I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,
    and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger,
    my proudly exulting ones.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 13:3 Or those who exult in my majesty

11 (A)Hasten and come,
    all you surrounding nations,
    and gather yourselves there.
(B)Bring down your warriors, O Lord.

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12 And (A)the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings (B)for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They (C)will make war on the Lamb, and (D)the Lamb will conquer them, for he is (E)Lord of lords and (F)King of kings, and those with him are (G)called and chosen and faithful.”

15 And the angel[a] said to me, (H)“The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And (I)the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast (J)will hate the prostitute. They will make her (K)desolate and (L)naked, and (M)devour her flesh and (N)burn her up with fire, 17 for (O)God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and (P)handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is (Q)the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 17:15 Greek he

20 “You are my hammer and weapon of war:
with you I (A)break nations in pieces;
    with you I destroy kingdoms;
21 with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider;
    with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer;
22 with you I break in pieces man and woman;
    with you I break in pieces (B)the old man and the youth;
with you I break in pieces (C)the young man and the young woman;
23     with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team;
    with you I break in pieces (D)governors and commanders.

24 (E)“I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the Lord.

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20 (A)Rejoice over her, O heaven,
    and you saints and (B)apostles and prophets,
for (C)God has given judgment for you against her!”

21 Then (D)a mighty angel (E)took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

“So will Babylon (F)the great city be thrown down with violence,
    and will be found no more;
22 and (G)the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
    will be heard in you no more,
and a craftsman of any craft
    will be found in you no more,
and (H)the sound of the mill
    will be heard in you no more,
23 and the light of a lamp
    will shine in you no more,
and (I)the voice of bridegroom and bride
    will be heard in you no more,
for (J)your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
    and all nations were deceived (K)by your sorcery.
24 And (L)in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
    and of (M)all who have been slain on earth.”

Rejoicing in Heaven

19 After this I heard (N)what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
(O)Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
    for (P)his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged (Q)the great prostitute
    who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and (R)has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

Once more they cried out,

“Hallelujah!
(S)The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

And (T)the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And from the throne came a voice saying,

(U)“Praise our God,
    all you his servants,
(V)you who fear him,
    small and great.”

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Then I heard what seemed to be (W)the voice of a great multitude, like (X)the roar of many waters and (Y)like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty (Z)reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for (AA)the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and (AB)his Bride has made herself ready;

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

(A)“Come out of her, my people,
    lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
for (B)her sins are heaped high as heaven,
    and (C)God has remembered her iniquities.
(D)Pay her back as she herself has paid back others,
    and repay her (E)double for her deeds;
    mix a double portion for her (F)in the cup she mixed.
(G)As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
    so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,
    (H)‘I sit as a queen,
I am no widow,
    and mourning I shall never see.’
For this reason her plagues will come (I)in a single day,
    death and mourning and famine,
and (J)she will be burned up with fire;
    for (K)mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

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21 “Go up against the land of Merathaim,[a]
    and against the inhabitants of Pekod.[b]
Kill, (A)and devote them to destruction,[c]
declares the Lord,
    and do all that I have commanded you.
22 (B)The noise of battle is in the land,
    and great destruction!
23 (C)How the hammer of the whole earth
    is cut down and broken!
(D)How Babylon (E)has become
    a horror among the nations!
24 (F)I set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,
    and (G)you did not know it;
you were found and caught,
    because you opposed the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his armory
    and brought out (H)the weapons of his wrath,
for the Lord God of hosts has a work to do
    in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from every quarter;
    open her granaries;
(I)pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction;
    let nothing be left of her.
27 Kill all (J)her bulls;
    let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come,
    (K)the time of their punishment.

28 “A voice! They (L)flee and escape from the land of Babylon, (M)to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for (N)his temple.

29 (O)“Summon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. (P)Encamp around her; let no one escape. (Q)Repay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has (R)proudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 30 (S)Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, declares the Lord.

31 “Behold, I am against you, O (T)proud one,
    declares the Lord God of hosts,
(U)for your day has come,
    the time when I will punish you.
32 (V)The proud one shall stumble and fall,
    with none to raise him up,
(W)and I will kindle a fire in his cities,
    and it will devour all that is around him.

33 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: (X)The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; (Y)they refuse to let them go. 34 (Z)Their Redeemer is strong; (AA)the Lord of hosts is his name. (AB)He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

35 “A sword against the Chaldeans, declares the Lord,
    and against the inhabitants of Babylon,
    and against (AC)her officials and her (AD)wise men!
36 A sword against the diviners,
    that they may become fools!
A sword against her (AE)warriors,
    that they may be destroyed!
37 A sword against her horses and against her chariots,
    and against all (AF)the foreign troops in her midst,
    that (AG)they may become women!
(AH)A sword against all her treasures,
    that they may be plundered!
38 (AI)A drought against her waters,
    that they may be dried up!
(AJ)For it is a land of images,
    and they are mad over idols.

39 (AK)“Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon,[d] and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations. 40 (AL)As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the Lord, (AM)so no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.

41 (AN)“Behold, a people comes from the north;
    a mighty nation and many kings
    are stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
42 They lay hold of bow and spear;
    they are cruel and have no mercy.
The sound of them is like the roaring of the sea;
    they ride on horses,
arrayed as a man for battle
    against you, O daughter of Babylon!

43 “The king of Babylon heard the report of them,
    and his hands fell helpless;
anguish seized him,
    pain as of a woman in labor.

44 (AO)“Behold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd (AP)can stand before me? 45 Therefore hear (AQ)the plan that the Lord has made against Babylon, (AR)and the purposes that he has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: (AS)Surely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 46 (AT)At the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 50:21 Merathaim means double rebellion
  2. Jeremiah 50:21 Pekod means punishment
  3. Jeremiah 50:21 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
  4. Jeremiah 50:39 Hebrew lacks in Babylon

For the sake of my servant Jacob,
    and Israel my chosen,
(A)I call you by your name,
    (B)I name you, though you do not know me.
(C)I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    (D)I equip you, though you do not know me,

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27 (A)who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
    I will dry up your rivers’;
28 who says of (B)Cyrus, ‘He is (C)my shepherd,
    and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
    (D)and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”

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11 (A)He has stretched out his hand over the sea;
    he has shaken the kingdoms;
the Lord has given command concerning Canaan
    to destroy its strongholds.

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Let the godly exult in glory;
    let them (A)sing for joy on their (B)beds.
Let (C)the high praises of God be in their throats
    and (D)two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
    and punishments on the peoples,
to bind their kings with (E)chains
    and their nobles with fetters of iron,
to execute on them the judgment (F)written!
    (G)This is honor for all his godly ones.
(H)Praise the Lord!

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Let Israel (A)be glad in (B)his Maker;
    let the children of Zion rejoice in their (C)King!

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12 “Artaxerxes, (A)king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the (B)scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace.[a] (C)And now 13 (D)I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 For you are sent by the king (E)and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, 15 and also to carry the silver and gold that the king (F)and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, (G)whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 (H)with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and (I)with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. 17 With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and (J)you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. 18 Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. 19 The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king's treasury.

21 “And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, 22 up to 100 talents[b] of silver, 100 cors[c] of wheat, 100 baths[d] of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 23 Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. 24 We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose (K)tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, (L)appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. (M)And those who do not know them, you shall teach. 26 Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 7:12 Aramaic Perfect (probably a greeting)
  2. Ezra 7:22 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
  3. Ezra 7:22 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters
  4. Ezra 7:22 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters

The Decree of Darius

Then Darius the king made a decree, and (A)search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is (B)in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits[a] and its breadth sixty cubits, (C)with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. And also (D)let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.”

“Now therefore, (E)Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, (F)and your[b] associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away. Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. Moreover, (G)I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail, 10 that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven (H)and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11 Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and (I)his house shall be made a dunghill. 12 May the God (J)who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.”

The Temple Finished and Dedicated

13 Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, (K)Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. 14 (L)And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and (M)by decree of Cyrus and (N)Darius and (O)Artaxerxes king of Persia; 15 and this house was finished on the third day of the (P)month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the (Q)dedication of this house of God with joy. 17 They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel (R)12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they set the priests (S)in their divisions and the Levites (T)in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, (U)as it is written in the Book of Moses.

Passover Celebrated

19 (V)On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. 20 (W)For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. (X)So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. 21 It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and (Y)also by every one who had joined them and separated himself (Z)from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. 22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread (AA)seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful (AB)and had turned the heart of (AC)the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezra 6:3 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
  2. Ezra 6:6 Aramaic their

The Proclamation of Cyrus

(A)In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, (B)that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so (C)that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and (D)he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—(E)he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, (F)everyone whose spirit (G)God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. And all who were about them (H)aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. (I)Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that (J)Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of (K)Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to (L)Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. And this was the number of them: (M)30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, 10 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; 11 all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

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