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Babylon Bible References
Revelation
Rev 3:14-19
14 "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and
true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were
cold or hot.
16'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of
My mouth.
17'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of
nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and
blind and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich,
and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your
nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may
see.
19'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and
repent. NASB
Rev 11:8-9
8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which
mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. NASB
Rev 14:8
8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon
the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of
her immorality."
Rev 16:17-19:6
17 And the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air; and a loud voice came
out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done." 18 And there were
flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great
earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so
great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 And the great city was split into
three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was
remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. 20
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And huge
hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and
men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was
extremely severe.
17:1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me,
saying, "Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits
on many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who
dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality. "
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman
sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and
ten horns.
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and
precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations
and of the unclean things of her immorality,
5 and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of
the witnesses of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered greatly.
7 And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of
the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the
ten horns.
8 "The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the
abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder,
whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the
world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.
9 "Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on
which the woman sits,
10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet
come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.
11 "And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of
the seven, and he goes to destruction.
12 "And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a
kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
13 "These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast.
14 "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them,
because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are
the called and chosen and faithful."
15 And he said to me, "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are
peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
16 "And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot
and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her
up with fire.
17 "For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common
purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should
be fulfilled.
18 "And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of
the earth."
18:1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having
great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.
2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the
great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every
unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the
merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people,
that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her
plagues;
5 for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her
iniquities.
6 "Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to
her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.
7 "To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same
degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as a
queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.'
8 "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and
famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is
strong.
9 "And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived
sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of
her burning,
10 standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying,' Woe, woe,
the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has
come.'
11 "And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys
their cargoes any more;
12 cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and
purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of
ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and
marble,
13 and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and
olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses
and chariots and slaves and human lives.
14 "And the fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were
luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find
them.
15 "The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a
distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,
16 saying,' Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and
purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls;
17 for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!' And every shipmaster
and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea,
stood at a distance,
18 and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying,' What city
is like the great city?'
19 "And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and
mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea
became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!'
20 "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets,
because God has pronounced judgment for you against her."
21 And a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into
the sea, saying, "Thus will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with
violence, and will not be found any longer.
22 "And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters
will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found
in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer;
23 and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of
the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants
were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your
sorcery.
24 "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have
been slain on the earth."
19:1 After these things I heard, as it were, a loud voice of a great multitude
in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;
2 because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great
harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the
blood of His bond-servants on her. "
3 And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and
ever."
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and
worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!"
5 And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His
bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great."
6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of
many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
Dan 7-8
7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and
visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and
related the following summary of it. 2 Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision
by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3
"And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.
4 "The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until
its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand
on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it. 5 "And behold,
another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one
side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to
it, 'Arise, devour much meat!' 6 "After this I kept looking, and behold, another
one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also
had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 "After this I kept looking in
the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and
extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and
trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the
beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 "While I was contemplating
the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of
the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn
possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boasts.
9 "I kept looking Until thrones were set up,And the Ancient of Days took His
seat; His vesture was like white snow,And the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. 10 "A river
of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands
were attending Him,And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court
sat,And the books were opened.
11 "Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the
horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was
destroyed and given to the burning fire. 12 "As for the rest of the beasts,
their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for
an appointed period of time.
13 "I kept looking in the night visions,And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was
presented before Him. 14 "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a
kingdom,That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve
Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His
kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
15 "As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in
my mind kept alarming me. 16 "I approached one of those who were standing by and
began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to
me the interpretation of these things: 17 'These great beasts, which are four in
number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. 18 'But the saints of the
Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all
ages to come.' 19 "Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast,
which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of
iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the
remainder with its feet, 20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its
head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell,
namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and which
was larger in appearance than its associates. 21 "I kept looking, and that horn
was waging war with the saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of
Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One,
and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.
23 "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth,
which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the
whole earth and tread it down and crush it. 24 'As for the ten horns, out of
this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he
will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. 25 'And he
will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest
One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will
be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. 26 'But the court
will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and
destroyed forever. 27 'Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of
all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the
saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all
the dominions will serve and obey Him.' 28 "At this point the revelation ended.
As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale,
but I kept the matter to myself."
Dan 8:3 Then I lifted my gaze and looked, and behold, a ram which had two
horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one
was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last. 4 I saw the ram
butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand
before him, nor was there anyone to rescue from his power; but he did as he
pleased and magnified himself.
5 While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the
surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a
conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 And he came up to the ram that had the two
horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his
mighty wrath. 7 And I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him;
and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength
to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there
was none to rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the male goat magnified
himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken;
and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of
heaven.
9 And out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew
exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful
Land. 10 And it grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and
some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. 11 It even
magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the
regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. 12
And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along
with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform
its will and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one
said to that particular one who was speaking, "How long will the vision about
the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to
allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?" 14 And he said to me,
"For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly
restored."
15 And it came about when I, Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to
understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man. 16
And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and
said, "Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision." 17 So he came
near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my
face; but he said to me, "Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the
time of the end." 18 Now while he was talking with me, I sank into a deep sleep
with my face to the ground; but he touched me and made me stand upright. 19 And
he said, "Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period
of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. 20 "The
ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.
21 "And the shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn
that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 "And the broken horn and the four
horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his
nation, although not with his power.
23 "And in the latter period of their rule, When the transgressors have run
their course, A king will arise Insolent and skilled in intrigue. 24 "And his
power will be mighty, but not by his own power,And he will destroy to an
extraordinary degree And prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty
men and the holy people. 25 "And through his shrewdness He will cause deceit to
succeed by his influence; And he will magnify himself in his heart,And he will
destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes,
But he will be broken without human agency. 26 "And the vision of the evenings
and mornings Which has been told is true; But keep the vision secret,For it
pertains to many days in the future."
27 Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and
carried on the king's business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was
none to explain it. NASB
Jeremiah
Jer 50-51
50:1 The word which the LORD spoke concerning Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans,
through Jeremiah the prophet:
2 "Declare and proclaim among the nations. Proclaim it and lift up a standard. Do
not conceal it but say, 'Babylon has been captured, Bel has been put to
shame, Marduk has been shattered; Her images have been put to shame, her idols
have been shattered.'
3 "For a nation has come up against her out of the north; it will make her land
an object of horror, and there will be no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast
have wandered off, they have gone away! 4 "In those days and at that time,"
declares the LORD, "the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of
Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the LORD
their God they will seek. 5 "They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their
faces in its direction; they will come that they may join themselves to the LORD
in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.
6 "My people have become lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray. They
have made them turn aside on the mountains; they have gone along from mountain to
hill And have forgotten their resting place. 7 "All who came upon them have
devoured them; and their adversaries have said, 'We are not guilty, Inasmuch as
they have sinned against the LORD who is the habitation of righteousness, even
the LORD, the hope of their fathers.' 8 "Wander away from the midst of
Babylon, and go forth from the land of the Chaldeans; be also like male goats at
the head of the flock. 9 "For behold, I am going to arouse and bring up against
Babylon a horde of great nations from the land of the north, and they will draw
up their battle lines against her; from there she will be taken captive. Their
arrows will be like an expert warrior who does not return empty-handed. 10 "And Chaldea will become plunder;
all who plunder her will have enough," declares the
LORD.
11 "Because you are glad, because you are jubilant, O you who pillage My
heritage, because you skip about like a threshing heifer And neigh like
stallions, 12 Your mother will be greatly ashamed, she who gave you birth will be
humiliated. Behold, she will be the least of the nations, a wilderness, a parched
land, and a desert. 13 "Because of the indignation of the LORD she will not be
inhabited, but she will be completely desolate; Everyone who passes by Babylon
will be horrified And will hiss because of all her wounds. 14 "Draw up your
battle lines against Babylon on every side, all you who bend the bow; shoot at
her, do not be sparing with your arrows, for she has sinned against the LORD. 15
"Raise your battle cry against her on every side! She has given herself up, her
pillars have fallen, Her walls have been torn down. For this is the vengeance of
the LORD: Take vengeance on her; as she has done to others, so do to her. 16 "Cut
off the sower from Babylon, and the one who wields the sickle at the time of
harvest; from before the sword of the oppressor They will each turn back to his
own people, and they will each flee to his own land.
17 "Israel is a scattered flock, the lions have driven them away. The first one
who devoured him was the king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his
bones is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 18 "Therefore thus says the LORD of
hosts, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and
his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria. 19'And I shall bring Israel
back to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his desire will
be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. 20'In those days and at
that time,' declares the LORD,' search will be made for the iniquity of Israel,
but there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found;
for I shall pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.'
21 "Against the land of Merathaim, go up against it, and against the inhabitants
of Pekod. slay and utterly destroy them," declares the LORD, "And do according to
all that I have commanded you. 22 "The noise of battle is in the land, And great
destruction. 23 "How the hammer of the whole earth Has been cut off and
broken! How Babylon has become An object of horror among the nations! 24 "I set a
snare for you, and you were also caught, O Babylon, while you yourself were not
aware; you have been found and also seized Because you have engaged in conflict
with the LORD." 25 The LORD has opened His armory And has brought forth the
weapons of His indignation, for it is a work of the Lord GOD of hosts In the land
of the Chaldeans. 26 Come to her from the farthest border; Open up her
barns, pile her up like heaps And utterly destroy her, let nothing be left to her.
27 Put all her young bulls to the sword; Let them go down to the slaughter! Woe be
upon them, for their day has come, the time of their punishment. 28 There is a
sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the
vengeance of the LORD our God, Vengeance for His temple.
29 "Summon many against Babylon, all those who bend the bow: Encamp against her on
every side, let there be no escape. Repay her according to her work; according to
all that she has done, so do to her; for she has become arrogant against the
LORD, against the Holy One of Israel. 30 "Therefore her young men will fall in
her streets, and all her men of war will be silenced in that day," declares the
LORD. 31 "Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one, "Declares the Lord GOD of
hosts, "For your day has come, the time when I shall punish you. 32 "And the
arrogant one will stumble and fall With no one to raise him up; and I shall set
fire to his cities, and it will devour all his environs."
33 Thus says the LORD of hosts,
"The sons of Israel are oppressed, and the sons of Judah as well; and all who took
them captive have held them fast, they have refused to let them go. 34 "Their
Redeemer is strong, the LORD of hosts is His name; He will vigorously plead
their case, so that He may bring rest to the earth, but turmoil to the inhabitants
of Babylon. 35 "A sword against the Chaldeans," declares the LORD, "And against
the inhabitants of Babylon, and against her officials and her wise men! 36 "A
sword against the oracle priests, and they will become fools! A sword against her
mighty men, and they will be shattered! 37 "A sword against their horses and
against their chariots, and against all the foreigners who are in the midst of
her, and they will become women! A sword against her treasures, and they will be
plundered! 38 "A drought on her waters, and they will be dried up! For it is a
land of idols, and they are mad over fearsome idols. 39 "Therefore the desert
creatures will live there along with the jackals; the ostriches also will live in
it, and it will never again be inhabited Or dwelt in from generation to
generation. 40 "As when God overthrew Sodom And Gomorrah with its neighbors,"
declares the LORD, "No man will live there, nor will any son of man reside in it.
41 "Behold, a people is coming from the north,And a great nation and many kings
Will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth. 42 "They seize their bow and
javelin;They are cruel and have no mercy.Their voice roars like the sea,And they
ride on horses,Marshalled like a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of
Babylon. 43 "The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,And his hands
hang limp;Distress has gripped him,Agony like a woman in childbirth.
44 "Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a
perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I shall make them run away from
it, and whoever is chosen I shall appoint over it. For who is like Me, and who
will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can stand before
Me?" 45 Therefore hear the plan of the LORD which He has planned against
Babylon, and His purposes which He has purposed against the land of the
Chaldeans: surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock;
surely He will make their pasture desolate because of them. 46 At the shout,
"Babylon has been seized!" the earth is shaken, and an outcry is heard among the
nations.
51:1 Thus says the LORD:
"Behold, I am going to arouse against Babylon And against the inhabitants of
Leb-kamai The spirit of a destroyer. 2 "And I shall dispatch foreigners to
Babylon that they may winnow her And may devastate her land;For on every side
they will be opposed to her In the day of her calamity. 3 "Let not him who bends
his bow bend it,Nor let him rise up in his scale-armor;So do not spare her young
men;Devote all her army to destruction. 4 "And they will fall down slain in the
land of the Chaldeans,And pierced through in their streets."
5 For neither Israel nor Judah has been forsaken By his God, the LORD of
hosts,Although their land is full of guilt Before the Holy One of Israel. 6 Flee
from the midst of Babylon,And each of you save his life!Do not be destroyed in
her punishment,For this is the Lord's time of vengeance; He is going to render
recompense to her. 7 Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD,
Intoxicating all the earth.The nations have drunk of her wine;Therefore the
nations are going mad. 8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;Wail over
her!Bring balm for her pain;Perhaps she may be healed. 9 We applied healing to
Babylon, but she was not healed;Forsake her and let us each go to his own
country,For her judgment has reached to heaven And towers up to the very skies.
10 The LORD has brought about our vindication;Come and let us recount in Zion
The work of the LORD our God!
11 Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers!The LORD has aroused the spirit of the
kings of the Medes,Because His purpose is against Babylon to destroy it;For it
is the vengeance of the LORD, vengeance for His temple. 12 Lift up a signal
against the walls of Babylon; Post a strong guard,Station sentries, Place men in
ambush!For the LORD has both purposed and performed What He spoke concerning the
inhabitants of Babylon. 13 O you who dwell by many waters,Abundant in
treasures,Your end has come,The measure of your end. 14 The LORD of hosts has
sworn by Himself: "Surely I will fill you with a population like locusts,And
they will cry out with shouts of victory over you."
15 It is He who made the earth by His power,Who established the world by His
wisdom,And by His understanding He stretched out the heavens. 16 When He utters
His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,And He causes the clouds
to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain,And brings
forth the wind from His storehouses. 17 All mankind is stupid, devoid of
knowledge;Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,For his molten images are
deceitful,And there is no breath in them. 18 They are worthless, a work of
mockery;In the time of their punishment they will perish. 19 The portion of
Jacob is not like these;For the Maker of all is He,And of the tribe of His
inheritance;The LORD of hosts is His name. 20 He says, "You are My war-club, My
weapon of war;And with you I shatter nations,And with you I destroy kingdoms. 21
"And with you I shatter the horse and his rider, 22 And with you I shatter the
chariot and its rider,And with you I shatter man and woman,And with you I
shatter old man and youth,And with you I shatter young man and virgin, 23 And
with you I shatter the shepherd and his flock,And with you I shatter the farmer
and his team,And with you I shatter governors and prefects.
24 "But I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all their
evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes," declares the LORD.
25 "Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain,Who destroys the whole
earth," declares the LORD, "And I will stretch out My hand against you,And roll
you down from the crags And I will make you a burnt out mountain. 26 "And they
will not take from you even a stone for a corner Nor a stone for foundations,But
you will be desolate forever," declares the LORD.
27 Lift up a signal in the land,Blow a trumpet among the nations!Consecrate the
nations against her,Summon against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni and
Ashkenaz;Appoint a marshal against her,Bring up the horses like bristly locusts.
28 Consecrate the nations against her,The kings of the Medes,Their governors and
all their prefects,And every land of their dominion. 29 So the land quakes and
writhes,For the purposes of the LORD against Babylon stand,To make the land of
Babylon A desolation without inhabitants. 30 The mighty men of Babylon have
ceased fighting,They stay in the strongholds;Their strength is exhausted,They
are becoming like women;Their dwelling places are set on fire,The bars of her
gates are broken. 31 One courier runs to meet another,And one messenger to meet
another,To tell the king of Babylon That his city has been captured from end to
end; 32 The fords also have been seized,And they have burned the marshes with
fire,And the men of war are terrified.
33 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
"The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor At the time it is stamped
firm;Yet in a little while the time of harvest will come for her."
34 "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me and crushed me, He has set me
down like an empty vessel; He has swallowed me like a monster, He has filled his
stomach with my delicacies; He has washed me away. 35 "May the violence done to
me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,"The inhabitant of Zion will say;And, "May my
blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea," Jerusalem will say.
36 Therefore thus says the LORD,
"Behold, I am going to plead your case And exact full vengeance for you;And I
shall dry up her sea And make her fountain dry. 37 "And Babylon will become a
heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals,An object of horror and hissing, without
inhabitants. 38 "They will roar together like young lions,They will growl like
lions' cubs. 39 "When they become heated up, I shall serve them their banquet
And make them drunk, that they may become jubilant And may sleep a perpetual
sleep And not wake up," declares the LORD. 40 "I shall bring them down like
lambs to the slaughter,Like rams together with male goats.
41 "How Sheshak has been captured,And the praise of the whole earth been
seized!How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations! 42 "The sea
has come up over Babylon;She has been engulfed with its tumultuous waves. 43
"Her cities have become an object of horror,A parched land and a desert,A land
in which no man lives,And through which no son of man passes. 44 "And I shall
punish Bel in Babylon,And I shall make what he has swallowed come out of his
mouth;And the nations will no longer stream to him.Even the wall of Babylon has
fallen down!
45 "Come forth from her midst, My people,And each of you save yourselves From
the fierce anger of the LORD. 46 "Now lest your heart grow faint,And you be
afraid at the report that will be heard in the land — For the report will come
one year,And after that another report in another year,And violence will be in
the land With ruler against ruler — 47 Therefore behold, days are coming When I
shall punish the idols of Babylon;And her whole land will be put to shame,And
all her slain will fall in her midst. 48 "Then heaven and earth and all that is
in them Will shout for joy over Babylon,For the destroyers will come to her from
the north,"Declares the LORD.
49 Indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel,As also for Babylon the
slain of all the earth have fallen. 50 You who have escaped the sword,Depart! Do
not stay!Remember the LORD from afar,And let Jerusalem come to your mind. 51 We
are ashamed because we have heard reproach;Disgrace has covered our faces,For
aliens have entered The holy places of the Lord's house.
52 "Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I shall
punish her idols,And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land. 53
"Though Babylon should ascend to the heavens,And though she should fortify her
lofty stronghold,From Me destroyers will come to her," declares the LORD.
54 The sound of an outcry from Babylon,And of great destruction from the land of
the Chaldeans! 55 For the LORD is going to destroy Babylon,And He will make her
loud noise vanish from her.And their waves will roar like many waters;The tumult
of their voices sounds forth. 56 For the destroyer is coming against her,
against Babylon,And her mighty men will be captured,Their bows are shattered;For
the LORD is a God of recompense, He will fully repay. 57 "And I shall make her
princes and her wise men drunk, Her governors, her prefects, and her mighty
men,That they may sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake up,"Declares the King,
whose name is the LORD of hosts.
58 Thus says the LORD of hosts,
"The broad wall of Babylon will be completely razed,And her high gates will be
set on fire;So the peoples will toil for nothing,And the nations become
exhausted only for fire."
59 The message which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah,
the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to
Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (Now Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60 So
Jeremiah wrote in a single scroll all the calamity which would come upon
Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon. 61
Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, "As soon as you come to Babylon, then see that
you read all these words aloud, 62 and say,' Thou, O LORD, hast promised
concerning this place to cut it off, so that there will be nothing dwelling in
it, whether man or beast, but it will be a perpetual desolation.' 63 "And it
will come about as soon as you finish reading this scroll, you will tie a stone
to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64 and say,' Just so shall
Babylon sink down and not rise again, because of the calamity that I am going to
bring upon her; and they will become exhausted.' "Thus far are the words of
Jeremiah.
Isaiah
Isa 13-14
13:1 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2 Lift up a standard on the bare hill,Raise your voice to them,Wave the hand
that they may enter the doors of the nobles. 3 I have commanded My consecrated
ones, I have even called My mighty warriors, My proudly exulting ones,To execute
My anger. 4 A sound of tumult on the mountains, Like that of many people!A sound
of the uproar of kingdoms,Of nations gathered together!The LORD of hosts is
mustering the army for battle. 5 They are coming from a far country From the
farthest horizons,The LORD and His instruments of indignation,To destroy the
whole land. 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near!It will come as destruction
from the Almighty. 7 Therefore all hands will fall limp,And every man's heart
will melt. 8 And they will be terrified,Pains and anguish will take hold of
them;They will writhe like a woman in labor,They will look at one another in
astonishment,Their faces aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming,Cruel,
with fury and burning anger,To make the land a desolation;And He will
exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their
constellations Will not flash forth their light;The sun will be dark when it
rises,And the moon will not shed its light. 11 Thus I will punish the world for
its evil,And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the
arrogance of the proud,And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. 12 I will make
mortal man scarcer than pure gold,And mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13
Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble,And the earth will be shaken from its
place At the fury of the LORD of hosts In the day of His burning anger. 14 And
it will be that like a hunted gazelle,Or like sheep with none to gather
them,They will each turn to his own people,And each one flee to his own land. 15
Anyone who is found will be thrust through,And anyone who is captured will fall
by the sword. 16 Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their
eyes;Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them,Who will not value
silver or take pleasure in gold, 18 And their bows will mow down the young
men,They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, Nor will their
eye pity children. 19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the
Chaldeans' pride,Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 It will
never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;Nor will the Arab
pitch his tent there,Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there. 21 But
desert creatures will lie down there,And their houses will be full of owls,
Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there. 22 And
hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious
palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come And her days will not be
prolonged.
14:1 When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob, and again choose Israel, and
settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach
themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them along and
bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an
inheritance in the land of the LORD as male servants and female servants; and
they will take their captors captive, and will rule over their oppressors.
3 And it will be in the day when the LORD gives you rest from your pain and
turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, 4 that you will take
up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,
"How the oppressor has ceased, And how fury has ceased! 5 "The LORD has broken
the staff of the wicked,The scepter of rulers 6 Which used to strike the peoples
in fury with unceasing strokes,Which subdued the nations in anger with
unrestrained persecution. 7 "The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;They break
forth into shouts of joy. 8 "Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the
cedars of Lebanon, saying, 'Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up
against us.' 9 "Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you
come;It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth;It
raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones. 10 "They will all
respond and say to you, 'Even you have been made weak as we,You have become like
us. 11'Your pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to
Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you,And worms are your
covering.' 12 "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of
the dawn!You have been cut down to the earth,You who have weakened the nations!
13 "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne
above the stars of God,And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses
of the north. 14'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make
myself like the Most High.' 15 "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,To
the recesses of the pit. 16 "Those who see you will gaze at you,They will ponder
over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble,Who shook
kingdoms, 17 Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities,Who
did not allow his prisoners to go home?' 18 "All the kings of the nations lie in
glory, Each in his own tomb. 19 "But you have been cast out of your tomb Like a
rejected branch,Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword,Who go down
to the stones of the pit, Like a trampled corpse. 20 "You will not be united
with them in burial,Because you have ruined your country,You have slain your
people.May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever. 21 "Prepare for
his sons a place of slaughter Because of the iniquity of their fathers.They must
not arise and take possession of the earth And fill the face of the world with
cities."
22 "And I will rise up against them," declares the LORD of hosts, "and will cut
off from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and posterity," declares the
LORD. 23 "I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog, and swamps of
water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," declares the LORD of
hosts.
24 The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, "Surely, just as I have intended so it
has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, 25 to break Assyria
in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be
removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulder. 26 "This is the
plan devised against the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out
against all the nations. 27 "For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can
frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?" 28 In
the year that King Ahaz died this oracle came:
29 "Do not rejoice, O Philistia, all of you,Because the rod that struck you is
broken;For from the serpent's root a viper will come out,And its fruit will be a
flying serpent. 30 "And those who are most helpless will eat,And the needy will
lie down in security; I will destroy your root with famine,And it will kill off
your survivors. 31 "Wail, O gate; cry, O city; Melt away, O Philistia, all of
you;For smoke comes from the north,And there is no straggler in his ranks. 32
"How then will one answer the messengers of the nation?That the LORD has founded
Zion,And the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it."
Ezekiel
Ezek 16:1-59
16:1 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,
2 "Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, 3 and say,' Thus says
the Lord GOD to Jerusalem, "Your origin and your birth are from the land of the
Canaanite, your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 "As for your
birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed
with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in
cloths. 5 "No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to
have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you
were abhorred on the day you were born.
6 "When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while
you were in your blood, 'Live!' I said to you while you were in your blood,
'Live!' 7 "I made you numerous like plants of the field. Then you grew up,
became tall, and reached the age for fine ornaments; your breasts were formed
and your hair had grown. Yet you were naked and bare. 8 "Then I passed by you
and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; so I spread My skirt
over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a
covenant with you so that you became Mine," declares the Lord GOD. 9 "Then I
bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you, and anointed you with
oil. 10 "I also clothed you with embroidered cloth, and put sandals of porpoise
skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
11 "And I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands, and a
necklace around your neck. 12 "I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in
your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 "Thus you were adorned with
gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth.
You ate fine flour, honey, and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and
advanced to royalty. 14 "Then your fame went forth among the nations on account
of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on
you," declares the Lord GOD.
15 "But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame,
and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by who might be willing. 16
"And you took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various
colors, and played the harlot on them, which should never come about nor happen.
17 "You also took your beautiful jewels made of My gold and of My silver, which
I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the
harlot with them. 18 "Then you took your embroidered cloth and covered them, and
offered My oil and My incense before them. 19 "Also My bread which I gave you,
fine flour, oil, and honey with which I fed you, you would offer before them for
a soothing aroma; so it happened," declares the Lord GOD. 20 "Moreover, you took
your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me, and you sacrificed them to
idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? 21 "You
slaughtered My children, and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass
through the fire. 22 "And besides all your abominations and harlotries you did
not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare and squirming
in your blood.
23 "Then it came about after all your wickedness ('Woe, woe to you!' declares
the Lord GOD), 24 that you built yourself a shrine and made yourself a high
place in every square. 25 "You built yourself a high place at the top of every
street, and made your beauty abominable; and you spread your legs to every
passer-by to multiply your harlotry. 26 "You also played the harlot with the
Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and multiplied your harlotry to make Me
angry. 27 "Behold now, I have stretched out My hand against you and diminished
your rations. And I delivered you up to the desire of those who hate you, the
daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd conduct. 28
"Moreover, you played the harlot with the Assyrians because you were not
satisfied; you even played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. 29
"You also multiplied your harlotry with the land of merchants, Chaldea, yet even
with this you were not satisfied."' "
30 "How languishing is your heart," declares the Lord GOD, "while you do all
these things, the actions of a bold-faced harlot. 31 "When you built your shrine
at the beginning of every street and made your high place in every square, in
disdaining money, you were not like a harlot. 32 "You adulteress wife, who takes
strangers instead of her husband! 33 "Men give gifts to all harlots, but you
give your gifts to all your lovers to bribe them to come to you from every
direction for your harlotries. 34 "Thus you are different from those women in
your harlotries, in that no one plays the harlot as you do, because you give
money and no money is given you; thus you are different."
35 Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD. 36 Thus says the Lord GOD,
"Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your
harlotries with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of
the blood of your sons which you gave to idols, 37 therefore, behold, I shall
gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you
loved and all those whom you hated. So I shall gather them against you from
every direction and expose your nakedness to them that they may see all your
nakedness. 38 "Thus I shall judge you, like women who commit adultery or shed
blood are judged; and I shall bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy. 39
"I shall also give you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down
your shrines, demolish your high places, strip you of your clothing, take away
your jewels, and will leave you naked and bare. 40 "They will incite a crowd
against you, and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. 41
"And they will burn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the
sight of many women. Then I shall stop you from playing the harlot, and you will
also no longer pay your lovers. 42 "So I shall calm My fury against you, and My
jealousy will depart from you, and I shall be pacified and angry no more. 43
"Because you have not remembered the days of your youth but have enraged Me by
all these things, behold, I in turn will bring your conduct down on your own
head," declares the Lord GOD, "so that you will not commit this lewdness on top
of all your other abominations.
44 "Behold, everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you,
saying, 'Like mother, like daughter.' 45 "You are the daughter of your mother,
who loathed her husband and children. You are also the sister of your sisters,
who loathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your
father an Amorite. 46 "Now your older sister is Samaria, who lives north of you
with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lives south of you, is Sodom
with her daughters. 47 "Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done
according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you acted more
corruptly in all your conduct than they. 48 "As I live," declares the Lord GOD,
"Sodom, your sister, and her daughters, have not done as you and your daughters
have done. 49 "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her
daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help
the poor and needy. 50 "Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before
Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it. 51 "Furthermore, Samaria did not
commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than
they. Thus you have made your sisters appear righteous by all your abominations
which you have committed. 52 "Also bear your disgrace in that you have made
judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted
more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. Yes, be also
ashamed and bear your disgrace, in that you made your sisters appear righteous.
53 "Nevertheless, I will restore their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her
daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and along with them your
own captivity, 54 in order that you may bear your humiliation, and feel ashamed
for all that you have done when you become a consolation to them. 55 "And your
sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to
their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former
state. 56 "As the name of your sister Sodom was not heard from your lips in your
day of pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered, so now you have become
the reproach of the daughters of Edom, and of all who are around her, of the
daughters of the Philistines — those surrounding you who despise you. 58 "You
have borne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations," the LORD declares. 59
For thus says the Lord GOD, "I will also do with you as you have done, you who
have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
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