweh,
iniquity will be looked for in Israel,
but none will be found.
I will inquire about the sins of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive the remnant that I spare.
21 "Arise against the land of Merathaim,
against it and the ones inhabiting Pekod.
Put them to the sword and completely destroy them
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—do everything that I am commanding you.
22 The sounds of battle and enormous destruction
are in the land.
23 How the hammer of all the lands
has been cut apart and destroyed.
How Babylon has become an object of horror
among the nations.
24 I have set a trap for you and you were taken, Babylon,
and you did not know it!
You were found and captured,
because you opposed Yahweh.
25 Yahweh has opened his armory
and is bringing out the weapons
for carrying out his anger.
There is work for the Lord Yahweh of host
in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Attack her from far away.
Open her granaries
and pile her up like heaps of grain.
Set her apart for destruction.
Leave no remnant of her.
27 Kill all her bulls.
Send them down to the place of slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come
—the time for their punishment.
28 There is the sound of those fleeing,
of those who are survivors,
from the land of Babylon.
These will report the vengeance of Yahweh our God for Zion,
and vengeance for his temple.
29 "Summon the archers against Babylon
—all those who bend their bows.
Camp against her,
and let no one escape.
Repay her for what she has done.
Do to her by the measure she has used.
For she had acted arrogantly against Yahweh
—against the Holy One of Israel.
30 So her young men will fall in the city squares,
and all her fighting men will be destroyed on that day
—this is Yahweh's declaration."
31 "See, I am against you, proud one
—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts
—for your day has come, proud one,
the time when I will punish you.
32 So the proud ones will stumble and fall.
No one will raise them up.
I will set fire to their cities;
it will devour everything around him.
33 Yahweh of hosts says this:
The people of Israel are oppressed,
together with the people of Judah.
All the ones who captured them still hold them;
they refuse to let them go.
34 The one who rescues them is strong.
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
He will truly plead their case,
in order to bring rest to the land,
and to bring strife to the ones inhabiting Babylon.
35 A sword is against the Chaldeans
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—and against the inhabitants of Babylon,
her leaders, and her wise men.
36 A sword against those who say empty words!
They will become fools!
A sword against her soldiers!
They will be filled with terror.
37 A sword is coming against their horse their chariots
and all of the people who are in the midst of Babylon,
so they will become like women.
A sword is coming against her storerooms,
and they will be plundered.
38 A drought is coming on her waters,
so they will become dry.
For she is a land of worthless idols,
and they act like people
made insane by their dreadful idols.
39 So desert beasts with the jackals will inhabit there,
and the young of ostriches will live in her.
For all time, she will no longer be inhabited.
From generation to generation, she will not be lived in.
40 Just as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—no one will live there;
no person will stay in her.
41 "See, a people is coming from the north;
a great nation and many kings
are being stirred up from the farthest parts of the earth.
42 They will pick up bows and spears.
They are cruel and have no compassion.
Their sound is like the sea roar,
and they are riding on horses,
set out in order as men for battle, against you,
daughter of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon heard the reports about them
and his hands fell limp in distress.
Anguish seized him
like a woman giving birth.
44 Behold! He goes up like a lion
from the majesty of the Jordan
to the enduring grazing place
For I will quickly cause them to run from it,
and I will put someone who will be chosen in charge of it.
For who is like me,
and who will summon me?
What shepherd is able to resist me?
45 So listen to the plans that Yahweh has decided against Babylon,
the plans that he has planned
against the land of the Chaldeans.
They will certainly be dragged away,
even the smallest flock.
Their pasturelands will be turned into ruined places.
46 At the sound of conquered Babylon the earth shakes,
and their shout of distress is heard among the nations."
1 "Yahweh says this:
See, I am about to stir up a wind of destruction
against Babylon and against those
who live in Leb Kamai.
2 I will send foreigners to Babylon.
They will scatter her and devastate her land,
for they will come against her
from all around on the day of disaster.
3 Do not let the archers bend their bows;
do not let them put on armor.
Do not spare her young men;
set her whole army apart for destruction.
4 For the wounded people
will fall in the land of the Chaldeans;
those who are thrust through will fall in her streets.
5 For Israel and Judah are not abandoned by their God,
by Yahweh of hosts,
although their land is filled with offenses
committed against the Holy One of Israel.
6 Flee from the midst of Babylon;
let each man save himself.
Do not perish in her iniquity.
For it is the time of Yahweh's vengeance.
He will repay all of it to her.
7 Babylon was a golden cup in the hand of Yahweh
that made all the world drunk;
nations drank her wine and became insane.
8 Babylon will fall suddenly and be destroyed.
Wail for her
Give her medicine for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.
9 'We wished to heal Babylon,
but she is not healed.
Let us all leave her and go away,
to our own land.
For her guilt reaches up to the heavens;
it is piled up to the clouds.
10 Yahweh has brought about our vindication.
Come, let us give a full account in Zion
the deeds of Yahweh our God.'
11 Sharpen the arrows and take up the shields.
Yahweh is stirring up
the spirit of the king of the Medes
in a plan to destroy Babylon.
This is for Yahweh's vengeance,
vengeance for the destruction of his temple.
12 Lift up a signal flag over Babylon's walls;
make the watch strong;
set up watchmen;
prepare the ambushes;
for the LORD will do what he has said
concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 You people who live by many streams of water,
you people who are rich with treasures,
your end has come.
The thread of your life is now cut short.
14 Yahweh of hosts has sworn by his own life,
'I will fill you with men, like a swarm of locusts,
and they will raise a battle cry against you.'
15 He has made the earth by his power;
he set in place the world by his wisdom.
By his understanding he stretched out the heavens.
16 When he thunders,
there is the roar of waters in the heavens,
for he brings up the mist from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for rain
and sends out wind from his storehouses.
17 Every man has become stupid,
without knowledge.
Every metalworker is put to shame
by his idols.
For his cast metal images are frauds,
and there is no life in them.
18 They are useless, the work of mockers;
they will perish at the time of their punishment.
19 But God, the portion of Jacob, is not like these,
for he is the molder of all things.
Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
20 You are my war hammer,
my weapon for battle.
With you I will smash nations
and destroy kingdoms.
21 With you I will smash horses and their riders;
with you I will smash chariots and their drivers.
22 With you I will smash each man and woman;
with you I will smash the old and the young.
With you I will smash the young men and the virgin girls.
23 With you I will smash the shepherds and their flocks;
with you I will smash the plowmen and their teams.
With you I will smash the governors and officials.
24 For in your sight I will pay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all of the evil that they did in Zion—this is Yahweh's declaration.
25 See, I am against you, mountain of destruction
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—which destroys the whole earth.
I will stretch out my hand against you,
and roll you down from the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.
26 So they will not take from you any stone
to construct a building's corner or foundation;
for you will become an everlasting devastation
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
27 Lift up a signal flag over the earth.
Blow the ram's horn over the nations.
Call the nations to attack her:
the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.
Appoint a commander to attack her;
bring up horses like swarming locusts.
28 Prepare the nations to attack her:
The kings of the Medes and his governors,
all of his officials and all the lands under his rule.
29 For the land will shake and be in anguish,
since Yahweh's plans continue against Babylon,
to make the land of Babylon a wasteland
where there is no inhabitant.
30 The soldiers in Babylon have stopped fighting;
they stay in their strongholds.
Their strength has failed;
they have become women
—her homes are on fire,
the bars of her gates are broken.
31 A messenger runs to proclaim to another messenger,
and a runner tells another runner
to report to the king of Babylon
that his city has been taken from end to end.
32 So the fords over the river are seized;
the enemy is burning the reed marshes,
and Babylon's fighting men are confused.
33 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this:
The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor.
It is time to trample her down.
In a little while the time of harvest will come to her.
34 'Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me,
he has driven me into confusion
and has made me an empty pot.
Like a sea monster he has swallowed me,
he has filled his stomach with my delicious foods,
and then he has spit me out.'
35 The one who lives in Zion will say,
'May the violence done to me and my flesh
be on Babylon.'
Jerusalem will say,
'May my blood be on the inhabitants of Chaldea.'
36 Therefore Yahweh says this:
See, I am about to plead your case
and bring about vengeance for you.
For I will dry up Babylon's water
and make her springs run dry.
37 Babylon will become heaps of rubble,
a den of jackals, a horror,
an object of hissing,
where there are no inhabitants.
38 The Babylonians will roar together like young lions.
They will growl like lion cubs.
39 When they become hot with greed,
I will make a feast for them;
I will make them drunk so they become joyful
and then sleep an unending sleep and not wake up
—this is Yahweh's declaration—
40 I will send them down like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams with male goats.
41 How Babylon has been captured!
So the praise of all the earth is seized.
How Babylon has become a ruined place among the nations.
42 The sea has come up over Babylon
She is covered with its roaring waves.
43 Her cities have become a desolation,
a dry land and a wilderness,
a land that no one inhabits,
and no human being passes through.
44 So I will punish Bel in Babylon;
I will bring out from his mouth what he swallowed,
and the nations will no longer flow
to him with their offerings.
The walls of Babylon will fall.
45 Go out from her midst, my people.
Let each of you save his own life
from the fury of my wrath.
46 Do not let your hearts be timid
or fear the news that is heard in the land,
for the news will come one year.
After it in the next year there will be news,
and violence will be in the land.
Ruler will be against ruler.
47 Therefore, see, days are coming
when I will punish the carved idols of Babylon.
All of her land will be ashamed,
and all of her slaughtered ones will fall in her midst.
48 Then the heavens and the earth,
and all that is in them will rejoice over Babylon.
For destroyers will come for her from the north
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
49 As Babylon has made the killed of Israel fall,
so the killed of all her land will fall in Babylon.
50 Survivors of the sword, go away!
Do not stay still.
Call Yahweh to mind from far away;
let Jerusalem come to mind.
51 We are ashamed, for we have been insulted;
shame has covered our faces,
for foreigners have entered the holy places
of the house of Yahweh.
52 Therefore, see, days are coming
—this is Yahweh's declaration
—when I will punish her carved idols,
and the wounded people will groan in all of her land.
53 For even if Babylon went up to the heavens
or fortified her highest fortresses,
destroyers would come from me to her
—this is Yahweh's declaration.
54 A cry of distress came from Babylon,
great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans.
55 For Yahweh is destroying Babylon.
He is causing her loud voice to perish.
Their enemies roar like the waves of many waters;
their noise becomes very strong.
56 For the destroyers have come against her
—against Babylon!
—and her warriors have been captured.
Their bows are shattered,
for Yahweh is the God of vengeance;
he will surely carry out this repayment.
57 For I will make her princes and her wise men drunk,
as well as her governors, her officials, and her soldiers.
and they will sleep in an unending sleep
and never wake up
—this is the King's declaration:
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
58 Yahweh of hosts says this:
The thick walls of Babylon will be completely demolished,
and her high gates will be burned.
Then the peoples coming to her aid will labor uselessly;
everything that the nations try to do for her
will be burned up."
59 This is the word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah son of Neriah son of Mahseiah when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. Now Seraiah was a chief officer. 60 For Jeremiah had written in a scroll about all the disaster that was going to come on Babylon—all these words that were written about Babylon. 61 Jeremiah said to Seraiah, "When you go to Babylon, then you will see and you will read these words aloud. 62 Then you will say, 'Yahweh, you yourself have declared that you would destroy this place, and that no man or animal will live in it, and it will be desolate forever.' 63 Then when you have finished reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates. 64 Say, 'Babylon will sink like this. It will not arise because of the disaster that I am sending against it, and they will fall.'" Jeremiah's words end here.
1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal; she was the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did everything that Jehoiakim had done. 3 Through Yahweh's anger, all these events happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he drove them from before himself. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 It happened that in the ninth year of the reign of King Zedekiah, in the tenth month, and on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came with all his army against Jerusalem. They camped opposite it, and they built a siege wall around it. 5 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah's reign. 6 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was broken into, and all the fighting men fled and went out of the city at night by the way of the gate that was between the two walls, by the king's garden, although the Chaldeans were all around the city. So they went in the direction of the Arabah. 8 But the army of Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of the Jordan River valley near Jericho. All his army was scattered away from him. 9 They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons before his own eyes, and at Riblah he also slaughtered all the leaders of Judah. 11 Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and brought him to Babylon. The king of Babylon put him in prison until the day of his death.
12 Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan came to Jerusalem. He was the commander of the king's bodyguards and a servant of the king of Babylon. 13 He burned the house of Yahweh, the king's palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; also every important building in the city he burned. 14 As for the walls around Jerusalem, all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the commander of the bodyguards destroyed them. 15 As for the poorest people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen—Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguards, took some of them away into exile. 16 But Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguards, left some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
17 As for the bronze pillars that belonged to the house of Yahweh, and the stands, and the large bronze basin called "The Sea" that were in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans broke them into pieces and carried all the bronze back to Babylon. 18 The pots, shovels, lamp trimmers, bowls, and all the utensils of bronze with which the priests had served in the temple—the Chaldeans took them all away. 19 The basins and the incense burners, the bowls, pots, lampstands, pans, and basins that were made of gold, and those made of silver—the commander of the king's guard took them away as well. 20 The two pillars, the large bronze basin known as "The Sea," and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the stands, things that King Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh, contained more bronze than could be weighed. 21 The pillars were eighteen cubits high each, and a line around each one measured twelve cubits. Each was four fingers thick and hollow. 22 A capital of bronze was on top of it. The capital was five cubits high, with latticework and pomegranates all around. It was all made of bronze. The other pillar and its pomegranates were the same as the first. 23 So there were ninety-six pomegranates on the capital's sides, and one hundred pomegranates above the surrounding latticework.
24 The commander of the bodyguards took prisoner Seraiah, the high priest, together with Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three gatekeepers. 25 From the city he took prisoner an officer who was in charge of soldiers, and seven men of those who advised the king, who were still in the city. He also took prisoner the king's army officer responsible for drafting men into the army, along with sixty important men from the land who were in the city. 26 Then Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguards, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. In this way, Judah went out of its land into exile.
28 These were the people who Nebuchadnezzar exiled:
In the seventh year, 3,023 Jews. 29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar
he took 832 people from Jerusalem. 30 In the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan,
the commander of the king's bodyguards,
exiled 745 Jewish people.
All the exiled people totaled 4,600.
31 It happened later in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Awel-Marduk, king of Babylon released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. This happened in the year that Awel-Marduk began to reign. 32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat more honorable than that of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 Awel-Marduk removed Jehoiachin's prison clothes, and Jehoiachin ate regularly at the king's table for the rest of his life, 34 and a regular food allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon every day for the rest of his life until his death.
1 The city that once was full of people
is now sitting all alone.
She has become like a widow,
though she was a mighty nation.
She was a princess among the nations,
but is now forced into slavery.
2 She weeps bitterly in the night,
and her tears cover her cheeks.
None of her lovers comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed her.
They have become her enemies.
3 Judah has gone into exile
after affliction and great labor.
She lives among the nations
and finds no rest.
All her pursuers overtook her
in her desperation.
4 The roads of Zion mourn
because none come to the appointed feasts.
All her gates are desolate.
Her priests groan.
Her virgins are afflicted,
and as for her, it is bitter for her.
5 Her adversaries have become her master;
her enemies prosper.
Yahweh has afflicted her for her many sins.
Her little children go into captivity to her adversary.
6 Splendor has left
the daughter of Zion.
Her princes have become like deer
that cannot find pasture,
and they go without strength
before their pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and her homelessness,
Jerusalem will call to mind all her precious treasures
that she had in former days.
When her people fell
into the hand of the adversary,
no one helped her.
The adversaries saw her
and mocked at her destruction.
8 Jerusalem sinned greatly,
therefore, she has become scorned
as something that is filthy.
All who honored her now despise her
since they have seen her nakedness.
She groans
and tries to turn away.
9 She has become unclean beneath her skirts.
She did not think about her future.
Her fall was astonishing.
There was no one to comfort her.
She cried out, "Look at my affliction, Yahweh,
for the enemy has become too great!"
10 The adversary has put his hand
on all our precious treasures.
She has seen the nations
enter her sanctuary,
even though you had commanded
that they must not enter into your assembly place.
11 All her people groan
as they search for bread.
They have given their precious treasures
for food to restore their lives.
Look, Yahweh, and consider me,
for I have become worthless.
12 Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look and see
if there is anyone else's sorrow
like the sorrow that is being inflicted on me,
since Yahweh has tormented me
on the day of his fierce anger.
13 It is from on high that he has sent fire into my bones,
and it has conquered them.
He has spread a net for my feet and turned me back.
He has made me constantly desolate and weak.
14 The yoke of my transgressions
is bound together by his hand.
They are knit together and placed upon my neck.
He has made my strength fail.
The Lord has given me over into their hands,
and I am not able to stand.
15 The Lord has tossed aside
all my mighty men who defended me.
He has called an assembly against me
to crush my vigorous men.
The Lord has trampled the virgin daughter of Judah
in the winepress.
16 For these things I weep,
my eyes overflow with tears;
for a comforter is far from me,
one who restores my life.
My children are desolate
because the enemy has conquered me.
17 Zion has spread her hands wide;
there is none to comfort her.
Yahweh has commanded
that those around Jacob should be his adversaries.
Jerusalem is something unclean to them.
18 Yahweh is righteous,
for I have rebelled against his commandment.
Hear, all you peoples, and see my sorrow.
My virgins and my vigorous men
have gone into captivity.
19 I called for my lovers,
but they were treacherous toward me.
My priests and my elders perished in the city,
while they sought food to restore their lives.
20 Look, Yahweh, for I am in distress;
my stomach churns,
my heart is disturbed within me,
for I have been very rebellious.
Outside, the sword bereaves;
inside the house there is only death.
21 They have heard my groaning,
but there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble,
and they are glad that you have done it.
You have brought the day you proclaimed;
now let them become like me.
22 Let all their wickedness come before you.
deal with them as you have dealt with me
because of all my transgressions.
My groans are many and my heart is faint.
1 The Lord has covered the daughter of Zion
under the cloud of his anger.
He has thrown the splendor of Israel
down from heaven to earth.
He has not remembered his footstool
on the day of his anger.
2 The Lord has swallowed up
and has had no compassion on
all the towns of Jacob.
In the days of his anger he has thrown down
the fortified cities
of the daughter of Judah;
in dishonor he has brought down to the ground
the kingdom and its rulers.
3 With fierce anger he has cut off
every horn of Israel.
He has withdrawn his right hand
from before the enemy.
He has burned up Jacob like a blazing fire
that devours everything around it.
4 He has bent his bow toward us like an enemy,
he has set his right hand like an adversary.
He has slaughtered all
who had been so pleasing to him
in the tent of the daughter of Zion;
he has poured out his wrath like fire.
5 The Lord has become like an enemy.
He has swallowed up Israel.
He has swallowed up all her palaces.
He has destroyed her strongholds.
He has increased mourning and lamentation
within the daughter of Judah.
6 He has done violence to his tabernacle like a garden.
He has destroyed the place of the solemn assembly.
Yahweh has caused both solemn assembly
and Sabbath to be forgotten in Zion,
for he has despised both king and priest
in the indignation of his anger.
7 The Lord has rejected his altar
and disowned his sanctuary.
He has given over the walls of her palaces
into the hand of the enemy.
They have raised a shout in the house of Yahweh,
as on the day of an appointed feast.
8 Yahweh decided to destroy the city wall
of the daughter of Zion.
He has stretched out the measuring line
and has not withheld his hand from destroying the wall.
He has made the ramparts and wall to lament;
together they wasted away.
9 Her gates have sunk into the ground;
he has destroyed and broken the bars of her gate.
Her king and her princes
are among the nations,
the law is no more
and her prophets find no vision from Yahweh.
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion
sit on the ground in silence.
They have thrown dust on their heads
and girded themselves with sackcloth.
The virgins of Jerusalem
have bowed their heads to the ground.
11 My eyes have failed from their tears;
my stomach churns;
my inner parts are poured out to the ground
because of the destruction of the daughter of my people;
children and infants faint
in the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers,
"Where is grain and wine?"
as they faint like a wounded man
in the streets of the city,
their lives are poured out
on the bosom of their mothers.
13 What will I testify for you? To what can I compare you,
daughter of Jerusalem?
To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you,
virgin daughter of Zion?
Your wound is as great as the sea.
Who can heal you?
14 Your prophets have seen
false and worthless visions for you.
They have not exposed your iniquity
to reverse your captivity,
but for you they gave utterances
that are false and misleading.
15 All those who pass along the road
clap their hands at you.
They hiss and shake their heads
against the daughter of Jerusalem and say,
"Is this the city that they called 'The Perfection of Beauty,'
'The Joy for All of Earth'?"
16 All your enemies open
their mouths against you.
They sneer and grind their teeth in rage and say,
"We have swallowed her up!
This is the day we have waited for!
We have lived to see it!"
17 Yahweh has done
what he planned to do.
He has fulfilled his word,
which he commanded in former days.
He has overthrown you without pity,
for he has permitted the enemy to rejoice over you;
he has lifted up the horn of your enemies.
18 Their heart cried out to the Lord,
walls of the daughter of Zion!
Make your tears flow down like a river day and night.
Give yourself no relief, your eyes no relief.
19 Arise, cry out in the night,
at the beginning of the night watches!
Pour out your heart like water
before the face of the Lord.
Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children
who faint with hunger at the corner of every street."
20 See, Yahweh, and consider
those you have dealt in this way.
Should women eat the fruit of their wombs,
the children whom they have cared for?
Should priest and prophet be slaughtered
in the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 Both the young and the old
lie on the dust of the streets.
My virgins and my young men
have fallen by the sword;
you have slaughtered them in the day of your anger
without taking pity on them.
22 You have summoned,
as you would call the people to a feast day,
my terrors on every side,
on the day of the anger of Yahweh
no one escaped or survived;
those I cared for and raised,
my enemy has destroyed.
1 I am a man who has seen affliction
under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
2 He drove me away and caused me to walk
in darkness rather than light.
3 Surely he turned his hand against me again and again,
the whole day long.
4 He made my flesh and my skin waste away;
he broke my bones.
5 He built up siege works against me,
and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He made me live in dark places,
like those who died long ago.
7 He built a wall around me and I cannot escape.
He made my chains heavy
8 and though I call out and cry for help,
he shut out my prayer.
9 He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone;
he made my paths crooked.
10 He is like a bear waiting to ambush me,
a lion in hiding;
11 he turned aside my paths,
he has made me desolate.
12 He bent his bow and set me
as a target for his arrow.
13 He pierced my kidneys
with the arrows of his quiver.
14 I became a laughingstock to all my people,
their taunting song all day long.
15 He filled me with bitter herbs
and forced me to drink wormwood.
16 He has made my teeth grind with gravel,
and he made me cower in the ashes.
17 My soul is deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 So I say, "My endurance has perished
and so has my hope in Yahweh."
19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and bitterness.
20 I continually remember it
and my soul is bowed down within me.
21 But I call this to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases
and his compassions never end,
23 they are new every morning;
your faithfulness is great.
24 "Yahweh is my inheritance," says my soul,
therefore I will hope in him.
25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait silently
for the salvation of Yahweh.
27 It is good for a man
that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,
when it is laid upon him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him,
and let him be filled to the full with insults.
31 For the Lord will not
reject us forever,
32 but though he causes grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
33 For he does not afflict from his heart
or torment the children of mankind.
34 To crush underfoot
all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to deny a man justice
in the presence of the Most High,
36 to deprive a person of justice in his lawsuit—
the Lord would not approve such things!
37 Who has spoken and it came to pass,
unless the Lord decreed it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and the good come?
39 How can any person alive complain?
How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
40 Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to Yahweh.
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in the heavens:
42 "We have transgressed and rebelled,
and you have not forgiven.
43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us,
you have killed and you have not spared.
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us like filthy scum
and refuse among the peoples.
46 All our enemies
curse us,
47 panic and pitfall have come upon us,
ruin and destruction.
48 My eyes flow with streams of tears
because of the destruction my people.
49 My eyes will shed tears
without ceasing, without relief,
50 until Yahweh from heaven
looks down and sees.
51 My eyes cause grief to my soul
because of all the daughters of my city.
52 I have been hunted like a bird
by those who were my enemies;
they hunted me without a reason.
53 They cut off my life in the pit,
and they threw a stone on me,
54 and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head.
I said, 'I have been cut off!'
55 I called on your name, Yahweh,
from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard my voice when I said,
'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
57 You came near on the day I called on you;
you said, 'Do not fear.'
58 Lord, you defended my soul's case,
you redeemed my life!
59 Yahweh, you have seen
the wrong they have done to me;
judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
all their plots against me.
61 You have heard their insults, Yahweh,
and all their plots against me.
62 The lips and the meditations of my enemies
come against me all the day.
63 Look at how they sit and then rise up;
they mock me with their songs.
64 Pay back to them what they deserve, Yahweh,
according to the deeds of their hands.
65 You will let their hearts be shameless!
May your condemnation be upon them!
66 You pursue them in anger
and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!"
1 The gold has become tarnished;
how the purest gold has changed!
The holy stones are scattered
at the corner of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion
were worth their weight in pure gold,
but now they are considered like clay jars,
the work of the potter's hands!
3 Even the jackals offer the breast
to nurse their cubs,
but the daughter of my people has become cruel,
like the ostriches in the desert.
4 The tongue of the nursing baby
sticks to the roof of his mouth by thirst;
the children ask for food,
but there is none for them.
5 Those who used to eat delicacies
are now desolate in the streets.
Those who were brought up wearing scarlet clothing
now lie on piles of ashes.
6 The iniquity of the daughter of my people
is greater than the sin of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment
and no hands were wrung for her.
7 Her princes were purer than snow,
whiter than milk;
their bodies were more ruddy than coral,
their form was like sapphire.
8 Their appearance now is darker than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it has become as dry as wood.
9 Those killed by the sword
are better than those killed by hunger,
who wasted away,
pierced by the lack of any harvest from the field.
10 The hands of compassionate women
have boiled their own children;
they became their food during the time
when the daughter of my people was being destroyed.
11 Yahweh showed all his wrath;
he poured out his fierce anger.
He kindled a fire in Zion
that consumed her foundations.
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor did any of the inhabitants of the world believe,
that adversary or enemy
could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 This happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests
who have shed the blood of the righteous
in her midst.
14 They wandered, blind,
through the streets.
They were so defiled by that blood
that no one could touch their clothes.
15 "Away! Unclean!" people cried at them.
"Away! Away! Do not touch!"
So they wandered about;
people said among the nations,
"They can stay here no longer."
16 Yahweh himself scattered them;
he does not watch over them anymore.
They did not honor the priests,
and they did not show favor to the elders.
17 Our eyes failed, looking in vain for help;
from our watchtowers we watched
for a nation
that could not rescue us.
18 They followed our steps,
we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near and our days were numbered,
our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were swifter
than the eagles in the sky.
They chased us to the mountains
and lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
20 The breath in our nostrils—Yahweh's anointed one—
he was the one who was captured in their pits;
of whom it was said,
"Under his shadow we will live among the nations."
21 Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom,
you who live in the land of Uz.
But to you also the cup will be passed;
you will be drunk and strip yourself naked.
22 Daughter of Zion,
your punishment will come to an end;
he will not extend your exile.
But daughter of Edom,
he will punish your iniquity;
he will uncover your sins.
1 Remember, Yahweh, what has happened to us;
look and see our disgrace.
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers;
our houses to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans, without a father,
and our mothers are like widows.
4 We must pay silver for the water we drink,
and we must pay silver to get our own wood.
5 Those who are coming after us are close behind us;
we are weary and we can find no rest.
6 We have given ourselves to Egypt and to Assyria
to get enough food.
7 Our fathers sinned, and they are no more,
and we bear their iniquities.
8 Slaves rule over us,
and there is no one to deliver us from their hand.
9 We get our bread only by risking our lives,
because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin has grown as hot as an oven
because of the burning heat of hunger.
11 Women are raped in Zion,
and virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes are hung up by their own hands,
and no honor is shown to the elders.
13 Young men are forced to grind grain with a millstone,
and boys stagger under heavy loads of wood.
14 The elders have left the city gate,
and the young men have left their music.
15 The joy of our heart has ceased
and our dancing has turned into mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head;
woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 For this our heart has become sick,
for these things our eyes grow dim
18 for Mount Zion lies desolate,
with jackals prowling over it.
19 But you, Yahweh, reign forever,
and you will sit upon your throne
from generation to generation.
20 Why do you forget us forever?
Why do you abandon us
for the length of your days?
21 Restore us to yourself, Yahweh,
and we will be restored.
Renew our days
as they were long ago—
22 unless you have utterly rejected us
and you are angry with us beyond measure.
1 In the thirtieth year, the fourth month, and the fifth day of the month, it came about that I was living among the captives by the Kebar Canal. The heavens opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of that month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— 3 the word of Yahweh came to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Kebar Canal, and the hand of Yahweh was upon him there.
4 Then I looked, and there was a windstorm coming from the north; a great cloud with fire flashing within it and brightness surrounding it and inside of it, and the fire was the color of amber inside the cloud. 5 In the middle was the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: They had the likeness of a man, 6 but they had four faces each, and each of the creatures had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf that shone like polished bronze. 8 Yet they had human hands under their wings on all four sides. For all four, their faces and wings were like this: 9 their wings touched each other. They did not turn when they moved; each one went straight ahead. 10 The likeness of their faces was like the face of a man. The four of them had the face of a lion to the right side, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side. They four had also the face of an eagle. 11 Their faces were like that, and their wings were spread out above, so that each creature had a pair of wings that touched another creature's wing, and also a pair of wings that covered their bodies. 12 Each went straight forward, so that wherever the Spirit directed them to go, they went without turning. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches; bright fire also moved about among the creatures, and there were flashes of lightning. 14 The living creatures were moving swiftly back and forth, and they had the appearance of lightning!
15 Then I looked at the living creatures; and I saw one wheel on the ground beside each of the living creatures with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: Each wheel was like beryl, and the four had the same likeness; their appearance and workmanship was like a wheel intersecting another wheel. 17 As they moved, they went in any of their four directions, without turning as they went. 18 As for their rims, they were high and fearsome, for the rims were full of eyes round about. 19 Whenever the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the living creatures rose up from the earth, the wheels also rose up. 20 Wherever the Spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose up beside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21 Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels also moved; and when the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still; when the creatures rose up from the earth, the wheels rose up beside them, because the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
22 Over the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of an expansive dome; it looked like awe-inspiring crystal stretched out over their heads above. 23 Beneath the dome, each one of the creature's wings stretched out straight and touched another creature's wings. Each of the living creatures also had a pair to cover themselves; each had a pair to cover his own body. 24 Then I heard the sound of their wings. Like the noise of many waters. Like the voice of the Almighty whenever they moved. Like the sound of a rainstorm. Like the sound of an army. Whenever they stood still, they lowered their wings. 25 A voice came from above the dome over their heads whenever they stood still and lowered their wings.
26 Above the dome over their heads was the likeness of a throne that was like the appearance of a sapphire stone, and on the likeness of the throne was a likeness like the appearance of a man. 27 I saw a figure with the appearance of glowing metal with fire in it from the appearance of his hips up; I saw from the appearance of his hips downward the appearance of fire and brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day was the appearance of the bright light surrounding it. It was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.
1 He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet; then I will speak to you." 2 Then, as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 He said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to rebellious nations that have rebelled against me—both they and their ancestors have sinned against me up to this very day! 4 Their descendants have stubborn faces and hard hearts. I am sending you to them, and you will say to them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says.' 5 Either they will listen or they will not listen. They are a rebellious house, but they will at least know that a prophet has been among them. 6 You, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, although you are with briers and thorns and although you live with scorpions. Do not fear their words or be dismayed by their faces, since they are a rebellious house. 7 But you will speak my words to them, whether they listen or not, because they are most rebellious.
8 But you, son of man, listen to what I am saying to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am about to give to you!" 9 Then I looked, and a hand was extended out to me; in it was a written scroll. 10 He spread it out before me; it had been written on both its front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning, and woe.
1 He said to me, "Son of man, what you have found, eat. Eat this scroll, then go speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me that scroll. 3 He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll that I have given to you!" So I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4 Then he said to me, "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. 5 For you are not being sent to a people of strange speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of strange speech or a difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me. So all the house of Israel is strong browed and hard hearted. 8 Behold! I have made your face as hard as their faces and your brow as hard as their brows. 9 I have made your brow like a diamond, harder than flint! Do not fear them or be discouraged by their faces, since they are a rebellious house." 10 Then he said to me, "Son of man, all the words that I announce to you—take them into your heart and hear them with your ears! 11 Then go to the captives, to your people, and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says,' whether they will listen or not."
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound of a great earthquake: "Blessed be the glory of Yahweh from his place!" 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels that were with them, and the sound of a great earthquake. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went with bitterness in the anger of my spirit, and the strong hand of Yahweh was on me. 15 So I went to the captives at Tel Aviv who lived along the Kebar Canal, and I stayed there among them for seven days, overwhelmed in amazement.
16 Then it happened after seven days that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel, so listen to the word from my mouth, and give them my warning. 18 When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die' and you do not warn him or speak a warning to the wicked about his evil deeds so he might live—the wicked one will die for his iniquity, but I will require his blood from your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked deeds, then he will die for his iniquity, but you will have rescued your own life. 20 If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, and I set a stumbling block before him, he will die. Because you did not warn him, he will die in his sin, and I will not call to mind the righteous deeds that he performed, but I will require his blood from your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous man to stop sinning so that he no longer sins, he will surely live since he was warned; and you will have rescued your own life."
22 So the hand of Yahweh was on me there, and he said to me, "Arise! Go out into the plain, and I will speak with you there!" 23 I arose and went out into the plain, and there the glory of Yahweh was staying, like the glory that I had seen beside the Kebar Canal; so I fell on my face. 24 The Spirit came to me and stood me up on my feet; and he spoke with me, and said to me, "Go and shut yourself up within your house, 25 for now, son of man, they will place ropes upon you and tie you so you cannot go out among them. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, so you will be mute, and you will not be able to rebuke them, since they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth so you will say to them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says.' The one who will hear will hear; the one who will not listen will not listen, for they are a rebellious house!"
1 "But you, son of man, take a brick for yourself and place it before you. Then carve the city of Jerusalem on it. 2 Then lay siege against it, and build forts against it. Raise up a siege ramp against it and set camps around it. Place battering rams all around it. 3 Then take for yourself an iron pan and use it as an iron wall between yourself and the city and set your face against it, for it will be under siege, and you are to put the siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
4 Then, lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel on it; you will bear their iniquity for the number of the days that you lie down against the house of Israel. 5 I myself am assigning to you one day to represent each year of their punishment: 390 days! In this way, you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 When you have completed these days, then lie down a second time on your right side, for you will bear the iniquity of the house of Judah for forty days. I am assigning to you one day for each year. 7 Set your face toward Jerusalem that is under siege, and with your arm uncovered prophesy against it. 8 For behold! I am placing bonds on you so you will not turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.
9 Take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them in a single container and make bread for yourself according to the number of the days that you will lie upon your side. For 390 days you will eat it. 10 The food you will eat will be by weight, twenty shekels per day, and you will eat it at set times each day. 11 Then you will drink water, measured out to a sixth of a hin, and you will drink it at set times. 12 You will eat it as barley cakes, but you will bake it on excrement of human dung within their sight!" 13 For Yahweh says, "This means that the bread that the people of Israel will eat will be unclean, there among the nations where I will banish them." 14 But I said, "Alas, Lord Yahweh! I have never been unclean! I have never eaten either an animal that died by itself or anything killed by animals, from my youth until now, and foul meat has never entered my mouth!" 15 So he said to me, "Look! I have given you cow manure instead of human dung so you can prepare your bread over that." 16 He also said to me, "Son of man! Behold! I am breaking the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread while rationing it in anxiety and drink water while rationing it in horror. 17 Because they will lack bread and water, every man will be appalled at his brother, and they will waste away because of their iniquity."
1 "Then you, son of man, take a sharp sword as a barber's razor for yourself, and pass the razor over your head and your beard, then take scales to weigh and divide your hair. 2 Burn a third of it with fire in the midst of the city when the days of the siege are completed, and take a third of the hair and strike it with the sword all around the city. Then scatter a third of it to the wind, and I will draw out a sword to chase after the people. 3 But take a small number of hairs from them and tie them into the folds of your robe. 4 Then take more of the hair and throw it into the midst of the fire; and burn it in the fire; from there a fire will go out to all the house of Israel."
5 The Lord Yahweh says this, "This is Jerusalem in the midst of the nations, where I have placed her, and where I have surrounded her with other lands. 6 But she has rebelled against my ordinances more wickedly than the nations have, and my statutes more than the lands that surround her. The people have rejected my ordinances and have not walked in my statutes." 7 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, "Because you are more troublesome than the nations that surround you and have not walked in my statutes or acted according to my decrees, or even acted according to the decrees of the nations that surround you," 8 therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, "Behold! I myself will act against you. I will execute judgments within your midst for the nations to see. 9 I will do to you what I have not done and the like of which I will not do again, because of all your disgusting practices. 10 Therefore fathers will eat the children in your midst, and sons will eat their fathers, since I will execute judgment on you and scatter to every direction all of you who remain. 11 Therefore, as I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—it is certainly because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your disgusting practices, that I myself will reduce you in number; my eye will not have pity on you, and I will not spare you. 12 A third of you will die by plague, and they will be consumed by famine in your midst. A third will fall by the sword surrounding you. Then I will scatter a third in every direction, and draw out a sword to chase after them as well.
13 Then my wrath will be completed, and I will cause my fury toward them to rest. I will be comforted, and they will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken in my jealousy when I have completed my fury against them. 14 I will make you a ruin and an object of scorn to the nations that surround you and in the sight of everyone who passes by. 15 So Jerusalem will become something for other people to condemn and to mock, a warning and a horror to the nations that surround you. I will execute judgments against you in wrath and fury, and with furious rebukes—I, Yahweh have declared this! 16 I will send out harsh arrows of famine against you that will become the means with which I will destroy you. For I will increase the famine on you and break your staff of bread. 17 I will send a famine and disasters against you so you will be childless. Plague and blood will pass through you, and I will bring a sword against you—I, Yahweh, have declared this."
1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy to them. 3 Say, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord Yahweh! The Lord Yahweh says this to the mountains and to the hills, to the streambeds, and to the valleys: Behold! I am bringing a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Then your altars will become desolate and your pillars will be destroyed, and I will throw down your dead in front of their idols. 5 I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, and scatter your bones around your altars. 6 Everywhere you live, cities will be laid waste and the high places ruined, so that your altars will be laid waste and made desolate. Then your idols will be broken and disappear, your pillars will be cut down and your works will be wiped away. 7 The dead will fall down in your midst and you will know that I am Yahweh.
8 But I will preserve a remnant among you, and there will be some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered throughout the lands. 9 Then those who escape will think of me among the nations where they will be held captive, that I was grieved by their promiscuous heart that turned away from me, and by their eyes that whored after their idols. Then they will show loathing on their face for the wickedness which they have committed with all their abominations. 10 So they will know that I am Yahweh. It was for a reason that I said I would bring this evil to them.
11 The Lord Yahweh says this: Clap your hands and stomp your foot! Say, 'Alas!' because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they will fall by sword, famine, and plague. 12 The one far away will die by plague, and the one who is near will fall by the sword. Those who remain and survive will die by famine. In this way I will accomplish my fury against them. 13 Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when their dead lie among their idols, around their altars, on every high hill—on all the mountain peaks, and under every flourishing tree and thick oak—the places where they burned incense to all their idols. 14 I will strike with my hand and make the land desolate and a waste, from the wilderness to Diblah, throughout all the places where they live. Then they will know that I am Yahweh." [1]
1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "You, son of man—the Lord Yahweh says this to the land of Israel.
'An end! An end has come
to the four borders of the land.
3 Now the end is upon you,
for I am sending out my wrath on you,
and I will judge you according to your ways;
then I will bring all your abominations upon you.
4 For my eye will not pity you,
and I will not spare you.
Instead, I will bring your ways upon you,
and your abominations will be in your midst.
Then you will know that I am Yahweh.'
5 "The Lord Yahweh says this:
Disaster! A unique disaster!
Behold, it is coming. [1]
6 An end is surely coming.
The end has woken up against you.
Behold, it is coming!
7 Your doom is coming to you who inhabit the land.
The time has come; the day is near—
tumult and not joyful shouting on the mountains.
8 Now before long I will pour out my fury against you
and fill up my wrath upon you
when I judge you according to your ways
and bring all your abominations upon you.
9 For my eye will not look compassionately,
and I will not spare you.
As you have done, I will do to you;
and your abominations will be in your midst
so you will know that I am Yahweh, the one punishing you.
10 Behold, the day!
Behold, it is coming!
Doom has gone out!
The rod has blossomed,
arrogance has budded!
11 Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness—
none of them, and none of their multitude,
none of their wealth, and none of their importance will last!
12 The time is coming; the day has come close.
Do not let the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn,
since my anger is on the entire multitude!
13 For the seller will not return to the land he sold as long as they both live,
because the vision concerning the entire multitude will not be reversed;
and because of their iniquity, none of them will be strengthened!
14 They have blown the trumpet
and made everything ready,
but there is no one marching to battle;
since my anger is on the entire multitude.
15 The sword is on the outside,
and plague and famine are inside the building.
Those who are in the field will die by the sword,
while famine and plague will consume those in the city.
16 But some survivors will escape from among them,
and they will go to the mountains.
Like doves of the valleys, all of them will moan—
each man for his iniquity.
17 Every hand will falter
and every knee will be weak as water,
18 and they will gird themselves sackcloth,
and trembling will cover them;
and shame will be on every face,
and baldness on all of their heads.
19 They will throw their silver into the streets
and their gold will be an impure thing.
Their silver and their gold will not be able to rescue them
in the day of Yahweh's rage.
Their lives will not be saved,
and their hunger will not be satisfied,
because their iniquity has become a stumbling block.
20 In their pride they took the beauty of his jeweled ornaments,
and with them they made their abominable images and their detestable idols.
Therefore, I am turning these into an unclean thing to them.
21 Then I will give those things into the hand of strangers as plunder
and to the wicked of the earth as plunder,
and they will defile them.
22 Then I will turn my face away from them
when they defile my cherished place;
bandits will enter it and defile it.
23 Make a chain,
because the land is filled with the judgment of blood,
and the city is full of violence.
24 So I will bring the most wicked of the nations,
and they will possess their houses,
and I will bring an end to the pride of the mighty,
for their holy places will be defiled!
25 Fear will come!
They will seek peace,
but there will be none.
26 Disaster upon disaster will come,
and there will be rumor after rumor.
Then they will seek a vision from the prophet,
but the law will perish from the priest
and advice from the elders.
27 The king will mourn
and the prince will be clothed in horror,
while the hands of the people of the land will tremble in fear.
According to their own ways I will do this to them!
I will judge them with their own standards
until they know that I am Yahweh.'"
1 So it came about in the sixth year and the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord Yahweh again fell upon me there. 2 So I looked, and behold, there was a likeness with the appearance of a man. From the appearance of his hips downward there was fire. And from his hips upward there was the appearance of something shining, like glowing metal. 3 Then he reached out the form of a hand and took me by the hair of my head; the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and in visions from God, he brought me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner northern gate, where the idol that provokes great jealousy was standing. 4 Then behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision I had seen on the plain.
5 Then he said to me, "Son of man, lift up your eyes to the north." So I lifted up my eyes to the north, and to the north of the gate leading to the altar, there in the entrance, was the idol of jealousy. 6 So he said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing? These are great abominations that the house of Israel is doing here to make me go far from my own sanctuary. But you will turn and see even greater abominations."
7 Then he brought me to the doorway of the courtyard, and I looked, and there was a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, "Son of man, dig into this wall." So I dug into the wall, and there was a door. 9 Then he said to me, "Go and see the wicked abominations that they are doing here." 10 So I went in and looked, and behold, I saw there portrayed all over the walls every form of creeping things and detestable animals, and all the idols of the house of Israel. 11 Seventy elders of the house of Israel were there, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing in their midst. They were standing in front of the images, and each man had his censer in his hand so that the smell of the cloud of incense went up. 12 He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark? Each one does this in the hidden chamber of his idol, for they say, 'Yahweh does not see us! Yahweh has abandoned the land.'" 13 Then he said to me, "Turn again and see the other great abominations that they are doing."
14 Next he brought me to the entrance of the gate of the house of Yahweh that was on the north side, and behold! The women were sitting there mourning for Tammuz. 15 So he said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? Turn again and see even greater abominations than these."
16 He brought me into the inner courtyard of the house of Yahweh, and behold! at the entrance of the temple of Yahweh between the portico and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of Yahweh and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun. 17 He said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? Is it a little thing for the house of Judah to do these abominations that they are doing here? For they have filled the land with violence and they have turned again to provoke me to anger, putting the branch to their noses. 18 So I will also act among them; my eye will not have compassion, and I will not spare them. Though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them."
1 Then he cried in my hearing with a loud voice, and said, "Let the guards come up to the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand." 2 Then behold! Six men came from the pathway of the upper gate that faces north, each with his weapon of slaughter in his hand. There was a man in their midst dressed in linen with a scribe's equipment at his side. So they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherubim where it had been to the threshold of the house. He called to the man dressed in linen who had the scribe's equipment at his side. 4 Yahweh said to him, "Pass through the midst of the city—the midst of Jerusalem—and make a mark on the foreheads of those who groan and sigh about all the abominations being performed in the midst of the city." 5 Then he spoke to the others within my hearing, "Pass through the city after him and kill. Do not let your eyes have compassion, and do not spare anyone. 6 Kill—completely destroy—old man, young man, virgin, little children or women. But do not approach anyone who has the mark on his head. Begin at my sanctuary!" So they began with the elders who were in front of the house. 7 He said to them, "Defile the house, and fill its courtyards with the dead. Proceed!" So they went out and attacked the city. 8 As they were attacking it, I found myself alone and I fell on my face and cried out and said, "Ah, Lord Yahweh, will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?"
9 He said to me, "The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood and the city full of perversions, since they say, 'Yahweh has forgotten the land,' and 'Yahweh does not see!' 10 But as for me, my eye will not pity them, and I will not spare them. I will bring their deeds upon their heads." 11 Behold! The man dressed in linen who had the scribe's equipment by his side came back. He reported and said, "I have done all that you have commanded."
1 As I looked toward the dome that was over the heads of the cherubim; something appeared above them like a sapphire with the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 2 Then Yahweh spoke to the man dressed in linen and said, "Go between the wheels underneath the cherubim, and fill both your hands with fiery coals from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city." Then the man went in as I watched. 3 The cherubim stood on the right side of the house when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner courtyard. 4 The glory of Yahweh rose up from the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the house. It filled the house with the cloud, and the courtyard was full of the brightness of Yahweh's glory. 5 The sound of the cherubim's wings was heard as far as the outer courtyard, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. 6 It came about, when God commanded the man dressed in linen and said, "Take fire from between the wheels that are between the cherubim," the man went in and stood beside a wheel. 7 A cherub reached out his hand between the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and lifted it up and placed it into the hands of the one dressed in linen. The man took it and went back out. 8 I saw on the cherubim something like a man's hand under their wings.
9 So I looked, and behold! Four wheels were beside the cherubim—one wheel beside each cherub—and the appearance of the wheels was like a beryl stone. 10 Their appearance was the same likeness for all four of them, like a wheel intersecting another wheel. 11 When they moved, they went in any of their four directions, without turning as they went; but whatever direction the head faced, they followed after it without turning as they went. 12 Their whole body—including their backs, their hands, and their wings—was covered with eyes, and eyes covered the four wheels all around also. 13 As I listened, the wheels were called, "Whirling." 14 They had four faces each; the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15 Then the cherubim—these were the living creatures that I had seen by the Kebar Canal—rose up. 16 Whenever the cherubim moved, the wheels would go beside them, and whenever the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise up from the earth, the wheels did not turn. They still stayed beside them. 17 When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when they rose up, the wheels rose up with them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
18 Then the glory of Yahweh went out from over the threshold of the house and stood over the cherubim. 19 The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose from the earth in my sight when they went out, and the wheels did the same beside them. They stood at the eastern entrance to the house of Yahweh, and the glory of the God of Israel came upon them from above.
20 These were the living creatures that I had seen below the God of Israel by the Kebar Canal, so I knew that they were cherubim! 21 They had four faces each and four wings each, and the likeness of human hands under their wings, 22 and the likeness of their faces was like the faces that I had seen in the vision at the Kebar Canal, and each of them went straight ahead.
1 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the eastern gate of the house of Yahweh, facing east, and behold, in the doorway of the gate there were twenty-five men. I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people, among them. 2 God said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and who decide wicked plans in this city. 3 They are saying, 'The time to build houses is not now; this city is the pot, and we are the meat.' 4 Therefore prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man."
5 Then the Spirit of Yahweh fell on me and he said for me to say: This is what Yahweh says, "That is what you are saying, house of Israel; for I know what goes through your mind. 6 You have multiplied the people you have killed in this city and filled its streets with them. 7 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: The people you have killed, whose bodies you have laid in the midst of Jerusalem, are the meat, and this city is the pot. But you are going to be brought out from the midst of this city. 8 You have feared the sword, so I am bringing the sword upon you—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh. 9 I will bring you out of the midst of the city, and put you into the hands of foreigners, for I will bring judgments against you. 10 You will fall by the sword. I will judge you within the borders of Israel so you will know that I am Yahweh. 11 This city will not be your cooking pot, nor will you be the meat within her midst. I will judge you within the borders of Israel. 12 Then you will know that I am Yahweh, whose statutes you have not walked in and whose decrees you have not obeyed. Instead, you have followed the decrees of the nations that surround you."
13 It came about that as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah, died. So I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, "Alas, Lord Yahweh, will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?" 14 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 15 "Son of man, your brothers! Your brothers! The men of your kindred and all the house of Israel! All of them are those of whom it is said by those living in Jerusalem, 'They are far away from Yahweh! This land was given to us as our possession.' 16 Therefore say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Though I have removed them far off among the nations, and though I have scattered them among the lands, yet I have been a sanctuary for them for a little while in the lands where they have gone.' 17 Therefore say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you from the lands where you were scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.' 18 Then they will go there and remove every detestable thing and every abomination from that place. 19 I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them. I will take out the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 so that they will walk in my statutes, they will carry out my decrees and do them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But to those who walk with affection toward their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their conduct on their own heads—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
22 The cherubim lifted up their wings and the wheels that were beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high up over them. 23 Then the glory of Yahweh went up from within the midst of the city and stood on the mountain to the east of the city. 24 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into Chaldea, to the exiles, in the vision from the Spirit of God, and the vision that I had seen went up from upon me. 25 Then I declared to the exiles all the things of Yahweh that I had seen.
1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house, where they have eyes to see but they do not see; and where they have ears to hear but do not listen, because they are a rebellious house. 3 Therefore as for you, son of man, prepare your things for exile, and begin going out by day in their sight, for I will exile you in their sight from your place to another place. Perhaps they will begin to see, though they are a rebellious house. 4 You will bring out your things for an exile in the day in their sight; go out in the evening in their sight in the way that anyone goes into exile. 5 Dig a hole through the wall in their sight, and go out through it. 6 In their sight, lift up your things onto your shoulder, and bring them out in the darkness. Cover your face, for you must not see the land, since I have set you as a sign to the house of Israel."
7 So I did this, just as I was commanded. I brought out my things of exile in the daytime, and in the evening I dug a hole through the wall by hand. I brought my things out in the dark, and lifted them up on my shoulder in their sight. 8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me in the morning, saying, 9 "Son of man, is the house of Israel, that rebellious house, not asking, 'What are you doing?' 10 Say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: this prophetic action concerns the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel in whose midst they are.' 11 Say, 'I am a sign to you.' As I have done, so it will be done to them; they will go into exile and into captivity. 12 The prince who is among them will lift up his things upon his shoulder in the dark, and will go out through the wall. They will dig through the wall and bring out their things. He will cover his face, so he will not see the land with his eyes. 13 I will spread out my net over him and he will be caught in my snare; then I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it. He will die there. 14 I will also scatter in every direction all of those around him who were to assist him and his entire army, and I will send out a sword after them. 15 Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. 16 But I will spare a few men from among them from the sword, famine, and plague, so they may record all of their abominations in the lands where I take them, so they will know that I am Yahweh."
17 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 18 "Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with shaking and anxiety. 19 Then say to the people of the land, 'The Lord Yahweh says this concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the land of Israel, "They will eat their bread with trembling and drink their water with horror, since the land will be stripped of its fullness because of the violence of all those who dwell there. 20 So the cities that were inhabited will be desolate, and the land will become a wasteland; so you will know that I am Yahweh."'"
21 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 22 "Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel that says, 'The days are prolonged, and every vision fails'? 23 Therefore, say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: I will put an end to this proverb, and the people of Israel will no longer use it.' Say to them, 'The days have drawn near when every vision will be fulfilled. 24 For there will no longer be any false visions or favorable divinations within the house of Israel. 25 For I am Yahweh! I speak, and I carry out the words that I speak. The matter will no longer be delayed. For I will speak this word in your days, rebellious house, and I will carry it out!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
26 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 27 "Son of man! Behold, the house of Israel has said, 'The vision that he sees is for a time many days from now, and he prophesies of far off times.' 28 Therefore say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: My words will not be delayed any longer, but the word that I have spoken will be done—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
1 Again, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets who are prophesying in Israel, and say to those who are prophesying out of their own imaginations, 'Listen to the word of Yahweh. 3 The Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, but who have seen nothing! 4 Israel, your prophets have been like jackals in the wastelands. 5 You have not gone to the breaks in the wall around the house of Israel in order to repair it, in order to resist in battle on the day of Yahweh. 6 The people have false visions and practice false divination, those who say, "Such and such is Yahweh's declaration." Yahweh has not sent them, but they nevertheless have made people hope that their messages would come true. 7 Have you not had false visions and practice false divination, you who say, "Such and such is Yahweh's declaration" when I myself have not spoken?'
8 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because you have had false visions and have told lies—therefore this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration against you: 9 My hand will be against the prophets who have lying visions and who practice false divination. They will not be in the assembly of my people, or enrolled in the record of the house of Israel; they must not go to the land of Israel. For you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh! 10 Because of this, and because they led my people astray and said, "Peace!" when there is no peace, they are building a wall that they will paint with whitewash.' 11 Say to those who are whitewashing the wall, 'It will fall down; there will be a downpour of rain, and I will send hailstones to make it fall down, and a windstorm wind to break it down. 12 See, the wall will fall down. Have others not said to you, "Where is the whitewash that you put on it?" 13 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I will bring a windstorm in my rage, and there will be floods of rain in my wrath! Hailstones in my rage will completely destroy it. 14 For I will tear down the wall that you have covered with whitewash, and I will demolish it to the ground and lay bare its foundations. So it will fall, and you will be annihilated in the middle of it all. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. 15 For I will annihilate in my fury the wall and those who whitewashed it. I will say to you, "The wall exists no more, nor do the people who whitewashed it— 16 the prophets of Israel who prophesied about Jerusalem and who had visions of peace for her. But there is no peace!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."'
17 So you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own minds, and prophesy against them. 18 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the women who sew magic charms onto every part of their hand and make veils for their heads of every size, used to hunt down people. Will you hunt down my people but save your own lives? 19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and crumbs of bread, to kill people who should not die, and to preserve the lives of those who should not continue to live, because of your lies to my people who heard you.
20 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I am against the magic charms that you have used to ensnare the people's lives as if they were birds. Indeed, I will tear them from your arms; and the people whom you have trapped like birds—I will let them go free. 21 I will tear away your veils and rescue my people from your hand, so they will no longer be trapped in your hands. You will know that I am Yahweh. 22 Because you discouraged the heart of the righteous with lies, even though I did not cause him grief, and because you strengthened the hands of the wicked so that he does not turn from his evil ways and save his life, 23 therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will rescue my people out of your hand. You will know that I am Yahweh.'"
1 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 3 "Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts and have put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their own faces. Should I be inquired of at all by them? 4 Therefore announce this to them and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, or who puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and who then comes to a prophet—I, Yahweh, will answer him according to the number of his idols. 5 I will do this so that I may take back the house of Israel in their hearts that have been driven far from me through their idols.'
6 Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Repent and turn away from your idols! Turn back your faces from all your abominations. 7 For every one from the house of Israel and every one of the foreigners sojourning in Israel who deserts me, who takes his idols into his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his own face, and who then comes to a prophet to seek me—I, Yahweh, will answer him myself. 8 So I will set my face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, for I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and you will know that I am Yahweh. 9 If a prophet is deceived and speaks a message, then I, Yahweh, will deceive that prophet; I will reach out with my hand against him and destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10 They will carry their own iniquity; the iniquity of the prophet will be the same as the iniquity of the one who inquires from him. 11 Because of this, the house of Israel will no longer wander away from following me nor defile themselves any longer through all their transgressions. They will be my people, and I will be their God—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
12 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 13 "Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing faithlessness so that I reach out with my hand against it and break the staff of its bread, and send out over it a famine and cut off both men and animals from the land; 14 then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in the land's midst, they could only rescue their own lives by their righteousness—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 15 If I send evil beasts through the land and make it barren so that it becomes a wasteland where no man may pass through because of the beasts, 16 then even if these same three men were in it—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued, but the land would become a wasteland. 17 Or if I bring a sword against that land and say, 'Sword, go through the land and cut off both men and animals from it', 18 then even if these three men were in the midst of the land—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued. 19 Or if I send a plague against this land and pour out my fury against it through bloodshed, in order to cut off both men and animals, 20 then even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in that land—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued by their righteousness.
21 For the Lord Yahweh says this: I will certainly make things worse by sending my four judgments—famine, sword, wild animals, and plague—against Jerusalem to cut off both men and animals from her. 22 Yet, behold! An escaped remnant will be left in her, survivors who will go out with sons and daughters. Behold! They will go out to you, and you will see their ways and actions and be comforted concerning the punishment that I have sent to Jerusalem, and about everything else that I have sent against the land. 23 The survivors will comfort you when you see their ways and their actions, so you will know all these things I have done against her, that I have not done them in vain!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, how is a vine better than any tree with branches that is among the trees in a forest? 3 Do people take wood from a vine to make anything? Or do they make a peg from it to hang anything on it? 4 See! If it is thrown into a fire as fuel, and if the fire has burned both of its ends and also the middle, is it good for anything? 5 See! When it was complete, it could not make anything; surely then, when the fire has burned, then it still will not make anything useful. 6 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Unlike the trees in the forests, I have given the vine as fuel for fires; I will act in the same way toward the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 7 For I will set my face against them. Though they come out from the fire, yet the fire will consume them; so you will know that I am Yahweh, when I set my face against them. 8 Then I will make the land into an abandoned wasteland because they have committed faithlessness—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, 3 and declare, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to Jerusalem: Your beginning and your birth took place in the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. 4 On the day of your birth, your mother did not cut your navel, nor did she purify you in water or rub you down with salt, or wrap cloth around you. 5 No eye had compassion for you to do any of these things for you, to be compassionate toward you. On the day that you were born, with loathing for your life, you were thrown out into the open field.
6 But I passed by you, and I saw you writhing in your own blood; so I said to you in your blood, "Live!" I said to you in your blood, "Live!" [1]7 I made you grow like a plant in a field. You multiplied and became great, and you became the jewel of jewels. Your breasts became firm, and your hair grew thick, though you had been naked and bare. 8 I passed by you again, and I saw you. See! the time of love came for you, so I spread my robe over you and covered your nakedness. Then I swore to you and brought you into a covenant—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—and you became mine. 9 So I washed you with water and rinsed your blood off you, and I anointed you with oil. 10 I dressed you in embroidered clothes and placed leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 Next I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your hands, and a chain around your neck. 12 I put a nose ring in your nostrils and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver, and you were dressed in fine linen, silk, and embroidered clothes; you ate fine flour, honey, and oil, and you were very beautiful, and you became a queen. 14 Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect in the majesty that I had given to you—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
15 But you trusted in your own beauty, and you acted like a prostitute because of your fame; you poured out your acts of prostitution on everyone who passed by, so that your beauty became his. 16 Then you took your clothes and with them you made high places for yourself decorated in various colors, and there you acted like a prostitute. This should not have happened. Nor should such a thing exist. 17 You took the beautiful jewels of the gold and silver that I gave you, and you made for yourself male figures, and you did with them as a prostitute would do. 18 You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set my oils and incense before them. 19 My bread I gave you—made with fine flour, oil, and honey—you set before them for a fragrant aroma, for this is what happened—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 20 Then you took your sons and daughters whom you bore for me, and you sacrificed them to the images to be devoured as food. Are your acts of prostitution a small matter? 21 You slaughtered my children to the idols and made them pass through the fire. 22 In all your abominations and your acts of prostitution you have not thought about the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare as you thrashed about in your blood.
23 Woe! Woe to you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—therefore, in addition to all this wickedness, 24 you built yourself a mound and made yourself a high place in every public place. 25 You built your high place at the head of every road and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to anyone who passed by, and you multiplied your acts of prostitution. 26 You have acted like a prostitute with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and you committed many more acts of prostitution, provoking me to anger. 27 See! I will strike you with my hand and cut off your food. I will hand your life over to your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your obscene behavior. 28 You have acted like a prostitute with the Assyrians because you could not be satisfied. You acted like a prostitute and still were not satisfied. 29 You performed many more acts of prostitution in the land of the merchants of Chaldea, and even this did not satisfy you.
30 How weak is your heart—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—that you would do all these things, deeds of a shameless prostitute? 31 You have built your mounds at the head of every street and made your high places in every public square. Yet you were not like a prostitute because you scoffed at taking payment. 32 You adulterous woman, you accept strangers instead of your husband. 33 People give payment to every prostitute, but you give your wages to all your lovers and bribe them to come to you from all around for your acts of prostitution. 34 So there is a difference between you and other women in your fornication. No one offers payment for you to act like a prostitute. You are the very opposite. You gave them payment and none was given to you.
35 Therefore, you prostitute, listen to the word of Yahweh. 36 The Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have poured out your lust and uncovered your nakedness through your acts of prostitution with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children's blood, 37 therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers that you have met, all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated, and I will gather them against you on every side. I will uncover your nakedness to them so they see all your nakedness. 38 For I will punish you for adultery and the shedding of blood, and I will bring on you the bloodshed of my anger and jealousy. 39 I will give you into their hands so they will throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your high places and they will strip you of your clothes and take all of your jewelry. They will leave you naked and bare. 40 Then they will bring up a crowd against you and stone you with stones, and they will cut you apart with their swords. 41 They will burn your houses and will perform many judgments on you in the sight of many women, for I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. 42 Then I will calm my fury against you; my jealousy will leave you, for I will be satisfied, and will no longer be angry. 43 Because you did not call to mind the days of your youth and have made me shake with anger because of all these things, therefore, behold! I myself will bring down on your own head the punishment for what you have done—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. Have you not added prostitution to all your other detestable practices?
44 Behold! Everyone who speaks proverbs concerning you will say, "As the mother is, so also is her daughter." 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her children, and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite. 46 Your older sister was Samaria and her daughters were the ones living in the north, while your younger sister was the one living south of you, that is, Sodom and her daughters. 47 You not only walked in their ways and committed their disgusting practices, but in all your ways you have acted more corruptly than they. 48 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—your sister Sodom and her daughters, have not done as much evil as you and your daughters have done. 49 Behold! This was the iniquity of your sister Sodom that she was arrogant in her leisure, careless and unconcerned about anything. She did not strengthen the hands of the poor and needy people. 50 She was arrogant and committed disgusting practices before me, so I took them away just as you have seen. 51 Samaria did not commit even half of your sins. You have done many more disgusting things than they did, and you have made your sisters appear more righteous than you because of all the disgusting things you have done! 52 Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished justification for your sisters. Because of your sins, which you committed so abominably, you have made your sisters appear to be more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
53 For I will reverse their captivity—the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters—and your captivity will be among them. 54 On account of these things you will show your shame; you will be humiliated because of everything that you have done, and in this way you will be a comfort to them. 55 So your sister Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former condition, and Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former estate. Then you and your daughters will be restored to your former condition. 56 Sodom your sister was not even mentioned by your mouth in the days when you were proud, 57 before your wickedness was revealed. Now you are scorned by the daughters of Edom and to all the daughters of the Philistines around her—all those around you despise you. [2]58 You will show your shame and your disgusting practices!—this is Yahweh's declaration! 59 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will deal with you as you deserve, you who have despised your oath by breaking the covenant.
60 But I myself will call to mind my covenant with you made in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will call to mind your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older sisters and your younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. 62 I myself will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh. 63 Because of these things, you will call everything to mind and be ashamed, so you will no longer open your mouth to speak because of your shame, when I have forgiven you for all that you have done—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, present a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel. 3 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: A large eagle with large wings and long pinions, full of feathers, and that was multicolored went to Lebanon and took hold of the top of a cedar tree. 4 It broke off the tips of the branches and took them to the land of Canaan; he planted it in a city of merchants.
5 He also took some seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside a large body of water like a willow. 6 Then it sprouted and became a spreading vine low to the ground. Its branches turned toward him, and its roots grew under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and sent out shoots.
7 But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers. Behold! This vine turned its roots toward the eagle, and it spread out its branches toward the eagle from the place it had been planted so it would be watered. 8 It had been planted in good soil beside a large body of water so it would produce branches and sprout fruit, to become a glorious vine.'
9 Say to the people, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Will it prosper? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers, and all its fresh growth will wither? No strong arm or many people will be needed to pull it out by its roots. 10 So behold! After it has been planted, will it grow? Will it not wither when the eastern wind touches it? It will completely wither away in the garden plot where it sprouted.'"
11 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 12 "Speak to the rebellious house, 'Do you not know what these things mean? Behold! The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took her king and her princes and brought them to him in Babylon. 13 Then he took a royal descendant, made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath. He took away the mighty men of the land, 14 so the kingdom might become lowly and not lift itself up. By keeping his covenant the land will survive. 15 But the king of Jerusalem rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt to acquire horses and an army. Will he succeed? Will the one doing these things escape? If he breaks the covenant, will he escape?
16 As I live!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—he will surely die in the land of the king who made him king, the king whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke. He will die in the middle of Babylon. 17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and a great company of men will not help him in battle, when ramps are constructed and siege walls are built up to cut off many lives. 18 For the king despised his oath by breaking the covenant. Behold, he reached out with his hand to make a promise and yet he did all these things. He will not escape.
19 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: As I live, was it not my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke? So I will bring his punishment on his head! 20 I will spread my net out over him, and he will be caught in my hunting net. Then I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for his faithlessness that he committed when he betrayed me! 21 All of his refugees in his armies will fall by the sword, and the ones who remain will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I am Yahweh; I have declared this would happen."
22 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'So I myself will take a twig from the highest part of the cedar tree and I will plant it. I will break off a tender twig, and I myself will plant it on a high mountain. 23 I will plant it on the mountains of Israel so it will bear branches and produce fruit, and it will become a majestic cedar so that every winged bird will live under it. They will nest in the shade of its branches. 24 Then all the trees of the field will know that I am Yahweh. I bring down the high trees and I raise up the low trees. I wither the watered tree and I cause the dried tree to bloom. I am Yahweh, I have declared that this will happen; and I have done it.'"
1 The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, 2 "What do you mean, you who use this proverb concerning the land of Israel and say, 'Fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are made blunt'?
3 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—there will certainly no longer be any occasion for you to use this proverb in Israel. 4 Behold! Every life belongs to me—the life of the father as well as the life of the son, they belong to me! The soul who sins is the one who will die!
5 What can be said about a man who is righteous and who carries out justice and righteousness— 6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her impurity, is he a righteous man? 7 What can be said about a man who does not oppress anyone, who gives back to the debtor his pledge, and who does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing—is he a righteous man? 8 What can be said about a man who does not loan money for usury or take interest but keeps his hand from injustice? It is said of him that he carries out justice and establishes faithfulness between people. 9 If that man walks in my statutes and keeps my decrees to act faithfully, then the promise for this righteous man is this: He will surely live!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
10 But suppose that he has a violent son who sheds blood and does any one of these things that were mentioned, [1]11 (though his father has not done any of these things). He eats upon the mountains and he defiles his neighbor's wife, what can be said about him? 12 He oppresses the poor and needy; he commits robbery and does not return a pledge, and he lifts up his eyes to the idols and commits disgusting practices, 13 and he loans money for usury and takes interest, should that man live? Surely he will not live! He will certainly die and his blood will be on him because he has done all these detestable things.
14 But behold! Suppose there is a man who bears a son, and his son sees all the sins that his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do those things.
15 That son does not eat upon the mountains, and he does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor's wife, what can be said about him? 16 That son does not oppress anyone, or require a pledge, or commit robbery, but instead gives his food to the hungry and covers up the naked with clothing. 17 That son does not oppress anyone or loan money for usury or take interest, but he carries out my decrees and walks according to my statutes; that son will not die for his father's iniquity: He will surely live! 18 His father, since he oppressed others by extortion and robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people—behold, he will die in his iniquity.
19 But you say, 'Why does the son not bear the iniquity of his father?' Because the son carries out justice and righteousness and keeps all my statutes; he does them. He will surely live! 20 The one who sins, he is the one who will die. A son will not bear his father's iniquity, and a father will not bear his son's iniquity. The righteousness of the one who acts rightly will be on himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be on himself.
21 But if the wicked turns away from all his sins that he has done, and obeys all my statutes and performs justice and righteousness, then he will certainly live and not die. 22 All the transgressions that he has committed will not be called to mind against him. He will live by the righteousness that he practices. 23 Do I greatly rejoice over the death of the wicked—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—and not in his turning away from his way so that he may live? 24 But if the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and practices abominations like all the abominations that the wicked person does, then will he live? All the righteousness that he had done will not be called to mind when he betrays me in his treachery. So he will die in the sins that he committed.
25 But you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' Listen, house of Israel! Are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? 26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity and dies because of them, then he will die in the iniquity that he has done. 27 But when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has done and performs justice and righteousness, then he will preserve his life. 28 For he has seen and turned away from all the transgressions that he had done. He will surely live, and he will not die. 29 But the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' How is my way not fair, house of Israel? It is your ways that are not fair. 30 Therefore I will judge each man among you according to his ways, house of Israel!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. Repent and turn away from all your transgressions so that they will not be stumbling blocks of iniquity against you. 31 Throw away from yourselves all of the transgressions that you have committed; make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel? 32 For I have no delight in the death of the one who dies—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—so repent and live!"
1 "Now you, take up a lamentation against the leaders of Israel 2 and say,
'Who was your mother?
A lioness, she lived with a lion's son;
in the midst of young lions, she nurtured her cubs.
3 She is the one who raised up one of her cubs to become a young lion,
a lion who learned to tear apart his prey,
and then he devoured men.
4 Then the nations heard about him.
He was caught in their trap,
and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
5 Then she saw that although she had waited for his return,
her expectation was now gone,
so she took another of her cubs
and raised him to become a young lion.
6 This young lion roamed about in the midst of lions.
He was a young lion and learned to tear his victims;
he devoured men.
7 He seized their widows
and ruined their cities.
The land and its fullness were made desolate
because of the sound of his roaring. [1]
8 But the nations came against him
from the surrounding provinces;
they spread their nets over him.
He was caught in their trap.
9 With hooks they put him in a cage
and then they brought him to the king of Babylon.
They brought him to the strongholds
so that his voice would no longer be heard
on the mountains of Israel.
10 Your mother was like a vine
planted in your blood beside the water. [2]
It was fruitful and full of branches
because of the abundance of water.
11 It had strong branches that were used for rulers' scepters,
and its size was exalted above the branches,
and its height was seen by the greatness of its foliage.
12 But the vine was uprooted in fury
and thrown down to the earth,
and an eastern wind dried out its fruit.
Its strong branches were broken off and withered
and fire consumed them.
13 So now it is planted in the wilderness,
in a land of drought and thirst.
14 For fire went out from her large branches
and consumed its fruit.
There is no strong branch on it,
no scepter to rule.'
This is a lamentation and will be sung as a lamentation."
1 It came about in the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, that elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh and sat before me. 2 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 3 "Son of man, declare to the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Have you come to inquire of me? As I live, I will not be inquired of by you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.' 4 Will you judge them? Will you judge, son of man? Let them know about their fathers' abominations. 5 Say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day that I chose Israel and raised my hand to swear an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I raised my hand to swear an oath to them. I said, "I am Yahweh your God"— 6 on that day I raised my hand to swear an oath to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had carefully selected for them. It was flowing with milk and honey; it was the most beautiful ornament among all the lands. 7 I said to them, "Let each man throw away the detestable things from before his eyes and the idols of Egypt. Do not make yourselves unclean; I am Yahweh your God." 8 But they rebelled against me and were unwilling to listen to me. Each man did not throw away the detestable things from before his eyes nor abandon the idols of Egypt, so I determined to pour out my fury upon them to satisfy my wrath among them in the middle of the land of Egypt. 9 I acted for my name's sake so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were staying. I made myself known to them, in their eyes, by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
10 So I sent them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 Then I gave them my statutes and made my decrees known to them, by which a man will live if he obeys them. 12 I also gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between myself and them, for them to know that I am Yahweh who makes them holy. 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes; instead, they rejected my decrees, by which a man will live if he obeys them, and they greatly profaned my Sabbaths. So, I said I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness in order to end them. 14 But I acted for my name's sake so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out of Egypt. 15 So I myself also raised my hand to swear an oath to them in the wilderness not to bring them into the land that I had been going to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey, which was the most beautiful ornament among all the lands. 16 I swore this because they had rejected my decrees and did not walk in my statutes, and they profaned my Sabbaths, since their hearts walked after their idols. 17 But my eye spared them from their destruction and I did not completely destroy them in the wilderness.
18 I said to their children in the wilderness, "Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, or keep their rules, or defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am Yahweh your God, walk in my statutes; keep my decrees and obey them. 20 Keep my Sabbaths holy so that they will be a sign between me and you, so that you will know that I am Yahweh your God." 21 But their sons and daughters rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statutes or keep my decrees, by which a man might live if he obeys them. They profaned my Sabbaths, so I determined to pour out my fury upon them to satisfy my wrath against them in the wilderness. 22 But I turned my hand away and acted for my name's sake, so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought out the Israelites. 23 I myself also lifted up my hand to swear to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands. 24 I decided to do this since they had not obeyed my decrees, and since they had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths. Their eyes were longing after their fathers' idols. 25 Then I also gave them statutes that were not good, and decrees by which they could not live. 26 I declared them to be unclean through their gifts—they made a sacrifice of every firstborn of the womb and caused them to pass through the fire—that I might fill them with horror so they will know that I am Yahweh!'
27 Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: In this also your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. 28 When I brought them into the land that I had sworn to give them, and then whenever they saw any high hill and leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices, they provoked me by their offerings, and there they also burned their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, "What is this high place where you bring offerings there?" So the name is called Bamah to this day.' 30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Why do you make yourselves unclean with the ways of your fathers? So why do you act like prostitutes, searching for disgusting things? 31 When you offer up your gifts—when you cause your sons to pass through the fire—to this day you defile yourselves with all your idols. So why should I let you seek me, house of Israel? As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—I will not allow you to seek me. 32 The thought that is forming in your mind will never happen. You say, "Let us be like the other nations, like the clans in the other lands who worship wood and stone."
33 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—I will certainly reign over you with a mighty hand, a raised arm, and fury that will be poured out on you. 34 I will bring you out from the other peoples and will gather you out of the lands among whom you have been scattered. I will do this with a mighty hand and with fury poured out. 35 Then I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. 36 As I judged your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so also I will judge you—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 37 I will cause you to pass under my rod, and I will make you obey the requirements of the covenant. 38 I will purge from among you the rebels and those who revolt against me. I will send them out from the land where they are staying as foreigners, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. 39 So to you, house of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says this: Each of you should go to his own idols. Worship them if you will refuse to listen to me, but you must no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and your idols.
40 For on my holy mountain, on the mountain peak of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—all of the house of Israel will worship me there in the land. I will be pleased to require your contributions there, and also the firstfruits of your tribute with all your holy things. 41 I will accept you like fragrant incense when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the lands where you have been scattered. I will show myself as holy among you for the nations to see. 42 Then, when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land that I have lifted up my hand to swear to give to your fathers, you will know that I am Yahweh. 43 There you will call to mind your conduct and all of your deeds by which you defiled yourselves, and you will despise yourselves in your own eyes for all your evil deeds that you have done. 44 So you will know that I am Yahweh when I do this to you because of my name's sake, and not because of your evil deeds, and not because of your corrupt deeds, house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
45 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 46 "Son of man, set your face toward the southern lands, and speak against the south; prophesy against the forest of the Negev. 47 Say to the forest of the Negev, 'This is Yahweh's declaration—the Lord Yahweh says this: See, I will set a fire among you. It will devour every fresh tree and every dried tree among you. The fiery flame will not be quenched; every face from the south to the north will be burned. 48 Then all flesh will see that I am Yahweh when I light the fire, and it will not be quenched.'" 49 Then I said, "Alas! Lord Yahweh, they are saying of me, 'Is he not a mere teller of parables?'"
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and speak against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel. 3 Say to the land of Israel, 'Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you! I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous person and the wicked person from you! 4 In order for me to cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you, my sword will go out from its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north. 5 Then all flesh will know that I, Yahweh, have drawn my sword from its sheath. It will no longer hold back!' 6 As for you, son of man, groan as your loins break! In bitterness groan before their eyes! 7 Then it will happen that they will ask you, 'For what reason are you groaning?' Then you will say, 'Because of the news that is coming, for every heart will melt, and every hand will falter! Every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will flow like water. Behold! It is coming and it will be like this!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 "Son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord says this:
Say: A sword! A sword!
It will be sharpened and polished!
10 It will be sharpened in order to engage in great slaughter!
It will be polished in order to be like lightning!
Should we rejoice in my son's scepter?
The coming sword hates every such rod!
11 So the sword will be given to be polished,
and then to be grasped by the hand!
The sword is sharpened and it is polished
and it is to be given into the hand of the one who kills!'"
12 Call for help and wail, son of man!
For that sword has come against my people!
It is against all the leaders of Israel.
They are thrown against the sword with my people.
Therefore, slap your thigh!
13 For there is a trial,
but what if the scepter that despises does not last?
—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
14 Now you, son of man, prophesy
and hit your two hands together,
for the sword will attack even a third time!
A sword for the ones to be slaughtered!
It is a sword for the many to be slaughtered,
piercing them everywhere!
15 In order to melt their hearts and to multiply their fallen,
I have set the sword for slaughter at all their gates.
Ah! It is made like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter.
16 Strike sharply to the righthand side!
Strike to the lefthand side!
Go wherever your face is turned.
17 For I will also hit my two hands together,
and then I will bring my fury to rest!
I, Yahweh, declare it!"
18 The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, 19 "Now you, son of man, assign two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come. The two roads will start in the same land, and a signpost will mark one of them as leading to a city. 20 Mark one road for the sword to come to Rabbah, the city of the Ammonites. Mark the other to lead the army to Judah and the city of Jerusalem, which is fortified. 21 For the king of Babylon will stop at the crossroads, at the junction, in order to practice divination. He will shake some arrows and ask direction from some idols and he will examine a liver. 22 In his right hand will be a divination about Jerusalem, to set battering rams against it, to open his mouth to order the slaughter, to sound a war cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect siege towers. 23 It will seem to be a false divination in their eye, those who had sworn an oath to the Babylonians! But the king will accuse them of iniquity in order to besiege them!
24 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered, making your transgressions to be revealed, so that in all your actions your sins will be seen—because you have done this you will be taken in hand.
25 As for you, profane and wicked ruler of Israel, whose day of punishment has come, and whose time of committing iniquity has ended, 26 the Lord Yahweh says this to you: Remove the turban and take off the crown! Things will no longer be the same! Exalt the lowly and humble the exalted! 27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until the one comes who is assigned to execute judgment.
28 So you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to the people of Ammon concerning their coming disgrace: A sword, a sword is drawn! It is sharpened for the slaughter in order to devour, so it will be like lightning! 29 While prophets see empty visions for you, while they practice divination to make up lies for you, this sword will lie on the necks of the wicked who are about to be killed, whose day of punishment has come and whose time of iniquity is about to end.
30 Return the sword to its sheath. In the place of your creation, in the land of your origin, I will judge you! 31 I will pour out my indignation on you! I will fan the fire of my rage against you and put you into the hand of cruel men, craftsmen of destruction! 32 You will become fuel for the fire! Your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahweh have declared this!'"
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
2 "Now you, son of man, will you judge? Will you judge the city of blood? Make her know all her abominations. 3 You must say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: This is a city that pours out blood in her midst so that her time may come; a city that makes idols to make herself unclean. 4 You have become guilty by the blood that you have poured out, and you have become unclean by the idols that you have made. You have drawn your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the lands. 5 Both those who are near and those who are far away from you will mock you—you unclean city—with the reputation known everywhere as being full of confusion.
6 Behold! The rulers of Israel, each one by his own power, have come to you to pour out blood. 7 They have dishonored fathers and mothers within you, and they have performed oppression on the foreigners in your midst. They have mistreated the orphans and the widows within you. 8 You have despised my holy things and have profaned my Sabbaths. 9 Slanderous men have come within you in order to pour out blood, and they eat on the mountains. They perform wickedness in your midst. 10 Within you men uncover the nakedness of their father. Within you they have violated unclean women during their impurity. 11 Men who commit abominations with their neighbors' wives, and men who make their own daughters-in-law shamefully unclean; men who abuse their own sisters—daughters of their own fathers—all these are done within you. 12 These men take bribes within you in order to pour out blood and you have loaned money for usury and taken interest, and you have treated your neighbors violently for profit by extortion, and you have forgotten me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
13 See! With my hand I have struck the dishonest gain that you have made, and the bloodshed that is done in the midst of you. 14 Will your heart stand, will your hands be strong on the days when I myself will deal with you? I, Yahweh, am declaring this, and I will do it. 15 So I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the lands. In this way, I will purge your uncleanness from you. 16 So you will become unclean in the eyes of the nations. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.'" [1]
17 Next the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 18 "Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are the leftovers of bronze and tin, and iron and lead in the midst of you. They will be like the dross of silver in your furnace. 19 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because all of you have become like dross, therefore, behold! I am about to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead and tin and put it inside a furnace to melt it, and they blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and my wrath, and I will put you there and melt you. 21 I will gather you and blow on you the fire of my wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, you will be melted in it, and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath on you!'"
23 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 24 "Son of man, say to her, 'You are a land that has not been cleansed. There is no rain on the day of wrath! 25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing apart a victim. They consume life and take precious wealth; they make many widows within her! [2]26 Her priests do violence to my law, and they profane my holy things. They do not distinguish between holy things and profane things, and do not teach the difference between the unclean and the clean. They hide their eyes from my Sabbaths so that I am profaned in their midst. 27 Her princes within her are like wolves tearing apart their victims. They pour out blood and destroy life for unjust gain. 28 Her prophets have painted them over with whitewash—their seers of false visions and diviners of lies. They say "The Lord Yahweh says this" when Yahweh has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have oppressed through extortion and plundered through robbery, and they mistreat the poor and needy, and oppress the foreigner without justice. 30 So I searched for a man from them who would build up a wall and who would stand before me in its breach for the land so I would not destroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I will pour out my indignation upon them. I will finish them with the fire of my indignation and set their way on their own heads—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. 3 They acted as prostitutes in Egypt in the time of their youth. They acted as prostitutes there. Their breasts were squeezed and their virgin nipples were fondled there. 4 Their names were Oholah—the older sister—and Oholibah—her younger sister. Then they became mine and bore sons and daughters. Their names mean this: Oholah means Samaria, and Oholibah means Jerusalem.
5 But Oholah acted as a prostitute even when she was mine; she lusted for her lovers, for the Assyrians who were dominant, 6 for the governor clothed in purple, and for his officials, who were strong and handsome, all of them men riding on horses. 7 So she gave herself as a prostitute to them, to all the best of Assyria's men, and she made herself unclean with everyone she lusted for—and with all their idols. 8 For she had not left her prostitute behavior behind in Egypt, when they had lain with her when she had been a young girl, when they caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust upon her. 9 Therefore I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians for whom she lusted. 10 They uncovered her nakedness, took her sons and daughters, killed her with the sword, and she became notorious among other women, so they executed judgment on her.
11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, but her lust was more passionate than her sister's, and her prostitution was worse. 12 She lusted for the Assyrians, the governors and the dominating officials who dressed impressively, who were men riding horses. All of them were strong, handsome men. 13 I saw that she had made herself unclean. It was the same for both sisters. 14 Then she increased her prostitution even more. She saw men carved on walls, figures of Chaldeans painted in red, 15 wearing belts around their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads. All of them had the appearance of officers of chariot troops, the likeness of sons of Babylonia, whose native land is Chaldea. 16 As soon as her eyes saw them, she lusted for them, so she sent out messengers to them in Chaldea. 17 Then the Babylonians came to her and to her bed of lust, and they made her unclean with their fornication. By what she had done she was made unclean, so she turned herself away from them in disgust. 18 When she displayed her acts of prostitution and uncovered her nakedness, I turned away from her, just as I had turned away in disgust from her sister. 19 Then she increased her prostitution as she remembered the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in the land of Egypt. 20 So she lusted for her lovers, whose private parts were like those of donkeys and whose reproductive emissions were like those of horses. 21 This is how you committed shameful acts of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.
22 Therefore, Oholibah, the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I will turn your lovers against you. Those from whom you turned away, I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, strong, handsome men, governors and officials, all of them are officers and men of reputation, all of them riding on horses. 24 They will come against you with weapons, and with chariots and wagons, and with a great crowd of people. They will set large shields, small shields, and helmets against you all around. I will give them the opportunity to punish you, and they will judge you according to their judgments. 25 For I will set my jealous anger on you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and your daughters, and your survivors will be devoured by fire. 26 They will strip you of your clothes and take away all of your beautiful jewelry. 27 So I will remove your shameful behavior from you and your acts of prostitution from the land of Egypt. You will not lift up your eyes toward them with longing, and you will think of Egypt no longer.'
28 For the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I will give you into the hand of the ones you hate, back into the hand of the ones from whom you had turned away. 29 They will deal with you hatefully; they will take all the products of your labor and abandon you naked and bare. The nakedness of your fornication will be uncovered—and your wicked deeds and your fornications. 30 These things will be done to you in your acting like a prostitute, lusting after nations by which you became unclean with their idols. 31 You have walked in the way of your sister, so I will put her cup of punishment into your hand.'
32 The Lord Yahweh says this,
'You will drink your sister's cup that is deep and large.
You will become a laughingstock and a subject for derision—
this cup contains a great amount.
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
the cup of horror and devastation;
the cup of your sister Samaria.
34 You will drink it and drain it empty;
then you will shatter it
and tear your breasts with the pieces.
For I have declared it—
this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'
35 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because you have forgotten me and thrown me away behind your back, so also you will bear the consequences of your shameful behavior and acts of sexual immorality.'"
36 Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? So present to them their disgusting practices, 37 since they have committed adultery, and since there is blood on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and they have even caused their sons to pass through the fire, as food for their idols. 38 Then they continue to do this to me: They make my sanctuary unclean, and on the same day they defile my Sabbaths. 39 For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, then they came to my sanctuary on the same day to defile it! So behold! This is what they have done in the middle of my house. 40 You sent out for men who came from far away, to whom messengers had been sent—now behold. They indeed came, those for whom you bathed, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry. 41 There you sat on a beautiful bed and at a table arranged before it where you placed my incense and my oil. 42 So the sound of a carefree crowd was around her, including all kinds of men, even Sabeans were brought in from the wilderness, and they put bracelets on their hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.
43 Then I said of her who was worn out by adulteries, 'Now they will fornicate with her, and she with them.' 44 They went to her as men go to a prostitute. In this way they went to Oholah and Oholibah, immoral women. 45 But righteous men will pass judgment and punish them as adulteresses, and they will punish them with the sentence for those who shed blood, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands. 46 So the Lord Yahweh says this: I will raise up a company against them and give them up to be terrorized and plundered. 47 Then that company will stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses. 48 For I will remove shameful behavior from the land and discipline all the women so they will no longer act like prostitutes. 49 So they will set your shameful behavior against you. You will bear the guilt of your sins with your idols, and in this way you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh."
1 The word of Yahweh came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, and on the tenth day of the month, saying, 2 "Son of man, write for yourself the name of this day, this exact day, for this exact day the king of Babylon has besieged Jerusalem. 3 So speak a proverb against this rebellious house, a parable. Say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:
Place the cooking pot.
Place it and pour water into it.
4 Gather pieces of food within it,
every good piece—the thigh and shoulder—
and fill it with the best bones.
5 Take the best of the flock,
and pile up the bones under it.
Bring it to a boil
and cook the bones in it.
6 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood, a cooking pot that has rust in it and that rust will not come out of it. Take piece after piece from it, but do not cast lots for it.
7 For her blood is in the midst of her. She has set it on the smooth rock; she has not poured it out on the ground to cover it with dust, 8 so it brings fury up to exact vengeance. I placed her blood on the smooth rock so it could not be covered.
9 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood. I will also enlarge the pile of wood. 10 Stack up the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well and mix in the spices and let the bones be charred. 11 Then set the pot on its coals empty, in order to heat and scorch its bronze, so its uncleanness within it will be melted, its corrosion consumed.' 12 She has become weary because of toil, but her corrosion has not gone out of her by the fire.
13 Your shameful behavior is in your uncleanness. Because I tried to cleanse you but still you would not be cleansed from your uncleanness, you will not be cleansed anymore until I have satisfied my fury upon you.
14 I, Yahweh, have declared it, and I will do it. I will not relent nor will I rest from it. As your ways were, and as your activities, they will judge you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
15 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 16 "Son of man! Behold, I am taking the delight of your eyes from you with a plague, but you must not mourn nor weep, and your tears must not flow. 17 You must groan silently. Do not conduct a funeral for the dead. Tie your turban on you and place your sandals on your feet, but do not cover your facial hair or eat the bread of men who mourn for having lost their wives." 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. In the morning I did what I had been commanded to do.
19 The people asked me, "Will you not tell us what these things mean, the things that you are doing?" 20 So I said to them, "The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 21 'Say to the house of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will desecrate my sanctuary—the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind will fall by the sword. 22 Then you will do exactly as I have done: you will not veil your facial hair, nor eat the bread of mourning men! 23 Instead, your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet; you will not mourn nor weep, for you will rot away in your iniquities, and each man will groan for his brother. 24 So Ezekiel will be a sign for you, as everything that he has done you will do when this comes. Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!'
25 "But you, son of man, on the day that I capture their stronghold, the joy of their splendor, and the delight of their eyes and the burden of their soul, their sons and daughters, 26 on that day, a refugee will come to you to give you the news! 27 On that day your mouth will be opened up to that refugee and you will speak—you will no longer be silent. You will be a sign for them so that they will know that I am Yahweh."
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, set your face against the people of Ammon and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the people of Ammon, 'Hear the word of the Lord Yahweh. This is what the Lord Yahweh says: Because you said, "Aha!" over my sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into exile, 4 therefore, behold, I am giving you to a people in the east as their possession. They will set up camp against you and set up their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and they will drink your milk. 5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and the people of Ammon a field for flocks. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. 6 For the Lord Yahweh says this: You have clapped your hands and stamped your feet, and rejoiced with all the contempt within you against the land of Israel. 7 Therefore, behold! I will strike you with my hand and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from among the lands! I will destroy you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'
8 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because Moab and Seir say, "Behold! The house of Judah is like every other nation." 9 Therefore, behold! I will open the slopes of Moab, starting at his cities on the border—the splendor of Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim— 10 to the people of the east who have been against the people of Ammon. I will give them up as a possession so that the people of Ammon will not be remembered among the nations. 11 So I will perform judgments against Moab, and they will know that I am Yahweh.'
12 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'Edom has taken vengeance against the house of Judah and has committed wrong in doing so. 13 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: I will strike Edom with my hand and destroy all men and animals there. I will make them a ruined, abandoned place, from Teman to Dedan. They will fall by the sword. 14 I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will do to Edom according to my anger and my fury, and they will know my vengeance—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'
15 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because the Philistines have acted vengefully and taken vengeance with contempt in their heart as enemies trying to destroy Judah for all time, 16 this is what the Lord Yahweh says: Behold! I will reach out with my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy the remnant who are along the seacoast. 17 For I will take great vengeance against them with furious acts of punishment, so they will know that I am Yahweh, when I take my vengeance on them.'"
1 So it was in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, 'Aha! The gates of the people are broken! She has turned to me; I will be filled up because she is ruined.' 3 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I am against you, Tyre, and I will raise up many nations against you like the sea raises its waves. 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down her towers. I will sweep her dust away and make her like a bare rock. 5 She will become a place for nets to dry out in the midst of the sea, since I have declared it—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—and she will become plunder for the nations. 6 Her daughters who are in the fields will be slaughtered by the swords, and they will know that I am Yahweh.'
7 For this is what the Lord Yahweh says: Behold, from the north I am bringing Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a great crowd of people. 8 He will kill your daughters in the field with the sword. He will set up a siege work and build a ramp against your walls and raise up shields against you. 9 He will place his battering rams to hit against your walls, and with his tools he will tear down your towers. 10 His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake with the sound of horsemen, wagons, and chariots. When he enters your gates, he will enter as men come into a city whose walls have been broken down. 11 The hooves of his horses will trample all of your streets. He will kill your people with the sword and your mighty stone pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your delightful homes. Your stones, your timber, and the rubble they will throw into the waters. 13 I will stop the noise of your songs. The sound of your harps will be heard no more. 14 I will make you a bare rock, you will become a place where nets are spread out to dry. You will never be built again, for I, Lord Yahweh have spoken—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
15 The Lord Yahweh says this to Tyre, 'Will not the islands quake with the sound of your downfall, and with the groans of the wounded when the terrible slaughter is in your midst? 16 Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones and remove their robes and cast off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling, they will sit on the ground and tremble every moment, and they will be appalled because of you. 17 They will lift up a lament for you and say to you,
How you, who were inhabited by sailors,
have been destroyed.
The famous city that was so strong—
it is now gone from the sea.
The ones living in her
once spread a terror about themselves
upon everyone who lived near them.
18 Now the coasts tremble on the day of your downfall.
The islands in the sea are terrified,
because you are no longer in your place.'
19 For the Lord Yahweh says this: When I make you a desolate city, like the other cities that are not inhabited, when I raise up the deeps against you, and when the great waters cover you, 20 then I will bring you down to the people of ancient times, like the others who have gone down into the pit; for I will make you live in the lowest parts of the earth as in ruins of ancient times. Because of this you will not come back and stand in the land of the living. [1]21 I will place disaster on you, and you will be no more forever. Then you will be sought, but you will never be found ever again—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
1 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Now you, son of man, begin a lamentation concerning Tyre, 3 and say to Tyre, who lives within the gates of the sea, merchants of peoples to many islands, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to you:
Tyre, you have said, "I am perfect in beauty."
4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
your builders have perfected your beauty.
5 They have made all your planks with cypress from Senir;
they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
6 They made your oars from the oaks of Bashan;
they made your decks out of cypress wood from Cyprus,
and they overlaid them with ivory.
7 Your sails were made from colorful linen from Egypt
that served as your signal flag;
the colors of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah
are used for the awning on your boat.
8 Those who were living in Sidon and Arvad were your rowers;
the wise men of Tyre were within you;
they were your pilots.
9 The elders of Byblos filled your seams;
all the ships of the sea and their sailors among you
were carrying your merchandise for trade.
10 Persia, Lydia, and Libya were in your army,
your men of war.
They hung shield and helmet within you;
they showed your splendor.
11 The men of Arvad and Helek in your army
were on your walls surrounding you,
and the people of Gammad were in your towers.
They hung up their shields on your walls all around you!
They completed your beauty.
12 Tarshish was a trading partner with you because of your abundant wealth of goods to sell: Silver, iron, tin, and lead. They bought and sold your wares! 13 Greece, [1] Tubal, and Meshech—they traded slaves and in items made of bronze. They handled your merchandise. 14 Beth Togarmah provided horses, warhorses, and mules as your merchandise. 15 The men of Rhodes traded with you on many coasts. Merchandise was in your hand; they sent back horn, ivory, and ebony as payment! 16 Aram was a trading partner for the many products of your labor; they provided emeralds, purple, colored cloth, fine fabric, pearls, and rubies as your merchandise. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were trading with you. They provided wheat from Minnith, cakes, honey, oil, and balsam as your merchandise. 18 Damascus was a trading partner for the many products of your labor, of all your enormous wealth, and of the wine of Helbon and the wool of Zahar. 19 Dan and Javan from Izal provided you with merchandise of wrought iron, cinnamon, and calamus. This became merchandise for you. 20 Dedan was your dealer in fine saddle blankets. 21 Arabia and all the chiefs of Kedar were your trading partners; they provided you with lambs, rams and goats. 22 The traders of Sheba and Raamah came to sell you the best of every spice and in all kinds of precious gems; they traded gold for your merchandise. 23 Haran, Kanneh, and Eden were your trading partners, along with Sheba, Ashur, and Kilmad. 24 These were your dealers in ornate robes of violet cloths with woven colors, and in blankets of multicolored, embroidered, and well-woven cloth in your marketplaces.
25 The ships of Tarshish
were the transporters of your merchandise!
So you were filled up,
heavily laden with cargo in the heart of the seas!
26 Your rowers have brought you into vast seas;
the eastern wind has broken you in the middle of them.
27 Your wealth, merchandise, and trade goods;
your sailors and pilots, and ship builders;
your traders of merchandise and all the men of war who are in you,
and all your company—
they will sink into the depths of the sea
on the day of your overthrow.
28 Cities at the sea will tremble
at the sound of your pilots' cry.
29 All those who handle oars will come down from their ships;
mariners and all the pilots on the sea will stand on the land.
30 Then they will make their voices heard over you
and they will cry aloud bitterly;
they will cast dust up on their heads.
They will roll about in ashes.
31 They will shave their heads bald for you
and bind themselves with sackcloth,
and they will weep bitterly over you
and they will cry out.
32 They will lift up their wails of lamentation for you
and sing dirges over you,
Who is like Tyre, who has now been brought to silence
in the middle of the sea?
33 When your merchandise went ashore from the sea,
it satisfied many peoples;
you enriched the kings of the earth
with your great wealth and merchandise!
34 But when you were shattered by the seas, by deep waters,
your merchandise and all your company sank!
35 All the inhabitants of the coasts were appalled at you,
and their kings bristled in horror!
Their faces trembled!
36 The traders among the people hiss at you;
you have become a horror,
and you will be no more forever.'"
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Your heart is arrogant! You have said, "I am a god! I will sit in the seat of the gods in the heart of the seas!" Even though you are a man and not a god, you make your heart like the heart of a god; 3 you think that you are wiser than Daniel, and that no secret amazes you! 4 You have made yourself wealthy with wisdom and skill, and obtained gold and silver in your treasuries! 5 By great wisdom and by your trading, you have multiplied your wealth, so your heart is arrogant because of your wealth.
6 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have made your heart like the heart of a god, 7 I will therefore bring foreigners against you, terrifying men from other nations. They will bring their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they will profane your splendor. 8 They will send you down to the pit, and you will die the death of those who die in the heart of the seas. 9 Will you truly say, "I am a god" to the face of one who kills you? You are a man and not God, and you will be in the hand of the one who pierces you. 10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners, for I have declared it—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
11 The word of Yahweh came again to me, saying, 12 "Son of man, lift up a lament for the king of Tyre and say to him, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone covered you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made from gold. It was on the day you were created that they were prepared. 14 I placed you on the holy mountain of God as the cherub I anointed to guard mankind. You were in the midst of the fiery stones where you walked about. 15 You had integrity in your ways from the day you were created until injustice was found within you. 16 Through your great trade you were filled with violence, and so you sinned. So I threw you out of the mountain of God, as a one who was defiled, and I destroyed you, guardian cherub, and drove you from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart was arrogant with your beauty; you ruined your wisdom because of your splendor. I have sent you down to the earth. I have placed you before kings so they may see you. 18 Because of your many iniquities and your dishonest trade, you have defiled your holy places. So I have made fire come out from you; it will consume you. I will turn you into ashes on the earth in the sight of all who look at you. 19 All the ones who knew you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have become terrified, and you will be no more forever.'"
20 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 21 "Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her. 22 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Sidon! For I will be glorified in your midst. Then they will know that I am Yahweh when I execute judgments within her. I will be shown to be holy in her. 23 I will send out a plague in her and blood in her streets, and those who are fatally wounded will fall in the midst of her. When the sword comes against her from all around, then they will know that I am Yahweh.
24 Then there will no longer be pricking briers and painful thorns for the house of Israel from all those around them who despise them, so they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!'
25 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they were scattered, and when I am set apart among them, so the nations may see, then they will make their homes in the land I will give to my servant Jacob. 26 Then they will live securely within her and build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I execute judgments on all the ones who now despise them from all around; so they will know that I am Yahweh their God!'"
1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt; prophesy against him and against all of Egypt. 3 Declare and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:
Behold! I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
You, the great sea monster that lurks in the midst of the river,
that says, "My river is my own. I have made it for myself."
4 For I will place hooks in your jaw,
and the fish of your Nile will cling to your scales;
I will lift you up from the middle of your river
along with all the fish of the river that cling to your scales.
5 I will throw you down into the wilderness,
you and all the fish from your river.
You will fall on the open field;
you will not gather together or assemble.
I will give you as food to the living things of the earth
and to the birds of the heavens.
6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know
that I am Yahweh,
because they have been a walking stick
made of a reed to the house of Israel.
7 When they took hold of you in their hand,
you broke and tore open their shoulder;
and when they leaned on you,
you were broken,
and you caused their legs to be unsteady.
8 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will bring a sword against you. I will cut off both men and animals from you. 9 So the land of Egypt will become desolate and a ruin. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, because the sea monster had said, "The river is mine, for I have made it." 10 Therefore, behold! I am against you and against your river, so I will give the land of Egypt over to desolation and waste, and you will become a wasteland from the Migdol to Syene and the borders of Cush. 11 No man's foot will pass through it, and no wild animal's foot will pass through it. It will not be inhabited for forty years. 12 For I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of uninhabited lands, and its cities in the midst of wasted cities will become a desolation for forty years; then I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and I will disperse them though the lands.
13 For the Lord Yahweh says this: At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt from the peoples among whom they were scattered. 14 I will reverse the captivity of Egypt and bring them back to the region of Pathros, to the land of their origin. Then they will be a lowly kingdom there. 15 It will be the lowliest of the kingdoms, and it will not be lifted up any more among the nations. I will diminish them so they will no longer rule over nations. 16 Egypt will no longer be a reason for confidence for the house of Israel. Instead, it will be a reminder of the iniquity that Israel committed when they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.'"
17 Then it came about in the twenty-seventh year on the first of the first month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 18 "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon stationed his army to do hard work against Tyre. Every head was rubbed until it was made bald, and every shoulder was made raw. Yet he and his army received no payment from Tyre for the hard work that he carried out against it. 19 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I am giving the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will capture its loot, steal its plunder, and carry off all he finds there; that will be his army's wages. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as the wages for the work they did for me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 21 On that day I will make a horn sprout up for the house of Israel, and I will make you speak in their midst, so that they will know that I am Yahweh.'"
1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:
Wail, "Woe is the coming day."
3 The day is near.
The day is near for Yahweh.
It will be a day of clouds
a time of doom for nations.
4 Then a sword will come against Egypt,
and there will be anguish in Cush
when the killed people fall in Egypt—
when they take her wealth,
and when her foundations are ruined.
5 Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, and Libya, together with the people belonging to the covenant—they will all fall by the sword.
6 Yahweh says this:
So the ones who support Egypt will fall,
and the pride of her strength will go down.
From Migdol to Syene their soldiers will fall by the sword—
this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
7 They will be appalled in the midst of the abandoned lands,
and their cities will be among all the ruined cities.
8 Then they will know that I am Yahweh,
when I set fire in Egypt,
and when all of her helpers are destroyed.
9 In that day messengers will go out from before me in ships to terrorize a secure Cush, and there will be anguish among them on the day of Egypt's doom. For behold! It is coming.
10 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will make an end of the multitudes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. 11 He and his army with him, the terror of nations, will be brought to destroy the land; they will draw out their swords against Egypt and fill the land with those who have been killed. 12 I will make the rivers into dry ground, and I will sell the land into the hand of wicked men. I will make the land and its fullness desolate by the hand of strangers—I, Yahweh, have spoken.
13 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will destroy idols, and I will bring an end to the worthless idols of Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt, and I will put fear on the land of Egypt. 14 Then I will make Pathros desolate and set fire in Zoan, and I will execute acts of judgment on Thebes. 15 For I will pour out my fury on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and cut off the multitude of Thebes. 16 Then I will set fire in Egypt; Pelusium will be in great agony, Thebes will be broken up, and Memphis will face enemies every day. 17 The young men in Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and their cities will go into captivity. 18 In Tahpanhes, the day will become dark when I break the yoke of Egypt there, and the pride of her strength will be finished. There will be a cloud covering her, and her daughters will walk into captivity. 19 I will execute acts of judgment in Egypt, so they will know that I am Yahweh.'"
20 Then it came about in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 21 "Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Behold! It has not been bound up for healing or set with a splint so that it can become strong enough to grasp a sword. 22 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold, I am against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. For I will break his arm, both the strong one and the broken one, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 Then I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among the lands. 24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and place my sword in his hand so that I might destroy Pharaoh's arms. He will groan before the king of Babylon with the groans of a dying man. 25 For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, while Pharaoh's arms will fall. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon; for he will attack the land of Egypt with it. 26 So I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them through the lands. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.'"
1 Then it came about in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, say to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to his multitudes around him,
'In your greatness, who are you like?
3 Behold! Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches,
giving shade to the forest,
and the tallest in height,
and the branches formed its treetop.
4 Many waters made it tall;
the deep waters made it huge.
Rivers flowed all around the place where it was planted,
for their channels stretched out to all the trees in the field.
5 Its great height was more than any of the other trees in the field,
and its branches became very many;
its branches grew long
because of many waters as they grew.
6 Every bird of the heavens
nested in its branches,
while every living thing of the field
gave birth to its young under its foliage.
All of the many nations
lived under its shade.
7 For it was beautiful in its greatness
and the length of its branches,
for its roots were in many waters.
8 Cedars in the garden of God could not equal it.
None among the cypress trees matched its branches,
and the plane tree could not equal its boughs.
There was no other tree in the garden of God
that was like it in its beauty.
9 I made it beautiful with its many branches
and all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied it.
10 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because it was tall in height, and it set its treetop between its branches, it lifted up its heart because of its height. 11 I have given it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations, to deal with it according to what its wickedness deserves. I have thrown it out. 12 Foreigners who were the terror of all the nations cut it off and left it to die. Its branches fell on the mountains and all the valleys, and its boughs lay broken in all the ravines of the land. Then all the nations on earth came out from under its shade and they went away from it. 13 All the birds of the sky rested on the trunk of the fallen tree and every animal of the field came to its branches.
14 This happened so that no other trees that grow by the waters will lift up their foliage to the height of the tallest trees, and that no other trees that grow beside the waters will reach up to that height. All of them have been assigned to death, to the earth below, among the children of humanity, with those that go down to the pit.
15 The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day when the cedar went down to Sheol I brought mourning to the earth. I covered the deep waters over it, and I held back the ocean waters. I kept back the great waters, and I brought mourning to Lebanon for him. So all the trees of the field mourned because of it. 16 I brought shuddering to the nations at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol with those who went down into the pit. So I comforted all the trees of Eden in the lowest parts of the earth. These had been the choicest and best trees of Lebanon; the trees that drank the waters. 17 For they also went down with it to Sheol, to the ones who had been killed by the sword. These were its strong arm, those nations who had lived in its shade. 18 Which of the trees in Eden was your equal in glory and greatness? For you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lowest parts of the earth among the uncircumcised; you will lie down with those who were killed by the sword.'
This is Pharaoh and all of his multitudes—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
1 Then it happened in the twelfth month of the twelfth year, on the first of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, lift up a lament concerning Pharaoh the king of Egypt; say to him,
'You are like a young lion among the nations,
but you are like a monster in the seas;
you churn up the water,
you stir up the waters with your feet and muddy their waters.
3 The Lord Yahweh says this:
So I will spread my net over you in the assembly of many peoples,
and they will lift you up in my net.
4 I will abandon you in the land.
I will throw you into a field
and cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you;
the hunger of all living animals on earth will be satisfied by you.
5 For I will put your flesh on the mountains,
and I will fill the valleys with your worm-filled corpse.
6 Then I will pour your blood over the mountains,
and the stream beds will be filled with your blood.
7 Then when I extinguish you,
I will cover the heavens and darken their stars;
I will cover the sun with clouds,
and the moon will not shine its light.
8 All the shining lights in the heavens
I will darken over you,
and I will put darkness over your land—
this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
9 So I will terrify the heart of many peoples in lands that you do not know, when I bring about your destruction among the nations, among lands that you have not known. [1]10 I will shock many peoples concerning you; their kings will bristle in horror concerning you when I swing my sword before them. Every moment each one will tremble because of you, on the day of your ruin.
11 For the Lord Yahweh says this: The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you.
12 I will cause your multitudes to fall by warriors' swords—
each warrior a terror of nations.
These warriors will devastate the pride of Egypt
and destroy all of its multitudes.
13 For I will destroy all the cattle from beside the plentiful waters;
the foot of man will no longer stir the waters up,
neither will the hooves of cattle stir them.
14 Then I will calm their waters
and make their rivers run like oil—
this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
15 When I make the land of Egypt a desolation,
when the land is made desolate of all its fullness,
when I attack all the inhabitants in her,
they will know that I am Yahweh.
16 There will be a lament; the daughters of the nations will lament over her; they will lament over Egypt, over all her multitudes they will lament—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
17 Then it happened in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 18 "Son of man, weep for the multitudes of Egypt and bring them down—her and the daughters of majestic nations—to the lowest earth with those who have gone down to the pit.
19 'Are you really more beautiful than anyone else?
Go down and lie down with the uncircumcised.'
20 They will fall among those who were killed by the sword. The sword has been drawn! She has been given to the sword; they will seize her and her multitudes. 21 The strongest of the warriors in Sheol will declare about Egypt and her allies, 'They have come down here! They will lie down with the uncircumcised, with those who were killed by the sword.'
22 Assyria is there with all her assembly. Her graves surround her; all of them were killed by the sword. 23 Those whose graves are set in the recesses of the pit are there, with all her assembly. Her graves surround all of those who were killed, who fell by the sword, those who brought terror on the land of the living.
24 Elam is there with all her multitudes. Her graves surround her; all of them were killed— those who fell by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised to the lowest parts of the earth, who brought their terrors on the land of the living and who carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit. 25 Among those who were killed, they have made a bed for her, with her multitude all around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, pierced by the sword, because they had brought their terrors on the land of the living. So they carry their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among those who were killed.
26 Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitudes are there! Their graves surround them. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, because they had brought their terrors on the land of the living. 27 They do not lie down with the fallen warriors of the uncircumcised who have gone down to Sheol with all their weapons of war, and with their swords placed under their heads and their iniquities over their bones. For they were the terror of warriors in the land of the living. 28 So you, Egypt, will be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised! You will lie alongside those who were pierced by the sword.
29 Edom is there with her kings and all her leaders. They have been placed in their strength with those killed by the sword. With the uncircumcised they lie, with those who have gone down to the pit.
30 The princes of the north are there—all of them and all the Sidonians who went down with the ones who had been pierced. They were powerful and terrorized others, but now they lie down there in shame, uncircumcised with those who were pierced by the sword. They carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit.
31 Pharaoh will look and be comforted about all his multitudes who were pierced by the sword—Pharaoh and all his army—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 32 I put him as my terrifying one in the land of the living, but he will be laid down in the midst of the uncircumcised, among those pierced by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitudes—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, declare this to your people; say to them, 'When I bring a sword against any land, then the people of that land take one man from among themselves and make him a watchman for them. 3 He looks for the sword as it comes on the land, and he blows his horn to warn the people! 4 If the people hear the sound of the horn but do not pay attention, and if the sword comes and kills them, then each one's blood is on his own head. 5 If someone hears the sound of the horn and pays no attention, his blood is on him; but if he pays attention, he will save his own life.
6 "However, if the watchman sees the sword as it is coming, but if he does not blow the horn, with the result that the people are not warned, and if the sword comes and takes anyone's life, then that person dies in his own iniquity, but I will require his blood from the watchman.'
7 "Now you yourself, son of man! I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; you will hear the words from my mouth and warn them on my behalf. 8 If I say to a wicked person, 'Wicked one, you will surely die!' but if you do not announce this so as to warn the wicked about his way, then he who is wicked will die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood from your hand! 9 But you, if you warn the wicked about his way, so that he might turn back from it, and if he does not turn back from his way, then he will die in his iniquity, but you yourself will have saved your own life.
10 "So you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'You are saying this, "Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we are rotting away in them! How can we live?"' 11 Say to them, 'As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—I do not delight in the death of the wicked, for if the wicked repents from his way, then he will live! Repent! Repent from your wicked ways! For why should you die, house of Israel?' 12 So now you, son of man, say to your people, 'The righteousness of a righteous person will not save him if he sins! The wickedness of a wicked person will not cause him to perish if he repents from his wickedness! For the righteous person will not be able to live because of his righteousness if he sins. 13 If I say to the righteous, "He will surely live!" and if he trusts in his righteousness and then commits injustice, I will not call to mind any of his righteousness. He will die for the wickedness he committed. 14 So if I say to the wicked, "You will surely die," but if he then repents from his sins and does what is just and right— 15 if he restores the loan guarantee that he wickedly demanded, or if he makes restitution for what he has stolen, and if he walks in the statutes that give life and no longer commits injustice—then he will surely live. He will not die. 16 None of the sins that he has committed will be called to mind for him. He has done justice and righteousness, and so, he will surely live!
17 'But your people say, "The way of the Lord is not fair!" but it is your ways that are not fair! 18 When the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits injustice, then he will die in it! 19 When the wicked turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and righteous, he will live because of those things! 20 But you people say, "The way of the Lord is not fair!" I will judge each of you according to his way, house of Israel!'"
21 It happened in the twelfth year, on the fifth day of the tenth month of our captivity, that a fugitive came to me from Jerusalem and said, "The city has been captured!" 22 The hand of Yahweh had been on me in the evening before the fugitive came, and my mouth was opened by the time that he came to me in the dawn. So my mouth was open; I was no longer mute!
23 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 24 "Son of man, the ones inhabiting those ruins in the land of Israel are talking and say, 'Abraham was only one person, and he inherited the land, but we are many! The land has been given to us as a possession.' 25 Therefore say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: You eat blood, and you lift up your eyes towards your idols, then you pour out people's blood. Should you really possess the land? 26 You have depended on your swords and have done abominations; each man defiles his neighbor's wife. Should you really possess the land?' 27 You will say this to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: As I live, surely the ones in the ruins will fall by the sword, and I will give those in the fields to the living creatures as food, and those in fortresses and in caves will die of plagues. 28 Then I will turn the land into a desolation and a horror, and the pride of its might will end, for the mountains of Israel will be deserted, and there will be no one to pass through them.' 29 So they will know that I am Yahweh, when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all the abominations that they have done.
30 "So now you, son of man—your people are saying things about you beside the walls and the gates of the houses, and each says to one another—each man to his brother, 'Let us go and listen to the prophet's word that comes out from Yahweh!' 31 So my people will come to you, as they often do, and will sit in front of you and listen to your words, but they will not obey them. Right words are in their mouths, but their hearts are going after unjust profit. 32 For you are like a lovely song to them, a beautiful sound that is well played on a stringed instrument, so they will listen to your words, but none of them will obey them. 33 So when all of this happens—behold! it will happen!—then they will know that a prophet has been among them."
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who are shepherding themselves. Should not shepherds guard the flock? 3 You eat the fatty portions and you clothe yourselves in wool. You slaughter the fatlings of the flock. You do not shepherd at all. 4 You have not strengthened those who are weak, nor do you heal the ones who are ill. You do not bind up the ones who are broken, and you do not restore the outcasts or seek the lost. Instead, you rule over them through strength and violence. 5 Then they were scattered without a shepherd, and they became food for all the living beasts in the fields, after they were scattered. 6 My flock strays on all of the mountains and on every high hill, and it is dispersed over the entire surface of the earth. Yet no one is searching for them.
7 Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: 8 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—because my flock has become plunder and food for all the beasts in the fields, because there was no shepherd and none of my shepherds sought my flock, but the shepherds guarded themselves and did not shepherd my flock. 9 Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: 10 The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock from their hand. Then I will dismiss them from shepherding the flock; neither will the shepherds any longer shepherd themselves since I will take away my flock from their mouths, so that my flock will no longer be food for them.
11 For the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I myself will seek out my flock and I will look after them, 12 like a shepherd seeking his flock on the day he is within the midst of his scattered flock. Thus I will seek my flock, and I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on the day of clouds and darkness. 13 Then I will bring them out from among the peoples; I will gather them from the lands and bring them to their land. I will put them in pastures on the mountainsides of Israel, by the streams, and in every settlement in the land. 14 I will put them in good pastures; the high mountains of Israel will be their grazing places. They will lie down there in good places for grazing, in abundant pastures, and they will graze on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will shepherd my flock, and I myself will make them lie down—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration— 16 I will seek the lost and restore the outcast. I will bind up the broken sheep and heal the sick sheep, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd with justice.
17 So now you, my flock—this is what the Lord Yahweh says—behold, I will be a judge between sheep and sheep and between rams and male goats. 18 Is it not enough to feed on the good pasture, that you must trample down with your feet what is left of the pasture; and to drink from clear waters, that you must muddy the rivers with your feet? 19 Must my sheep eat what you have trampled with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this to them: Behold! I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the thin ones, 21 for you have pushed them with your sides and shoulders, and you have gored all of the weak ones with your horns until you have scattered them away from the land. 22 I will save my flock and they will no longer be plunder, and I will judge between one sheep and another! 23 I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will shepherd them, he will feed them, and he will be their shepherd. 24 For I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among them—I, Yahweh, have declared this.
25 Then I will make a covenant of peace with them and remove the evil wild animals from the land, so that they will live securely in the wilderness and safely sleep in the forests. 26 I will also bring blessings on them and on the places around my hill, for I will send out showers in due season. These will be showers of blessing. 27 Then the trees of the field will produce their fruit, and the earth will yield its produce. My sheep will be secure in their land; then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I break the bars of their yoke, and when I rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 They will no longer be plunder for the nations, and the wild animals on the earth will no longer devour them. For they will live securely, and no one will frighten them. 29 For I will provide them a renowned plantation; so they will not be victims of famine in the land, and they will not bear the insults of the nations. 30 Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them. They are my people, the house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 31 For you are my sheep, the flock of my pasture, and my people, and I am your God—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it. 3 Say to it, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will strike you with my hand and make you a desolation and a waste. 4 I will make your cities ruins, and you yourself will become desolate; then you will know that I am Yahweh. 5 Because you have always been hostile to the people of Israel, and because you poured them out into the hands of the sword at the time of their distress, at the time their punishment was at its greatest. 6 Therefore, as I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—I will prepare you for bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you! Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will make Mount Seir a complete desolation when I cut off from it anyone who passes through and returns again. 8 I will fill its mountains with those who were killed; on your high hills and valleys and in all your streams those who were killed by the sword will fall. 9 I will make you a perpetual desolation. Your cities will not be inhabited, but you will know that I am Yahweh.
10 You have said, "These two nations and these two lands will become mine, and we will possess them," even when Yahweh was present with them. 11 Therefore, as I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—so I will do according to your anger and according to your jealousy that you had in your hatred of Israel, and I will show myself to them when I judge you. 12 So you will know that I am Yahweh. I have heard all the insults you spoke against the mountains of Israel, when you said, "They have been destroyed; they have been given over to us to devour." 13 You exalted yourselves against me with what you said, and you multiplied the words you said against me; and I heard it all.
14 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will make you a desolation, while the entire earth rejoices. 15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the people of Israel because of its desolation, I will do the same to you. You will become a desolation, Mount Seir, and all of Edom—all of it! Then they will know that I am Yahweh.'"
1 "Now you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of Yahweh. 2 The Lord Yahweh says this: The enemy has said about you, "Aha!" and "The ancient high places have become our possession."' 3 Therefore prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Because of your desolation and because of the attacks that came on you from all sides, you have become a possession of the other nations; you have been the subject of slanderous lips and tongues, and of people's stories. 4 Therefore, mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord Yahweh: The Lord Yahweh says this to the mountains and the high hills, to the streambeds and valleys, to the uninhabited desolations and the abandoned cities that have become plunder and a subject of mocking for the other nations that surround them— 5 therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I have certainly spoken in the fire of my zeal against the other nations, against Edom and all who took my land for themselves as a possession, against all those who had both joy in their heart and contempt in their spirit, as they seized my land that they might claim its pasturelands for themselves.' 6 Therefore, prophesy to the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the high hills, to the streambeds and to the valleys, 'the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! In my zeal and in my anger I am declaring this because you have borne the insults of nations. 7 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: I myself will lift up my hand to swear that the nations that surround you will certainly carry their own shame.
8 But you, mountains of Israel, you will grow branches and bear fruit for my people Israel, since they will soon come back to you. 9 For behold, I am for you, and I treat you with favor; you will be plowed and sown with seed. 10 So I will multiply upon you the number of your people, even the whole house of Israel. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11 I will multiply men and animals on you mountains so that they will multiply and be fruitful. Then I will cause you to be inhabited as you previously were, and I will do you more good than in the past, for you will know that I am Yahweh. 12 I will bring men, my people Israel, to walk on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance, and you will no longer cause their children to die. 13 The Lord Yahweh says this: Because they are saying to you, "You devour men, bereaving your nation of children," 14 therefore you will not consume people any longer, and you will no longer make your nation mourn their deaths. This is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 15 Nor will I allow you to hear the insults of the nations any longer; you will no longer have to suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
16 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 17 "Son of man, when the house of Israel inhabited their land, they defiled it with their ways and their deeds. Their ways were like the uncleanness of the impurity before me. 18 So I poured out my fury against them for the blood that they poured out on the land and for their pollution of it by their idols. 19 I scattered them among the nations; they were dispersed through the lands. I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. 20 Then they went to the nations, and wherever they went, they profaned my holy name when people said of them, 'Are these really the people of Yahweh? For they have been thrown out of his land.' 21 But I had compassion for my holy name that the house of Israel had defiled among the nations, when they went there.
22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: I am not doing this for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations everywhere you have gone. 23 For I will make my great name holy, which you have profaned among the nations—in the midst of the nations, you profaned it. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—when you see that I am holy. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from every land, and I will bring you to your land. 25 Then I will sprinkle pure water on you so you will be clean; you will be purified from all of your uncleanness, and I will purify you from all of your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and a new spirit in your innermost parts, and I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh. For I will give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will set my Spirit in you and enable you to walk in my statutes and keep my decrees, so you will do them. 28 Then you will inhabit the land that I gave to your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 For I will save you from all of your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and multiply it. I will no longer put famine upon you. 30 I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field so that you will no longer bear the shame of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will think of your wicked ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will show loathing on your faces because of your own iniquities and your disgusting practicies.
32 I am not doing this for your sake—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—let this be known to you. So be ashamed and disgraced because of your ways, house of Israel. 33 The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day that I purify you from all your iniquity, I will cause you to inhabit the cities and to rebuild the ruined places. 34 For you will plow the ruined land until it is no longer a ruin before the eyes of all who pass by. 35 Then they will say, "This land was desolate, but it has become like the garden of Eden; the desolate cities and the uninhabited ruins that were torn down are now fortified and inhabited." 36 Then the other nations around you will know that I am Yahweh, that I built up the ruins and replanted the deserted places. I am Yahweh. I have declared it and I will do it.
37 The Lord Yahweh says this: Again I will be asked by the house of Israel to do this for them, to increase them like a flock of people. 38 Like the flock is set apart for sacrifices, like the flock in Jerusalem at her appointed feasts, so will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people and they will know that I am Yahweh.'"
1 The hand of Yahweh was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of Yahweh and set me down in the midst of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 Then he made me pass through them round and round. Behold! A great many of them were in the valley. Behold! They were very dry. 3 He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live again?" So I said, "Lord Yahweh, you alone know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones. Listen to the word of Yahweh. 5 The Lord Yahweh says this to these bones: Behold! I am about to put breath into you, and you will live. 6 I will place sinews over you and bring flesh onto you. I will cover you with skin and put breath within you so you will live. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.'"
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; as I prophesied, behold, a sound came, that of shaking. Then the bones drew together—bone against bone. 8 I looked and, behold, sinews were now on them, and flesh grew up and skin covered them. But there was still no breath in them. 9 Then Yahweh said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Breath, come from the four winds, and breathe on these who have been killed, so they may live.'" 10 So I prophesied as I was commanded; the breath came into them and they lived. Then they stood on their feet, a very great army.
11 Then Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the entire house of Israel. Behold! They are saying, 'Our bones have dried up, and our hope is gone. We have been cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will open your graves and lift you out from them, my people. I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves and bring you out from them, my people. 14 I will place my Spirit within you so you will live, and I will cause you to rest in your land when you know that I am Yahweh. I declare and will do it—this is Yahweh's declaration.'"
15 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 16 "So now you, son of man, take one stick for yourself and write on it, 'For Judah and for the people of Israel, his companions.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim, and for all the people of Israel, their companions.' 17 Bring both of them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand. 18 When your people speak to you and say, 'Will you not tell us what these things of yours mean?' 19 then say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am taking the branch of Joseph that is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel his companions and joining it to the branch of Judah, so that they will make one branch, and they will become one in my hand.' 20 Hold in your hand the branches that you wrote on before their eyes.
21 Declare to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am about to take the people of Israel from among the nations where they went. I will gather them from the surrounding lands and I will bring them to their land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and there will be one king as king over all of them, and they will no longer be two nations. They will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23 Then they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, their disgusting things, or any of their other sins. For I will save them from all of their faithless actions with which they have sinned, and I will purify them, so they will be my people and I will be their God. [1]
24 David my servant will be king over them. So there will be one shepherd over them all, and they will walk according to my decrees and they will keep my statutes and obey them. 25 They will live in the land that I have given to my servant Jacob, where your fathers had stayed. They will live in it forever—they, their children, and their grandchildren, for David my servant will be their chief forever. 26 I will establish a covenant of peace with them. It will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will establish them and multiply them and set my holy place in their midst forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sets Israel apart, when my holy place is among them forever.'"
1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, set your face toward Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; and prophesy against him. 3 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 So I will turn you around and set hooks in your jaw; I will send you out with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them dressed in full armor, a great company with large shields and small shields, all of them holding swords! 5 Persia, Cush, and Libya are with them, all of them with shields and helmets! 6 Gomer and all her troops, and Beth Togarmah, from the far parts of the north, and all its troops! Many peoples are with you!
7 Get ready! Yes, prepare yourself and your troops assembled with you, and be their commander. 8 You will be called after many days, and after some years you will go to a land that has recovered from the sword and that has been gathered from many peoples, gathered back to the mountains of Israel that had been a continuous ruin. But the land's people will be brought out of the peoples, and they will live in safety, all of them! 9 So you will go up as a storm goes; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, all the many soldiers with you.
10 The Lord Yahweh says this: It will happen on that day that plans will form in your heart, and you will devise wicked schemes.' 11 Then you will say, 'I will go up to the open land; I will go to the quiet people living in safety, all of them living where there are no walls or bars, and where there are no city gates. 12 I will capture booty and steal plunder, in order to bring my hand against the ruins that are newly inhabited, and against the people gathered from the nations, people who are gaining livestock and property, and who are living at the center of the earth.' 13 Sheba and Dedan, and the traders of Tarshish along with all its young warriors will say to you, 'Have you come to take booty? Have you assembled your company to take away plunder, to carry off silver and gold, to take their livestock and property and to haul away much plunder?'
14 Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: On that day, when my people Israel are living securely, will you not learn about them? 15 You will come from your place far away in the north with a great army, all of them riding on horses, a great company, a large army. 16 You will attack my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, so the nations might know me when I show myself through you, Gog, to be holy before their eyes.
17 The Lord Yahweh says this: Are you not the one of whom I spoke in former days by the hand of my servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in their own time for years that I would bring you against them? 18 So it will come to be in that day when Gog attacks the land of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—my wrath will mount up in my anger. 19 In my zeal and in the fire of my anger, I declare that on that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 They will shake before me—the fish of the sea and the birds of the skies, the beasts of the fields, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth, and every person who is on the surface of the land. The mountains will be thrown down and the cliffs will fall, until every wall falls to the earth. 21 I will summon a sword against him on all my mountains—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—each man's sword will be against his brother. 22 With plague and blood I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain on him and on his troops—and on the many nations with him—a torrential downpour and hailstones, fire and sulfur. 23 For I will show my greatness and my holiness and I will make myself known in the eyes of the many nations, and they will know that I am Yahweh.'"
1 "Now you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Gog, chief of Meshech and Tubal. 2 I will turn you and lead you on; I will bring you up from the far north and bring you to the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will knock your bow out of your left hand and make the arrows fall from your right hand. 4 You will fall on the mountains of Israel—you and all your troops and the soldiers who are with you. I will give you to the birds of prey and the wild beasts of the fields for food. 5 You will fall on the open field, for I myself declare it—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 6 Then I will send out fire on Magog and on those living in safety on the coasts, and they will know that I am Yahweh. 7 For I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will no longer allow my holy name to be profaned; the nations will know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold! The day is coming, and it will take place—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 9 The ones living in the cities of Israel will go out and they will use weapons to kindle and make fires and burn them—small shields, large shields, bows, arrows, the clubs and spears; they will make fires with them for seven years. 10 They will not gather wood from the fields or cut down trees from the forests, since they will kindle fires with the weapons; they will take from those who wanted to take from them; they will plunder those who wanted to plunder them—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
11 Then it will happen on that day that I will make a place there for Gog—a grave in Israel, a valley for those who journey to the east of the sea. It will block those who wish to cross over. There they will bury Gog with all his multitudes. They will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. 12 For seven months the house of Israel will bury them in order to purify the land. 13 For all the people of the land will bury them; it will be a day of renown for them when I am glorified—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 14 Then they will designate men to continually go through the land, to find those who were traveling through, but who died and their bodies remained on the surface of the land, so that they may bury them, in order to cleanse the land. At the end of the seventh month they will begin their search. 15 As these men pass through the land, when they see any human bone, they will put a marker by it, until gravediggers come and bury it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. 16 There will be a city there by the name of Hamonah. In this way they will purify the land.
17 Now to you, son of man, the Lord Yahweh says this: Say to all the winged birds and all the wild beasts in the fields, 'Gather together and come. Gather from all around to the sacrifice that I myself am making for you, a large sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, so that you may consume flesh and drink blood. 18 You will consume the flesh of warriors and drink the blood of the princes of the earth; they will be rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, they were all fattened in Bashan. 19 Then you will eat fat to your satisfaction; you will drink blood until you become drunk; this will be the sacrifice that I will slaughter for you. 20 You will be satisfied at my table with horse, chariot, warrior, and every man of war—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'
21 I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see my judgment that I perform and my hand that I have set against them. 22 The house of Israel will know that I am Yahweh their God from that day onward. 23 The nations will know that the house of Israel went into captivity because of their iniquity by which they betrayed me, so I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries so that all of them fell by the sword. 24 I did to them according to their uncleanness and their sins, when I hid my face from them.
25 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Now I will reverse the captivity of Jacob, and I will have compassion on all the house of Israel, when I act with zeal for my holy name. 26 Then they will bear their shame and all the treachery by which they betrayed me. They will forget all this when they rest in their land in safety, with no one to terrify them. 27 When I restore them from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, I will show myself to be holy in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they will know that I am Yahweh their God, for I sent them into captivity among the nations, but then I will gather them back to their land. I will not leave any of them among the nations. 29 I will no longer hide my face from them when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
1 In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity at the beginning of the year on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured—on that same day, the hand of Yahweh was upon me and he took me there. 2 In visions from God he brought me to the land of Israel. He brought me to rest on a very high mountain; to the south were what appeared to be buildings of a city. 3 Then he brought me there. Behold, a man! His appearance was like the appearance of bronze. A linen cord and a measuring stick were in his hand, and he stood in the city gate. 4 The man said to me, "Son of man, look with your eyes and listen with your ears, and fix your mind on all that I am revealing to you, for you were brought here so I could reveal them to you. Report everything that you will see to the house of Israel."
5 There was a wall surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring stick in the man's hand was six long cubits. Each long cubit was a cubit and a handbreadth in length. So he measured the wall, and it was one measuring stick thick and one measuring stick high. 6 Then he went to the temple gate that faced east. He went up its steps and measured the threshold of the gate—one stick in depth. [1]7 The guard chambers were each one stick in length and one stick in width; there were five cubits between any two of the chambers, and the threshold of the temple gate by the temple portico was one stick deep. 8 He measured the portico of the gate; it was one stick in length. 9 He measured the portico of the gate. It was one stick deep. The doorposts were two cubits in width. This was the portico of the gate facing the temple. 10 There were three guard chambers on either side of the east gate, and each of them had the same measurement, and the walls that separated them had the same measurement. 11 Then the man measured the width of the gateway entrance—ten cubits; and he measured the length of the gateway entrance—thirteen cubits. 12 He measured the wall that was bordering the front of the chambers—one cubit high. The chambers measured six cubits on each side. 13 Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one chamber to that of the next chamber—twenty-five cubits, from the entrance of the first chamber to that of the second. 14 Then he measured the wall that went between the guard chambers—sixty cubits in length; he measured as far as the gate's portico. 15 The entrance from the front of the gate to the other end of the gate's portico was fifty cubits. 16 There were closed windows toward the chambers and toward their pillars within the gates all around; and it was the same for the porches. There were windows all around the inside, and each jamb was decorated with palm trees.
17 Then the man brought me to the outer courtyard of the temple. Behold, there were rooms, and there was pavement in the courtyard, with thirty rooms next to the pavement. 18 The pavement went up to the side of the gates, and its width was the same as the gates' length. This was the lower pavement. 19 Then the man measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the front of the inner gate; it was one hundred cubits on the east side, and the same on the north side.
20 Then he measured the length and width of the gate that was at the north of the outer court. 21 There were three chambers on either side of that gate, and the gate and its portico measured the same as the main gate—fifty cubits in total length and twenty-five cubits in width. 22 Its windows, portico, chambers, and its palm trees corresponded to the gate that faced east. Seven steps went up to it and to its portico. 23 There was a gate to the inner courtyard in front of the gate facing north, just as also there was a gate to the east; the man measured from one gate to the other gate—one hundred cubits in distance.
24 Next the man brought me to the gate of the southern entrance, and its walls and portico measured the same as the other outer gates. 25 There were closed windows in the gateway and its portico just as at that gate. The south gate and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. 26 There were seven steps up to the gate and its portico, and there were carvings of palm trees on the walls on either side. 27 There was a gate to the inner courtyard on the southern side, and the man measured from that gate to the gate of the south entrance—one hundred cubits in distance.
28 Then the man brought me to the inner courtyard by way of its southern gate, which had the same measurements as the other gates. 29 Its chambers, walls, and porticos measured the same as the other gates; there were windows all around in the portico. The inner gate and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. 30 There were also porticos all around the inner wall; these were twenty-five cubits in length and five cubits in width. 31 This portico faced the outer courtyard with carved palm trees on its walls and eight steps going up to it.
32 Then the man brought me to the inner courtyard by the eastern way and measured the gate, which had the same measurements as the other gates. 33 Its chambers, walls, and portico measured the same as the other gates, and there were windows all around. The inner gate and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. 34 Its portico faced the outer courtyard; it had palm trees on either side of it and eight steps going up it.
35 Next the man brought me to the northern gate and measured it; it measured the same as the other gates. 36 Its chambers, walls, and portico measured the same as the other gates, and there were windows all around. The gateway and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. 37 Its portico faced the outer courtyard; it had palm trees on either side of it and eight steps going up it.
38 There was a room with a door by each of the inner gateways. This was where they rinsed the burnt offerings. 39 There were two tables on each side of each portico, on which the burnt offering was slaughtered, and also the sin offering and the guilt offering. 40 By the wall of the courtyard, going up to the gate to the north, there were two tables. Also on the other side there were two tables at the gate's portico. 41 There were four tables on either side by the gate; they slaughtered animals on the eight tables. 42 There were four tables of cut stone for the burnt offerings, one and a half cubits in length, one and a half cubits in width, and one cubit tall. On them they laid the tools with which they slaughtered the burnt offerings for the sacrifices. 43 Two-pronged hooks a handbreadth in length were fastened in the portico all around, and the flesh of the offerings would be put on the tables.
44 On the outside of the inner gate, within the inner courtyard, were singers' chambers, one on the north side facing south, and the other on the south side facing north. 45 Then the man said to me, "This room facing south is for the priests who are on duty in the temple. 46 The room facing north is for the priests on duty at the altar. These are the sons of Zadok who come near to Yahweh to serve him; they are among the sons of Levi." 47 Next he measured the courtyard—one hundred cubits in length and one hundred cubits in width in a square, with the altar in front of the house.
48 Then the man brought me to the portico of the house and measured its doorposts—they were five cubits thick on either side. The gateway itself was fourteen cubits in width, and the walls on each side of it were three cubits in width. [2]49 The length of the portico was twenty cubits, and its depth was eleven cubits. There were steps that went up to it and columns that stood on either side of it. [3][4]
1 Then the man brought me into the temple's holy place and measured the doorposts—six cubits in width on either side. [1]2 The width of the doorway was ten cubits; the wall on each side was five cubits in length. Then the man measured the dimensions of the holy place—forty cubits in length and twenty cubits in width. 3 Then the man went into the very holy place and measured the posts of the doorway—two cubits, and the doorway was six cubits in width. The walls on either side were seven cubits in width. 4 Then he measured the room's length—twenty cubits. Its width—twenty cubits to the front of the temple hall. Then he said to me, "This is the most holy place."
5 Then the man measured the wall of the house—it was six cubits thick. The width of each side room around the house was four cubits in width. 6 There were side rooms on three levels, one room above another, thirty rooms on each level. There were ledges around the wall of the house, to support all of the side rooms, for there was no support put in the wall of the house. 7 So the side rooms widened and went around going up, for the house went around higher and higher all around; the rooms widened as the house went up, and a stairway went up to the highest level, through the middle level. 8 Then I saw a raised part all around the house, the foundation for the side chambers; it measured a full stick in height—six cubits. 9 The width of the wall of the side rooms on the outside was five cubits. There was an open space to the outside of these rooms in the sanctuary. 10 On the other side of this open space were the priests' outer side rooms; this space was twenty cubits in width all around the sanctuary. 11 There were doors into the side rooms from another open space—one doorway was on the north side, and the other on the south side. The width of this open area was five cubits all around.
12 The building that faced the courtyard on the west side was seventy cubits in width. Its wall measured five cubits thick all around, and it was ninety cubits in length. 13 Then the man measured the sanctuary—one hundred cubits in length. The separated building, its wall, and the courtyard also measured one hundred cubits in length. 14 The width of the front of the courtyard in front of the sanctuary was also one hundred cubits.
15 Then the man measured the length of the building behind the sanctuary, to its west, and the galleries on either side—one hundred cubits. The holy place and the portico, 16 the inner walls and the windows, including the narrow windows, and the galleries all around on three levels, were all paneled in wood. 17 Above the entryway to the inner sanctuary and spaced along the walls there was a measured pattern. 18 It was decorated with cherubim and palm trees; with a palm tree between each cherub, and each cherub had two faces: 19 the face of a man looked toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion looked toward a palm tree on the other side. They were carved all around the entire house. 20 From the ground to above the doorway, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the outer wall of the house.
21 The gate posts of the holy place were square. Their appearance was like the appearance of 22 the wooden altar in front of the holy place, which was three cubits high and two cubits in length on each side. Its corner posts, base, and frame were made of wood. Then the man said to me, "This is the table that stands before Yahweh." [2]23 There were double doors for the holy place and the most holy place. 24 These doors had two hinged door panels each, two panels for one door and two panels for the other. 25 Carved on them—on the doors of the holy place—were cherubim and palm trees just as the walls were decorated, and there was a wooden roof over the portico at the front. 26 There were narrow windows and palm trees on either side of the portico. These were the side rooms of the house, and they also had overhanging roofs.
1 Next the man sent me out to the outer courtyard on the north side, and he brought me to rooms in front of the outer courtyard and the northern outer wall. 2 Those rooms were one hundred cubits along their front and fifty cubits in width. 3 Some of those rooms faced the inner courtyard and were twenty cubits away from the sanctuary. There were three levels of rooms, and the ones above looked down on the ones below and were open to them, having a walkway. Some of the rooms looked out onto the outer courtyard. 4 A passage ten cubits in width and one hundred cubits in length ran in front of the rooms. The rooms' doors were toward the north. [1]5 But the upper halls were smaller, for the walkways took away from them more space than they did in the lowest and middle levels of the building. 6 For the halls on the third story had no columns, unlike the courtyards, which did have columns. So the highest level's rooms were smaller in size compared to the rooms in the lowest and middle levels. 7 The outside wall ran along the rooms toward the outer courtyard, the courtyard that was in front of the rooms. That wall was fifty cubits in length. 8 The length of the rooms of the outer courtyard was fifty cubits, and the rooms facing the sanctuary were one hundred cubits in length. 9 There was an entrance to the lowest rooms from the east side, coming from the outer courtyard.
10 Along the wall of the outer courtyard on the eastern side of the outer courtyard, in front of the sanctuary's inner courtyard, there were also rooms [2]11 with a walkway in front of them. They were as the appearance of the rooms on the northern side. They had the same length and breadth and the same exits and arrangements and doors. 12 On the south side were doors into rooms that were just the same as on the north side. A passage on the inside had a door at its head, and the passage opened into the various rooms. On the east side there was a doorway into the passage at one end.
13 Then the man said to me, "The northern rooms and the southern rooms that are in front of the outer courtyard are holy rooms where the priests who work nearest to Yahweh may eat the most holy food. They will put the most holy things there—the food offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering—for this is a holy place. 14 When the priests enter there, they must not go out of the holy place to the outer court, without laying aside the clothes in which they served, since these are holy. So they must dress in other clothes before going near the people."
15 The man completed measuring the inner house and then took me out to the gate that faced the east and measured all the surrounding area there. 16 He measured the east side with a measuring stick—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. [3]17 He measured the north side—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. [4]18 He also measured the south side—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. [5]19 He also turned and measured the west side—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. [6]20 He measured it on four sides. It had a wall around it that was five hundred cubits in length, and five hundred cubits in width, to separate the holy from the profane.
1 The man then brought me to the gate that opened to the east. 2 Behold! The glory of the God of Israel came from the east; his voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. 3 It was according to the appearance of the vision that I saw, according to the vision that I saw when he had come [1] to destroy the city, and the visions were like the vision that I saw at the Kebar Canal—and I fell to my face. 4 So the glory of Yahweh came to the house by way of the gate that opened to the east. 5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court. Behold! The glory of Yahweh was filling the house.
6 The man was standing beside me, and I heard someone else speaking to me from the house. 7 He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will live in the midst of the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer defile my holy name—they or their kings—with their faithlessness or with the corpses of their kings at their high places. 8 They will no longer profane my holy name by putting their threshold next to my threshold, and their gateposts next to my gateposts, with nothing but a wall between me and them. They defiled my holy name with their disgusting practices, so I consumed them with my anger. 9 Now let them remove their faithlessness and the corpses of their kings from before me, and I will live in their midst forever.
10 Son of man, you yourself must tell the house of Israel about this house so they will be ashamed of their iniquities. They should think about this description. 11 For if they are ashamed of all that they have done, then reveal to them the design of the house, its details, its exits, its entrances, and all its designs, all its decrees and rules. Then write this down before their eyes so they will keep to all its design and all its rules, so as to obey them. 12 This is the regulation for the house: From the peak of the hill to all the surrounding border around it, it will be most holy. Behold! This is the law for the house.
13 These will be the measurements of the altar in cubits—that cubit being a regular cubit and a handbreadth in length. So the gutter around the altar will be a cubit deep, and its width will also be a cubit. The border around its surrounding edge will be one span. This will be the base of the altar. 14 From the gutter at the ground level up to the lower ledge of the altar is two cubits, and that ledge itself is one cubit in width. Then from the small ledge up to the large edge of the altar, it is four cubits, and the large edge is a cubit in width. 15 The hearth on the altar for the burnt offerings is four cubits high, and there are four horns pointing upward on the hearth. 16 The hearth is twelve cubits in length and twelve cubits in width, a square. 17 Its border is fourteen cubits in length and fourteen cubits in width on each of its four sides, and its rim is a half cubit in width. The gutter is a cubit in width all around with its steps facing east."
18 Next he said to me, "Son of man, the Lord Yahweh says this: These are the regulations for the altar on the day they make it, for raising the burnt offering onto it, and for sprinkling blood on it. 19 You will give a young bull from the herd as a sin offering for the Levitical priests who are the descendants of Zadok, those who come near to me to serve me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 20 Then you will take some of its blood and place it on the altar's four horns and the four sides of its edge and on the surrounding rim; you will cleanse it and make atonement for it. 21 Then take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the appointed part of the temple area outside of the sanctuary. 22 Then on the second day you will offer a male goat without blemish from the goats as a sin offering; the priests will cleanse the altar just as they cleansed it with the bull. 23 When you finish its cleansing, offer an unblemished bull from the herd and an unblemished ram from the flock. 24 Offer them before Yahweh; the priests will throw salt onto them and raise them up as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 25 You must prepare a male goat as a sin offering daily for seven days, and the priests must also prepare an unblemished bull from the herd and an unblemished ram from the flock. 26 They must atone for the altar for seven days and purify it, and in this way they must consecrate it. 27 They must complete these days, and on the eighth day and onward it will come about that the priests will prepare your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar, and I will accept you—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
1 Then the man brought me back to the outer sanctuary gate that faced east; it was closed tightly. 2 Yahweh said to me, "This gate has been sealed shut; it will not be opened. No man will go through it, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has come through it, so it has been closed tightly. 3 The ruler of Israel will sit in it to eat food before Yahweh. He will enter by way of the gate's portico and go out the same way."
4 Then he brought me by way of the northern gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh, and I fell to my face. 5 Then Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, set your heart and look with your eyes and listen with your ears to all that I am declaring to you, to all the statutes of the house of Yahweh and all its laws. Think about the house's entrance and the sanctuary's exits. 6 Then say to the rebellious ones, the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Let all of your disgusting practices be enough for you, house of Israel— 7 that you brought foreigners with uncircumcised hearts and uncircumcised flesh to be in my sanctuary, profaning my house, while you were offering me food, fat and blood—you have broken my covenant by all your disgusting practices. 8 You have not carried out your duties regarding my holy things, but you appointed others to take up your duties, and you assigned them to care for my holy place. 9 The Lord Yahweh says this: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, from any of those who live among the people of Israel, may enter my holy place. 10 Yet the Levites went far from me—they wandered away from me, going after their idols—but they will pay for their iniquity. 11 They are servants in my sanctuary, watching the gates of the house and serving in the house and they slaughter the burnt offerings and the people's sacrifices, and they will stand before the people and serve them. 12 But because they performed the sacrifices before their idols, they became stumbling blocks for sin for the house of Israel. Therefore I will lift up my hand to swear an oath against them—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—they will bear their punishment. 13 They will not come near me to serve me as priests or to come near any of my holy things, to my most holy things. Instead, they will bear their shame and their disgusting practices that they have done. 14 But I will place them as keepers of the work in the house, for all of its duties and everything that is done in it.
15 Then the Levitical priests and the descendants of Zadok who fulfilled the duties of my sanctuary when the people of Israel were wandering away from me, they will come near to me to minister to me; they will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 16 They will come to my sanctuary; they will approach my table to worship me and to fulfill their duties to me. 17 So it will be that when they come to the gates of the inner courtyard, they must be clothed in linen clothes, for they must not come in wool inside the gates of the courtyard and its house. 18 There should be linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes on their hips. They must not gird themselves in clothes that make them sweat. 19 When they go out to the outer courtyard, to the outer courtyard in order to go to the people, they must take off the clothes they wore when they served; they must take them off and lay them down in a holy room, so they do not make other people holy by contact with their special clothing. 20 Also they must neither shave their heads nor allow their hair to hang loosely, but they must trim the hair of their heads. 21 No priest may drink wine when he comes to the inner court, 22 nor take a widow or a divorced woman as a wife for himself, but only a virgin from the line of the house of Israel or a widow who was previously married to a priest. 23 For they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane; they will make them know the unclean from the clean. 24 In a dispute they will stand to judge with my decrees; they must be just. They will keep my law and my statutes in every feast, and they will celebrate my holy Sabbaths. 25 They must not defile themselves by going near to a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then they may defile themselves. 26 After a priest has become unclean, they will count off a period of seven days for him. 27 On the day he enters the holy place, into the inner courtyard to serve in the holy place, he must bring a sin offering for himself—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
28 This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I will be their property! 29 They will eat the food offerings, the sin offerings, the guilt offerings, and everything devoted to Yahweh in Israel, will be theirs. 30 The best of the firstfruits of all things and every contribution, anything from all of your contributions will belong to the priests, and you will give the first of your dough to the priests so that blessing may rest on your house. 31 The priests will not eat any carcass or animal torn by a wild animal, whether bird or beast.
1 When you cast lots to divide up the land as an inheritance, you must make an offering to Yahweh; this offering will be a holy part of the land, twenty-five thousand cubits in length, and ten thousand cubits in width. It will be holy, all its area round about. [1]2 From this there will be a five hundred cubits by five hundred cubits square surrounding the holy place, with a surrounding border fifty cubits in width. 3 From this area you will measure a portion that is twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; it will be the sanctuary, the most holy place. 4 It will be a holy place in the land for the priests who serve Yahweh, who come near Yahweh to serve him. It will be a place for their houses and a holy area for the holy place. 5 So it will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width, and it will be for towns that belong to the Levites who serve in the house. 6 You will designate an area for the city, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand in length, that will be next to the area reserved for the holy place; this city will belong to all the house of Israel. 7 The prince's land will be on both sides of the area reserved for the holy place and the property of the city. It will be to their west and to their east. The length will correspond to the length of one of those portions, from the west to the east. 8 This land will be property for the prince in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress my people; instead, they will give the land to the house of Israel, for their tribes.
9 The Lord Yahweh says this: It is enough for you, princes of Israel! Remove violence and strife; do justice and righteousness! Quit your evictions of my people!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 10 You must have just scales, just ephahs, and just baths! 11 The ephah and the bath will be the same amount, so that a bath will be a tenth of a homer; the ephah will be a tenth of a homer. Their measure will be corresponding to the homer. 12 The shekel will be twenty gerahs; sixty shekels will make a mina for you.
13 This is the contribution that you must present: A sixth of an ephah for every homer of wheat, and you will give a sixth of an ephah for every homer of barley. 14 The regulation offering of oil will be a tenth of a bath for every cor (which is ten baths), or for every homer, since a homer is also ten baths. 15 One sheep or goat will be taken from the flock for every two hundred animals from the well-watered land of Israel. These will be used for the grain offerings, the burnt offerings, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the people—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. 16 All the people of the land will give this contribution to the prince in Israel. 17 It will be the prince's responsibility to furnish animals for the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the drink offerings at the festivals and the new moon celebrations, and on the Sabbath days—all the fixed festivals of the house of Israel. He will provide for the sin offerings, the grain offerings, the burnt offerings, and the peace offerings for atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.
18 The Lord Yahweh says this: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you will take an unblemished bull from the herd and perform a sin offering for the sanctuary. 19 The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering and place it on the doorposts of the house and on the four corners of the border of the altar, and on the doorposts of the gate to the inner court. 20 You will do this on the seventh of the month for each person's sin by accident or ignorance; in this way you will atone for the temple.
21 In the first month on the fourteenth day of the month, there will be for you the Passover, a seven-day festival. You will eat unleavened bread. 22 On that day, the prince will prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull as a sin offering. 23 For the seven days of the festival, the prince will prepare a burnt offering for Yahweh: Seven bulls and seven unblemished rams each day for seven days, and a male goat each day as a sin offering. 24 Then the prince will perform a food offering of an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram with a hin of oil for each ephah. 25 In the seventh month on the fifteenth day of the month, at the festival, the prince will perform offerings on these seven days: Sin offerings, burnt offerings, food offerings, and offerings of oil.
1 The Lord Yahweh says this: The gate of the inner courtyard, facing east, will be shut for the six days of work, but on the Sabbath it will be opened, and on the day of the new moon it will be opened. 2 The prince will enter the outer courtyard by the way of the gate and its portico from outside, and he will stand before the doorposts of the inner gate while the priests perform his burnt offering and peace offering. Then he will worship at the threshold of the inner gate and go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening. 3 The people of the land will also worship before Yahweh at the entrance to this gate on the Sabbaths and new moons. 4 The burnt offering that the prince offers to Yahweh on the Sabbath day will be six unblemished lambs and an unblemished ram. 5 The grain offering with the ram will be an ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs will be what he wishes to give, and a hin of oil with each ephah of grain.
6 On the day of the new moon he must offer an unblemished bull from a herd, six lambs, and an unblemished ram. 7 He must make a grain offering of an ephah for the bull and an ephah for the ram, and what he wishes to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil for every ephah of grain. 8 When the prince enters by the way of the gate and its portico, he must leave by the same way.
9 But when the people of the land come before Yahweh at the appointed festivals, anyone entering through the north gate to worship must leave through the south gate; and anyone entering through the south gate must leave through the north gate. No one may turn back to the gate through which he entered, for he must go out straight ahead. 10 The prince must be in their midst; when they go in, he must go in, and when they leave, he must leave. 11 At the festivals, the grain offering must be an ephah of grain for the bull and an ephah for the ram, and whatever he wishes to give with the lambs, and a hin of oil for every ephah. 12 When the prince gives a freewill offering, either a burnt offering or a peace offering to Yahweh, the gate facing east will be opened for him. He will offer his burnt offering or his peace offering as he does it on the Sabbath day. Then he must go out, and after he has gone out the gate will be shut.
13 In addition, you will give an unblemished lamb one year old as a burnt offering to Yahweh daily; you will do this morning after morning. 14 You will give a grain offering with it morning after morning, a sixth of an ephah and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the flour of the grain offering for Yahweh, according to a permanent statute. 15 They will prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil morning after morning, a permanent burnt offering.
16 The Lord Yahweh says this: If the prince gives a gift to one of his sons, it is his inheritance. It will also belong to his descendants. It is their property by inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, then it will be that servant's until the year of liberty, and then it will return to the prince. His inheritance will certainly be for his sons. 18 The prince will not take the people's inheritance, oppressing them by taking their own property; he must provide for his sons from his own property so that my people will not be scattered, each man from his own property.'"
19 Next the man brought me through the entrance at the gate to the holy rooms for the priests, which faced north and behold! There was a place toward the west. 20 He said to me, "This is the place where the priests must boil the guilt offering and the sin offering and where they must bake the grain offering. They must not bring the offerings into the outer courtyard, for then the people would be consecrated." 21 Then he brought me to the outer courtyard and he led me past the four corners of that courtyard, and I saw that in every corner of the courtyard there was another court. 22 In the four corners of the outer courtyard there were four small courtyards, forty cubits in length and thirty in width. The four courtyards were the same size. [1]23 There was a row made of stone all around the four of them, and cooking hearths were under the stone row. 24 The man said to me, "These are the places where the temple servants will boil the people's sacrifices."
1 Then the man took me back to the entrance to the temple, and there was water flowing out from under the temple threshold of the house toward the east—for the front of the temple faced east—and the water was flowing down the south side of the temple, to the right of the altar. 2 So he brought me out through the northern gate and led me around to the gate facing east, and there the water was flowing from this gate on its south side.
3 As the man was going toward the east, there was a measuring line in his hand; he measured off one thousand cubits and brought me through the water to ankle-deep water. 4 Then he measured one thousand cubits again and brought me through the water to knee-deep water; and he measured another thousand cubits and brought me to hip-deep water. 5 Next he measured off another thousand cubits, but it was a river that I could not cross through because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—it was a river that could not be crossed.
6 The man said to me, "Son of man, do you see this?" and he brought me out and had me walk back along the riverbank. 7 As I walked back, there the riverbank had many trees on this side and also the other side. 8 The man said to me, "This water is going out to the eastern territory and down to the Arabah; this water flows into the Salt Sea and will make it fresh. 9 It will be that every living creature that swarms will live where the water goes; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will make the salt water fresh. Everything will live wherever the river goes. 10 Then it will happen that fishermen of En Gedi will stand by the water, and there will be a place to dry out the fishing nets by En Eglaim. There will be many kinds of fish in the Salt Sea, like the fish in the Great Sea for their abundance. 11 But the Salt Sea's swamps and marshes will not be made fresh; they will be for providing salt. 12 Beside this river on its banks, on both sides, all kinds of trees will grow that bear food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will never fail to grow. Each month the trees will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves will be for healing.
13 The Lord Yahweh says this: This will be the way that you divide the land up for the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph will have two portions. 14 You are to divide equally what I lifted up my hand and swore to give to your fathers. This land will come to you as an inheritance.
15 This will be the boundary of the land on the north side from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon, and then to Zedad. [1]16 Then the boundary will go to Berothah, to Sibraim, which is between Damascus and Hamath, and then to Hazer Hattikon, which is beside the boundary of Hauran. 17 So the boundary will go from the sea to Hazar Enan on the border with Damascus and Hamath to the north. This will be the north side.
18 On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan River between Gilead and the land of Israel. You will measure from the border to the eastern sea. This will be the eastern border. [2]
19 Then on the south side the boundary will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This will be the boundary on the south side.
20 Then the boundary on the west side will be the Great Sea to a point opposite Lebo Hamath. This will be the west side.
21 In this way you will divide this land for yourselves, for the tribes of Israel. 22 So you will distribute the inheritances for yourselves and for the foreigners in your midst, those who have given birth to children in your midst and who are, with you, like the native born people of Israel. You will cast lots for inheritances among the tribes of Israel. 23 Then it will happen that the foreigner will be with the tribe among whom he is living. You must give him an inheritance—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
1 These are the names of the tribes. The tribe of Dan will receive one portion of land; its boundary will run along the northern boundary of Israel by way of Hethlon and Lebo Hamath. Its boundary will go on to Hazar Enan and along the border with Damascus to the north and then on to Hamath. Dan's boundary will go from east all the way to the Great Sea. 2 Adjoining the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher will have one portion. 3 Adjoining the border of Asher from the east side to the west, Naphtali will have one portion. 4 Adjoining the border of Naphtali from the east side to the west, Manasseh will have one portion. 5 Adjoining the border of Manasseh from the east side to the west, Ephraim will have one portion. 6 Adjoining the border of Ephraim from the east side to the west, Reuben will have one portion. 7 Adjoining the border of Reuben from the east side to the west, Judah will have one portion.
8 The offering of land that you will make will be along the border with Judah and extend from the east side to the west side; it will be twenty-five thousand cubits in width. Its length will correspond to one tribe's portion from the east side to the west side, and the sanctuary will be in the middle of it. 9 This land that you will offer up to Yahweh will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width. 10 These will be the assignments of this holy portion of land: The priests will have land assigned to them measuring twenty-five thousand cubits in length on the north side; ten thousand cubits in width on the west side; ten thousand cubits in width on the east side; and twenty-five thousand cubits in length on the south side, with the holy place of Yahweh in the middle of it. 11 This will be for the consecration of the priests of the line of Zadok, who have served me faithfully and who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did. 12 The offering for them will be a portion of this most holy land, extending to the border of the Levites.
13 The Levites' land along the border with the priests' land will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width. The entire length of the two tracts of land will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and twenty thousand cubits in width. 14 They must not sell it or exchange it; none of this firstfruits of the land of Israel must ever be separated from these tracts, for it all is holy to Yahweh.
15 The remaining land, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand cubits in length, will be for the collective use of the city, the houses, and the pastureland; the city will be in its midst. 16 These will be the city's measurements: The north side will be 4,500 cubits in length; the south side will be 4,500 cubits in length; the east side will be 4,500 cubits in length; and the west side will be 4,500 cubits in length. 17 There will be pasture for the city toward the north, 250 cubits deep; to the south, 250 cubits deep; to the east, 250 cubits deep, and to the west, 250 cubits deep. 18 The remaining area of the holy offering will stretch for ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand cubits to the west. It will stretch along the border of the holy offering, and its produce will be food for those working in the city. 19 The people who work in the city, from all the tribes of Israel, will farm the land. 20 All the land offering will measure twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits. In this way you will make the holy offering of land, together with the land for the city.
21 The rest of the land on either side of the holy offering and the city area will be for the prince. The prince's tract of land to the east will extend for twenty-five thousand cubits from boundary of the holy offering to the eastern border—and his tract to the west will extend for twenty-five thousand cubits to the western border. In the middle will be the holy offering, and the holy place of the temple will be in its midst. 22 The land extending from the property of the Levites and the area of the city in its midst will be for the prince; it will be between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin—this land will be for the prince.
23 As for the remaining tribes, their portions will also run from the eastern side to the west side. Benjamin will receive one portion. 24 Adjoining the border of Benjamin from the east side to the west, Simeon will have one portion. 25 Adjoining the border of Simeon from the east side to the west, Issachar will have one portion. 26 Adjoining the border of Issachar from the east side to the west, Zebulun will have one portion. 27 To the south of Zebulun's boundary, running from the east side to the west side, will be the land of Gad—one portion. 28 The southern boundary of Gad will extend from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, and farther to the brook of Egypt, and then to the Great Sea. 29 This is the land for which you will cast lots; it will be the inheritance of the tribes of Israel. These will be their portions. This is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
30 These will be the exits from the city: On the north side, which will measure 4,500 cubits in length, 31 will be three gates, named for tribes of Israel: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi. 32 On the east side, which will measure 4,500 cubits in length, will be three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan. 33 On the south side, which is 4,500 cubits in length, will be three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun. 34 On the west side, which will measure 4,500 cubits, will be three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 35 The distance around the city will be eighteen thousand cubits; from that day on, the city's name will be "Yahweh Is There."
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem and surrounded the city to cut off all supplies to it. 2 The Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar victory over Jehoiakim king of Judah, and he gave him some of the sacred objects from the house of God. He brought them into the land of Babylonia, to the house of his god, and he placed the sacred objects in his god's treasury. 3 The king spoke to Ashpenaz, his chief official, to bring in some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility— 4 young men without blemish, attractive in appearance, having insight in all wisdom, filled with knowledge and understanding, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king counted out for them a daily portion of his delicacies and some of the wine that he drank. These young men were to be trained for three years, and after that, they would serve the king. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, some of the people of Judah. 7 The chief official gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.
8 But Daniel intended in his mind that he would not pollute himself with the king's delicacies or with the wine that he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God gave Daniel favor and compassion through the respect that the chief official had for him. 10 The chief official said to Daniel, "I am afraid of my master the king. He has commanded what food and drink you should have. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men of your own age? The king might have my head because of you." 11 Then Daniel spoke to the steward whom the chief official had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 He said, "Please test us, your servants, for ten days. Give us only some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the king's delicacies, and treat us, your servants, based on what you see."
14 So the steward agreed with him to do this, and he tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days their appearance was more healthy, and they were better nourished, than all the young men who ate the king's delicacies. 16 So the steward took away their delicacies and their wine and gave them only vegetables.
17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and insight in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel could understand all kinds of visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king spoke with them, and among the whole group there were none to compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They stood before the king, ready to serve him. 20 In every question of wisdom and understanding that the king asked them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and those who claimed to speak with the dead, who were in his entire kingdom. 21 Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, he had dreams. His mind was troubled, and he could not sleep. 2 Then the king summoned the magicians and those who claimed to speak with the dead. He also called the sorcerers and educated men. He wanted them to tell him his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 The king said to them, "I have had a dream, and my mind is anxious to know what the dream means." 4 Then the educated men spoke to the king in Aramaic, "King, live forever! Tell the dream to us, your servants, and we will reveal the interpretation." 5 The king replied to the educated men, "This matter has been settled. If you do not reveal to me the dream and its interpretation, your bodies will be torn apart and your houses made into rubbish heaps. 6 But if you will tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will receive gifts from me, a reward, and great honor. So tell to me the dream and its interpretation." 7 They replied again and said, "Let the king tell us, his servants, the dream and we will tell you its interpretation." 8 The king answered, "I know for certain that you want more time because you see how firm my decision is about this. 9 But if you do not tell me the dream, there is only one sentence for you. You have decided to prepare false and corrupt words that you agreed together to say to me until I change my mind. So then, tell me the dream, and then I will know that you can tell the interpretation." 10 The educated men replied to the king, "There is not a man on earth able to meet the king's demand. There is no great king or ruler who has demanded such a thing from any magician, or from anyone who claims to speak with the dead, or from an educated man. 11 What the king demands is difficult, and there is no one who can tell it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans." 12 This made the king angry and very furious, and he gave an order to destroy all the wise men in Babylon. 13 So the decree went out to put the wise men to death, and they sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch the commander of the king's bodyguard, who had come to kill all the wise men in Babylon. 15 Daniel asked the king's commander, "Why is the king's decree so urgent?" So Arioch told Daniel what had happened. 16 Then Daniel went in and requested an appointment with the king so that he could present the interpretation to the king.
17 Then Daniel went to his house and explained to his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. 18 He urged them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that Daniel and his friends might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 That night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and Daniel said,
"Praise the name of God forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to him.
21 He changes the times and seasons;
he removes kings and places kings on their thrones.
He gives wisdom to wise men
and knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals the deep and hidden things
because he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light lives with him.
23 God of my ancestors, I thank you and praise you
for the wisdom and power you gave to me.
Now you have made known to me what we asked of you;
you have made known to us the matter that concerns the king."
24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch (the one the king appointed to kill everyone who was wise in Babylon). He went and said to him, "Do not destroy the wise men in Babylon. Take me to the king and I will show the king the interpretation of his dream."
25 Then Arioch quickly brought in Daniel before the king and said, "I have found among the exiles of Judah a man who will reveal the interpretation of the king's dream." 26 The king said to Daniel (whose name was Belteshazzar), "Are you able to tell me the dream that I saw and its interpretation?" 27 Daniel answered the king and said, "The mystery that the king has asked about cannot be revealed by wise men, nor by those who claim to speak with the dead, nor by magicians, and not by astrologers. 28 Nevertheless, there is a God who lives in the heavens, who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, what will happen in the days to come. These were your dream and the visions of your mind as you lay on your bed. 29 As for you, king, your thoughts on your bed were about things to come, and the one who reveals mysteries has made known to you what is about to happen. 30 As for me, this mystery was not revealed to me because of any wisdom that I have more than any other living person. This mystery was revealed to me so that you, king, may understand the interpretation, and so that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
31 King, you looked up and you saw a great statue. This statue, which was large and had exceeding splendor, stood before you. Its brightness was terrifying. 32 The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its breast and arms were of silver. Its middle and its thighs were made of bronze, 33 and its legs were made of iron. Its feet were made partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You looked up, and a stone was cut out, although not by human hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and it shattered them. 35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold at the same time were broken into pieces and became like the chaff of the threshing floors in the summer. The wind carried them away and there was no trace of them left. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 This was the dream. Now we will tell the king the interpretation. 37 You, king, are king of the kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the honor. 38 He has given into your hand the place where the human beings live. He has given over the animals of the field and the birds of the heavens into your hand, and he has made you rule over them all. You are the statue's head of gold. 39 After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze will rule over all the earth. 40 There will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks other things into pieces and shatters everything. It will shatter all these things and crush them. 41 Just as you saw, the feet and toes were partly made of baked clay and partly made of iron, so it will be a divided kingdom; some of the strength of iron will be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 As the toes of the feet were partly made of iron and partly made of clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so the people will be a mixture; they will not stay together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be conquered by another people. It will break the other kingdoms into pieces and put an end to all of them, and it will remain forever. 45 Just as you saw, a stone was cut out of the mountain, but not by human hands. It broke the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to you, king, what will happen after this. The dream is true and this interpretation is reliable."
46 King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel and honored him; he commanded that an offering be made and that incense be offered up to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, "Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the one who reveals mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery." 48 Then the king made Daniel highly honored and gave him many wonderful gifts. He made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon. Daniel became chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be administrators over the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue that was sixty cubits tall and six cubits wide. He set it up in the Plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar sent messages out to gather together the provincial governors, regional governors, and local governors, together with the counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the high officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the statue that the king had set up. 3 Then the provincial governors, regional governors, and local governors, together with the counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the high officials of the provinces gathered together to the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood before it. 4 Then a herald loudly shouted, "You are commanded, peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship, at that very moment, will be thrown into the middle of a furnace of blazing fire." 7 So when all the peoples heard the sounds of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8 Now at this time certain Chaldeans came and brought accusations against the Jews. 9 They said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, "King, live forever! 10 You, king, have made a decree that every person who hears the sounds of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music, must fall down and worship the golden statue. 11 Whoever does not fall down and worship must be thrown into the middle of a furnace of blazing fire. 12 Now there are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon; their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, king, pay no attention to you. They will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up."
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, filled with anger and rage, commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought to him. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Have you made your minds up, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not serve my gods or worship to the golden statue that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready—when you hear the sounds of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music—to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, all will be well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be thrown into the middle of a furnace of blazing fire. Who is the god who is able to rescue you out of my hands?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If there is an answer, it is that our God whom we serve is able to keep us safe from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us out of your hand, king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, king, that we will not serve your gods, and we will not worship the golden statue you set up."
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage; the look on his face changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was normally heated. 20 Then he commanded some very strong men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 They were tied up still wearing their robes, tunics, turbans, and other clothing, and they were thrown into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Because the king's command was strictly followed and the furnace was exceedingly hot, the flames of the fire killed the men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire while they were tied up.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed and stood up quickly. He asked his advisors, "Did we not throw three men tied up into the fire?" They replied to the king, "Certainly, king." 25 He said, "But I see four men who are not tied up walking around in the fire, and they are not hurt. The brilliance of the fourth is like a son of the gods." 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called out, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of God Most High, come out! Come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the middle of the fire. 27 The provincial governors, regional governors, other governors, and the king's counselors who had gathered together saw these men. The fire had not hurt their bodies; the hair on their heads was not singed; their robes were not harmed; and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar said, "Let us praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his messenger and rescued his servants who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and they gave up their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their God. 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must be torn apart, and that their houses must be made into rubbish heaps because there is no other god who is able to save like this." 30 Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to prosper in the province of Babylon.
1 King Nebuchadnezzar sent this decree to all peoples, nations, and languages who lived on the earth: May your peace increase.
2 It has seemed good to me to tell you about the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
3 How great are his signs,
and how mighty are his wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and his dominion lasts from generation to generation."
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living happily in my house, and I was enjoying prosperity in my palace. 5 But a dream I had made me afraid. As I lay there, the images I saw and the visions in my mind troubled me. 6 So I gave a decree to bring before me all the wise men of Babylon so they could interpret the dream for me. 7 Then came the magicians, those who claimed to speak with the dead, the educated men, and the astrologers. I told them the dream, but they could not make known the interpretation to me. 8 But at last Daniel came in—the one who is named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream. 9 "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you. Tell me the appearance of my dream and its interpretation. 10 These were the sights that I saw in my mind as I lay upon my bed: I looked, and there was a tree in the middle of the earth, and its height was very great. 11 The tree grew and became strong. Its top reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and on it was food for all. The animals of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches. All living creatures were fed from it. 13 I saw in my mind as I lay on my bed, and a watcher, a holy one came down from the heavens. 14 He shouted and said, 'Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds fly away from its branches. 15 Leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the middle of the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew from the heavens. Let it live with the animals among the plants on the ground. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man's mind, and let an animal's mind be given to him until seven years pass by. 17 This sentence is by the decree of the watchers, a decision made by the holy ones, so that those who are alive may know that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and gives them to anyone he wishes to place over them, even to the most humble men.' 18 I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had this dream. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you are able to do so, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you."
19 Then Daniel, who was also named Belteshazzar, was greatly upset for a brief time, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you." Belteshazzar replied, "My master, may the dream be for those who hate you; may its interpretation be for your enemies. 20 The tree that you saw—which grew and became strong, and whose top reached up to the heavens, and which could be seen to the ends of the whole earth— 21 whose leaves were beautiful, and whose fruit was abundant, so that in it was food for all, and under it the animals of the field found shade, and in which the birds of the heavens lived— 22 this tree is you, king, you who have grown so strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion reaches to the ends of the earth. 23 You, king, saw a watcher, a holy one coming down from heaven and saying, 'Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the middle of the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew from the heavens. Let it live with the animals in the field until seven years pass by.' 24 This is the interpretation, king. It is a decree of the Most High that has reached you, my master the king. 25 You will be driven from among men, and you will live with the animals in the field. You will be made to eat grass like cattle, and you will be wet with the dew from the heavens, and seven years will pass by until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and that he gives them to anyone he wishes. 26 As it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, in this way your kingdom will be returned to you from the time you learn that heaven rules. 27 Therefore, king, let my advice be pleasing to you. Stop sinning and do what is right. Turn away from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, and it may be that your prosperity will be extended."
28 All these things happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, 30 and he said, "Is this not the great Babylon, which I have built for my royal residence, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?" 31 While the words were still on the lips of the king, a voice came from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, it is announced to you that this kingdom has been taken away from you. 32 You will be driven away from people, and your home will be with the animals in the field. You will be made to eat grass like cattle. Seven years will pass until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and he gives them to anyone he wishes." 33 This decree against Nebuchadnezzar was carried out immediately. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was wet with the dew from the heavens. His hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails became like birds' claws.
34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was given back to me.
"I praised the Most High,
and I honored and glorified the one who lives forever.
For his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from all generations to all generations.
35 All the earth's inhabitants
are considered by him to be as nothing;
he does among the army of heaven
and the inhabitants of the earth
whatever suits his will.
No one can stop him or challenge him.
No one can say to him, 'Why have you done this?'"
36 At the same time that my sanity returned to me, my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My counselors and my noblemen sought my favor. I was brought back to my throne, and even more greatness was given to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, extol, and honor the King of heaven, for all his deeds are true, and his ways are just. He can humble those who walk in their own pride.
1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his noblemen, and he drank wine in front of all one thousand of them. 2 While Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the containers made of gold or silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, from which the king, his noblemen, and his wives and concubines could drink. 3 The servants brought the gold containers that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God, in Jerusalem. The king, his noblemen, and his wives and concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised their idols made of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5 At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared in front of the lampstand and wrote on the plaster wall in the king's palace. The king could see part of the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king's face changed and his thoughts frightened him; his limbs could not support him, and his knees were knocking together. 7 The king shouted a command to bring in those who claimed to speak with the dead, the educated men, and the astrologers. The king said to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing and makes known its interpretation to me will be clothed with purple and will have a gold chain around his neck. He will have the authority of the third highest ruler in the kingdom." 8 Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known its interpretation to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed and the look on his face changed. His noblemen were perplexed.
10 Now the queen came into the banquet house because of what the king and his nobles had said. The queen said, "King, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you. Do not let the look on your face change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods was found in him. King Nebuchadnezzar, your father the king, made him chief of the magicians, as well as chief of those who speak with the dead, of the educated men, and of the astrologers. 12 An excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting of dreams, explaining of riddles and solving of problems—these qualities were found in this man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now call for Daniel and he will tell you the interpretation."
13 Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, "You are that Daniel, one of the people of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the king brought out of Judah. 14 I have heard about you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men and those who claim to speak with the dead have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not make known to me the interpretation of the message. 16 I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you will be clothed with purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will have the authority of the third highest ruler in the kingdom."
17 Then Daniel answered before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another person. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to you, king, and will tell you the interpretation. 18 As for you, king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father the kingdom, greatness, honor, and majesty. 19 Because of the greatness God gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared him. He killed those he wanted to die, and he kept alive those he wished to live. He raised up those he wanted, and he humbled those he wished. 20 But when his heart was arrogant and his spirit was hardened so that he acted presumptuously, he was brought down from his royal throne, and they took away his glory. 21 He was driven away from humanity, he had the mind of an animal, and he lived with the wild donkeys. He ate grass like cattle. His body was wet with the dew from the heavens until he learned that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of people and that he sets over them anyone he wishes. 22 You his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23 You have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. From his house they brought you the containers that you, your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from, and you praised the idols made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—idols that do not see, hear, or know anything. You have not honored the God who holds your breath in his hand and who knows all your ways. 24 Then God sent out a hand from his presence and this inscription was written.
25 This is the writing that was done: 'Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Pharsin.'
26 This is the interpretation of the message: 'Mene,' 'God has numbered your kingdom and brought it to an end.'
27 'Tekel,' 'you are weighed in the scales and are found lacking.'
28 'Peres,' 'your kingdom is divided and is given to the Medes and Persians.'"
29 Then Belshazzar gave a command, and they clothed Daniel with purple. A chain of gold was put around his neck, and the king made a proclamation about him that he would have the authority of the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed, 31 and Darius the Mede received the kingdom when he was about sixty-two years old.
1 It seemed good to Darius to appoint over the kingdom 120 provincial governors who would rule over all the kingdom. 2 Over them there were three chief administrators, and Daniel was one of them. These chief administrators were appointed so that they might supervise the provincial governors, so that the king should suffer no loss. 3 Daniel was distinguished above the other chief administrators and the provincial governors because he had an extraordinary spirit. The king was planning to put him over the whole kingdom.
4 Then the other chief administrators and the provincial governors looked for mistakes in the work Daniel did for the kingdom, but they could find no corruption or failure in his duty because he was faithful. No mistakes or negligence was found in him. 5 Then these men said, "We cannot find any reason to complain against this Daniel unless we find something against him regarding the law of his God." 6 Then these administrators and governors brought a plan before the king. They said to him, "King Darius, may you live forever! 7 All the chief administrators of the kingdom, the regional governors, and the provincial governors, the advisors, and the governors have consulted together and decided that you, the king, should issue a decree and enforce a prohibition, so that whoever makes a petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, king, that person must be thrown into the den of lions. 8 Now, king, issue the prohibition and sign the document so that it may not be changed, as directed by the law of the Medes and Persians, so it cannot be repealed." 9 So king Darius signed the document, the prohibition.
10 When Daniel learned that the document had been signed into law, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his upper room toward Jerusalem), and he got down on his knees, as he did three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done before. 11 Then these men who had formed the plot together saw Daniel make requests and seek favor from God. 12 Then they approached the king and spoke with him about his prohibition: "Did you not make a prohibition that everyone who makes a petition to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, king, must be thrown into the den of lions?" The king answered, "The matter is settled, as directed by the law of the Medes and Persians; it cannot be repealed." 13 Then they replied to the king, "That person Daniel, who is one of the people of the exile from Judah, pays no attention to you, king, or to the prohibition that you have signed. He prays to his God three times a day." 14 When the king heard this, he was terribly distressed, and he applied his mind to rescue Daniel from this ruling. He labored until sunset to try to save Daniel. 15 Then these men who had formed the plot gathered together with the king and said to him, "Know, king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no prohibition or statute that the king issues can be changed."
16 Then the king gave an order, and they brought in Daniel, and they threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you." 17 A stone was brought over the entrance to the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles so that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and he went through the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him, and sleep fled from him.
19 Then at daybreak the king got up and he quickly went to the lions' den. 20 As he came near to the den, the king called out to Daniel in a sad voice, saying to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" 21 Then said Daniel to the king, "King, live forever! 22 My God has sent his messenger and has shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me. For I was found blameless before him and also before you, king, and I have done you no harm." 23 Then the king was very happy. He gave an order that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was lifted up out of the den. No harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
24 The king gave an order, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel and threw them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives. Before they reached the floor, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones to pieces. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that live in all the earth:
"May peace increase for you.
26 I hereby make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,
for he is the living God
and lives forever,
and his kingdom will not be destroyed;
his dominion will last to the end.
27 He makes us safe and rescues us,
and he does signs and wonders
in heaven and in earth;
he has kept Daniel safe
from the strength of the lions."
28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and during the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylonia, Daniel had a dream and visions in his mind while lying on his bed. Then he wrote down what he had seen in the dream. He wrote down the most important events: 2 Daniel explained, "In my vision at night I saw that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 Four large animals, each one different from the other, came up out of the sea. 4 The first was like a lion but had eagle's wings. As I was looking, its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground and made to stand on two feet, like a man. The mind of a man was given to it. 5 Then there was a second animal, like a bear, and it was bending over; it had three ribs between its teeth in its mouth. It was told, 'Get up and devour many people.' 6 After this I looked again. There was another animal, one that looked like a leopard. On its back it had four wings like bird wings, and it had four heads. It was given authority to rule. 7 After this I saw in the visions of the night a fourth animal, terrifying, frightening, and very strong. It had large iron teeth; it devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled underfoot what was left. It was different from the other animals, and it had ten horns. 8 While I was considering the horns, I looked and saw another horn grow up among them, a little horn. Three of the first horns were wrenched out by the roots. I saw in this horn eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that was boasting about great things.
9 As I looked,
thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow,
and the hair of his head was like pure wool.
His throne was flames of fire,
and its wheels were burning fire.
10 A river of fire
flowed out from before him;
millions served him,
and one hundred million were standing before him.
The court was in session,
and the books were opened.
11 I continued to look because of the sound of the boastful words spoken by the horn. I watched while the animal was killed, and its body was destroyed, and it was given over to be burned up. 12 As for the rest of the four animals, their authority to rule was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a period of time.
13 In my visions that night,
I saw one coming with the clouds of heaven like a son of man;
he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 Authority to rule and glory and royal power were given to him
so that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
His authority to rule is an everlasting authority that will not pass away,
and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was grieved inside of me, and the visions I saw in my mind troubled me. 16 I approached one of them standing there and asked him to show me the interpretation of these things. 17 'These large animals, four in number, are four kings that will arise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and they will possess it forever and ever.' 19 Then I wanted to know more about the fourth animal—it was so different from the others and very horrifying with its iron teeth and bronze claws; it devoured, broke into pieces, and trampled on what was left with its feet. 20 I wanted to know about the ten horns on its head, and about the other horn that grew up, and before which the three horns fell down. I wanted to know about the horn that had eyes and about the mouth that boasted about great things and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn waged war against the holy people and was defeating them 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and justice was given to the holy people of the Most High. Then the time came when the holy people took possession of the kingdom.
23 This is what that person said, 'As for the fourth animal,
it will be a fourth kingdom on earth
that will be different from all the other kingdoms.
It will devour the whole earth,
and it will trample it down
and break it into pieces.
24 As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings will arise,
and another will arise after them.
He will be different from the previous ones,
and he will subdue the three kings.
25 He will speak words against the Most High
and will oppress the holy people of the Most High God.
He will try to change the festivals and the law.
These things will be given into his hand
for one year, two years, and half a year.
26 But the court will be in session,
and they will take his royal power away
to be consumed and destroyed at the end.
27 The kingdom and the dominion,
and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
will be given to the people
who belong to the holy people of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and all other kingdoms will serve and obey him.'
28 Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me and my face changed in appearance. But I kept these things to myself."
1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, I, Daniel, had a vision appear to me (after the one that appeared to me at first). 2 I saw in the vision, as I was looking, that I was in the fortress of Susa in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up and saw before me a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal. One horn was longer than the other, but the longer one grew more slowly than the shorter and was passed up in length by it. 4 I saw the ram pushing west, then north, and then south; no other animal could stand before him. None of them was able to rescue anyone out of his hand. He did whatever he wanted, and he became great.
5 As I was thinking about this, I saw a male goat come from the west, who went across the surface of the whole earth, running fast, not seeming to touch the ground. The goat had a large horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram who had two horns—I had seen the ram standing on the bank of the canal—and the goat rushed toward the ram in a powerful rage. 7 I saw the goat come close to the ram. He was very angry at the ram, and he hit the ram and broke off its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand before him. The goat knocked him down to the ground and trampled on him. There was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became very large. But when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in its place four other large horns grew up that pointed toward the four winds of the heavens.
9 Out of one of them grew another horn, little at first, but which grew exceedingly large toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It became so large as to engage in war with the army of heaven. Some of that army and some of the stars were thrown down to the earth, and it trampled on them. 11 It made itself to be as great as the commander of the army. It took away from him the regular burnt offering, and the place of his sanctuary was polluted. 12 Because of rebellion, the army will be given over to the goat's horn, and the burnt offering will be stopped. The horn will throw truth down to the ground, and it will succeed in what it does. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking and another holy one answering him, "How long will these things last, this vision about the burnt offering, the sin that brings destruction, the handing over of the sanctuary, and heaven's army being trampled on?" 14 He said to me, "It will last for 2,300 evenings and mornings. After that the sanctuary will be restored."
15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to understand it. Then there stood before me one who looked like a man. 16 I heard a man's voice calling between the banks of the Ulai Canal. He said, "Gabriel, help this man understand the vision." 17 So he came near where I stood. When he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, "Understand, son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end." 18 When he spoke to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, "See, I will make known to you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time for the end. 20 As for the ram you saw, the one that had two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The male goat is the king of Greece. The large horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in the place of which four others arose—four kingdoms will arise from his nation, but not with his great power. 23 At the latter time of those kingdoms, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a grim-faced king, one who is very intelligent, will arise. 24 His power will be mighty—but not by his own power. He will be amazing in what he destroys; he will act and succeed. He will destroy mighty ones and the holy people. 25 By his craftiness he will make deceit prosper under his hand. He will become great in his own mind. He will unexpectedly destroy many people. He will even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he will be broken, but not by any human hand. 26 The vision about the evenings and mornings that has been told is true. But seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future." 27 Then I, Daniel, was overcome and lay weak for several days. Then I got up, and went about the king's business. But I was astounded by the vision, and there was no one who understood it.
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus [1] —a descendant of the Medes, who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of Darius' reign, I, Daniel, was studying the books containing Yahweh's word, the word that had come to Jeremiah the prophet. I observed that there would be seventy years until Jerusalem's desolations would end.
3 I turned my face to the Lord God, to seek him with prayer and humble requests, with fasting, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes. 4 I prayed to Yahweh my God, and I made confession of our sins. I said, "I beg you, Lord—you are the great and awesome God—you are the one who keeps the covenant and is faithful to love those who love you and keep your commandments. 5 We have sinned and have done what is wrong. We have acted wickedly and we have rebelled, turning aside from your commands and decrees. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets who spoke in your name to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, Lord, belongs righteousness. To us today, however, belongs shame on our faces—for the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem, and to all Israel. This includes those who are near and those who are far away in all the lands where you scattered them. This is because of the faithless deeds that we committed against you. 8 To us, Yahweh, belongs shame on our faces—to our kings, to our leaders, and to our ancestors—because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God by walking in his laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. The curse and oath that are written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, for we have sinned against him. 12 Yahweh has confirmed the words that he spoke against us and against our rulers over us, by bringing on us a great disaster. For under the whole of heaven there has not been done anything that could compare with what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not begged for mercy from Yahweh our God by turning away from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth. 14 Therefore Yahweh has kept the disaster ready and has brought it on us, for Yahweh our God is righteous in all the deeds he does, yet we have not obeyed his voice. 15 Now, Lord our God, you brought out your people from the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and you have made a famous name for yourself, as in this present day. But still we sinned; we have done wicked things. 16 Lord, because of all your righteous deeds, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. Because of our sins, and because of the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of mockery to all those around us. 17 Now, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his humble requests; for your sake, Lord, make your face shine on your sanctuary that is desolate. 18 My God, incline your ears and listen; open your eyes and see. We have been devastated; look at the city that is called by your name. We do not bring our humble requests to you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, pay attention and take action! For your own sake, do not delay, my God, for your city and your people are called by your name."
20 While I was speaking—praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my humble request before Yahweh my God on behalf of God's holy mountain— 21 while I was praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, flew down to me in rapid flight, at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He gave me understanding and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 When you began presenting your humble requests, the order was given and I have come to tell you the answer, for you are precious. Therefore consider this word and understand the revelation.
24 Seventy sevens are decreed for your people and your holy city to end the guilt and put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring everlasting righteousness, to carry out the vision and the prophecy, and to consecrate the most holy place. 25 Know and understand that from the issuing of the order to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the anointed one (who will be a leader), there will be seven sevens and sixty-two sevens. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and a moat, despite the times of distress. 26 After the sixty-two sevens, the anointed one will be destroyed and will have nothing. The army of a coming ruler will destroy the city and the holy place. Its end will come with a flood, and there will be war even to the end. Desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven. In the middle of the seven he will put an end to the sacrifice and the offering. On the wing of abominations will come someone who makes desolate until the complete destruction that has been decreed is poured out on the one who has made the desolation."
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. This message was true. It was about a great conflict. Daniel understood the message when he had insight from the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was in mourning for three weeks. 3 I ate no delicacies, I ate no meat, I drank no wine, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the completion of three entire weeks. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was beside the great river (that is, the Tigris), 5 I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen, with a belt around his waist made of pure gold from Uphaz. 6 His body was like topaz, and his face was like lightning. His eyes were like flaming torches, and his arms and his feet were like polished bronze. The sound of his words was like the sound of a great crowd. 7 I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision. However, a great terror came on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision. No strength remained in me; my bright appearance was turned into a ruined look, and no strength remained in me. 9 Then I heard his words—and as I heard them, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.
10 A hand touched me, and it made me tremble in my knees and the palms of my hands. 11 The angel said to me, "Daniel, precious man, understand the words that I am speaking to you. Stand upright, for I have been sent to you." When he had spoken this message to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you set your mind to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia resisted me, and I was kept there with the kings of Persia for twenty-one days. But Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. [1]14 Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days. For the vision is for days yet to come." 15 While he was speaking to me using these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was unable to speak. 16 One who was like the sons of man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and spoke to him who stood before me: "My master, I am in agony because of the vision; I have no strength left. 17 I am your servant. How can I talk with my master? For I now have no strength, and there is no breath left in me."
18 Again the one with an appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 He said, "Do not be afraid, precious man. May peace be to you! Be strong now, be strong!" While he was speaking to me, I was strengthened. I said, "Let my master speak, for you have strengthened me." 20 He said, "Do you know why I have come to you? I will soon return to fight against the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. There is no one who shows himself to be strong with me against them, except Michael your prince.
1 In the first year of Darius the Mede, I myself came to support and protect Michael. 2 Now I will tell you the truth. Three kings will arise in Persia, and a fourth will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 A mighty king will rise up who will rule a very great kingdom, and he will act according to his desires. 4 When he has risen up, his kingdom will be broken and divided to the four winds of heaven, but not to his own descendants, and not with the authority he had when he was ruling. For his kingdom will be uprooted for others besides his descendants.
5 The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will have dominion. His dominion will be a great dominion. 6 After a few years, when the time is right, they will make an alliance. The daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the North to confirm the agreement. But she will not keep her arm's strength, nor will he stand, or his arm. She will be abandoned—she and those who brought her, and her father, and the one who supported her in those times. [1]
7 But a branch from her roots will rise up in her place. He will attack the army and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will fight them, and he will conquer them. 8 He will capture their gods, along with their cast metal figures and their precious vessels of silver and of gold, and take them to Egypt. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North. 9 Then the king of the North will invade the kingdom of the king of the South, but he will withdraw to his own land.
10 His sons will get ready and assemble a great army. It will keep coming and will flood everything; it will pass through all the way to his fortress. 11 Then the king of the South will become very angry; he will go and fight against him, the king of the North. The king of the North will raise up a great army, but the army will be given into his hand. 12 The army will be carried off, and the heart of the king of the South will be lifted up, and he will make tens of thousands to fall, but he will not be victorious. 13 Then the king of the North will raise up another army, greater than the first. After some years, the king of the North will surely come with a great army supplied with much equipment. 14 In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Sons of the violent among your people will set themselves in order to fulfill a vision, but they will stumble. 15 The king of the North will come, pour out earth for siege mounds, and capture a city with fortifications. The forces of the South will not be able to stand, not even their best soldiers. There will be no strength to stand. 16 The one who comes against him will do as he desires, and no one will stand in his way. He will stand in the Beautiful Land, and destruction will be in his hand. 17 The king of the North will set his face to come with the strength of his entire kingdom, and with him will be an agreement that he will make with the king of the South. He will give him a daughter of women in marriage to ruin the kingdom of the South. But the plan will not succeed or help him. 18 After this, the king of the North will pay attention to the coastlands and will capture many of them. But a commander will end his contempt and will cause his contempt to turn back upon him. 19 Then he will pay attention to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall; he will not be found.
20 Then someone will rise up in his place who will make a tax collector pass through for the sake of the splendor of the kingdom. But in the next days he will be broken, but not in anger or in battle. 21 In his place will rise up a despised person to whom the people will not have given the honor of royal power; he will come unexpectedly and will take over the kingdom by trickery. 22 An army will be swept away like a flood from before him. Both that army and the leader of the covenant will be destroyed. 23 From the time an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully; with only a small number of people he will gain power. 24 Without warning he will come into the richest part of the province, and he will do what neither his father nor his father's father did. He will spread among his followers the booty, the plunder, and the wealth. He will plan the overthrow of fortresses, but only for a time. 25 He will wake up his power and his heart against the king of the South with a great army. The king of the South will wage war with an extremely large and mighty army, but he will not stand because others will make plots against him. 26 Even those who eat his fine food will try to destroy him. His army will be swept away like a flood, and many of them will fall killed. 27 Both these kings, with their hearts set on evil against each other, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but it will be of no use. For the end will come at the time that has been fixed.
28 Then the king of the North will go back into his land with great riches, with his heart set against the holy covenant. He will act and then will return to his own land. 29 At the appointed time he will return and come against the South again. But this time it will not be as before. 30 For ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will become afraid. He will return and be furious against the holy covenant, and he will take action. He will return and show favor to those who abandon the holy covenant. 31 His forces will rise up and profane the fortress sanctuary. They will put an end to the regular burnt offering, and they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. 32 As for those who acted wickedly against the covenant, he will deceive them and corrupt them. But the people who know their God will be strong and will take action. 33 Those among the people who have insight will make many understand. But they will stumble by the sword and by flame; they will stumble into captivity and into being robbed for days. 34 In their stumbling, they will be helped with a little help. In hypocrisy many will join themselves with them. 35 Some of those who have insight will stumble so that refining will happen to them, and cleansing, and purifying, until the time of the end. For the appointed time is still to come.
36 The king will act according to his desires. He will lift himself up and make himself great above every god. Against the God of gods he will say astonishing things, for he will succeed until the wrath is completed. For what has been decreed will be done. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers, not even the god desired by women, nor will he regard any other god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 He will honor the god of fortresses instead of these. It is a god whom his fathers did not know that he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and other precious things. 39 He will attack the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. To anyone who acknowledges him, he will give much honor. He will make them rulers over many people, and he will divide up the land as a reward. [2]
40 At the time of the end, the king of the South will attack. The king of the North will storm against him with chariots and horsemen and with many ships. He will go against lands, flood them, and pass through. 41 He will go into the Beautiful Land, and tens of thousands of Israelites will fall. But these will escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the remainder of the people of Ammon. 42 He will extend his hand into lands; the land of Egypt will not be rescued. 43 He will have control over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; the Libyans and the Cushites will be in his footsteps. 44 But news from the east and the north will frighten him, and he will go out with great rage to completely destroy and to set many apart for destruction. 45 He will set up the tent of his royal residence between the seas and the mountain of the beauty of holiness. He will come to his end, and there will be no helper for him.
1 At that time Michael, the great prince who guards your people, will rise up. There will be a time of trouble such as never was since the beginning of any nation until that time. At that time your people will be saved, everyone whose name is found written in the book. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who have insight will shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness are like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, close up these words; keep the book sealed until the time of the end. Many will run here and there, and knowledge will increase."
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there were two others standing. One stood on the bank on this side of the river, and one stood on the bank on the other side of the river. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, the one who was upstream along the river, "How long will it be to the end of these amazing events?" 7 I heard the man clothed in linen, who was upstream along the river—he raised his right hand and his left hand to heaven and swore by the one who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. When they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these things will be completed. 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My master, what will be the outcome of all these things?" 9 He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. 11 From the time that an end is put to the regular burnt offering and the abomination that causes complete desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits until the end of the 1,335 days. 13 You must go your way until the end, and you will rest. You will rise in the place assigned to you, at the end of days."
1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel.
2 When Yahweh spoke at first through Hosea, he said to him,
"Go, take for yourself a wife who is a prostitute.
She will have children who are the result of her prostitution.
For the land is committing great prostitution
by abandoning Yahweh."
3 So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Yahweh said to Hosea,
"Call his name Jezreel.
For in a little while
I will punish the house of Jehu
for the bloodshed at Jezreel,
and I will put an end
to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
5 It will happen on the day
that I break the bow of Israel
in the Valley of Jezreel."
6 Gomer conceived again and bore a daughter. Then Yahweh said to Hosea,
"Call her name Lo-Ruhamah,
for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel,
that I should forgive them at all.
7 Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah,
and I will save them by myself, Yahweh their God.
I will not save them
by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen."
8 Now after Gomer had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore another son.
9 Then Yahweh said,
"Call his name Lo-Ammi,
for you are not my people,
and I am not your God.
10 Yet the number of the people of Israel
will be like the sand of the seashore,
which cannot be measured or counted.
It will be that where it was said to them,
'You are not my people,'
it will be said to them,
'You are people of the living God.'
11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel
will be gathered together.
They will appoint one leader for themselves,
and they will go up from the land,
for great will be the day of Jezreel.
1 Say to your brothers, 'My people!'
and to your sisters, 'You have been shown compassion.'"
2 Bring a lawsuit against your mother, bring a lawsuit,
for she is not my wife,
and neither am I her husband.
Let her put away her prostitution from before herself,
and her acts of adultery from between her breasts.
3 If not, I will strip her naked
and show her nakedness as on the day that she was born.
I will make her like the wilderness,
like a parched land,
and I will make her die from thirst.
4 I will not have any mercy on her children,
for they are children of prostitution.
5 For their mother has been a prostitute,
and she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
She said, "I will go after my lovers,
for they give me my bread and water,
my wool and flax,
my oil and drink."
6 Therefore I will build up a hedge to block her way with thorns.
I will build up a wall against her
so she cannot find her way.
7 She will pursue her lovers,
but she will not overtake them.
She will seek them,
but she will not find them.
Then she will say,
"I will return to my first husband,
for it was better for me then than it is now."
8 For she had not known that it was I who gave her
the grain, the new wine and the oil,
and who lavished on her silver and gold,
which they then used for Baal.
9 So I will take back her grain at harvest time,
and my new wine in its season.
I will take back my wool and flax
that were used to cover her nakedness.
10 Then I will strip her naked in the sight of her lovers,
and no one will rescue her out of my hand.
11 I will stop all her rejoicing—
her feasts, her new moon celebrations,
her Sabbaths, and all her appointed festivals.
12 "I will destroy her vines and her fig trees,
of which she has said,
'These are the wages that my lovers gave me.'
I will make them a forest,
and the animals of the field will eat them.
13 I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals,
when she burned incense to them,
when she adorned herself with her rings and jewelry,
and she went after her lovers and forgot me—
this is Yahweh's declaration."
14 So I am going to allure her.
I will bring her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her.
15 I will give her back her vineyards,
and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope.
She will answer me there as she did in the days of her youth,
as in the days that she came out of the land of Egypt.
16 "It will be in that day—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
that you will call me, 'My husband,'
and you will no longer call me, 'My Baal.'
17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth;
their names will not be remembered anymore.
18 On that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts in the fields, with the birds in the sky,
and with the crawling things on the ground.
I will drive away the bow, the sword,
and the battle from the land,
and I will make you lie down in safety.
19 I will promise to be your husband forever.
I will promise to be your husband in righteousness, justice,
covenant faithfulness, and mercy.
20 I will pledge myself to you in faithfulness,
and you will know Yahweh.
21 On that day,
I will answer—this is Yahweh's declaration—
I will answer the heavens,
and they will answer the earth.
22 The earth will answer the grain,
the new wine and the oil,
and they will answer Jezreel.
23 I will plant her for myself in the land,
and I will have mercy on Lo-Ruhamah.
I will say to Lo-Ammi, 'You are my people,'
and they will say to me, 'You are my God.'"
1 Yahweh said to me, "Go again, love a woman, loved by her husband, but who is an adulteress. Love her just as I, Yahweh, love the people of Israel, although they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."
2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a lethek of barley. 3 I said to her, "You must live with me many days. You will not be a prostitute or belong to any other man. In the same way, I will be with you."
4 For the people of Israel will live for many days without a king, prince, sacrifice, stone pillar, ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward the people of Israel will return and seek Yahweh their God and David their king, and in the last days, they will come trembling before Yahweh and his goodness.
1 Hear the word of Yahweh,
you people of Israel.
Yahweh has a lawsuit
against the inhabitants of the land,
because there is no truthfulness or covenant faithfulness,
no knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is cursing, deception, killing,
stealing and adultery.
The people have broken all bounds,
and bloodshed comes after bloodshed.
3 So the land mourns,
and everyone living in it is wasting away;
the beasts in the fields and the birds in the sky,
even the fish in the sea, are being taken away.
4 But do not allow anyone to bring a lawsuit;
do not let anyone accuse anyone else.
For it is you, the priests, whom I am accusing.
5 You priests will stumble during the day;
the prophets will also stumble with you by night,
and I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are being destroyed
because of the lack of knowledge.
Because you priests have rejected knowledge,
I will also reject you as priests to me.
Because you have forgotten my law,
although I am your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 The more the priests multiplied,
the more they sinned against me.
They exchanged their honor for shame.
8 They feed on the sin of my people;
they are greedy for more of their iniquity.
9 It will be the same for the people as for the priests:
I will punish them all for their practices;
I will repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat but not have enough;
they will commit prostitution but not increase,
because they stopped listening to Yahweh.
11 Prostitution, wine, and new wine
take away understanding.
12 My people consult their wooden idols,
and their walking sticks give them prophecies.
A spirit of prostitution has led them astray,
and they have acted as prostitutes
instead of being faithful to their God.
13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
and burn incense on the hills,
under oaks, poplars and terebinths,
because the shade is good.
So your daughters commit sexual immorality,
and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters
when they choose to commit sexual immorality,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery.
For the men also go apart with prostitutes,
and they offer sacrifices
so they can commit immoral acts with sacred prostitutes.
So this people who does not understand
will be thrown down.
15 Though you, Israel, have committed adultery,
may Judah not become guilty.
Do not go to Gilgal, you people;
do not go up to Beth Aven,
and do not swear, saying, "As Yahweh lives."
16 For Israel has behaved stubbornly,
like a stubborn heifer.
How can Yahweh bring them to pasture
like lambs in a meadow?
17 Ephraim united himself with idols;
leave him alone.
18 Even when their strong drink is gone,
they continue to commit adultery;
her rulers dearly love their shame.
19 The wind will wrap her up in its wings;
and they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
1 "Hear this, priests!
Pay attention, house of Israel!
Listen, house of the king!
For judgment is coming against you all.
You have been a snare at Mizpah
and a net spread over Tabor.
2 The rebels stand deep in slaughter,
but I will punish all of them. [1]
3 I know Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from me.
Ephraim, now you have become like a prostitute;
Israel is defiled.
4 Their deeds will not allow them
to turn to God,
for the mind of prostitution is in them,
and they do not know Yahweh.
5 The pride of Israel testifies against him;
so Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their guilt;
and Judah also will stumble with them.
6 They will go with their flocks
and herds to seek Yahweh,
but they will not find him,
for he has withdrawn himself from them.
7 They were unfaithful to Yahweh,
for they have borne illegitimate children.
Now the new moon festivals
will devour them with their fields.
8 Blow the ram's horn in Gibeah,
and the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound a battle cry at Beth Aven:
'We will follow you, Benjamin!'
9 Ephraim will become a desolation
on the day of rebuke.
Among the tribes of Israel
I have declared what is certain to happen.
10 The leaders of Judah
are like those who move a boundary stone.
I will pour my wrath on them like water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed;
he is crushed in judgment,
because he has willingly walked after idols.
12 So I will be like a moth to Ephraim,
and like rot to the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,
and Judah saw his wound,
then Ephraim went to Assyria,
and Judah sent messengers to the great king.
But he was not able to cure you people
or heal your wound.
14 So I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I, even I, will tear them apart and go away;
I will carry them off,
and there will be no one to rescue them.
15 I will go and return to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
until they earnestly seek me in their distress."
1 "Come, let us return to Yahweh.
For he has torn us apart, but he will heal us;
he has injured us, but he will bandage our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us;
he will raise us up on the third day,
and we will live before him.
3 Let us know Yahweh;
let us press on to know Yahweh.
His coming out is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
like the spring rains that water the land."
4 Ephraim, what will I do with you?
Judah, what will I do with you?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes away early.
5 So I have cut them to pieces by the prophets;
I have killed them with the words of my mouth.
Your judgments are like the light that shines out.
6 For I delight in covenant faithfulness and not sacrifice,
and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 Like Adam they have broken the covenant;
they were unfaithful to me.
8 Gilead is a city of those who do evil,
with footprints of blood.
9 As gangs of robbers wait for someone,
so the priests band together
to commit murder on the way to Shechem;
they have committed shameful crimes.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
Ephraim's prostitution is there,
and Israel has become unclean.
11 For you also, Judah, a harvest has been appointed,
when I will reverse the captivity of my people.
1 Whenever I want to heal Israel,
the iniquity of Ephraim is exposed,
as well as the evil deeds of Samaria,
for they practice deceit;
a thief comes in,
and a marauding band attacks in the street.
2 They do not realize in their hearts
that I remember all their evil deeds.
Now their deeds surround them;
they are before my face.
3 With their evil they make the king glad,
and by their lies the officials.
4 They are all adulterers,
like an oven heated by the baker,
who ceases to stir the fire
from the kneading of the dough
until it is leavened.
5 On the day of our king
the officials made themselves sick
with the heat of wine.
He reached out with his hand
to those who were mocking.
6 For with hearts like an oven,
they devise their deceitful plans.
Their anger smolders all night;
in the morning it burns high like a flaming fire.
7 They all are as hot as an oven,
and they devour those who rule over them.
All their kings have fallen;
none of them calls on me.
8 Ephraim mixes himself among the peoples.
Ephraim is a flat cake that has not been turned over.
9 Foreigners have devoured his strength,
but he does not know it.
Gray hairs are sprinkled on him,
but he does not know it.
10 The pride of Israel testifies against him;
however, they have not returned to Yahweh their God,
nor have they sought him, in spite of all this.
11 Ephraim is like a dove,
gullible and without sense,
calling out to Egypt,
then flying to Assyria. 12 When they go,
I will spread my net over them;
I will bring them down
like the birds of the sky.
I will punish them
in their flocking together.
13 Woe to them!
For they have strayed from me.
Devastation is coming to them!
They have rebelled against me!
I would have rescued them,
but they spoke lies against me.
14 They have not cried to me with all their heart,
but they wail on their beds.
They gather together for grain and new wine,
and they turn away from me. [1]
15 Though I trained them and strengthened their arms,
they are now plotting evil against me.
16 They return,
but they do not return to me, the Most High.
They are like a slack bow.
Their officials will fall by the sword
because of the insolence of their tongues.
This will become their mockery
in the land of Egypt.
1 "Place a ram's horn at your lips!
An eagle is coming over the house of Yahweh
because the people have broken my covenant
and rebelled against my law.
2 They cry out to me,
'My God, we in Israel know you.'
3 But Israel has rejected what is good,
and the enemy will pursue him.
4 They have set up kings,
but not by me.
They have made princes,
but without my knowledge.
With their silver and gold
they have made idols for themselves,
but it was only so they might be cut off."
5 "Your calf has been rejected, Samaria.
My anger is burning against these people.
For how long will they be incapable of innocence?
6 For this idol came from Israel;
a workman made it;
it is not God!
The calf of Samaria
will be broken to pieces.
7 For the people sow the wind
and reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads;
it yields no flour.
If it does come to maturity,
foreigners will devour it.
8 Israel is swallowed up;
now they lie among the nations
like a useless pot.
9 For they went up to Assyria
like a wild donkey all alone.
Ephraim has hired
lovers for herself.
10 Even though they have hired lovers among the nations,
I will now gather them together.
They will begin to waste away
because of the burden of the king of princes.
11 For Ephraim has multiplied altars for sin offerings,
but they have become altars for committing sins.
12 I could write down my law for them ten thousand times,
but they would view it as something strange to them.
13 As for the sacrifices of my offerings,
they sacrifice meat and eat it,
but I, Yahweh, do not accept them.
Now I will think about their iniquity
and punish their sins.
They will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten me, his Maker,
and has built palaces.
Judah has fortified many cities,
but I will send fire on his cities;
it will destroy his fortresses.
1 Do not rejoice, Israel,
with joy like the other peoples.
For you have been unfaithful,
abandoning your God.
You love to pay the wages a prostitute requires
on all the floors for threshing grain.
2 But the threshing floor and the winepress
will not feed them;
the new wine will fail them.
3 They will not continue to live in Yahweh's land;
instead, Ephraim will return to Egypt,
and one day they will eat unclean food in Assyria.
4 They will pour out no wine offerings to Yahweh,
neither will they be pleasing to him.
Their sacrifices will be to them like mourners' food:
all who eat it will be defiled.
For their food will be for themselves only;
it will not come into the house of Yahweh.
5 What will you do on the day of an appointed festival,
on the day of a festival for Yahweh?
6 For, look, if they escape from destruction,
Egypt will gather them,
and Memphis will bury them.
As for their precious things of silver—
sharp briers will possess them,
and thorns will fill their tents.
7 The days for punishment are coming;
the days for retribution are coming.
Let all Israel know these things.
The prophet is a fool,
and the inspired man is insane,
because of your abundant iniquity
and great hostility.
8 The prophet is the watchman
for my God over Ephraim.
But a bird snare is on all of his paths,
and hostility toward him is in the house of his God.
9 They have deeply corrupted themselves
as in the days of Gibeah.
God will call to mind their iniquity,
and he will punish their sins.
10 Yahweh says, "When I found Israel,
it was like finding grapes in the wilderness.
Like the very first fruit of the season on the fig tree,
I found your fathers.
But they went to Baal Peor,
and they devoted themselves to that shameful idol.
They became as detestable
as the idol they loved.
11 As for Ephraim,
their glory will fly away like a bird.
There will be no birth,
no pregnancy, and no conception.
12 Though they have brought up children,
I will bereave all of them.
Woe to them
when I turn away from them!
13 I have seen Ephraim, just like Tyre,
planted in a meadow,
but Ephraim will bring out his children
to someone who will slaughter them."
14 Give them, Yahweh—
what will you give them?
Give them a miscarrying womb
and breasts that give no milk.
15 "Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,
that is where I began to hate them.
Because of their sinful deeds,
I will drive them out of my house.
I will love them no more;
all their officials are rebels.
16 Ephraim is diseased,
and their root is dried up;
they bear no fruit.
Even if they have children,
I will put the precious ones of their womb to death."
17 My God will reject them
because they have not obeyed him.
They will become wanderers
among the nations.
1 Israel is a luxuriant vine that produces his fruit.
As his fruit increased,
the more altars he built.
As his land produced more,
he improved his pillars.
2 Their heart is deceitful;
now they must bear their guilt.
Yahweh will demolish their altars;
he will destroy their pillars.
3 For then they will say,
"We have no king,
for we did not fear Yahweh,
and a king—
what could he do for us?"
4 They speak empty words
and make covenants by swearing falsely.
So justice springs up
like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria will be afraid
because of the calves of Beth Aven.
Its people mourned over them,
as did those idolatrous priests
who had rejoiced over them and their splendor,
but they are no longer there.
6 They will be carried to Assyria
as tribute for the great king.
Ephraim will be disgraced,
and Israel will be ashamed of its idol.
7 Samaria's king
will be destroyed,
like a chip of wood
on the surface of the water.
8 The high places of wickedness
will be destroyed.
This is the sin of Israel!
Thorns and thistles will grow over their altars.
The people will say to the mountains, "Cover us!"
and to the hills, "Fall on us!"
9 "Israel, you have sinned since the days of Gibeah;
there you have remained.
Will not war overtake
the sons of wrong in Gibeah?
10 When I desire it,
I will discipline them.
The peoples will gather together against them
and put them in bonds for their double iniquity.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh the grain,
so I will put a yoke on her fair neck.
I will put a yoke on Ephraim;
Judah will plow;
Jacob will pull the harrow by himself.
12 Sow righteousness for yourselves,
and reap the fruit of covenant faithfulness.
Break up your unplowed ground,
for it is time to seek Yahweh,
until he comes and rains righteousness on you.
13 You have plowed wickedness;
you reaped injustice.
You have eaten the fruit of deception
because you trusted in your plans
and in your many soldiers.
14 So a tumult of war
will rise among your people,
and all your fortified cities will be destroyed.
It will be as Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel
on a day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to pieces
with their children.
15 So it will happen to you, Bethel,
because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel
will be completely cut off."
1 "When Israel was a young man I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt.
2 The more they were called,
the more they went away from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and burned incense to idols. [1]
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk.
It was I who lifted them up by their arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of humanity,
with bands of love.
I was to them like someone who eased the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them.
5 Will they not return to the land of Egypt?
Will Assyria not rule over them
because they refuse to return to me?
6 The sword will fall on their cities
and destroy the bars of their gates;
it will destroy them
because of their own plans.
7 My people are determined
to turn away from me.
Though they call to the Most High,
no one will help them.
8 How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?
My heart has changed within me;
all my compassions have been stirred up.
9 I will not execute my fierce anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim.
For I am God
and not a man;
I am the Holy One among you,
and I will not come in wrath.
10 They will follow Yahweh;
and he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling
like a bird from Egypt,
like a dove from the land of Assyria.
I will make them live in their homes—
this is the declaration of Yahweh.
12 Ephraim surrounds me with falsehood,
and the house of Israel with deceit.
But Judah is still going about with God
and is faithful to the Holy One."
1 Ephraim feeds on the wind
and follows after the east wind.
He continually multiplies lies and violence.
They make a covenant with Assyria
and carry olive oil to Egypt.
2 Yahweh also has a lawsuit against Judah
and will punish Jacob for what he has done;
he will repay him for his deeds.
3 In the womb Jacob grasped his brother by the heel,
and in his manhood he struggled with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and won.
He wept and begged for his favor.
He met God at Bethel;
there God spoke with him.
5 This is Yahweh, the God of hosts;
"Yahweh" is his name to be called on.
6 So turn to your God.
Keep covenant faithfulness and justice,
and wait continually for your God.
7 The merchants have deceitful scales in their hands;
they love to defraud.
8 Ephraim said,
"I have certainly become very rich;
I have found wealth for myself.
In all my labors
they will not find any iniquity in me,
anything that would be sin."
9 "I am Yahweh your God
from the land of Egypt.
I will again make you live in tents,
as in the days of the appointed festival.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
and I gave them many visions for you.
By the hand of the prophets
I gave parables."
11 If there is wickedness in Gilead,
surely the people are worthless.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
their altars will be like heaps of stone
in the furrows of the fields.
12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
Israel labored in order to get a wife;
and he kept flocks of sheep to get a wife.
13 Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet,
and by a prophet he took care of them.
14 Ephraim has bitterly angered Yahweh.
So his Lord will leave his blood on him
and will turn back on him his disgrace.
1 "When Ephraim spoke,
there was trembling.
He exalted himself in Israel,
but he became guilty
because of Baal worship, and he died.
2 Now they sin more and more.
They make cast metal figures from their silver,
idols as skillfully worked as possible,
all of them the work of the craftsmen.
People say of them,
'These men who sacrifice kiss calves.'
3 So they will be like the morning clouds,
like the dew that goes away early,
like the chaff that is driven by the wind
away from a threshing floor,
and like smoke out of a chimney.
4 But I am Yahweh your God
from the land of Egypt.
You must acknowledge no God but me;
you must acknowledge that besides me,
there is no other Savior.
5 I knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of great dryness.
6 When you had pasture,
then you became full;
and when you were filled,
your heart became lifted up.
For that reason you forgot me.
7 I will become like a lion to them;
like a leopard I will watch along the path.
8 I will attack them as a bear
that is robbed of her cubs.
I will rip open their chests,
and there I will devour them as a lion,
as a wild beast would tear them to pieces.
9 I will destroy you, Israel;
who will be able to help you?
10 Where now is your king,
that he may save you in all your cities?
Where are your rulers,
about whom you said to me,
'Give me a king and princes'?
11 I gave you a king in my anger,
and I took him away in my wrath.
12 Ephraim's iniquity has been bound up;
his sin has been stored up.
13 Pains of childbirth will come on him,
but he is not a wise son,
for when it is time to be born,
he does not come out of the womb.
14 Will I rescue them from the hand of Sheol?
Will I rescue them from death?
Where, death, are your plagues?
Where, Sheol, is your destruction?
Compassion is hidden from my eyes."
15 Though Ephraim is prosperous among his brothers,
an east wind will come;
the wind of Yahweh
will blow in from the wilderness.
Ephraim's spring will dry up,
and his well will have no water.
His enemy will plunder his storehouse
of every precious object.
16 Samaria will be guilty,
for she has rebelled against her God.
They will fall by the sword;
their young children will be dashed to pieces,
and their pregnant women will be ripped open.
1 Israel, return to Yahweh your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
2 Take with you words
and return to Yahweh.
Say to him, "Take away all our iniquity
and accept what is good,
so that we may offer to you
the fruit of our lips. [1]
3 Assyria will not save us;
we will not ride on horses to war.
Neither will we say anymore
to the work of our hands,
'You are our gods,'
for in you the orphan finds compassion."
4 "I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned away from him.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like the lily
and take root like a cedar in Lebanon.
6 His branches will spread out;
his beauty will be like the olive trees,
and his fragrance like the cedars in Lebanon.
7 The people who live in his shade will return;
they will revive like grain
and blossom like vines.
His fame will be like
the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols?
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a cypress
whose leaves are always green;
from me comes your fruit."
9 Who is wise
that he may understand these things?
Who understands these things
so that he may know them?
For the ways of Yahweh are right,
and the righteous will walk in them,
but the rebellious will stumble in them.
1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
2 Hear this, you elders,
and listen, all you inhabitants of the land.
Has anything like this happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?
3 Tell your children about it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children the next generation.
4 What the swarming locust has left,
the great locust has eaten;
what the great locust has left,
the grasshopper has eaten;
and what the grasshopper has left,
the caterpillar has eaten.
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because the sweet wine has been cut off from you.
6 For a nation has come up upon my land,
mighty and without number.
His teeth are the teeth of a lion,
and he has the teeth of a lioness.
7 He has made my vineyard into a desolate place
and has stripped my fig tree bare.
He has stripped its bark
and thrown it away;
the branches are bare white.
8 Mourn like a virgin girded in sackcloth
for the death of her young bridegroom.
9 The grain offering and the drink offering
have been cut off from the house of Yahweh.
The priests, Yahweh's servants, mourn.
10 The fields are ruined;
the ground is mourning
because the grain has been destroyed.
The new wine has dried up;
the oil fails.
11 Be ashamed, you farmers,
and wail, you vine growers,
for the wheat and the barley.
For the harvest of the fields has perished.
12 The vines have withered
and the fig trees have dried up;
the pomegranate trees, also the palm trees, and the apple trees—
all the trees of the field have withered.
For joy has withered away
from the descendants of mankind.
13 Gird yourselves with sackcloth and mourn, you priests!
Wail, you servants of the altar.
Come, lie all night in sackcloth,
you servants of my God.
For the grain offering and the drink offering
have been withheld from the house of your God.
14 Call for a holy fast,
and call a holy assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of Yahweh your God,
and cry to Yahweh.
15 Alas for the day!
For the day of Yahweh is almost here.
With it will come destruction from the Almighty.
16 Has not food been cut off
from before our eyes,
and joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
17 The seeds rot under their clods,
the storehouses are desolate,
and the barns have been torn down,
for the grain has withered.
18 How the cattle groan!
Their herds are wandering in confusion
because they have no pasture.
Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
19 Yahweh, I cry to you.
For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,
and flames have burned all the trees of the fields.
20 Even the animals of the fields pant for you,
for the water brooks have dried up,
and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
1 Blow the ram's horn in Zion,
and sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble in fear,
for the day of Yahweh is coming;
indeed, it is near.
2 It is a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness.
Like the dawn that spreads on the mountains,
a large and mighty army is approaching.
There has never been an army like it,
and there never will be again,
even after many generations.
3 A fire is consuming everything in front of it,
and behind it a flame is burning.
The land is like the garden of Eden in front of it,
but behind it there is a ruined wilderness.
Indeed, nothing will escape from it.
4 The army's appearance is like horses,
and they run like horsemen.
5 They jump with a noise like that of chariots
on the tops of the mountains,
like the sound of fiery flames that devour the stubble,
like a mighty army ready for battle.
6 At their presence people are in anguish
and all their faces become pale.
7 They run like mighty warriors;
they climb the walls like soldiers;
they march, every one in step,
and do not break their ranks.
8 Neither does one thrust another aside;
they march, each in his path;
they break through the defenses
and do not fall out of line.
9 They rush on the city,
they run on the wall,
they climb in the houses,
and they go through the windows like thieves.
10 The earth shakes in front of them,
the heavens tremble,
the sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars stop shining.
11 Yahweh raises his voice
in front of his army,
for his warriors are very numerous;
for they are strong,
those who carry out his commands.
For the day of Yahweh is great
and very terrible.
Who can endure it?
12 "Yet even now"—this is Yahweh's declaration—
"Return to me with all your heart.
Fast, weep, and mourn."
13 Tear your heart
and not only your garments,
and return to Yahweh your God.
For he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love
and relenting from inflicting punishment.
14 Who knows? Will he perhaps turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for Yahweh your God?
15 Blow the ram's horn in Zion,
call for a holy fast,
and call a holy assembly.
16 Gather the people;
call for the holy assembly.
Assemble the elders;
gather the children
and the nursing infants.
Let the bridegrooms come out of their rooms,
and the brides out of their bridal chambers.
17 Let the priests, the servants of Yahweh,
weep between the porch and the altar.
Let them say, "Spare your people, Yahweh,
and do not make your inheritance into an object of scorn,
that the nations mock them.
Why should they say among the nations,
'Where is their God?'"
18 Then Yahweh was zealous for his land
and had pity on his people.
19 Yahweh answered his people,
"Look, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil.
You will be satisfied with them,
and I will no longer make you
a disgrace among the nations.
20 I will remove the northern attackers far from you,
and will drive them into a dry and desolate land.
The front of their army will go into the eastern sea,
and the rear into the western sea.
Its stench will rise,
and its bad smell will rise."
Indeed, he has done great things.
21 Do not fear, land; be glad and rejoice,
for Yahweh will do great things.
22 Do not fear, you wild animals!
For the pastures of the wilderness will sprout,
the trees will bear their fruit,
and the fig trees and the vines will yield their full harvest.
23 Be glad, people of Zion,
and rejoice in Yahweh your God.
For he will give you the autumn rain
as vindication
and bring down showers for you,
the autumn rain and the spring rain as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of wheat,
and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25 "I will restore to you the years of crops
that the swarming locust has eaten—
the great locust, the devouring locust, and the destroying locust—
my mighty army that I sent among you.
26 You will eat plentifully and be satisfied,
and praise the name of Yahweh your God,
who has done wonders among you,
and I will never again bring shame on my people.
27 You will know that I am among Israel,
and that I am Yahweh your God,
and there is none else,
and I will never bring shame on my people.
28 It will come about afterward
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams;
your young men will see visions.
29 Also on servants and female servants,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun will turn into darkness
and the moon into blood,
before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
32 It will be that everyone who calls
on the name of Yahweh will be saved.
For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be an escaped remnant,
as Yahweh has said,
and among the survivors,
those whom Yahweh calls.
1 Behold, in those days and at that time,
when I reverse the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all the nations,
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
I will judge them there,
because of my people and my inheritance Israel,
whom they scattered among the nations,
and because they divided up my land.
3 They cast lots for my people,
traded a boy for a prostitute,
and sold a girl for wine so they could drink.
4 Now, why are you angry at me,
Tyre, Sidon and all the regions of Philistia?
Will you repay me?
Even if you do repay me,
I will immediately return your repayment on your own head.
5 For you took my silver and my gold,
and you brought my precious treasures into your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,
in order to send them far away from their territory.
7 Look, I am about to stir them up,
out of the place where you sold them,
and will return payment on your own head.
8 I will sell your sons and your daughters,
by the hand of the people of Judah.
They will sell them to the Sabeans,
to a nation far off,
for Yahweh has spoken."
9 Proclaim this among the nations:
"Prepare yourselves for war;
rouse the mighty men;
let them come near;
let all the men of battle come up.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning knives into spears.
Let the weak say,
'I am mighty.'
11 Hurry and come,
all you nearby nations;
gather yourselves together there.
Yahweh, bring down your mighty warriors.
12 Let the nations wake themselves up
and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
For there will I sit to judge
all the surrounding nations.
13 Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, crush the grapes,
for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
for their wickedness is great."
14 There is a tumult, a tumult
in the Valley of Judgment.
For the day of Yahweh is near
in the Valley of Judgment.
15 The sun and the moon become dark,
the stars keep back their brightness.
16 Yahweh will roar from Zion,
and raise his voice from Jerusalem.
The heavens and earth will shake,
but Yahweh will be a shelter for his people,
and a fortress for the people of Israel.
17 "So you will know that I am Yahweh your God
who lives in Zion, my holy mountain.
Then Jerusalem will be holy,
and foreigners will not pass through her again.
18 It will come about on that day
that the mountains will drip with sweet wine,
the hills will flow with milk,
all the brooks of Judah will flow with water,
and a fountain will come from the house of Yahweh
and water the Valley of Shittim.
19 Egypt will become an abandoned devastation,
and Edom will become an abandoned wilderness,
because of the violence done to the people of Judah,
because they shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah will be inhabited forever,
and Jerusalem will be inhabited from generation to generation.
21 I will avenge their blood that I have not yet avenged,
for Yahweh lives in Zion."
1 These are the words of Amos, who was among the shepherds from Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and also in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
2 He said,
"Yahweh will roar from Zion;
he will raise his voice from Jerusalem.
The pastures of the shepherds will mourn;
the top of Carmel will wither."
3 This is what Yahweh says:
"For three sins of Damascus,
even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
because they threshed Gilead
with sharp threshing sledges of iron.
4 I will send a fire into the house of Hazael,
and it will devour the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.
5 I will break the gate bars of Damascus
and cut off the man who rules over the Valley of Aven,
and also the man who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.
The people of Aram will go in captivity to Kir,"
says Yahweh.
6 This is what Yahweh says:
"For three sins of Gaza,
even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
because they carried away captive a whole people,
to hand them over to Edom.
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza,
and it will devour her fortresses.
8 I will cut off the man who lives in Ashdod
and the man who holds the scepter from Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
and the rest of the Philistines will perish,"
says the Lord Yahweh.
9 This is what Yahweh says:
"For three sins of Tyre,
even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
because they had delivered up a whole people to Edom,
and they broke their covenant of brotherhood.
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre,
and it will devour her fortresses."
11 This is what Yahweh says,
"For three sins of Edom,
even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
because he pursued his brother with the sword
and cast off all pity.
His anger tore them apart continually,
and his wrath lasted forever.
12 I will send fire on Teman,
and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah."
13 This is what Yahweh says,
"For three sins of the people of Ammon,
even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead,
that they may enlarge their borders.
14 I will light a fire in the walls of Rabbah,
and it will devour the palaces,
with a shout in the day of battle,
with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.
15 Their king will go into captivity,
he and his officials together,"
says Yahweh.
1 This is what Yahweh says:
"For three sins of Moab,
even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
because he burned the bones
of the king of Edom to lime.
2 I will send fire on Moab,
and it will devour the fortresses of Kerioth.
Moab will die in an uproar,
with shouting and the sound of the ram's horn.
3 I will destroy the judge in her,
and I will kill all the princes with him,"
says Yahweh.
4 This is what Yahweh says:
"For three sins of Judah,
even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
because they rejected the law of Yahweh
and did not keep his statutes.
Their lies caused them to go astray,
after which their fathers had also walked.
5 I will send fire on Judah,
and it will devour the fortresses of Jerusalem."
6 This is what Yahweh says:
"For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
because they sold the innocent for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 They trample on the heads of the poor
as people trample on dust on the ground;
they push the oppressed away.
A man and his father go to the same girl
and so profane my holy name.
8 They lie down beside every altar
on clothes taken as pledges,
and in the house of their God
they drink the wine of those
who have been forced to pay a fine.
9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them,
whose height was like the height of cedars;
he was strong as the oaks.
Yet I destroyed his fruit above
and his roots below.
10 Also, I brought you up out of the land of Egypt
and led you forty years in the wilderness
to possess the land of the Amorites.
11 I raised up prophets from among your sons
and Nazirites from your young men.
Is it not so, people of Israel?—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
12 But you persuaded the Nazirites to drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
13 Look, I will crush you
as a cart that is full of grain can crush someone.
14 Escape will perish from the swift;
the strong will not add to his own strength;
neither will the mighty save himself.
15 The archer will not stand;
the fast runner will not escape;
the horseman will not save himself.
16 Even the bravest warriors
will flee naked in that day—
this is Yahweh's declaration."
1 Hear this word that Yahweh has spoken against you, people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:
2 "I have chosen only you
from all the families of the earth.
Therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities."
3 Will two walk together
unless they have made an appointment?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest
when he has no prey?
Will a young lion growl from his den
if he has caught nothing?
5 Can a bird fall in a trap on the ground
when no bait is set for him?
Will a trap spring up from the ground
when it has not caught anything?
6 If a ram's horn sounds in a city,
will the people not tremble?
If disaster overtakes a city,
has Yahweh not sent it?
7 Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing
unless he reveals his plan
to his servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared;
who will not fear?
The Lord Yahweh has spoken;
who will not prophesy?
9 Proclaim this in the fortresses at Ashdod,
and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt;
say, "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria
and see what great tumults are in her,
and what oppression is in her.
10 For they do not know how to do right—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
They store up violence
and devastation in their fortresses."
11 Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahweh says:
"An enemy will surround the land,
and pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses."
12 This is what Yahweh says:
"As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion
two legs only, or a piece of an ear;
so will the people of Israel who live in Samaria be rescued;
they will be left with only the corner of a couch
or a piece of a bed."
13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob— this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts:
14 "For in the day that I punish the sins of Israel,
I will also punish the altars of Bethel.
The horns of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15 I will destroy the winter house
with the summer house.
The houses of ivory will perish,
and the large houses will vanish—
this is Yahweh's declaration."
1 Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan,
you who are in the mountain of Samaria,
you who oppress the poor, you who crush the needy,
you who say to your husbands, "Bring us drinks."
2 The Lord Yahweh has sworn by his holiness,
"Look, the days will come on you
when they will take you away with hooks,
the last of you with fishhooks.
3 You will go out through the breaks in the city wall,
each one of you going straight through it,
and you will be thrown out toward Harmon—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
4 "Go to Bethel and sin,
to Gilgal and multiply transgression,
bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three days.
5 Offer a thanksgiving sacrifice with bread;
proclaim freewill offerings; announce them,
for this is what you love to do,
you people of Israel—
this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh.
6 I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities
and lack of bread in all your places.
Yet you have not returned to me—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
7 I also withheld rain from you
when there were still three months to the harvest.
I caused it to rain on one city,
and caused it not to rain on another city.
One piece of land was rained on,
but the piece of land where it did not rain dried up.
8 Two or three cities staggered to another city to drink water,
but were not satisfied.
Yet you have not returned to me—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
9 I afflicted you with blight and mildew.
The multitude of your gardens,
your vineyards, your fig trees, and your olive trees—
the locusts devoured them all.
Yet you have not returned to me—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
10 I sent a plague on you
as on Egypt.
I killed your young men with the sword,
along with the captivity of your horses,
and made the stench of your camp come up
to your nostrils.
Yet you have not returned to me—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
11 I overthrew cities among you,
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
You were like a burning stick snatched out of the fire.
Yet you have not returned to me—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
12 Therefore I will do something terrible to you, Israel;
and because I will do something terrible to you,
prepare to meet your God, Israel!
13 For, look, he who forms the mountains
also creates the wind,
reveals his thoughts to mankind,
makes the dawn become darkness,
and treads on the high places of the earth.
Yahweh, God of hosts, is his name."
1 Hear this word that I take up as a lament over you, house of Israel.
2 The virgin Israel has fallen;
she will rise no more;
she is abandoned on her land;
there is no one to raise her up.
3 For this is what the Lord Yahweh says:
"The city that went out with a thousand
will have a hundred remaining,
and the one that went out with a hundred
will have ten remaining for the house of Israel."
4 For this is what Yahweh says to the house of Israel:
"Seek me and live!
5 Do not seek Bethel;
nor enter Gilgal;
do not journey to Beersheba.
For Gilgal will surely go into captivity,
and Bethel will become nothing.
6 Seek Yahweh and live,
or he will break out like fire
in the house of Joseph.
It will devour,
and there will be no one to quench it in Bethel.
7 Those people turn justice into a bitter thing
and throw righteousness down to the ground!"
8 God made the Pleiades and Orion;
he turns deep darkness into the morning;
he makes the day dark with night
and calls for the waters of the sea;
he pours them out on the surface of the earth.
Yahweh is his name!
9 He brings sudden destruction on the strong
so that destruction comes on the fortresses.
10 They hate anyone who reproves them in the city gate,
and they abhor anyone who speaks with integrity.
11 Because you trample down the poor
and seize a tribute of wheat from him—
although you have built houses of worked stone,
you will not live in them.
You have planted delightful vineyards,
but you will not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your offenses
and how mighty are your sins.
you who afflict the just, take bribes,
and turn aside the needy in the city gate.
13 Therefore any prudent person is silent at such a time,
for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil,
so that you may live.
So Yahweh, the God of hosts, will really be with you,
as you say he is.
15 Hate evil, love good,
establish justice in the city gate.
Perhaps Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be gracious
to the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore, this is what Yahweh says, the God of hosts, the Lord,
"Wailing will be in all the squares,
and they will say in all the streets,
'Woe! Woe!'
They will call the farmers to mourning
and those who know lamentation to wailing.
17 In all vineyards there will be wailing,
for I will pass through your midst,"
says Yahweh.
18 Woe to you who desire
the day of Yahweh!
Why do you long for the day of Yahweh?
It will be darkness and not light,
19 as when a man flees from a lion
and a bear meets him,
or he goes in a house and puts his hand on the wall
and a snake bites him.
20 Will not the day of Yahweh be darkness and not light?
Gloom and no brightness?
21 "I hate, I despise your festivals,
I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
neither will I look at the fellowship offerings
of your fattened animals.
23 Remove from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the sound of your lutes.
24 Instead, let justice flow like water,
and righteousness like a constantly flowing stream.
25 Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the images of Sikkuth, your king,
and Kaiwan, your star god,
which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will exile you beyond Damascus,"
says Yahweh, whose name is the God of hosts.
1 Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
and to those who are secure in the hill country of Samaria,
the notable men of the most important of the nations,
to whom the house of Israel comes for help!
2 Your leaders say, "Go to Kalneh and look;
from there go to Hamath, the great city;
then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are they better than your two kingdoms?
Is their border larger than your border?"
3 Woe to those who put off the day of disaster
and make the throne of violence come near.
4 They lie down on beds of ivory
and lounge on their couches.
They eat lambs from the flock
and calves from the stall.
5 They sing foolish songs to the music of the lute;
they improvise on instruments as David did.
6 They drink wine from bowls
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
7 So they will now go into exile with the first exiles,
and the feasts of those who lounge about will pass away.
8 "I, the Lord Yahweh, have sworn by myself—
this is the declaration of Yahweh, the God of hosts,
I detest the pride of Jacob;
I hate his fortresses.
Therefore I will deliver up the city
with all that is in it."
9 It will come about that if ten men remain in one house, they will all die. 10 When his relative or the one who burns him takes up the bones from the house—when he says to the person in the inner room of the house, "Is there anyone with you?" that person will say, "No one." Then he will say, "Be quiet, for we must not mention Yahweh's name."
11 For, look, Yahweh will give a command,
and the big house will be smashed to pieces,
and the little house to bits.
12 Do horses run on the rocky cliffs?
Does one plow there with oxen?
Yet you have turned justice into poison
and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness—
13 you who rejoice over Lo Debar,
who say, "Have we not taken Karnaim by our own strength?"
14 "But look, I will raise up against you a nation,
house of Israel—this is the declaration of Yahweh, the God of hosts.
They will afflict you
from Lebo Hamath to the brook of the Arabah."
1 This is what the Lord Yahweh showed me. Look, he formed a locust swarm when the spring crop began to come up, and, look, it was the late crop after the king's harvest. 2 When they finished eating the vegetation of the land, then I said, "Lord Yahweh, please forgive; how will Jacob stand? For he is so small." 3 Yahweh relented concerning this. "It will not happen," he said.
4 This is what the Lord Yahweh showed me: Look, the Lord Yahweh called on fire to judge. It dried the vast, deep water under the earth and would have devoured the land also. 5 But I said, "Lord Yahweh, please stop; how will Jacob stand? For he is so small." 6 Yahweh relented concerning this, "This also will not happen," said the Lord Yahweh.
7 This is what he showed me: Look, the Lord stood beside a wall, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 Yahweh said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "Look, I will put a plumb line among my people Israel. I will spare them no longer.
9 The high places of Isaac will be destroyed,
the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined,
and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword."
10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: "Amos has conspired against you in the middle of the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words. 11 For this is what Amos said,
'Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and Israel will surely go into exile away from his land.'"
12 Amaziah said to Amos, "Seer, go, flee back to the land of Judah, and there eat bread and prophesy. 13 But do not prophesy anymore here at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal house."
14 Then Amos said to Amaziah, "I am not a prophet nor a prophet's son. I am a herdsman, and I take care of sycamore fig trees. 15 But Yahweh took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' 16 Now hear the word of Yahweh. You say,
'Do not prophesy against Israel,
and do not speak against the house of Isaac.'
17 Therefore this is what Yahweh says,
'Your wife will be a prostitute in the city;
your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword;
your land will be measured and divided up;
you will die in an unclean land,
and Israel will surely go into exile from his land.'"
1 This is what the Lord Yahweh showed me. Look, a basket of summer fruit! 2 He said, "What do you see, Amos?" I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then Yahweh said to me,
"The end has come for my people Israel;
I will spare them no longer.
3 The songs of the temple will become wailings in that day—
this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—
many dead bodies, they are thrown everywhere!
Silence!"
4 Listen to this, you who trample the needy
and remove the poor of the land.
5 They say,
"When will the new moon be over,
so we can sell grain again?
When will the Sabbath day be over,
so that we can sell wheat?
We will make the measure small
and increase the price,
as we cheat with deceitful scales.
6 This is so we can sell bad wheat, buy the poor with silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals."
7 Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob, "Surely I will never forget any of their actions."
8 Will not the land quake for this,
and everyone who lives in it mourn?
All of it will rise up like the Nile River,
and it will be tossed about and sink again,
like the river of Egypt.
9 "It will come in that day—
this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—
that I will make the sun set at noon,
and I will darken the earth at daylight.
10 I will turn your festivals into mourning
and all your songs into lamentation.
I put sackcloth on all loins
and have baldness on every head.
I will make it like mourning for an only son,
and a bitter day to its end.
11 Look, the days are coming—
this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—
when I will send a famine in the land,
not a famine for bread, nor of thirst for water,
but for hearing the words of Yahweh.
12 They will stagger from sea to sea;
they will run from the north to the east
to seek the word of Yahweh,
but they will not find it.
13 In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men
will faint from thirst.
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria [1]
and say, 'As your god lives, Dan,'
and, 'As the way to Beersheba exists,' [2]
they will fall and never rise again."
1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said,
"Strike the tops of the pillars
so that the thresholds will shake.
Break them in pieces on all of their heads,
and I will kill the last of them with the sword.
Not one of them will get away;
not one of them will escape.
2 Though they dig into Sheol,
there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to heaven,
there I will bring them down.
3 Though they hide on the top of Carmel,
there I will search and take them.
Though they are hidden from my sight in the bottom of the sea,
there will I command the serpent, and it will bite them.
4 Though they go into captivity, driven by their enemies before them,
there will I give orders to the sword, and it will kill them.
I will keep my eyes on them
for harm and not for good."
5 The Lord Yahweh of hosts
touches the land and it melts;
all who live in it mourn;
all of it will rise up like the River,
and sink again like the river of Egypt.
6 It is he who builds his steps in the heavens,
and has established his vault over the earth.
He calls for the waters of the sea,
and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
Yahweh is his name.
7 "Are you not like the people of Cush to me,
people of Israel—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
did I not bring up Israel out of the land of Egypt,
the Philistines from Crete,
and the Arameans from Kir?
8 Look, the eyes of the Lord Yahweh
are on the sinful kingdom,
and I will destroy it
from the face of the earth,
except that I will not totally destroy
the house of Jacob—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
9 Look, I will give a command,
and I will shake the house of Israel
among all the nations,
as one shakes grain in a sieve,
so that not the smallest stone will fall to the ground.
10 All the sinners of my people
will die by the sword,
those who say,
'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.'
11 In that day
I will raise up the tent of David that has fallen,
and close up its breaches.
I will raise up its ruins,
and rebuild it as in the days of old,
12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom,
and all the nations that are called by my name—
this is Yahweh's declaration—he does this.
13 Look, the days will come—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
when the plowman will overtake the reaper,
and the treader of grapes will overtake him who plants seed.
The mountains will drip sweet wine,
and all the hills will flow with it.
14 I will bring back from captivity my people Israel.
They will build the ruined cities and inhabit them,
they will plant vineyards and drink their wine,
and they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will plant them upon their land,
and they will never again be uprooted from the land
that I have given them,"
says Yahweh your God.
1 The vision of Obadiah. The Lord Yahweh says this concerning Edom: We have heard a report from Yahweh and an ambassador has been sent among the nations, saying, "Rise up! Let us rise up against her for battle!"
2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you will be greatly despised. 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty home; who say in your heart, "Who will bring me down to the ground?" 4 Though you soar high like the eagle and though your nest is set among the stars, I will bring you down from there—this is Yahweh's declaration.
5 If thieves came to you, if robbers came by night—how you will be ruined!—would they not steal only as much as they needed? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave the gleanings? 6 How Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures looted! 7 All the men of your alliance will send you on your way to the border. The men who were at peace with you will deceive you and prevail against you. They who eat your bread will set a trap under you. There is no understanding in him.
8 "Will I not on that day"—this is Yahweh's declaration—"destroy the wise men from Edom and understanding out of the mountain of Esau? 9 Your mighty men will be dismayed, Teman, so that every man may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.
10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever. 11 On the day you stood aloof, on the day strangers carried away his wealth, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over your brother's day, in the day of his misfortune, and do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction; do not boast in the day of their distress. 13 Do not enter my people's gate in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over their affliction in the day of their disaster, do not loot their wealth in the day of their ruin. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut down his fugitives, and do not deliver up his survivors in the day of distress.
15 For the day of Yahweh is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return on your own head. 16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so will all the nations drink continually. They will drink and swallow and it will be as though they had never existed.
17 But in Mount Zion there will be those who escape, and it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will take possession of their possessions. 18 The house of Jacob will be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will burn them, and consume them. There will be no survivors to the house of Esau, for Yahweh has spoken it."
19 People from the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau and the people of the lowlands will possess the land of the Philistines. They will possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead. 20 The exiles of this army of the people of Israel will possess the land of Canaan as far as Zarephath. The exiles of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev. 21 Deliverers will go up to Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, and the kingdom will belong to Yahweh.
1 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, 2 "Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it, because their wickedness has risen up before me." 3 But Jonah got up to run away from the presence of Yahweh and go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and boarded the ship to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of Yahweh.
4 But Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea and it became a mighty storm on the sea. Soon it appeared that the ship was going to be broken up. 5 Then the sailors became very afraid and each man cried out to his own god. They threw the ship's cargo into the sea to lighten it. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was lying there deeply asleep.
6 So the captain came to him and said to him, "What are you doing sleeping? Get up! Call upon your god! Maybe your god will notice us and we will not perish."
7 Each man said to his neighbor, "Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know who is the cause of this evil that is happening to us." So they threw lots, and the lot fell to Jonah.
8 Then they said to Jonah, "Please tell us who is the cause of this evil that is happening to us. What is your occupation, and where did you come from? What is your country, and from which people are you?" 9 Jonah said to them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land." 10 Then the men were even more afraid and said to Jonah, "What is this that you have done?" For the men knew that he was running away from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them.
11 Then they said to Jonah, "What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?" For the sea became more and more stormy. 12 Jonah said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you, for I know that it is because of me that this great storm is happening to you."
13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get themselves back to the land, but they could not do it because the sea was becoming more and more violent against them.
14 Therefore they cried out to Yahweh and said, "We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, do not let us perish on account of this man's life, and do not put innocent blood on us, because you, Yahweh, have done just as it pleased you." 15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. 16 Then the men feared Yahweh very much. They offered a sacrifice to Yahweh and made vows.
17 Now Yahweh had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.
"I called out to Yahweh about my distress
and he answered me;
from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help!
You heard my voice.
3 You had thrown me into the depths,
into the heart of the seas,
and the currents surrounded me;
all your waves and billows
passed over me.
4 I said, 'I am driven out
from before your eyes;
yet I will again look
toward your holy temple.'
5 The waters closed around me up to my neck;
the deep was all around me;
seaweed wrapped around my head.
6 I went down to the bases of the mountains;
the earth with its bars closed upon me forever.
Yet you brought up my life from the pit,
Yahweh, my God!
7 When my soul fainted within me,
I called Yahweh to mind;
then my prayer came to you
to your holy temple.
8 They give attention to meaningless gods
while they abandon covenant faithfulness.
9 But as for me, I will sacrifice to you
with a voice of thanksgiving;
I will fulfill that which I have vowed.
Salvation comes from Yahweh!"
10 Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah upon the dry land.
1 The word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I command you to give." 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was a very large city, one of three days' journey. 4 Jonah began to enter the city and after a day's journey he called out and said, "In forty days Nineveh will be overthrown." 5 The people of Nineveh believed God and they proclaimed a fast. They all put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them down to the least of them. 6 Soon the news reached the king of Nineveh. He rose up from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 He sent out a proclamation that said, "In Nineveh, by the authority of the king and his nobles: 'Do not let any man or animal, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not eat, nor drink water. 8 But let both man and animal be covered with sackcloth and let them cry out loudly to God. Let each one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may relent and change his mind and turn away from his fierce anger so that we do not perish.'"
10 God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil ways. So then God changed his mind about the punishment that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
1 But this displeased Jonah and he became very angry. 2 So Jonah prayed to Yahweh and said, "Ah, Yahweh, is this not just what I said when I was back in my own country? That is why I acted first and tried to flee to Tarshish—because I knew that you are a gracious God, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and you hold back from sending disaster. 3 Therefore now, Yahweh, I beg you, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." 4 Yahweh said, "Is it good that you are so angry?" 5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made a shelter and sat under it in the shade so that he could see what might become of the city.
6 Yahweh God appointed a plant and made it grow up over Jonah so that it might be a shade over his head to relieve him of his distress. Jonah was very glad because of the plant. 7 But God appointed a worm at sunrise the next morning. It attacked the plant and the plant withered. 8 It came about that when the sun rose the next morning, God appointed a hot east wind. Also, the sun beat down on Jonah's head and he became faint. Then Jonah wished that he might die. He said to himself, "It is better for me to die than to live." 9 Then God said to Jonah, "Is it good that you are so angry about the plant?" Then Jonah said, "It is good that I am angry, even to death." 10 Yahweh said, "You have had compassion for the plant, for which you have not labored, nor did you make it grow. It grew up in a night and died in a night. 11 So as for me, should I not have compassion for Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 people who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left hand, and also many animals?"
1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Listen, all you peoples.
Listen, earth, and all that is in you.
Let the Lord Yahweh be a witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.
3 Look, Yahweh comes out of his place;
he will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
4 The mountains will melt under him;
the valleys will break apart,
like wax before fire,
like waters that are poured down a steep place.
5 All this is because of Jacob's transgression,
and because of the sins of the house of Israel.
What is Jacob's transgression?
Is it not Samaria?
What is Judah's high place?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 "I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field,
a place for planting vineyards,
and I will pour her stones down into the valley
and I will uncover her foundations.
7 All her carved figures will be broken to pieces,
and all her gifts that she received will be burned with fire,
and I will make all her idols desolate.
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,
they will become the wages of prostitutes again."
8 For this reason I will lament and wail;
I will go barefoot and naked;
I will wail like the jackals
and mourn like owls.
9 For her wound is incurable,
for it has come to Judah.
It has reached the gate of my people,
to Jerusalem.
10 Do not tell about it in Gath;
do not weep at all.
At Beth Leaphrah
I roll myself in the dust.
11 Pass by, inhabitants of Shaphir,
in nakedness and shame.
The inhabitants of Zaanan
do not come out.
Beth Ezel mourns,
for their protection is taken away.
12 For the inhabitants of Maroth
wait anxiously for good news,
because disaster has come down from Yahweh
to the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses,
inhabitants of Lachish.
You, Lachish, were the beginning of sin for the daughter of Zion,
for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 So you will give parting gifts
to Moresheth Gath;
the houses of Akzib will disappoint
the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring a conqueror to you,
inhabitants of Mareshah;
the splendor of Israel
will come to Adullam.
16 Shave your head and cut off your hair
for the children in whom you delight.
Make yourself as bald as eagles,
for your children will go into exile from you.
1 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plan on their beds to do evil.
In the morning light they do it
because they have power.
2 They desire fields and seize them;
they desire houses and take them.
They oppress a man and his house,
a man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore Yahweh says this,
"Look, I am planning to bring disaster against this clan,
from which you will not remove your necks.
You will not walk arrogantly,
for it will be an evil time.
4 In that day men will sing a taunting song about you,
and lament with a wailing lamentation.
They will sing, 'We Israelites are completely ruined;
Yahweh changes the portion of my people.
How can he remove it from me?
He portions out our fields to traitors!'"
5 Therefore, you rich people will have no descendants
to divide up the territory by lot in the assembly of Yahweh.
6 "Do not prophesy," their prophets say.
"They must not prophesy these things;
disgrace will not overtake us."
7 Should it really be said, house of Jacob,
"Is the Spirit of Yahweh impatient?
Are these really his deeds?"
Do not my words do good
to anyone who walks uprightly?
8 Lately my people have risen up
like an enemy.
You strip the robe, the garment,
from those who pass by unsuspectingly,
as soldiers return from war to what they think is safety.
9 You drive the women belonging to my people
from their pleasant houses;
you take my splendor
from their young children forever.
10 Get up and leave,
for this is not a place where you can rest,
because of its uncleanness;
it is destroyed with complete destruction.
11 If someone comes to you in a spirit of falsehood and lies and says,
"I will prophesy to you about wine and strong drink,"
he would be considered to be a prophet for this people.
12 I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob.
I will surely gather the remnant of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a fold,
like a flock in the midst of their pasture.
There will be a loud noise
because of the multitude of people.
13 Someone who breaks open their way for them
will go ahead of them.
They break through the gate and go out;
their king will pass on before them.
Yahweh will be at their head.
1 I said,
"Now listen, you leaders of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel:
Is it not right for you to understand justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil,
you who tear off their skin,
their flesh from their bones—
3 you who also eat the flesh of my people,
and tear off their skin,
break their bones,
and chop them in pieces,
just like meat for a pot,
just like meat in a cauldron.
4 Then you rulers will cry out to Yahweh,
but he will not answer you.
He will hide his face from you at that time,
because you have done evil deeds."
5 Yahweh says this,
"As for the prophets
who lead my people astray,
if one gives them something to eat,
they proclaim, 'Peace.'
But if he puts nothing in their mouths,
they dedicate themselves to wage war on him.
6 Therefore, it will be night for you with no vision for you;
it will be dark so that you will do no divination.
The sun will go down on the prophets,
and the day will be dark on them.
7 The seers will be put to shame,
and the diviners will be embarrassed.
All of them will cover their lips,
for there is no answer from God."
8 But as for me, I am full of power by the Spirit of Yahweh,
and am full of justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
and to Israel his sin.
9 Now listen to this,
you leaders of the house of Jacob,
and rulers of the house of Israel,
you who detest justice,
and pervert everything that is right.
10 You build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 Your leaders judge for a bribe,
your priests teach for a price,
and your prophets do divination for money.
Yet you rely on Yahweh and say,
"Is not Yahweh with us?
No evil will come on us."
12 Therefore, because of you,
Zion will become a plowed field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
and the hill of the temple
will become high places of a thicket.
1 But in the last days it will come about
that the mountain of the house of Yahweh
will be established as the chief over the other mountains.
It will be exalted above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will go and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths."
For from Zion the law will go out,
and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge among many peoples
and will decide concerning numerous nations far away.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war any longer.
4 Instead, they will sit every person under his vine
and under his fig tree.
No one will make them afraid,
for the mouth of Yahweh of hosts has spoken.
5 For all the peoples walk,
each one, in the name of their god.
But we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God
forever and ever.
6 "On that day"—this is Yahweh's declaration—
"I will assemble the lame
and gather the outcast,
those whom I have afflicted.
7 I will turn the lame into a remnant,
and the ones driven away into a strong nation,
and I, Yahweh, will reign over them on Mount Zion,
now and forever.
8 As for you, watchtower for the flock,
hill of the daughter of Zion—
to you it will come, your former dominion will be restored,
the kingdom that belongs to the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 Now, why do you shout so loudly?
Is there no king among you?
Has your counselor died?
Is this why pain like a woman in labor seizes you?
10 Be in pain
and labor to give birth, daughter of Zion,
like a woman in labor.
For now you will go out of the city,
live in the field,
and go to Babylon.
There you will be rescued.
There Yahweh will redeem you
from the hand of your enemies.
11 Now many nations
are assembled against you;
they say, 'Let her be defiled;
let our eyes gloat over Zion.'
12 They do not know Yahweh's thoughts,
neither do they understand his plans,
for he has gathered them like bundles of grain
prepared for the threshing floor.
13 Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,
for I will make your horn to be iron,
and I will make your hooves to be bronze.
You will crush many peoples
and you will devote their unjust gain to Yahweh,
their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth."
1 Now come together in battle ranks, daughter of soldiers!
A siege has been set up against us!
With a rod they strike the judge of Israel
on the cheek. [1]
2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
even though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you one will come to me
to rule in Israel,
whose beginning is from ancient times,
from everlasting.
3 Therefore God will give them up,
until the time when she who is in labor bears a child,
and the rest of his brothers return
to the people of Israel.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of Yahweh,
in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God.
They will remain,
for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.
5 He will give us peace.
When the Assyrians come into our land,
and when they march against our fortresses,
then we will raise against them seven shepherds
and eight leaders over men.
6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
and the land of Nimrod in its entrances. [2]
He will rescue us from the Assyrians,
when they come into our land,
when they march inside our borders.
7 The remnant of Jacob will be
in the midst of many peoples,
like dew from Yahweh,
like showers on the grass,
that do not wait for a man,
and they do not wait for the children of mankind.
8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
among many peoples,
like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep.
When he goes through them,
he will trample over them and tear them to pieces,
and there will be no one to save them.
9 Your hand will be lifted against your enemies,
and it will destroy them.
10 "It will happen in that day"—this is Yahweh's declaration—
"that I will destroy your horses from among you
and will demolish your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities in your land
and throw down all your strongholds.
12 I will destroy the witchcraft in your hand,
and you will no longer have any diviners.
13 I will destroy your carved figures
and your stone pillars from among you.
You will no longer worship
the workmanship of your hands.
14 I will uproot your Asherah poles from among you,
and I will destroy your cities.
15 I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath
on the nations that have not listened."
1 Now listen to what Yahweh says,
"Arise and state your case before the mountains;
let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, you mountains, Yahweh's accusation,
you enduring foundations of the earth.
For Yahweh has a lawsuit with his people,
and he will fight in court against Israel.
3 My people, what have I done to you?
How have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt
and rescued you out of the house of bondage.
I sent Moses, Aaron,
and Miriam to you.
5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
and how Balaam son of Beor answered him
as you went from Shittim to Gilgal,
so you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh."
6 What should I bring to Yahweh,
as I bow down to God on high?
Should I come to him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams,
or with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has told you, man, what is good,
and what Yahweh requires from you:
Act justly, love kindness,
and walk humbly with your God.
9 The voice of Yahweh is making a proclamation to the city—
even now wisdom fears your name:
"Listen to the rod, and to the one who has put it in place. [1]
10 There is wealth in the houses of the wicked that is dishonest,
and false measures that are abominable.
11 Should I consider a person to be innocent
if he uses fraudulent scales,
with a bag of deceptive weights?
12 The rich men are full of violence,
the inhabitants have spoken lies,
and their tongue in their mouth is deceitful.
13 Therefore I will make you sick, striking you down,
making you desolate because of your sins.
14 You will eat but not be satisfied;
your emptiness will remain inside you.
You will store goods away but not save,
and what you do save I will give to the sword. [2]
15 You will sow but not reap;
you will tread the olives but not anoint yourselves with oil;
you will press grapes but drink no wine.
16 You have observed the statutes of Omri,
and all the works of the house of Ahab.
You have walked in their counsels,
Therefore I will give you over to ruin
and your inhabitants to derision,
and you will bear the scorn of my people." [3]
1 Woe is me!
I have become like the gathering of summer fruit,
and like the grapes that have been gleaned;
there is no grape cluster to eat,
no ripe early fig that my soul desires.
2 The faithful ones have vanished from the land;
there is no upright person in all mankind.
They all lie in wait to shed blood;
each one hunts his own brother with a net.
3 Their hands are very good at doing harm:
the ruler asks for money,
the judge is ready for bribes,
and the powerful man is telling others of the desire of his soul.
Thus they plot together.
4 The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge.
It is the day foretold by your watchmen,
the day of your punishment.
Now is the time of their confusion.
5 Do not trust any neighbor;
do not put confidence in any friend.
From even the woman who lies in your embrace
guard the entrance to your mouth.
6 For a son dishonors his father,
a daughter rises up against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
A man's enemies are the people of his own house.
7 But as for me, I will look to Yahweh.
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.
8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy.
After I fall, I will rise.
When I sit in darkness,
Yahweh will be a light for me.
9 Because I sinned against Yahweh,
I will bear his rage
until he pleads my case
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me to the light,
and I will see his righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see it,
and shame will cover the one who said to me,
"Where is Yahweh your God?"
My eyes will look at her;
she will be trampled down like the mud in the streets.
11 A day to build your walls will come;
on that day the boundaries will be extended very far.
12 On that day your people will come to you,
from Assyria and the cities in Egypt,
from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea,
and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the land will be desolate
because of the people who are living there,
because of the fruit of their actions.
14 Shepherd your people with your rod,
the flock of your inheritance.
They dwell alone in a thicket,
in the midst of a pastureland.
Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
as in the old days.
15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
I will show them wonders.
16 The nations will see and be ashamed
of all their power.
They will put their hands on their mouths;
their ears will be deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the earth.
They will come out of their fortresses with fear;
they will come with fear to you, Yahweh our God,
and they will be afraid because of you.
18 Who is a God like you—
who takes away iniquity, who passes over the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not keep his anger forever
because he delights in his covenant faithfulness.
19 You will again have compassion on us;
you will trample our iniquities under your feet.
You will throw all our sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give truth to Jacob
and covenant faithfulness to Abraham,
as you swore to our ancestors in ancient days.
1 The declaration about Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum, the Elkoshite.
2 Yahweh is a jealous God and avenges;
Yahweh avenges and is full of wrath;
Yahweh takes vengeance on his adversaries,
and he continues his anger for his enemies.
3 Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power;
he will not acquit the wicked.
Yahweh makes his way in the whirlwind and the storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
he dries up all the rivers.
Bashan is weak, and Carmel also;
the flowers of Lebanon have become weak.
5 The mountains shake in his presence,
and the hills melt;
the earth collapses in his presence, indeed,
the world and all people who live in it.
6 Who can stand before his rage?
Who can resist the fierceness of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
and the rocks are broken apart by him.
7 Yahweh is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
and he acknowledges those who take refuge in him.
8 But he will make a full end to his enemies
with an overwhelming flood;
he will pursue them into darkness.
9 What are you people plotting against Yahweh?
He will make a full end to it;
trouble will not rise up a second time.
10 Like tangled thorns
and like the drink of drunkards,
they will be consumed like dry stubble.
11 From you, Nineveh, has come out
someone who plotted evil against Yahweh,
a wicked counselor.
12 This is what Yahweh says,
"Even if they are at their full strength and full numbers,
they will nevertheless be sheared; their people will pass away.
But you, Judah: Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more.
13 Now will I break that people's yoke from off you;
I will break your chains."
14 Yahweh has given a command about you, Nineveh:
"There will be no more descendants bearing your name.
I will cut off the carved images and the cast metal figures
from the houses of your gods.
I will prepare your grave,
for you are contemptible."
15 Look, on the mountains
there are the feet of someone who is bringing good news,
who is announcing peace!
Celebrate your festivals, Judah,
and fulfill your vows,
for the wicked one will invade you no more;
he is completely cut off.
1 The one who scatters is coming up against you.
Guard the city wall, watch the road,
strengthen your loins, pull together all your strength.
2 For Yahweh is restoring the majesty of Jacob
like the majesty of Israel,
although the plunderers devastated them
and destroyed their vine branches.
3 The shields of his mighty men are red,
and the soldiers are clothed in scarlet;
the chariots flash with their metal
on the day that they are made ready,
and the cypress spears are waved in the air.
4 The chariots speed through the streets;
they rush back and forth in the wide streets.
They look like torches,
and they run like lightning.
5 He remembers his nobles;
they stumble over each other in their march;
they hurry to attack the city wall.
The large shield is made ready to protect these attackers.
6 The gates at the rivers are forced open,
and the palace collapses.
7 Huzzab is stripped
and is taken away;
her female servants moan like doves,
beating on their breasts.
8 Nineveh is like a leaking pool of water,
with its people fleeing away like rushing water.
Others shout, "Stop, stop,"
but no one turns back.
9 Take the silver plunder, take the gold plunder,
for there is no end to the treasure,
to the splendor of all Nineveh's desirable things.
10 Nineveh is empty; empty and devastated.
Everyone's heart melts, everyone's knees strike together,
and anguish is in all loins; their faces are all pale.
11 Where now is the lions' den,
the place where the young lion cubs were fed,
the place where the lion and lioness walked,
with the cubs, where they were afraid of nothing?
12 The lion tore his victims to pieces for his cubs;
he strangled victims for his lionesses,
and filled his cave with victims,
his dens with torn carcasses.
13 "See, I am against you—
this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
I will burn your chariots in the smoke,
and the sword will devour your young lions.
I will cut off your prey from your land,
and the voices of your messengers will be heard no more."
1 Woe to the city full of blood!
It is all full of lies and stolen property;
victims are always in her.
2 But now there is the noise of whips
and the sound of rattling wheels,
prancing horses, and bounding chariots.
3 Horsemen charging,
flashing swords and glittering spears!
Piles of the dead, bodies that could not be counted—
their attackers stumble over the bodies.
4 This is happening because of the lustful actions
of the beautiful prostitute, the expert in witchcraft,
who sells nations through her prostitution,
and peoples through her acts of witchcraft.
5 "See, I am against you—
this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—
I will raise up your skirt over your face
and show your private parts to the nations,
your shame to the kingdoms.
6 I will throw disgusting filth on you
and make you vile;
I will set you up as a spectacle.
7 It will come about that everyone who looks at you
will flee from you and say,
'Nineveh is destroyed; who will weep for her?'
Where can I go to find anyone to comfort you?"
8 Nineveh, are you better than Thebes,
which was located on the Nile River,
which had water around her,
whose rampart was the sea,
and the sea was its wall?
9 Cush and Egypt were her strength,
and there was no end to it;
Put and Libya were allies to her.
10 Yet Thebes was carried away;
she went into captivity;
her young children were dashed in pieces
at the head of every street;
her enemies threw lots for her honorable men,
and all her great men were bound in chains.
11 You also will become drunk; you will try to hide,
and you also will look for a refuge from your enemy.
12 All your fortresses will be like fig trees
with the earliest ripe figs:
if they are shaken,
they fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 See, the people among you are women;
the gates of your land have been opened wide to your enemies;
fire has devoured their bars.
14 Go draw water for the siege;
strengthen your fortresses;
go into the clay and tread the mortar;
pick up the molds for the bricks.
15 Fire will devour you there, and the sword will destroy you.
It will devour you as young locusts devour everything.
Make yourselves as many as the young locusts,
as many as the full-grown locusts.
16 You have multiplied your merchants
more than the stars in the heavens;
but they are like young locusts:
they plunder the land and then fly away.
17 Your princes are like locust swarms,
and your commanders are like locusts
that camp in the walls on a cold day.
But when the sun rises they flee,
and the place they go to is not known.
18 King of Assyria, your shepherds are asleep;
your nobles are lying down resting.
Your people are scattered on the mountains,
and there is no one to gather them.
19 No healing is possible for your wounds.
Your wounds are severe.
Everyone who hears the news about you
will clap their hands in joy over you.
On whom has your wickedness
not trodden continually?
1 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
2 "Yahweh, how long will I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
I cry out to you, 'Violence!'
but you will not save.
3 Why do you make me see iniquity
and cause me to look upon wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and contention rises up.
4 Therefore the law is weakened,
and justice does not last for any time.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
therefore twisted justice goes out."
5 "Look at the nations and observe them;
be amazed and astonished!
For I am surely about to do something in your days
that you will not believe when it is reported to you.
6 For look! I am about to raise up the Chaldeans—
that fierce and impetuous nation—
they are marching throughout the breadth of the land
to seize homes that were not their own.
7 They are terrifying and fearsome;
their judgment and splendor proceed from themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
quicker than the evening wolves.
So their horses stamp,
and their horsemen come from a great distance—
they fly like an eagle hurrying to eat.
9 They all come for violence;
their multitudes go like the desert wind
and they gather captives like sand. [1]
10 So they mock kings,
and rulers are only a mockery for them.
They laugh at every stronghold,
for they heap up earth and seize it.
11 Then the wind will rush on;
it will move past—
guilty men, those whose might is their god."
12 "Are you not from ancient times,
Yahweh my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
Yahweh has ordained them for judgment,
and you, Rock, have established them for correction.
13 Your eyes are too pure to gaze upon evil,
and you are not able to look on wrongdoing with favor.
Why then have you looked favorably on those who betray?
Why are you silent while the wicked devour
those more righteous than they are?
14 You make men like fish in the sea,
like creeping things without a ruler over them.
15 He brings all of them up with a fishhook;
he drags men away in his fishnet;
he gathers them together in his dragnet;
so he rejoices and he is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and burns incense to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury,
and his food is the richest kind.
17 Will he therefore keep emptying his net,
and will he continually slaughter the nations without mercy?"
1 I will stand at my guard post
and station myself on the watchtower,
and I will watch carefully to see what he will say to me
and how I should turn from my complaint. [1]
2 Yahweh answered me and said,
"Record this vision,
and write plainly on the tablets
so that the one reading them might run.
3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time
and will testify and not fail.
Though it delays, wait for it.
For it will surely come and will not tarry.
4 Look! The one whose desires are not right within him
is puffed up.
But the righteous will live by his faith.
5 Indeed, as wine is treacherous,
even so an arrogant man does not stay at home.
He has made his throat as wide as Sheol;
and like death, he is never satisfied.
He has gathered together all the nations,
and he has assembled to himself all the people.
6 Will all these not take up a proverb and mockery, riddles about him, saying,
'Woe to the one increasing
what is not his!
For how long will you increase
the weight of the pledges you have taken?'
7 Will the ones biting at you not rise up suddenly,
and the ones terrifying you awaken?
You will become a victim for them.
8 Because you have plundered many peoples,
all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you.
For you have shed human blood
and acted with violence against the land,
the cities, and all who live in them.
9 'Woe to the one who gets evil gains for his house,
so he can set his nest on high
to deliver himself from the hand of evil.'
10 You have devised shame for your house
by cutting off many people,
and have sinned against your life.
11 For the stones will cry out from the wall,
and the rafters of timber will answer them,
12 'Woe to the one who builds a city with blood,
and who establishes a town in iniquity.'
13 Is it not from Yahweh of hosts
that peoples labor for fire,
and nations weary themselves in vain?
14 Yet the land will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh
as the waters cover the sea.
15 'Woe to the one who forces his neighbors to drink—
you express your anger [2] and you make them drunk
in order to look at their nakedness.'
16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
Now it is your turn!
Drink, and you will expose your uncircumcised foreskin!
The cup in Yahweh's right hand is coming around to you,
and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you
and the devastation of animals will terrify you.
For you have shed the blood of man
and you have acted with violence
against the land, the cities, and all who live in them.
18 What profit is there in a carved image?
For a carver has carved it!
Or a cast metal figure, a teacher of lies?
For the maker trusts in what he has made
when he makes these worthless idols.
19 Woe to the one saying to the wood, 'Wake up!
or to the silent stone, 'Arise!'
Do these things teach?
See, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
but there is no breath at all within it.
20 But Yahweh is in his holy temple!
Be silent before him, all the land."
1 The prayer of Habakkuk the prophet: [1]
2 Yahweh, I have heard your report,
and I am afraid.
Yahweh, revive your work in the midst of these times;
in the midst of these years make it known;
remember to have compassion in your wrath.
3 God came from Teman,
and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His glory covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
4 With brightness like the light,
two-pronged rays flash from his hand;
and there he hid his power.
5 Deadly disease went before him,
and the plague came out at his feet.
6 He stood and measured the earth;
he looked and shook the nations.
Even the eternal mountains were shattered,
and the everlasting hills bowed down.
His path is everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction,
and the fabric of the tents in the land of Midian trembling.
8 Was Yahweh angry at the rivers?
Was your wrath against the rivers,
or your fury against the sea,
when you rode upon your horses
and your victorious chariots?
9 You have brought out your bow without a cover;
you put arrows to your bow! Selah
You divided the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw you and twisted in pain.
Downpours of water passed over them;
the deep sea raised a shout.
It lifted up its hands.
11 The sun and moon stood still in their high places
at the flash of your arrows as they fly,
at the lightning of your flashing spear.
12 You have marched over the earth with indignation.
In wrath you have threshed the nations.
13 You went out for the salvation of your people,
for the salvation of your anointed one.
You shatter the head of the house of the wicked
to lay bare from the base up to the neck. Selah
14 You have pierced the head of his warriors
with his own spears since they came
like a storm to scatter us;
their gloating was like one
who devours the poor in a hiding place.
15 You have trampled on the sea with your horses,
and heaped up the great waters.
16 I heard, and my inner parts trembled!
My lips quivered at the sound.
Decay comes into my bones,
and under myself I tremble
as I wait quietly for the day of distress
to come upon the people who invade us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no produce from the vines;
and though the produce of the olive tree disappoints
and the fields produce no food;
and though the flock is cut off from the fold
and there are no cattle in the stalls,
this is what I will do.
18 Still, I will rejoice in Yahweh.
I will be joyful because of the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord Yahweh is my strength
and he makes my feet like the deer's.
He makes me go forward on my high places.
—To the music director, on my stringed instruments.
1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.
2 "I will utterly destroy everything
from off the surface of the earth—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
3 I will destroy men and animals;
I will destroy the birds of the heavens
and the fish of the sea,
the ruins along with the wicked.
For I will cut off man
from the surface of the earth—
this is Yahweh's declaration.
4 I will reach out with my hand over Judah
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
I will cut off every remnant of Baal from this place
and the names of the idolatrous people among the priests,
5 the people who on the housetops
worship the heavenly bodies,
and the people who worship and swear to Yahweh
but who also swear by their king. [1]
6 I will also cut off those who have turned away from following Yahweh,
those who neither seek Yahweh nor ask for his guidance."
7 Be silent before the Lord Yahweh!
For the day of Yahweh is near;
Yahweh has prepared the sacrifice
and set apart his guests.
8 "It will come about on the day of Yahweh's sacrifice,
that I will punish the princes
and the king's sons,
and everyone dressed
in foreign clothes.
9 On that day I will punish
all those who leap over the threshold,
those who fill their master's house
with violence and deceit.
10 So it will be on that day—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
that a cry of distress will come from the Fish Gate,
wailing from the Second District,
and a great crashing sound from the hills.
11 Wail, inhabitants of the Market District,
for all the people of Canaan will be ruined;
all those who weigh out silver will be cut off.
12 It will come about at that time
that I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men
who have settled into their wine and say in their heart,
'Yahweh will not do anything,
either good or evil.'
13 Their wealth will become plunder,
and their houses will be an abandoned devastation!
They will build houses but not live in them,
and plant vineyards but not drink their wine.
14 The great day of Yahweh is near,
near and hurrying quickly!
The sound of the day of Yahweh
will be that of a warrior crying bitterly!
15 That day will be a day of fury,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of storm and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds
and thick darkness.
16 It will be a day of rams' horns and alarms
against the fortified cities
and the high battlements.
17 For I will bring distress upon mankind,
so that they will walk about like blind men
since they have sinned against Yahweh.
Their blood will be poured out like dust,
and their inner parts like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to deliver them
on the day of Yahweh's fury.
In the fire of his jealousy
the whole earth will be consumed,
for he will bring a complete,
a terrible end of all the inhabitants of the earth."
1 Rally yourselves together and gather,
unashamed nation—
2 before the decree takes effect
and that day passes like the chaff,
before the fierce anger of Yahweh's wrath
comes upon you,
before the day of Yahweh's wrath
comes upon you.
3 Seek Yahweh, all you humble people on earth
who obey his ordinances!
Seek righteousness. Seek humility,
and perhaps you will be protected
in the day of Yahweh's wrath.
4 For Gaza will be abandoned,
and Ashkelon will turn into a devastation.
They will drive out Ashdod at noon,
and they will uproot Ekron!
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
the nation of the Kerethites!
Yahweh has spoken against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines.
I will destroy you
until no inhabitant remains.
6 So the seacoast will become pastures
for shepherds
and for sheep pens.
7 The coastal region will belong
to the remnant of the house of Judah,
who will shepherd their flocks there.
Their people will lie down in the evening
in the houses of Ashkelon,
for Yahweh their God will care for them
and reverse their captivity.
8 "I have heard the taunts of Moab
and the insults of the people of Ammon
when they taunted my people
and violated their borders.
9 Therefore, as I live—
this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts,
God of Israel—
Moab will become like Sodom,
and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah;
a place of nettles and a salt pit,
deserted forever.
But the remnant of my people will plunder them,
and the remainder of my nation will take possession of them."
10 This will happen to Moab and Ammon because of their pride,
since they taunted and became arrogant
against the people of Yahweh of hosts.
11 Then Yahweh will be terrifying to them,
for he will destroy all the gods of the earth.
Everyone will bow down to him,
each from his own place,
from the coastlands of all nations.
12 You Cushites also
will be pierced by my sword,
13 and God's hand will attack the north
and destroy Assyria,
so that Nineveh will become an abandoned devastation,
as dry as the desert.
14 Then herds will lie down there,
every animal of the nations;
both the desert owl and the screech owl
will rest in the top of her columns.
A call will sing out from the windows;
rubble will be in the doorways;
her carved cedar beams will be exposed.
15 This is the joyful city
that lived without fear,
that said in her heart,
"I am, and nothing is my equal."
How she has become a horror,
a place for beasts to lie down in.
Everyone that passes by her
will hiss and shake his fist at her.
1 Woe to the rebellious city!
The violent city is defiled.
2 She has not listened to the voice of God,
nor accepted correction from Yahweh.
She does not trust in Yahweh
and will not approach her God.
3 Her princes are roaring lions
in her midst.
Her judges are evening wolves
who leave nothing to be gnawed upon in the morning.
4 Her prophets are insolent
and treasonous men.
Her priests have profaned what is holy
and have done violence to the law.
5 Yahweh is righteous in her midst.
He can do no wrong.
Morning by morning he will dispense his justice!
It will not be hidden in the light,
yet the unjust knows no shame.
6 "I have destroyed nations;
their fortresses are ruined.
I have made their streets ruins,
so that no one passes over them.
Their cities are destroyed
so that there is no man inhabiting them.
7 I said, 'Surely you will fear me.
Accept correction
and do not be cut off from your homes
by all that I have planned to do to you.'
But they were eager to begin each morning
by corrupting all their deeds.
8 Therefore wait for me—
this is Yahweh's declaration—
until the day that I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is to assemble the nations,
to gather the kingdoms,
to pour out on them my anger—
all of my burning wrath;
for in the fire of my jealousy
all the earth will be consumed. [1]
9 But then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call upon the name of Yahweh
to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the river of Cush
my worshipers—my scattered people—
will bring offerings due me.
11 In that day you will not be put to shame
for all your deeds by which you rebelled against me,
since at that time I will remove from among you
those who boasted in your pride,
and because you will no longer act arrogantly
on my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave among you
a lowly and poor people,
and they will find refuge
in the name of Yahweh.
13 The remnant of Israel will no longer
commit injustice or speak lies,
and no deceitful tongue
will be found in their mouth;
so they will graze and lie down,
and no one will make them afraid."
14 Sing, daughter of Zion!
Shout, Israel.
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
daughter of Jerusalem.
15 Yahweh has taken away your punishment;
he has turned away your enemies!
Yahweh is the king of Israel among you.
You will never again fear evil!
16 In that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
"Do not fear, Zion.
Do not let your hands become weak.
17 Yahweh your God is among you,
a mighty one to save you.
He will celebrate over you with joy;
he will be silent over you in his love;
he will be glad over you with a shout for joy.
18 I will gather those who grieve,
those who cannot attend the appointed feasts,
so you will no longer
bear any shame for it. [2]
19 Behold, I am about to deal
with all your oppressors.
At that time, I will rescue the lame
and gather up the outcast.
I will make them as praise,
and I will change their shame into renown
in all the earth.
20 At that time I will lead you;
at that time I will gather you together.
I will give you renown and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I reverse your captivity before your eyes,"
says Yahweh.
1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, saying, 2 "Yahweh of hosts says this: These people say, 'It is not time for us to come or to build the house of Yahweh.'"
3 Then the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your finished houses, while this house lies ruined? 5 So now Yahweh of hosts says this: Consider your ways!
6 You have sown much seed, but bring in little;
you eat but do not have enough;
you drink but cannot get drunk.
You wear clothes but cannot warm yourselves,
and the wage earner earns money
only to put it into a bag full of holes!
7 Yahweh of hosts says this: "Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountain, bring timber, and build my house; then I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified!—says Yahweh." 9 "You looked for much, but behold! you have brought little home, for I blew it away! Why?" declares Yahweh of hosts. "Because my house lies in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. 10 Because of this the heavens withhold the dew from you, and the earth withholds its produce. 11 I have summoned a drought upon the land and upon the mountains, upon the grain and upon the new wine, upon the oil and upon what the earth sends forth, upon men and upon animals, and upon all the labor of your hands!"
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, along with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Yahweh their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, because Yahweh their God had sent him and the people feared the face of Yahweh. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of Yahweh, spoke Yahweh's message to the people and said, "I am with you!—this is Yahweh's declaration!" 14 So Yahweh stirred up the spirit of the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, so that they went and worked on the house of Yahweh of hosts, their God 15 in the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
1 In the seventh month on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying, 2 "Speak to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, and to the remnant of the people. Say, 3 'Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not like nothing in your eyes? 4 Now, be strong, Zerubbabel!—this is Yahweh's declaration— and be strong, high priest Joshua son of Jozadak; and be strong, all you people in the land! —this is Yahweh's declaration—and work, for I am with you!— this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts. 5 This is the covenant that I established with you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit stands among you. Do not fear!
6 For Yahweh of hosts says this: In a little while I will once again shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land! 7 I will shake every nation, and every nation will bring their precious things to me, and I will fill this house with glory, says Yahweh of hosts. 8 The silver and gold are mine!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts. 9 The glory of this house will be greater in the future than at the beginning, says Yahweh of hosts, and I will give peace in this place!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts."
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 11 "Yahweh of hosts says this: Ask the priests concerning the law, and say, 12 'If a man carries meat that is set apart to Yahweh in the fold of his garment, and the fold touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any kind of food, does it become holy?'"
The priests answered and said, "No."
13 Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean because of death touches any of these things, do they become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "Yes, they become unclean."
14 So Haggai answered and said, "So it is with this people and this nation before me!— this is Yahweh's declaration—and so it is with the work of their hands. What they offer to me is unclean!
15 So now, think in your minds about the past leading up to this very day. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of Yahweh, 16 how was it then? When you came to a heap of twenty measures of grain, there were only ten; and when you came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I afflicted you and all the work of your hands with blight and mildew, but you still did not turn to me—this is Yahweh's declaration. 18 Consider from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the temple of Yahweh was laid. Consider it! 19 Is there still seed in the storehouse? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not borne! But from this day will I bless you!"
20 Then the word of Yahweh came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month and said, 21 "Speak to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, and say,
'I will shake the heavens and the earth.
22 For I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms
and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations!
I will overthrow the chariots and their riders;
the horses and their riders will fall down,
each one because of his brother's sword.
23 On that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts— I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, as my servant—this is Yahweh's declaration. I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you!— this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts!'"
1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius' reign, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah son of Berekiah son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, 2 "Yahweh was exceedingly angry with your fathers! 3 Say to them, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: Turn to me!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts— and I will return to you, says Yahweh of hosts. 4 Do not be like your fathers to whom the prophets cried out previously, saying, "Yahweh of hosts says this: Turn from your evil ways and wicked practices!" But they would not hear and did not pay attention to me—this is Yahweh's declaration.' 5 Your fathers—where are they? And the prophets—do they live forever? 6 But my words and my decrees that I commanded my servants the prophets, have they not overtaken your fathers? So they repented and said, 'Just as Yahweh of hosts planned to do to us what our ways and actions deserved, so he has dealt with us.'"
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius' reign, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah son of Berekiah son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, 8 I saw in the night, and, look! A man was riding on a red horse, and he was among the myrtle trees that are in the valley; and behind him there were red, reddish-brown, and white horses. 9 I said, "What are these things, Lord?" Then the angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what these things are." 10 Then the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, "These are those Yahweh has sent out to roam throughout the earth." 11 They answered the angel of Yahweh who stood among the myrtle trees; they said to him, "We have been roaming throughout the earth; see, all the earth sits still and is at rest."
12 Then the angel of Yahweh answered and said, "Yahweh of hosts, how long will you show no compassion to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?" 13 Yahweh answered the angel who had talked with me, with good words, words of comfort.
14 So the angel who had talked with me said to me, "Call out and say, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great jealousy! 15 I am very angry with the nations that are at ease. When I was only a little angry with them, they made the disaster worse. 16 Therefore Yahweh of hosts says this: I have returned to Jerusalem with mercies. My house will be built within her— this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—and the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem!' 17 Again call out, saying, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: My cities will once again overflow with goodness, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and he will once again choose Jerusalem.'"
18 Then I lifted up my eyes and saw four horns! 19 I spoke to the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" He answered me, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." 20 Then Yahweh showed me four craftsmen. 21 I said, "What are these people coming to do?" He answered, and said, "These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no man would lift up his head. But the blacksmiths have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations that lifted up a horn against the land of Judah to scatter her."
1 Next I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 I said, "Where are you going?" So he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to determine its width and length." 3 Then the angel who had talked with me went away and another angel went out to meet him. 4 The second angel said to him, "Run and speak to that young man; say, 'Jerusalem will sit in the open country because of the multitudes of men and livestock within her.
5 For I—this is Yahweh's declaration—will become for her a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.
6 Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north—this is Yahweh's declaration—for I have scattered you like the four winds of the skies!—This is Yahweh's declaration.
7 Up! Escape to Zion, you who live with the daughter of Babylon!'"
8 For after Yahweh of hosts honored me and sent me against the nations that plundered you—for whoever touches you, touches the apple of God's eye!—after Yahweh did this, he said, 9 "I myself will shake my hand over them, and they will be plunder for their slaves." Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me.
10 "Sing for joy and be glad, daughter of Zion, for I myself am about to come and dwell among you!—this is Yahweh's declaration." 11 Then great nations will join themselves to Yahweh in that day. He says, "Then you will become my people; for I will dwell in the midst of you," and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.
12 For Yahweh will inherit Judah as his rightful possession in the holy land and will once again choose Jerusalem for himself. 13 Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh, for he has been roused from out of his holy place!
1 Then Yahweh showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh and Satan was standing at his right hand to accuse him of sin. 2 The angel of Yahweh said to Satan, "May Yahweh rebuke you, Satan; may Yahweh, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is this not a brand pulled from the fire?" 3 Joshua was dressed in filthy garments as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel spoke and said to those who stood before him, "Remove the filthy garments from upon him." Then he said to Joshua, "Look! I have caused your iniquity to pass from you and I will dress you in official robes." 5 Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head!" So they set a clean turban on Joshua's head and clothed him with clean garments, while the angel of Yahweh was standing by.
6 Next the angel of Yahweh solemnly commanded Joshua and said, 7 "Yahweh of hosts says this: If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my commandments, then you will govern my house and guard my courts, for I will allow you to go and come among these who stand before me. 8 Listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your companions who live with you! For these men are a sign, for I myself will bring up my servant the Branch. 9 Now look at the stone that I have set before Joshua. There are seven eyes on this single stone, and I will engrave an inscription—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts— and I will remove the iniquity from this land in one day. 10 In that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—each man will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree."
1 Then the angel who was talking with me turned and roused me like a man roused from his sleep. 2 He said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I see a lampstand made entirely of gold, with a bowl on its top. It has seven lamps on it and seven lamp wicks at the top of each lamp. 3 Two olive trees are by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on the left side." 4 So I spoke again to the angel who was talking with me. I said, "What do these things mean, my master?" 5 The angel who was talking with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these things mean?" I said, "No, my master." 6 So he said to me, "This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says Yahweh of hosts. 7 What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain, and he will bring out the top stone to shouts of 'Grace! Grace to it!'"
8 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house and his hands will bring it to completion. Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.
10 Who has despised the day of small things? These people will rejoice and will see the plumb stone in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven lamps are the eyes of Yahweh that roam over the whole earth."
11 Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees that stand on the left and the right of the lampstand?"
12 Once more I asked him, "What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that have golden oil pouring out of them?" 13 Then he said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my master."
14 So he said, "These are the sons of fresh olive oil who stand before the Lord of all the earth."
1 Then I turned and lifted my eyes, and I saw, behold, a flying scroll! 2 The angel said to me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide." 3 Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the surface of the whole land. For every thief will be cut off according to what it says on the one side, and everyone who swears a false oath will be cut off according to what it says on the other side. 4 "I will send it out—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—so it will enter into the house of the thief and into the house of the one that swears falsely by my name. It will remain in his house and consume its timber and stones."
5 Then the angel who was speaking with me went out and said to me, "Raise your eyes and see what is coming!" 6 I said, "What is it?" He said, "This is a basket containing an ephah that is coming. This is their iniquity in the whole land." [1]7 Then a lead covering was lifted off the basket and there was a woman under it sitting in it! 8 The angel said, "This is Wickedness!" He threw her back inside the basket, and he threw the lead cover over its opening. 9 I lifted my eyes and saw two women coming toward me, and wind was in their wings—for they had wings like a stork's wings. They lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. 10 So I said to the angel who was talking to me, "Where are they taking the basket?" 11 He said to me, "To build a temple in the land of Shinar for it, so that when the temple is ready, the basket will be set there on its prepared base."
1 Then I turned and lifted my eyes and I saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains; and the two mountains were made of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second chariot had black horses, 3 the third chariot had white horses, and the fourth chariot had spotted gray horses. 4 So I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my master?" 5 The angel answered and said to me, "These are the four winds of heaven that go out from the place where they were standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The one with the black horses is going out to the north country; the white horses are going out to the west country; and the spotted gray horses are going out to the south country." 7 These strong horses went out and sought to go and roam over the earth, so the angel said, "Go and roam over the earth!" and they left for all the earth. 8 Then he called out to me and spoke to me and said, "Look at the ones that are going out to the north country; they will appease my spirit concerning the north country."
9 So the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 10 "Take an offering from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah—and go this same day and take it into the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, who has come from Babylon. 11 Then take the silver and gold, make a crown and set it upon the head of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. 12 Speak to him and say, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: This man, his name is Branch! He will grow up where he is and will then build the temple of Yahweh! 13 It is he who builds the temple of Yahweh, and he will be clothed with royal splendor, and will sit and rule on his throne. He will be a priest on his throne, and he will bear a counsel of peace between the two. 14 The crown will given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and for Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of Yahweh. 15 Then those who are far off will come and build the temple of Yahweh, so you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you; for this will happen if you truly listen to the voice of Yahweh your God!'"
1 When King Darius had been ruler for four years, on the fourth day of Kislev (which was the ninth month), the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah. 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek and their men to beg before the face of Yahweh. 3 They spoke to the priests who were at the house of Yahweh of hosts and to the prophets; they said, "Should I mourn in the fifth month by means of a fast, as I have done these many years?"
4 So the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying, 5 "Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests and say, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, were you truly fasting for me? 6 When you ate and drank, did you not eat and drink for yourselves? 7 Were these not the same words that Yahweh proclaimed by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem and the surrounding cities were inhabited and prosperous, and the Negev and the lowlands to the west were inhabited?'" 8 The word of Yahweh came to Zechariah, saying, 9 "Yahweh of hosts says this, 'Judge with true justice, covenant faithfulness, and mercy. Let each man do this for his brother. 10 About the widow and orphan, the foreigner, and the poor person—do not oppress them, and let none of you plot any harm against another in your heart.' 11 But they refused to pay attention and set their shoulders stubbornly. They stopped up their ears so they would not hear. 12 They made their hearts as hard as rock so they would not hear the law or the words of Yahweh of hosts. He had sent these messages to the people by his Spirit in earlier times, by the mouth of the prophets. But the people refused to listen, so Yahweh of hosts was very angry with them. 13 It happened that when he called, they did not listen. In the same way," said Yahweh of hosts, "they will call out to me, but I will not listen. 14 For I will scatter them with a whirlwind to all the nations that they have not known, and the land will be desolate after them. For no one will pass through the land or return to it since the people have made their delightful land into a wasteland."
1 The word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying, 2 "Yahweh of hosts says this: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am passionate for her with great anger! 3 Yahweh of hosts says this: I will return to Zion and will live in the midst of Jerusalem, for Jerusalem will be called The City of Truth and the mountain of Yahweh of hosts will be called The Holy Mountain! 4 Yahweh of hosts says this: Old men and old women will once again be in the streets of Jerusalem, and every person will need a staff in his hand because he has grown so old. 5 The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in them.
6 Yahweh of hosts says this: If something seems impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem impossible in my eyes?—this is Yahweh's declaration.
7 Yahweh of hosts says this: Behold, I am about to rescue my people from the land of the sunrise and from the land of the setting sun! 8 For I will bring them back, and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem, so they will again be my people, and I will be their God in truth and in righteousness!
9 Yahweh of hosts says this: You who now continue to hear the same words that came from the prophets' mouths when the foundation of my house was laid—this house of mine, Yahweh of hosts: Strengthen your hands so that the temple can be built. 10 For before those days no crops were gathered in by anyone, there was no profit for either man or animal, and there was no peace from enemies for anyone going or coming. I had set every person each against his neighbor. 11 But now it will not be as in former days, I will be with the remnant of this people— this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts. 12 For seeds of peace will be sown; the climbing vine will give its fruit and the earth will give its produce; the skies will give their dew, for I will make the remnant of this people inherit all these things. 13 You were an example to the other nations of a curse, house of Judah and house of Israel. So I will rescue you and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong!
14 For Yahweh of hosts says this: Just as I planned to do harm to you when your ancestors provoked my anger— says Yahweh of hosts—and did not relent, 15 so also I will plan in these days to do good again to Jerusalem and the house of Judah! Do not fear! 16 These are the things that you must do: Speak truth, every person with his neighbor. Judge with truth, justice, and peace in your gates. 17 Do not plan to do evil within your heart against one another, and do not love deceptive oaths—for these are the things I hate!—this is Yahweh's declaration."
18 Then the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying, 19 "Yahweh of hosts says this: The fasts of the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month will become times of joy, gladness, and happy festivals for the house of Judah! Therefore love truth and peace!
20 Yahweh of hosts says this: People will come again, even those who are living in many different cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city will go to another city and say, 'Let us quickly go to beg before the face of Yahweh and to seek Yahweh of hosts! We ourselves are also going.' 22 Many people and mighty nations will come to seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem and beg for the favor of Yahweh!
23 Yahweh of hosts says this: In those days ten men from every language and nation will grasp the hem of the robe of a Jew and say, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you!'"
1 "This is a declaration of Yahweh's word concerning the land of Hadrak
and Damascus, its resting place;
for the eyes of all humanity and all the tribes of Israel
are toward Yahweh.
2 This declaration also concerns Hamath, which borders on Damascus,
and it concerns Tyre and Sidon, for they are very wise.
3 Tyre has built herself a stronghold
and heaped up silver like dust
and refined gold like mud in the streets.
4 Look! The Lord will dispossess her
and destroy her strength on the sea,
so she will be devoured by fire.
5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid!
Gaza also will tremble greatly!
Ekron, her hopes will be disappointed!
The king will perish from Gaza,
and Ashkelon will not remain.
6 Strangers will make their homes in Ashdod,
and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
7 For I will remove their blood from their mouths
and their abominations from between their teeth.
Then they will become a remnant for our God
like a clan in Judah,
and Ekron will become like the Jebusites.
8 I will camp around my land against enemy armies, [1]
so no one can pass through or return,
for no oppressor will overrun them,
for now I see with my own eyes!
9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold! Your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious.
He is humble and is riding on a donkey,
on the colt of a donkey.
10 Then I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the horse from Jerusalem,
and the bow will be cut off from battle;
for he will speak peace to the nations,
and his dominion will be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the pit where there is no water.
12 Return to the stronghold, prisoners of hope!
Even today I am declaring that I will return double to you,
13 for I have bent Judah as my bow.
I have filled my quiver with Ephraim.
I have roused your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece,
and have made you, Zion, like a warrior's sword!"
14 Yahweh will appear to them,
and his arrows will shoot out like lightning!
For my Lord Yahweh will blow the ram's horn
and will advance with the storms from Teman.
15 Yahweh of hosts will defend them,
and they will devour them and defeat the stones of the slings.
Then they will drink and shout like men drunk on wine,
and they will be filled with wine like bowls,
like the corners of the altar.
16 So Yahweh their God will rescue them on that day,
as the flock of his people.
They are the jewels of a crown
that will shine on his land.
17 How good and how beautiful they will be!
The young men will flourish on grain
and the virgins on sweet wine!"
1 Ask for rain from Yahweh in the season of the spring rain—
Yahweh who makes thunderstorms—
and he gives rain showers to everyone
and vegetation in the field.
2 For household idols speak wickedness;
the diviners envision a lie;
they tell deceitful dreams
and give empty comfort,
so they wander like sheep and suffer
because there is no shepherd.
3 "My wrath burns against the shepherds;
it is the male goats—the leaders—that I will punish.
Yahweh of hosts will also attend to his flock, the house of Judah,
and make them like his warhorse in battle!
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone;
from him will come the tent peg;
from him will come the war bow;
from him will come every ruler together. [1]
5 They will be like warriors
who trample their enemies into the mud of the streets in battle;
they will make war, for Yahweh is with them,
and they will shame those who ride warhorses.
6 I will strengthen the house of Judah
and save the house of Joseph,
for I will restore them
and have mercy on them.
They will be as though
I had not rejected them,
for I am Yahweh their God,
and I will respond to them.
7 Then Ephraim will be like a warrior,
and their hearts will rejoice as with wine;
their children will see and rejoice.
Their hearts will rejoice in me!
8 I will whistle for them
and gather them,
for I will rescue them,
and they will become as great as they previously were!
9 I sowed them among the peoples,
but they will remember me in distant countries,
so they and their children will live and return.
10 For I will restore them from the land of Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon
until there is no more room for them.
11 I will pass through the sea of their affliction;
I will strike the waves of that sea and will dry up all the depths of the Nile.
The majesty of Assyria will be brought down,
and the scepter of Egypt will go away from the Egyptians.
12 I will strengthen them in myself,
and they will walk in my name—
this is Yahweh's declaration."
1 Open your doors, Lebanon,
that fire may devour your cedars!
2 Wail, cypress trees, for the cedar trees have fallen!
What was glorious has been devastated!
Wail, you oaks of Bashan,
for the impenetrable forest has gone down.
3 There is the sound of the shepherds' howl,
for their glory has been destroyed!
There is the voice of the young lions' roar,
for the pride of the Jordan River has been devastated!
4 This is what Yahweh my God says, "Like a shepherd, watch over the flock set aside for slaughter! 5 (Those who buy them slaughter them and are not guilty, and those who sell them say, 'Blessed be Yahweh! I have become rich!' for the shepherds working for the flocks' owners have no pity on them.) 6 For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land!—this is Yahweh's declaration. See! I myself am about to turn over every person into the hand of his neighbor and into the hand of his king, and they will destroy the land and none of them will I deliver them from their hand."
7 So I became the shepherd of the flock marked for slaughter for those who dealt in sheep. I took two staffs; one staff I called "Favor" and the other I called "Unity." In this way I shepherded the flock. 8 In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also hated me. 9 Then I said to the owners, "I will not work as a shepherd for you any longer. The sheep that are dying—let them die; the sheep that are being destroyed—let them be destroyed. Let the sheep that remain each eat the flesh of its neighbor." 10 So I took my staff "Favor" and broke it to break the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11 On that day the covenant was broken, and those who dealt in sheep and who were watching me knew that Yahweh had spoken. 12 I said to them, "If it seems good to you, pay me my wages. But if not, do not do it." So they weighed out my wages—thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then Yahweh said to me, "Deposit the silver in the treasury, the excellent price at which they valued you!" So I took the thirty pieces of silver and deposited them in the treasury in the house of Yahweh. 14 Then I broke my second staff, "Unity," to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 Yahweh said to me, "Again, take the equipment of a foolish shepherd for yourself, 16 for see, I am about to set in place a shepherd in the land. He will not care for the perishing sheep. He will not seek out the sheep gone missing, nor heal the crippled sheep. He will not feed the sheep that are healthy, but will eat the flesh of the fattened sheep and will tear off their hooves.
17 Woe to the worthless shepherd
who abandons the flock!
May the sword come against his arm and his right eye!
May his arm wither away
and may his right eye become blind!"
1 This is a declaration of Yahweh's word concerning Israel—a declaration of Yahweh, who stretched out the skies and laid the foundation of the earth, who fashions the spirit of mankind within man, 2 "See, I am about to make Jerusalem into a cup causing all the peoples surrounding her to stagger about. It will also be like that for Judah during the siege against Jerusalem. 3 On that day, I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples. Anyone trying to carry that stone will hurt himself very much, and all the nations of the earth will gather against that city. 4 On that day—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. Over the house of Judah I will open my eyes, but every horse of the peoples I will strike with blindness. 5 Then the chiefs of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are our strength because of Yahweh of hosts, their God.' 6 On that day I will make the chiefs of Judah like firepots among wood and like a flaming torch among standing grain, for they will consume all the surrounding peoples on their right and on their left. Jerusalem will again live in her own place.
7" Yahweh will save the tents of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and the honor of those who live in Jerusalem may not be greater than the rest of Judah. 8 On that day Yahweh will be the defender of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on that day those who are weak among them will be like David, while the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh in front of them. 9 "On that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 "But I will pour out a spirit of compassion and pleading on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so they will look on me, the one they have pierced. They will mourn for me, as one mourns for an only son; they will bitterly lament for him like those who lament the death of a firstborn son. 11 On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be like the wailing at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, each clan separate from other clans. The clan of the house of David will be separate and their wives will be separate from the men. The clan of the house of Nathan will be separate and their wives will be separate from the men. 13 The clan of the house of Levi will be separate and their wives will be separate from the men. The clan of the Shimeites will be separate and their wives will be separate from the men. 14 Every clan of the remaining clans—each clan will be separate and the wives will be separate from the men."
1 "On that day a spring will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for their sin and impurity. 2 On that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—I will cut off the names of the idols from the land and they will no longer be remembered. I will remove the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness from the land. 3 If any man continues to prophesy, his father and mother who bore him will tell him, 'You will not live, for you speak lies in the name of Yahweh!' Then the father and mother who bore him will pierce him when he prophesies. 4 On that day each prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he is about to prophesy. These prophets will no longer wear a hairy cloak, in order to deceive the people. 5 For each will say, 'I am not a prophet! I am a man who works the soil, for the land became my work while I was still a young man!' 6 But someone will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' and he will answer, 'I was wounded with those in my friends' house.'
7 "Sword! Rouse yourself against my shepherd,
the man who stands close to me—
this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
Strike the shepherd,
and the flock will scatter!
For I will turn my hand against the lowly ones.
8 Then it will come about that throughout all the land—this is Yahweh's declaration—
that two-thirds of it will be cut off! Those people will perish;
only one-third will remain there.
9 I will bring that third through the fire
and refine them as silver is refined;
I will test them as gold is tested.
They will call on my name,
and I will answer them and say,
'This is my people!'
and they will say, 'Yahweh is my God!'"
1 Behold! A day for Yahweh is coming when your plunder will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather every nation against Jerusalem for battle and the city will be captured. The houses will be plundered and the women raped. Half of the city will go out into captivity, but the remainder of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 But Yahweh will go out and make war against those nations as when he makes war on the day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is beside Jerusalem to the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half between the east and the west by a very great valley and half of the mountain will go back toward the north and half toward the south. 5 Then you will flee down the valley between Yahweh's mountains, for the valley between those mountains will reach to Azel. You will flee just as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Then Yahweh my God will come and all the holy ones will be with him. 6 On that day there will be no light, but no cold or frost either. 7 On that day, a day known only to Yahweh, there will no longer be day or night, for the evening will be a time of light. 8 On that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem. Half of them will flow to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.
9 Yahweh will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be Yahweh, the one God, and his name alone. 10 All the land will be like the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will continue to be raised up and remain in its own place, from the Benjamin Gate to the place where the first gate was, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. 11 The people will live in Jerusalem and there will be no more complete destruction from God against them. Jerusalem will live in safety.
12 This will be the plague with which Yahweh will attack all the peoples that waged war against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot away even as they are standing on their feet. Their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 On that day that great panic from Yahweh will come among them. Each one will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will be raised up against the hand of another. 14 Judah will also make war against Jerusalem. They will gather the wealth of all the surrounding nations—gold, silver, and fine clothes in great abundance. 15 A plague will also be on the horses and the mules, the camels and the donkeys, and on every animal in those camps will also suffer that same plague.
16 Then it will happen that all who remain in those nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, and to keep the Festival of Shelters. 17 It will happen that if anyone from all the nations of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, then Yahweh will not bring rain on them. 18 If the nation of Egypt does not go up, then they will not receive rain. A plague from Yahweh will attack the nations that do not go up to keep the Festival of Shelters. 19 This will be the punishment for Egypt and the punishment for every nation that does not go up to keep the Festival of Shelters. 20 But on that day, the bells of the horses will say, "Set apart to Yahweh," and the basins in the house of Yahweh will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 For every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be set apart to Yahweh of hosts and everyone who brings a sacrifice will eat from them and boil in them. On that day traders will no longer be in the house of Yahweh of hosts.
1 The burden of the word of Yahweh to Israel by the hand of Malachi.
2 "I have loved you," says Yahweh. But you say, "How have you loved us?" "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares Yahweh. "Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated. I have made his mountains an abandoned devastation, and I have made his inheritance a place for the jackals of the wilderness." 4 If Edom says, "We are beaten down, but we will return and rebuild the ruins," Yahweh of hosts will say, "They may rebuild, but I will throw down again. Others will call them 'The country of wickedness' and 'The people with whom Yahweh is angry forever.' 5 Your own eyes will see this, and you will say, 'Yahweh is great beyond the borders of Israel.'
6 "A son honors his father, and a servant honors his master. If I, then, am a Father, where is my honor? If I am a master, where is the reverence for me?" says Yahweh of hosts to you priests, who despise my name. "But you say, 'How have we despised your name?' 7 By offering polluted bread upon my altar. But you say, 'How have we polluted you?' By saying that Yahweh's table is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not evil? When you offer the lame and sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor! Will he accept you or will he lift up your face?" says Yahweh of hosts. 9 Now you keep asking the face of God, that he may be gracious to us. But Yahweh of hosts says that with such an offering in your hand, would he lift up any of your faces? 10 "Oh, if only there were one of you who would shut the temple gates, so that you might not light fires on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you," says Yahweh of hosts, "and I will not accept any offering from your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations and in every place incense and pure grain offerings will be offered in my name. For my name will be great among the nations," says Yahweh of hosts. 12 "But you are profaning it when you say the Lord's table is polluted, and that its fruit, its food, is to be despised. 13 You also say, 'How tiresome this is,' and you snort at it," says Yahweh of hosts. "You bring what has been torn or is lame or sick; and this you bring as your offering. Should I accept this from your hand?" says Yahweh. 14 "May the deceiver be cursed who has a male animal in his flock and vows to give it to me, and yet sacrifices to me, the Lord, what is flawed! For I am a great king," says Yahweh of hosts, "and my name will be honored among the nations."
1 Now you priests, this command is for you. 2 "If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it on your heart to give honor to my name," says Yahweh of hosts, "then I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have cursed them, because you are not laying my command on your heart. 3 See, I am about to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the dung from your festivals, and he will take you away with it. [1][2]4 You will know that I have sent this command to you, and that my covenant may continue to be with Levi," says Yahweh of hosts. 5 "My covenant with him was life and peace, and I gave them to him; I gave him fear, and he feared me, and he stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness and he turned many away from iniquity. 7 For a priest's lips should keep knowledge and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is a messenger of Yahweh of hosts. 8 But you have turned away from the true path. You have caused many to stumble with respect to the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi," says Yahweh of hosts. 9 "So, I have made you contemptible and lowly before all the people, because you have not kept my ways, but have instead shown partiality in matters of the law."
10 Is there not one Father for us all? Has not one God created us? Why are we faithless each man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has been faithless. A disgusting thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the holy place of Yahweh which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 May Yahweh cut off from the tents of Jacob the man who does this, the one who is awake and the one who answers, even if he is bringing an offering to Yahweh of hosts. [3]13 You also do this: You cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping and sighing, because he still does not turn toward the offering or accept it with favor from your hand. 14 But you say, "Why does he not?" Because Yahweh was a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have been faithless, even though she was your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of his spirit? Then why did he make you one? Because he was seeking an offspring from God. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth. 16 "For I hate divorce," says Yahweh, the God of Israel, "and the one who covers his garment with violence," says Yahweh of hosts. "So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not be faithless."
17 You have wearied Yahweh with your words. But you say, "How have we wearied him?" By saying, "Everyone who does evil is good in the eyes of Yahweh, and he delights in them," or "Where is the God of justice?"
1 "See, I am about to send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, see, he will come," says Yahweh of hosts.
2 But who will be able to endure the day of his coming? Who will be able to stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire and like laundry soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi. He will refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings of righteousness to Yahweh. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Yahweh, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years. 5 "Then I will approach you for judgment. I will quickly become a witness against the sorcerers, the adulterers, those who swear to deception, and against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, those who oppress the widow and the orphan, against those who turn away the foreigner, and against those who do not honor me," says Yahweh of hosts. 6 "For I, Yahweh, have not changed; therefore you descendants of Jacob have not been consumed.
7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says Yahweh of hosts. "But you say, 'How will we return?' 8 Would a person rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this," says Yahweh of hosts, "if I do not open to you the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing on you, until there is no more room for it all. 11 I will rebuke those who destroy your crops, so that they do not destroy the harvest of your land. Your vines in the fields will not lose their fruit," says Yahweh of hosts. 12 "All the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight," says Yahweh of hosts.
13 "Your words against me have been strong," says Yahweh. "But you say, 'What have we said among ourselves against you?' 14 You have said, 'It is useless to serve God. What profit is it that we have kept his requirements or walked mournfully before Yahweh of hosts? 15 So now we call those who do evil blessed. Evildoers not only prosper, but they even test God and escape.'"
16 Then those who feared Yahweh spoke with one another. Yahweh paid attention and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him about those who feared Yahweh and honored his name. 17 "They will be mine," says Yahweh of hosts, "my own treasured possession, on the day that I act. I will pity them, as a man pities his own son who serves him. 18 Then once again you will distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who worships God and one who does not worship him.
1 For see, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and all the evildoers will become stubble. The day that is coming will burn them up," says Yahweh of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and you will leap like calves from the stall. 3 On that day you will trample down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I act," says Yahweh of hosts.
4 "Remember the law of my servant Moses that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel, the statutes and the rulings. 5 See, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and fearful day of Yahweh. 6 He will turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, so that I do not come and attack the land with complete destruction."