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you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say,

“The mighty man has been destroyed.
    Yes, your insolence[a] is ended.

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Footnotes

  1. 14:4 As in Dead Sea Scrolls; the meaning of the Masoretic Text is 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.

16 “How terrible, how terrible for that great city!
    She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens,
    decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls!

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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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26 I will feed your enemies with their own flesh.
    They will be drunk with rivers of their own blood.
All the world will know that I, the Lord,
    am your Savior and your Redeemer,
    the Mighty One of Israel.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 49:26 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 14:1.

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 fate, O heaven
    and people of God and apostles and prophets!
For at last God has judged her
    for your sakes.

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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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For her sins are piled as high as heaven,
    and God remembers her evil deeds.
Do to her as she has done to others.
    Double her penalty[a] for all her evil deeds.
She brewed a cup of terror for others,
    so brew twice as much[b] for her.
She glorified herself and lived in luxury,
    so match it now with torment and sorrow.
She boasted in her heart,
    ‘I am queen on my throne.
I am no helpless widow,
    and I have no reason to mourn.’
Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day—
    death and mourning and famine.
She will be completely consumed by fire,
    for the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”

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Footnotes

  1. 18:6a Or Give her an equal penalty.
  2. 18:6b Or brew just as much.

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.

I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.

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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 who had authority over all water saying,

“You are just, O Holy One, who is and who always was,
    because you have sent these judgments.
Since they shed the blood
    of your holy people and your prophets,
you have given them blood to drink.
    It is their just reward.”

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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 He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

16 He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17 And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.

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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 You cut down the forests of Lebanon.
    Now you will be cut down.
You destroyed the wild animals,
    so now their terror will be yours.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
    and filled the towns with violence.

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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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“But soon their captives will taunt them.
    They will mock them, saying,
‘What sorrow awaits you thieves!
    Now you will get what you deserve!
You’ve become rich by extortion,
    but how much longer can this go on?’
Suddenly, your debtors will take action.
    They will turn on you and take all you have,
    while you stand trembling and helpless.
Because you have plundered many nations,
    now all the survivors will plunder you.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
    and filled the towns with violence.

“What sorrow awaits you who build big houses
    with money gained dishonestly!
You believe your wealth will buy security,
    putting your family’s nest beyond the reach of danger.
10 But by the murders you committed,
    you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives.
11 The very stones in the walls cry out against you,
    and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.

12 “What sorrow awaits you who build cities
    with money gained through murder and corruption!

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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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Habakkuk’s Complaint

How long, O Lord, must I call for help?
    But you do not listen!
“Violence is everywhere!” I cry,
    but you do not come to save.
Must I forever see these evil deeds?
    Why must I watch all this misery?
Wherever I look,
    I see destruction and violence.
I am surrounded by people
    who love to argue and fight.
The law has become paralyzed,
    and there is no justice in the courts.
The wicked far outnumber the righteous,
    so that justice has become perverted.

The Lord’s Reply

The Lord replied,

“Look around at the nations;
    look and be amazed![a]
For I am doing something in your own day,
    something you wouldn’t believe
    even if someone told you about it.
I am raising up the Babylonians,[b]
    a cruel and violent people.
They will march across the world
    and conquer other lands.
They are notorious for their cruelty
    and do whatever they like.
Their horses are swifter than cheetahs[c]
    and fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their charioteers charge from far away.
    Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey.

“On they come, all bent on violence.
    Their hordes advance like a desert wind,
    sweeping captives ahead of them like sand.
10 They scoff at kings and princes
    and scorn all their fortresses.
They simply pile ramps of earth
    against their walls and capture them!

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Footnotes

  1. 1:5 Greek version reads Look, you mockers; / look and be amazed and die. Compare Acts 13:41.
  2. 1:6 Or Chaldeans.
  3. 1:8 Or leopards.

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 wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one so different from the others and so terrifying. It had devoured and crushed its victims with iron teeth and bronze claws, trampling their remains beneath its feet. 20 I also asked about the ten horns on the fourth beast’s head and the little horn that came up afterward and destroyed three of the other horns. This horn had seemed greater than the others, and it had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against God’s holy people and was defeating them, 22 until the Ancient One—the Most High—came and judged in favor of his holy people. Then the time arrived for the holy people to take over the kingdom.

23 Then he said to me, “This fourth beast is the fourth world power that will rule the earth. It will be different from all the others. It will devour the whole world, trampling and crushing everything in its path. 24 Its ten horns are ten kings who will rule that empire. Then another king will arise, different from the other ten, who will subdue three of them. 25 He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.

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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 He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.

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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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