Woe to the Chaldeans

Shall not all these (A)take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,

(B)“Woe to him (C)who heaps up what is not his own—
    for (D)how long?—
    and (E)loads himself with pledges!”

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“Will not all of them taunt(A) him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
    and makes himself wealthy by extortion!(B)
    How long must this go on?’

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In that day (A)they shall take up a taunt song against you
    and moan bitterly,
and say, “We are utterly ruined;
    (B)he changes the portion of my people;
(C)how he removes it from me!
    (D)To an apostate he allots our fields.”

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In that day people will ridicule you;
    they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;(A)
    my people’s possession is divided up.(B)
He takes it from me!
    He assigns our fields to traitors.’”

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13 (A)Because of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited
    but shall be an utter desolation;
(B)everyone who passes by Babylon shall be appalled,
    (C)and hiss because of all her wounds.

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13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
    but will be completely desolate.(A)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;(B)
    they will scoff(C) because of all her wounds.(D)

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22 (A)Because of them (B)this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, (C)whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,”

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22 Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned(A) in the fire.’

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you will take up this (A)taunt against the king of Babylon:

“How the oppressor has ceased,
    (B)the insolent fury[a] ceased!
The Lord has broken the (C)staff of the wicked,
    the (D)scepter of rulers,
(E)that struck the peoples in wrath
    with unceasing blows,
that ruled the nations in anger
    with unrelenting persecution.
The whole earth is at rest and quiet;
    (F)they break forth into singing.
(G)(H)The cypresses rejoice at you,
    (I)the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low,
    no woodcutter comes up against us.’
Sheol beneath is stirred up
    to meet you when you come;
it rouses the shades to greet you,
    all who were leaders of the earth;
it raises from their thrones
    all who were kings of the nations.
10 (J)All of them will answer
    and say to you:
‘You too have become as weak as we!
    You have become like us!’
11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
    the sound of your harps;
maggots are laid as a bed beneath you,
    and worms are your covers.

12 “How (K)you are fallen from heaven,
    O Day Star, (L)son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
    you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
    (M)‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
    (N)I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
    in the far reaches of the north;[b]
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 (O)But you are brought down to Sheol,
    to the far reaches of the pit.
16 Those who see you will stare at you
    and ponder over you:
‘Is this (P)the man who made the earth tremble,
    who shook kingdoms,
17 who made the world like a desert
    and overthrew its cities,
    (Q)who did not let his prisoners go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
    each in his own tomb;[c]
19 but you are cast out, away from your grave,
    like a loathed branch,
(R)clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword,
    who go down to the stones of the pit,
    like a dead body trampled underfoot.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scroll (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain
  2. Isaiah 14:13 Or in the remote parts of Zaphon
  3. Isaiah 14:18 Hebrew house

you will take up this taunt(A) against the king of Babylon:(B)

How the oppressor(C) has come to an end!
    How his fury[a] has ended!
The Lord has broken the rod(D) of the wicked,(E)
    the scepter(F) of the rulers,
which in anger struck down peoples(G)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued(H) nations
    with relentless aggression.(I)
All the lands are at rest and at peace;(J)
    they break into singing.(K)
Even the junipers(L) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”(M)

The realm of the dead(N) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed(O) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders(P) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.(Q)
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”(R)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,(S)
    along with the noise of your harps;(T)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms(U) cover you.(V)

12 How you have fallen(W) from heaven,
    morning star,(X) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!(Y)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend(Z) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne(AA)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,(AB)
    on the utmost heights(AC) of Mount Zaphon.[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;(AD)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”(AE)
15 But you are brought down(AF) to the realm of the dead,(AG)
    to the depths(AH) of the pit.(AI)

16 Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:(AJ)
“Is this the man who shook(AK) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,(AL)
    who overthrew(AM) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”(AN)

18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.(AO)
19 But you are cast out(AP) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,(AQ)
    with those pierced by the sword,(AR)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.(AS)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
  2. Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.

15 He swallows down riches and vomits them up again;
    God casts them out of his belly.
16 He will suck the poison of cobras;
    (A)the tongue of a viper will kill him.
17 He will not look upon (B)the rivers,
    the streams flowing with (C)honey and (D)curds.
18 He will (E)give back the fruit of his toil
    and will not (F)swallow it down;
from the profit of his trading
    he will get no enjoyment.
19 For he has crushed and abandoned the poor;
    he has seized a house that he did not build.

20 “Because he (G)knew no (H)contentment in his belly,
    (I)he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.
21 There was nothing left after he had eaten;
    therefore his prosperity will not endure.
22 In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress;
    the hand of everyone in misery will come against him.
23 To fill his belly to the full,
    God[a] will send his burning anger against him
    and rain it upon him (J)into his body.
24 (K)He will flee from an iron weapon;
    (L)a bronze arrow will strike (M)him through.
25 It (N)is drawn forth and comes out of his body;
    (O)the glittering point comes out of his (P)gallbladder;
    (Q)terrors come upon him.
26 Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures;
    (R)a fire not fanned will devour him;
    what is left in his tent will be consumed.
27 (S)The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
    and the earth will rise up against him.
28 The possessions of his house will be carried away,
    dragged off in the day of God's[b] wrath.
29 (T)This is the wicked man's portion from God,
    (U)the heritage decreed for him by God.”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 20:23 Hebrew he
  2. Job 20:28 Hebrew his

15 He will spit out the riches(A) he swallowed;
    God will make his stomach vomit(B) them up.
16 He will suck the poison(C) of serpents;
    the fangs of an adder will kill him.(D)
17 He will not enjoy the streams,
    the rivers(E) flowing with honey(F) and cream.(G)
18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;(H)
    he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.(I)
19 For he has oppressed the poor(J) and left them destitute;(K)
    he has seized houses(L) he did not build.

20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving;(M)
    he cannot save himself by his treasure.(N)
21 Nothing is left for him to devour;
    his prosperity will not endure.(O)
22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;(P)
    the full force of misery will come upon him.(Q)
23 When he has filled his belly,(R)
    God will vent his burning anger(S) against him
    and rain down his blows on him.(T)
24 Though he flees(U) from an iron weapon,
    a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.(V)
25 He pulls it out of his back,
    the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors(W) will come over him;(X)
26     total darkness(Y) lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire(Z) unfanned will consume him(AA)
    and devour what is left in his tent.(AB)
27 The heavens will expose his guilt;
    the earth will rise up against him.(AC)
28 A flood will carry off his house,(AD)
    rushing waters[a] on the day of God’s wrath.(AE)
29 Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
    the heritage appointed for them by God.”(AF)

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Footnotes

  1. Job 20:28 Or The possessions in his house will be carried off, / washed away

And Balaam (A)took up his discourse and said,

“From (B)Aram Balak has brought me,
    the king of Moab (C)from the eastern mountains:
‘Come, (D)curse Jacob for me,
    and come, denounce Israel!’

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Then Balaam(A) spoke his message:(B)

“Balak brought me from Aram,(C)
    the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.(D)
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;
    come, denounce Israel.’(E)

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(A)The end of all things is at hand; therefore (B)be self-controlled and sober-minded (C)for the sake of your prayers.

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The end of all things is near.(A) Therefore be alert and of sober mind(B) so that you may pray.

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Warning to the Rich

Come now, (A)you rich, weep and howl for the (B)miseries that are coming upon you. (C)Your riches have rotted and (D)your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. (E)You have laid up treasure (F)in the last days. Behold, (G)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and (H)the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of (I)the Lord of hosts.

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Warning to Rich Oppressors

Now listen,(A) you rich people,(B) weep and wail(C) because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.(D) Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.(E) Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers(F) who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries(G) of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.(H)

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29 This is what I mean, brothers: (A)the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy (B)as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For (C)the present form of this world is passing away.

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29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short.(A) From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.(B)

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20 But God said to him, (A)‘Fool! (B)This night (C)your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, (D)whose will they be?’

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20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool!(A) This very night your life will be demanded from you.(B) Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’(C)

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13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
    that (A)peoples labor merely for fire,
    and nations weary themselves for nothing?

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13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
    that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,(A)
    that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?(B)

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15 (A)He[a] brings all of them up (B)with a hook;
    he drags them out with his net;
he gathers them in his dragnet;
    so he rejoices and is glad.

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:15 That is, the wicked foe

15 The wicked(A) foe pulls all of them up with hooks,(B)
    he catches them in his net,(C)
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
    and so he rejoices and is glad.

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