The Beast from the Sea

13 And the dragon stood on the sand of the [a]seashore.

Then I saw a (A)beast coming up out of the sea, having (B)ten horns and (C)seven heads, and on his horns were (D)ten crowns, and on his heads were (E)blasphemous names. And the beast that I saw was (F)like a leopard, and his feet were like those of (G)a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of (H)a lion. And the (I)dragon gave him his power and his (J)throne, and great authority. I saw one of his heads as if it had been [b]fatally wounded, and his (K)fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth (L)was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshiped the (M)dragon because he (N)gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “(O)Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” A mouth was given to him (P)speaking [c]arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for (Q)forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, (R)those who dwell in heaven.

It was also given to him to (S)make war with the [d]saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over (T)every tribe, people, language, and nation. All who (U)live on the earth will worship him, everyone (V)whose name has not been [e]written (W)since the foundation of the world in the (X)book of life of (Y)the Lamb who has been slaughtered. (Z)If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 (AA)If anyone [f]is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; (AB)if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is (AC)the [g]perseverance and the faith of the [h]saints.

The Beast from the Earth

11 Then (AD)I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had (AE)two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a (AF)dragon. 12 He (AG)exercises all the authority of the first beast [i](AH)in his presence. And he makes (AI)the earth and those who live on it (AJ)worship the first beast, whose (AK)fatal wound was healed. 13 He (AL)performs great signs, so that he even makes (AM)fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people. 14 And he (AN)deceives (AO)those who live on the earth because of (AP)the signs which it was given him to perform [j](AQ)in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the (AR)wound of the sword and has come to life. 15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even [k]speak and cause (AS)all who do not (AT)worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he causes all, (AU)the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, [l]to be given a (AV)mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the (AW)mark, either (AX)the name of the beast or (AY)the number of his name. 18 (AZ)Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that (BA)of a [m]man; and his number is [n]six hundred and sixty-six.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 13:1 Lit sea
  2. Revelation 13:3 Lit slaughtered to death
  3. Revelation 13:5 Lit great things
  4. Revelation 13:7 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  5. Revelation 13:8 Or written in the book...slain from the foundation of the world
  6. Revelation 13:10 Or leads into captivity
  7. Revelation 13:10 Or steadfastness
  8. Revelation 13:10 See note v 7
  9. Revelation 13:12 Or by his authority
  10. Revelation 13:14 Or by the authority of
  11. Revelation 13:15 One early ms speak, and he will cause
  12. Revelation 13:16 Lit so that they give them a mark
  13. Revelation 13:18 Or human
  14. Revelation 13:18 I.e., spelled out in Gr as 600 + 60 + 6; one early ms has the letters for 616

A Psalm of Praise.

150 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Praise God in His (A)sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty [c](B)expanse.
Praise Him for His (C)mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent (D)greatness.

Praise Him with (E)trumpet sound;
Praise Him with (F)harp and lyre.
Praise Him with (G)tambourine and dancing;
Praise Him with (H)stringed instruments and (I)flute.
Praise Him with loud (J)cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
(K)Everything that has breath shall praise [d]the Lord.
[e]Praise [f]the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 150:1 Or Hallelujah!
  2. Psalm 150:1 Heb Yah
  3. Psalm 150:1 Or firmament; i.e., atmosphere and space
  4. Psalm 150:6 Heb Yah
  5. Psalm 150:6 Or Hallelujah!
  6. Psalm 150:6 Heb Yah

The Overthrow of Nineveh

[a]The one who (A)scatters has come up against [b]you.
Keep watch over the fortress, watch the road;
[c]Bind up your waist, [d]summon all your strength.
For the Lord will restore the (B)splendor of Jacob
(C)Like the splendor of Israel,
Even though destroyers have laid waste to them
And (D)ruined their vines.

The shields of [e]his warriors are dyed red,
The warriors are dressed in (E)scarlet,
The chariots are fitted with [f]flashing steel
[g]When he is prepared to march,
And the juniper (F)spears are brandished.
The (G)chariots drive wildly in the streets,
They rush around in the [h]public squares;
Their appearance is like torches,
They drive back and forth like lightning flashes.
He remembers his (H)officers;
They (I)stumble in their advance,
They hurry to her wall,
And the [i]mantelet is set up.
The gates of the rivers are opened
And the palace sways back and forth.
It is set:
She is stripped, she is led away,
And her slave women are (J)sobbing like the sound of doves,
(K)Beating their [j]breasts.

Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,
Yet they are fleeing;
“Stop, stop,”
But (L)no one turns back.
Plunder the silver,
Plunder the (M)gold!
For there is no end to the treasure—
Wealth from every kind of desirable object.
10 She is (N)emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste!
(O)Hearts are melting and knees wobbling!
Also trembling is in [k]the entire body,
And all their (P)faces have become pale!
11 Where is the den of the lions
And the feeding place of the (Q)young lions,
Where the lion, lioness, and lion’s cub went
With nothing to disturb them?
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs,
[l]Killed enough prey for his lionesses,
And filled his lairs with prey
And his dens with torn flesh.

13 “Behold, (R)I am against you,” declares the Lord of armies. “I will (S)burn up her chariots in smoke, and a sword will devour your young lions; I will (T)eliminate your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”

Nineveh’s Complete Ruin

(U)Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage;
Her prey does not leave.
The (V)sound of the whip,
The sound of the roar of the wheel,
Galloping horses
And [m]bounding chariots!
Horsemen charging,
Swords flashing, (W)spears gleaming,
(X)Many killed, a mass of corpses,
And there is (Y)no end to the dead bodies—
They stumble over [n]the dead bodies!
All because of the (Z)many sexual acts of the prostitute,
The charming one, the (AA)mistress of sorceries,
Who (AB)sells nations by her sexual acts,
And families by her sorceries.
“Behold, (AC)I am against you,” declares the Lord of armies;
“And I will [o](AD)lift up your skirts over your face,
And (AE)show the nations your nakedness,
And the kingdoms your shame.
I will (AF)throw filth on you
And (AG)declare you worthless,
And set you up as a (AH)spectacle.
And it will come about that all who see you
Will [p]shrink from you and say,
‘Nineveh is devastated!
(AI)Who will have sympathy for her?’
Where shall I seek comforters for you?”

Are you better than [q](AJ)No-amon,
Which was situated by the (AK)canals of the Nile,
With water surrounding her,
Whose rampart was [r]the sea,
Whose wall consisted of [s]the sea?
(AL)Ethiopia was her might,
Egypt too, without limits.
(AM)Put and (AN)Lubim were among [t]her helpers.
10 Yet she (AO)became an exile,
She went into captivity;
Also her (AP)small children were smashed to pieces
(AQ)At the head of every street;
They (AR)cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound with shackles.
11 You too will become (AS)drunk,
You will be (AT)hidden.
You too will search for a refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortifications are (AU)fig trees with [u](AV)ripe fruit—
When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.
13 Behold, your people are (AW)women in your midst!
The gates of your land are (AX)opened wide to your enemies;
Fire consumes your gate bars.
14 (AY)Draw for yourself water for a siege!
(AZ)Strengthen your fortifications!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Take hold of the brick mold!
15 There (BA)fire will consume you,
The sword will cut you down;
It will (BB)consume you as the creeping locust consumes a crop.
Multiply yourself like the creeping locust,
Multiply yourself like the migratory locust.
16 You have made your (BC)traders more numerous than the stars of heaven—
The creeping locust sheds its skin and flies away.
17 Your (BD)courtiers are like the migratory locust.
Your (BE)officials are like a swarm of locusts
Settling in the stone shelters on a cold day.
The sun rises and they flee,
And the place where they are is not known.
18 Your shepherds are (BF)sleeping, O (BG)king of Assyria;
Your (BH)officers are lying down.
Your people are (BI)scattered on the mountains
And there is no one to gather them.
19 There is (BJ)no relief for your collapse,
Your (BK)wound is incurable.
All who hear [v]about you
Will (BL)clap their hands over you,
For upon whom has your evil not come continually?

Footnotes

  1. Nahum 2:1 Ch 2:2 in Heb
  2. Nahum 2:1 Lit your face
  3. Nahum 2:1 Lit Strengthen your loins
  4. Nahum 2:1 Lit strengthen power greatly
  5. Nahum 2:3 I.e., those attacking Nineveh
  6. Nahum 2:3 Lit fire of steel
  7. Nahum 2:3 Lit On the day of his preparation
  8. Nahum 2:4 Lit broad places
  9. Nahum 2:5 I.e., a shield used for stopping projectiles
  10. Nahum 2:7 Lit hearts
  11. Nahum 2:10 Lit all the loins
  12. Nahum 2:12 Lit Strangled
  13. Nahum 3:2 Lit leaping
  14. Nahum 3:3 Lit their
  15. Nahum 3:5 Lit uncover your private parts
  16. Nahum 3:7 Lit flee
  17. Nahum 3:8 I.e., the city of Amon: Thebes
  18. Nahum 3:8 I.e., the Nile
  19. Nahum 3:8 I.e., the Nile
  20. Nahum 3:9 Lit your
  21. Nahum 3:12 Lit first fruits
  22. Nahum 3:19 Lit your report

Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah

The (A)pronouncement which Habakkuk the prophet saw:

(B)How long, Lord, have I called for help,
And You do not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do (C)not save.
Why do You make me (D)see disaster,
And make me look at destitution?
Yes, (E)devastation and violence are before me;
(F)Strife exists and contention arises.
Therefore the (G)Law [a]is ignored,
And justice [b]is never upheld.
For the wicked (H)surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out (I)confused.

(J)Look among the nations! Watch!
Be horrified! (K)Be frightened speechless!
For I am accomplishing (L)a work in your days—
You would not believe it even if [c]you were told!
For behold, I am (M)raising up the Chaldeans,
That [d]grim and impetuous people
Who march [e]throughout the earth,
To (N)take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs.
They are terrifying and (O)feared;
Their (P)justice and [f]authority [g]originate with themselves.
Their (Q)horses are faster than leopards,
And quicker than (R)wolves in the evening.
Their [h]horsemen charge along,
Their [i]horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an (S)eagle [j]swooping down to devour.
All of them come for violence.
[k]Their horde of (T)faces moves forward.
They gather captives like sand.
10 They (U)make fun of kings,
And dignitaries are an object of laughter to them.
They (V)laugh at every fortress,
Then (W)heap up dirt and [l]capture it.
11 Then they fly along like the (X)wind and pass on.
But they will be held (Y)guilty,
They whose (Z)strength is their god.”

12 Are You not from (AA)time everlasting,
Lord, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, Lord, have (AB)appointed them to deliver judgment;
And You, O (AC)Rock, have destined them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too (AD)pure to look at evil,
And You cannot look at harm favorably.
Why do You (AE)look favorably
At those who deal (AF)treacherously?
Why are You (AG)silent when the wicked (AH)swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
14 Why have You made people like the fish of the sea,
Like crawling things that have no ruler over them?
15 The Chaldeans (AI)bring all of them up with a hook,
(AJ)Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are joyful.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And [m]burn incense to their fishing net,
Because through (AK)these things their [n]catch is [o]large,
And their food is [p]plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their (AL)net,
And continually (AM)slay nations without sparing?

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:4 Or is ineffective; lit turns cold
  2. Habakkuk 1:4 Lit never goes forth
  3. Habakkuk 1:5 Lit it
  4. Habakkuk 1:6 Lit bitter
  5. Habakkuk 1:6 Lit the breadth of
  6. Habakkuk 1:7 Lit sovereignty
  7. Habakkuk 1:7 Lit proceed from
  8. Habakkuk 1:8 Or horses
  9. Habakkuk 1:8 Or horses
  10. Habakkuk 1:8 Lit hurrying to
  11. Habakkuk 1:9 Lit The totality of
  12. Habakkuk 1:10 Or overthrow
  13. Habakkuk 1:16 Or sacrifice
  14. Habakkuk 1:16 Lit portion
  15. Habakkuk 1:16 Lit fat; or plentiful
  16. Habakkuk 1:16 Lit fat

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