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

How the oppressor has ceased!
    How his insolence[a] has ceased!(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 14.4 Q ms Compare Gk Syr Vg: Meaning of MT uncertain

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!

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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.

26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,
    and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine.
Then all flesh shall know
    that I am the Lord your Savior
    and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.(A)

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26 I will make your oppressors(A) eat(B) their own flesh;
    they will be drunk on their own blood,(C) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know(D)
    that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(E)
    your Redeemer,(F) the Mighty One of Jacob.(G)

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20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints and apostles and prophets! For God has condemned her condemnation of you.(A)

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20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens!(A)
    Rejoice, you people of God!
    Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
    with the judgment she imposed on you.”(B)

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16 “Alas, alas, the great city,
    clothed in fine linen,
        in purple and scarlet,
    adorned with gold,
        with jewels, and with pearls!(A)

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16 and cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,(A)
    dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
    and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!(B)

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for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
    and God has remembered her iniquities.(A)
Render to her as she herself has rendered,
    and repay her double for her deeds;
    mix a double dose for her in the cup she mixed.(B)
As she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,
    so give her a like measure of torment and grief.
Since in her heart she says,
    ‘I rule as a queen;
I am no widow,
    and I will never see grief,’(C)
therefore her plagues will come in a single day—
    pestilence and mourning and famine—
and she will be burned with fire,
    for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”(D)

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for her sins are piled up to heaven,(A)
    and God has remembered(B) her crimes.
Give back to her as she has given;
    pay her back(C) double(D) for what she has done.
    Pour her a double portion from her own cup.(E)
Give her as much torment and grief
    as the glory and luxury she gave herself.(F)
In her heart she boasts,
    ‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;[a]
    I will never mourn.’(G)
Therefore in one day(H) her plagues will overtake her:
    death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,(I)
    for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 18:7 See Isaiah 47:7,8.

And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly amazed.(A)

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I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people,(A) the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

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And I heard the angel of the waters say,

“You are just, O Holy One, who are and were,
    for you have judged these things;(A)
because they shed the blood of saints and prophets,
    you have given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!”

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Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

“You are just in these judgments,(A) O Holy One,(B)
    you who are and who were;(C)
for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets,(D)
    and you have given them blood to drink(E) as they deserve.”

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15 and it was allowed to give breath[a] to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be given a brand on the right hand or the forehead,(A) 17 so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the brand, that is, the name of the beast or the number for its name.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 13.15 Or spirit

15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship(A) the image to be killed.(B) 16 It also forced all people, great and small,(C) rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,(D) 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,(E) which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.(F)

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17 For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you;
    the destruction of the animals will terrify you—[a]
because of human bloodshed and violence to the earth,
    to cities and all who live in them.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 2.17 Gk Syr: Heb terrify them

17 The violence(A) you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
    and your destruction of animals will terrify you.(B)
For you have shed human blood;(C)
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

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The Woes of the Wicked

Shall not everyone taunt such people and, with mocking riddles, say about them,

“Alas for you who heap up what is not your own!”
    How long will you load yourselves with goods taken in pledge?(A)
Will not your own creditors suddenly rise
    and those who make you tremble wake up?
    Then you will be plunder for them.
Because you have plundered many nations,
    all who survive of the peoples shall plunder you—
because of human bloodshed and violence to the earth,
    to cities and all who live in them.(B)

“Alas for you who get evil gain for your house,
    setting your nest on high
    to be safe from the reach of harm!”(C)
10 You have devised shame for your house
    by cutting off many peoples;
    you have forfeited your life.(D)
11 The very stones will cry out from the wall,
    and the rafter will respond from the woodwork.

12 “Alas for you who build a town by bloodshed
    and found a city on iniquity!”(E)

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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?’
Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
    Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
    Then you will become their prey.(C)
Because you have plundered many nations,
    the peoples who are left will plunder you.(D)
For you have shed human blood;(E)
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.(F)

“Woe to him who builds(G) his house by unjust gain,(H)
    setting his nest(I) on high
    to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin(J) of many peoples,
    shaming(K) your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones(L) of the wall will cry out,
    and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed(M)
    and establishes a town by injustice!

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The Prophet’s Complaint

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
    and you will not listen?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
    and you will not save?(A)
Why do you make me see wrongdoing
    and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    strife and contention arise.(B)
So the law becomes slack,
    and justice never prevails.
The wicked surround the righteous;
    therefore judgment comes forth perverted.(C)

Look at the nations and see!
    Be astonished! Be astounded!
For a work is being done in your days
    that you would not believe if you were told.(D)
For I am rousing the Chaldeans,
    that fierce and impetuous nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth
    to seize dwellings not their own.(E)
Dread and fearsome are they;
    their justice and dignity proceed from themselves.(F)
Their horses are swifter than leopards,
    more menacing than wolves at dusk;
    their horses charge.
Their horsemen come from far away;
    they fly like an eagle swift to devour.(G)
They all come for violence,
    with faces pressing[a] forward;
    they gather captives like sand.(H)
10 At kings they scoff,
    and of rulers they make sport.
They laugh at every fortress
    and heap up earth to take it.(I)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.9 Meaning of Heb uncertain

Habakkuk’s Complaint

How long,(A) Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?(B)
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?(C)
Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate(D) wrongdoing?(E)
Destruction and violence(F) are before me;
    there is strife,(G) and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law(H) is paralyzed,
    and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
    so that justice(I) is perverted.(J)

The Lord’s Answer

“Look at the nations and watch—
    and be utterly amazed.(K)
For I am going to do something in your days
    that you would not believe,
    even if you were told.(L)
I am raising up the Babylonians,[a](M)
    that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth(N)
    to seize dwellings not their own.(O)
They are a feared and dreaded people;(P)
    they are a law to themselves
    and promote their own honor.
Their horses are swifter(Q) than leopards,
    fiercer than wolves(R) at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
    their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
    they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes[b] advance like a desert wind
    and gather prisoners(S) like sand.
10 They mock kings
    and scoff at rulers.(T)
They laugh at all fortified cities;
    by building earthen ramps(U) they capture them.

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:6 Or Chaldeans
  2. Habakkuk 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

19 Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet; 20 and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and concerning the other horn that came up and before which three others had fallen—the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke arrogantly and that seemed greater than the others. 21 As I looked, that horn made war with the holy ones and was prevailing over them,(A) 22 until the Ancient One[a] came; then judgment was given for the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when the holy ones gained possession of the kingdom.(B)

23 This is what he said: “As for the fourth beast,

there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth
    that shall be different from all the other kingdoms;
it shall devour the whole earth
    and trample it down and break it to pieces.(C)
24 As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
    and another shall arise after them.
This one shall be different from the former ones
    and shall put down three kings.(D)
25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
    shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High,
    and shall attempt to change the ritual calendar and the law,
and they shall be given into his power
    for a time, two times,[b] and half a time.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 7.22 Aram the Ancient of Days
  2. 7.25 Aram a time, times

19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns(A) on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.(B) 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them,(C) 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.(D)

23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.(E) 24 The ten horns(F) are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High(G) and oppress his holy people(H) and try to change the set times(I) and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.[a](J)

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 7:25 Or for a year, two years and half a year

38 into whose hand he has given human beings wherever they live, the wild animals of the field, and the birds of the air and whom he has established as ruler over them all—you are the head of gold.(A)

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38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all.(A) You are that head of gold.

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