²⁸ The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. ²⁹ At midday you will grope^(A) about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue^(B) you.

³⁰ You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and rape her.^(C) You will build a house, but you will not live in it.^(D) You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit.^{(E) 31} Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. ³² Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation,^(F) and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. ³³ A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression^(G) all your days.^{(H) 34} The sights you see will drive you mad.^{(I) 35} The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils^(J) that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.^(K)

³⁶ The Lord will drive you and the king^(L) you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your ancestors.^(M) There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone.^{(N) 37} You will become a thing of horror,^(O) a byword^(P) and an object of ridicule^(Q) among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.^(R)

³⁸ You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little,^(S) because locusts^(T) will devour^(U) it. ³⁹ You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine^(V) or gather the grapes, because worms will eat^(W) them.^{(X) 40} You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.^{(Y) 41} You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity.^{(Z) 42} Swarms of locusts^(AA) will take over all your trees and the crops of your land.

⁴³ The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower.^{(AB) 44} They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them.^(AC) They will be the head, but you will be the tail.^(AD)

⁴⁵ All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you^(AE) until you are destroyed,^(AF) because you did not obey the Lord your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you.

²⁵ As for the villages with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba^(A) and its surrounding settlements, in Dibon^(B) and its settlements, in Jekabzeel and its villages, ²⁶ in Jeshua, in Moladah,^(C) in Beth Pelet,^{(D) 27} in Hazar Shual,^(E) in Beersheba^(F) and its settlements, ²⁸ in Ziklag,^(G) in Mekonah and its settlements, ²⁹ in En Rimmon, in Zorah,^(H) in Jarmuth,^{(I) 30} Zanoah,^(J) Adullam^(K) and their villages, in Lachish^(L) and its fields, and in Azekah^(M) and its settlements. So they were living all the way from Beersheba^(N) to the Valley of Hinnom.

³¹ The descendants of the Benjamites from Geba^(O) lived in Mikmash,^(P) Aija, Bethel^(Q) and its settlements, ³² in Anathoth,^(R) Nob^(S) and Ananiah, ³³ in Hazor,^(T) Ramah^(U) and Gittaim,^{(V) 34} in Hadid, Zeboim^(W) and Neballat, ³⁵ in Lod and Ono,^(X) and in Ge Harashim.

³⁶ Some of the divisions of the Levites of Judah settled in Benjamin.

Four Chariots

6 I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots^(A) coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. ² The first chariot had red horses, the second black,^{(B) 3} the third white,^(C) and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. ⁴ I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵ The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits^[a](D) of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.^{(E) 6} The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west,^[b] and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”

⁷ When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth.^(F) And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.

⁸ Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit^[c] rest^(G) in the land of the north.”^(H)

A Crown for Joshua

⁹ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁰ “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon.^(I) Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. ¹¹ Take the silver and gold and make a crown,^(J) and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua^(K) son of Jozadak.^{[d](L) 12} Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch,^(M) and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.^{(N) 13} It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he^[e] will be a priest^(O) on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ ¹⁴ The crown will be given to Heldai,^[f] Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen^[g] son of Zephaniah as a memorial^(P) in the temple of the Lord. ¹⁵ Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord,^(Q) and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.^(R) This will happen if you diligently obey^(S) the Lord your God.”

A Common Destiny for All

9 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.^{(A) 2} All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,^[a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

³ This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.^(C) The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live,^(D) and afterward they join the dead.^{(E) 4} Anyone who is among the living has hope^[b]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

⁷ Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine^(J) with a joyful heart,^(K) for God has already approved what you do. ⁸ Always be clothed in white,^(L) and always anoint your head with oil. ⁹ Enjoy life with your wife,^(M) whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot^(N) in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. ¹⁰ Whatever^(O) your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,^(P) for in the realm of the dead,^(Q) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.^(R)

¹¹ I have seen something else under the sun:

¹² Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:

Wisdom Better Than Folly

¹³ I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom^(Y) that greatly impressed me: ¹⁴ There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. ¹⁵ Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.^{(Z) 16} So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.^(AA)

Jesus Arrested^(A)

18 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley.^(B) On the other side there was a garden,^(C) and he and his disciples went into it.^(D)

² Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.^{(E) 3} So Judas came to the garden, guiding^(F) a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees.^(G) They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

⁴ Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him,^(H) went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”^(I)

⁵ “Jesus of Nazareth,”^(J) they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) ⁶ When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

⁷ Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”^(K)

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

⁸ Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” ⁹ This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”^[a](L)

¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

¹¹ Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup^(M) the Father has given me?”

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple^(A) saying to the seven angels,^(B) “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”^(C)

² The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land,^(D) and ugly, festering sores^(E) broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.^(F)

³ The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.^(G)

⁴ The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water,^(H) and they became blood.^{(I) 5} Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

⁷ And I heard the altar^(O) respond:

⁸ The fourth angel^(R) poured out his bowl on the sun,^(S) and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire.^{(T) 9} They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God,^(U) who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent^(V) and glorify him.^(W)