45 This is what the Lord says to ^(A)Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right ^(B)hand,
To ^(C)subdue nations before him
And ^[a]to ^(D)undo the weapons belt on the waist of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
² “I will go before you and ^(E)make the ^[b]rough places smooth;
I will ^(F)shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron ^(G)bars.
³ I will give you the ^[c](H)treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The Lord, the God of Israel, who ^(I)calls you by your name.
⁴ For the sake of ^(J)Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also ^(K)called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have ^(L)not known Me.
⁵ I am the Lord, and ^(M)there is no one else;
^(N)There is no God except Me.
I will ^(O)[d]arm you, though you have not known Me,
⁶ So that ^(P)people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is ^(Q)no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no one else,
⁷ The One ^(R)forming light and ^(S)creating darkness,
Causing ^[e]well-being and ^(T)creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.

⁸ “^(U)Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the ^(V)earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
^(W)And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.

“^[k](AB)Ask Me about the things to come ^[l]concerning My ^(AC)sons,
And you shall commit to Me ^(AD)the work of My hands.
¹² It is I who ^(AE)made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I ^(AF)stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I ^[m]ordained ^(AG)all their ^[n]lights.
¹³ I have stirred him in ^(AH)righteousness,
And I will ^(AI)make all his ways smooth.
He will ^(AJ)build My city and let My exiles go ^(AK)free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of armies.

“The ^[o]products of ^(AL)Egypt and the merchandise of ^[p](AM)Cush
And the Sabeans, men of stature,
Will ^(AN)come over to you and will be yours;
They will walk behind you, they will come over in ^(AO)chains
And will ^(AP)bow down to you;
They will plead with you:
‘^[q](AQ)God certainly is ^[r]with you, and ^(AR)there is no one else,
No other God.’”
¹⁵ Truly, You are a God who ^(AS)hides Himself,
God of Israel, ^(AT)Savior!
¹⁶ They will be ^(AU)put to shame and even humiliated, all of them;
The ^(AV)manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.
¹⁷ Israel has been saved by the Lord
With an ^(AW)everlasting salvation;
You ^(AX)will not be put to shame or humiliated
To all eternity.

“I am the Lord, and ^(BC)there is no one else.
^19 (BD)I have not spoken in secret,
In ^[t]some dark land;
I did not say to the ^[u](BE)offspring of Jacob,
‘^(BF)Seek Me in ^[v]a wasteland’;
I, the Lord, ^(BG)speak righteousness,
^(BH)Declaring things that are right.

11 Then a ^(A)shoot will spring from the ^(B)stem of Jesse,
And a ^(C)Branch from ^(D)his roots will bear fruit.
² The ^(E)Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of ^(F)wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and ^(G)strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
³ And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes ^(H)see,
Nor make decisions by what His ears hear;
⁴ But with ^(I)righteousness He will judge the ^(J)poor,
And decide with fairness for the ^(K)humble of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the ^(L)rod of His mouth,
And with the ^(M)breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
⁵ Also ^(N)righteousness will be the belt around His hips,
And ^(O)faithfulness the belt around His waist.

¹¹ Then it will happen on that day that the Lord
Will again recover with His hand the second time
The ^(X)remnant of His people who will remain,
From ^(Y)Assyria, ^(Z)Egypt, Pathros, Cush, ^(AA)Elam, Shinar, Hamath,
And from the ^[c](AB)islands of the sea.
¹² And He will lift up a ^(AC)flag for the nations
And ^(AD)assemble the banished ones of Israel,
And will gather the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.
¹³ Then the ^(AE)jealousy of Ephraim will depart,
And those who harass Judah will be eliminated;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
And Judah will not harass Ephraim.
¹⁴ They will ^(AF)swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the ^(AG)west;
Together they will ^(AH)plunder the ^[d]people of the east;
^[e]They will possess ^(AI)Edom and ^(AJ)Moab,
And the sons of Ammon will be ^[f]subject to them.
¹⁵ And the Lord will ^[g](AK)utterly destroy
The tongue of the ^[h]Sea of Egypt;
And He will ^(AL)wave His hand over the ^(AM)Euphrates River
With His scorching wind;
And He will strike it into seven streams
And make people walk over in dry sandals.
¹⁶ And there will be a ^(AN)highway from Assyria
For the ^(AO)remnant of His people who will be left,
Just as there was for Israel
On ^(AP)the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.

12 Then you will say on that day,
“^(AQ)I will give thanks to You, Lord;
For although ^(AR)You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away,
And You comfort me.
² Behold, ^(AS)God is my salvation,
I will ^(AT)trust and not be afraid;
For ^(AU)the Lord God is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.”
³ Therefore you will joyously ^(AV)draw water
From the ^(AW)springs of salvation.
⁴ And on that day you will ^(AX)say,
“^(AY)Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name.
^(AZ)Make known His deeds among the peoples;
^[i]Make them remember that His name is exalted.”
^5 (BA)Praise the Lord in song, for He has done ^[j]glorious things;
Let this be known throughout the earth.
^6 (BB)Rejoice and shout for joy, you inhabitant of Zion,
For ^(BC)great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

^2 (BG)Lift up a flag on the ^[k](BH)bare hill,
Raise your voice to them,
^(BI)Wave the hand that they may ^(BJ)enter the doors of the nobles.
³ I have commanded My consecrated ones,
I have also called for My ^(BK)warriors
Who boast in My eminence,
To execute My anger.
⁴ A ^(BL)sound of a roar on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of an uproar of kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
The Lord of armies is mustering the army for battle.
⁵ They are coming from a distant country,
From the ^[l](BM)farthest horizons,
The Lord and the weapons of His ^(BN)indignation,
To ^(BO)destroy the whole land.

⁶ Wail, for the ^(BP)day of the Lord is near!
It will come as ^(BQ)destruction from ^[m]the Almighty.
⁷ Therefore ^(BR)all hands will fall limp,
And every human ^(BS)heart will melt.
⁸ They will be ^(BT)terrified,
Pains and anguish will take hold of them;
They will ^(BU)writhe like a woman in labor,
They will look at one another in astonishment,
Their faces aflame.
⁹ Behold, ^(BV)the day of the Lord is coming,
Cruel, with fury and burning anger,
To make the land a desolation;
And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
¹⁰ For the ^(BW)stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not flash their light;
The ^(BX)sun will be dark when it rises
And the moon will not shed its light.
¹¹ So I will ^(BY)punish the world for its evil
And the ^(BZ)wicked for their wrongdoing;
I will also put an end to the ^(CA)audacity of the proud
And humiliate the ^(CB)arrogance of the ^[n](CC)tyrants.
¹² I will make mortal man ^(CD)scarcer than pure gold
And mankind than the ^(CE)gold of Ophir.
¹³ Therefore I will make the ^(CF)heavens tremble,
And ^(CG)the earth will be shaken from its place
At the fury of the Lord of armies
In ^(CH)the day of His burning anger.
¹⁴ And it will be that, like a hunted gazelle,
Or like ^(CI)sheep with no one to gather them,
Each of them will turn to his own people,
And each of them will flee to his own land.
¹⁵ Anyone who is found will be ^(CJ)thrust through,
And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
¹⁶ Their ^(CK)little ones also will be dashed to pieces
Before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives raped.

¹⁷ Behold, I am going to ^(CL)stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not value silver or ^(CM)take pleasure in gold.
¹⁸ And their bows will ^[o]mow down the ^(CN)young men,
They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb,
Nor will their ^(CO)eye pity ^[p]children.
¹⁹ And ^(CP)Babylon, the ^(CQ)beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God ^(CR)overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
²⁰ It will ^(CS)never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;
Nor will the ^(CT)Arab pitch his tent there,
Nor will shepherds allow their flocks to lie down there.
²¹ But ^(CU)desert creatures will lie down there,
And their houses will be full of ^[q]owls;
Ostriches also will live there, and ^[r]shaggy goats will frolic there.
^22 [s]Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers
And jackals in their luxurious ^(CV)palaces.
Her fateful time also ^[t]will soon come,
And her days will not be prolonged.

“How ^(DD)the oppressor has ceased,
And how the ^[w]onslaught has ceased!
⁵ The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers,
^6 (DE)Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which ^[x]subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.
⁷ The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They ^(DF)break forth into shouts of joy.
⁸ Even the ^(DG)juniper trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you have been laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’
^9 (DH)Sheol below is excited about you, to meet you when you come;
It stirs the ^[y]spirits of the dead for you, all the ^[z]leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.
^10 (DI)They will all respond and say to you,
‘Even you have become weak as we,
You have become like us.
¹¹ Your ^(DJ)pride and the music of your harps
Have been brought down to Sheol;
Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you
And worms are your covering.’
¹² How you have ^(DK)fallen from heaven,
You ^[aa](DL)star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who defeated the nations!
¹³ But you said in your heart,
‘I will ^(DM)ascend to heaven;
I will ^(DN)raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
^(DO)I will make myself like the Most High.’
¹⁵ Nevertheless you ^(DP)will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
¹⁶ Those who see you will stare at you,
They will ^[ab]closely examine you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
¹⁷ Who made the world like a ^(DQ)wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who ^(DR)did not ^[ac]allow his prisoners to go home?’
¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
Each in his own ^[ad]tomb.
¹⁹ But you have been ^(DS)hurled out of your tomb
Like ^[ae]a rejected branch,
^[af]Clothed with those killed who have been pierced with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the ^(DT)pit
Like a ^(DU)trampled corpse.
²⁰ You will not be united with them in burial,
Because you have ruined your country,
You have killed your people.
May the ^(DV)descendants of evildoers never be mentioned.
²¹ Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons
Because of the ^(DW)wrongdoing of their fathers.
They must not arise and take possession of the earth,
And fill the surface of the world with cities.”

²⁹ “Do not rejoice, ^(EJ)Philistia, all of you,
Because the rod that ^(EK)struck you is broken;
For from the serpent’s root a ^(EL)viper will come out,
And its fruit will be a ^(EM)winged serpent.
^30 [ah]Those who are most ^(EN)helpless will eat,
And the poor will lie down in security;
I will kill your root with ^(EO)famine,
And it will kill your survivors.
³¹ Wail, you ^(EP)gate; cry, you city;
^[ai]Melt away, ^(EQ)Philistia, all of you!
For smoke comes from the ^(ER)north,
And ^(ES)there is no straggler in his ranks.
³² What answer will one give the ^(ET)messengers of the nation?
That ^(EU)the Lord has founded Zion,
And ^(EV)the poor of His people will take refuge in it.”

Certainly in a night ^(EX)Ar of Moab is devastated and ruined;
Certainly in a night Kir of Moab is devastated and ruined.
^2 [aj]The people have gone up to the ^[ak]temple and to ^(EY)Dibon, to the high places to weep.
Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba;
Everyone’s head is ^(EZ)bald and every beard is cut off.
³ In their streets they have put on ^(FA)sackcloth;
^(FB)On their housetops and in their public squares
Everyone is wailing, ^[al](FC)overcome with weeping.
^4 (FD)Heshbon and Elealeh also cry out,
Their voice is heard all the way to Jahaz;
Therefore the ^[am]armed men of Moab cry aloud;
His soul trembles within him.
⁵ My heart cries out for Moab;
His fugitives are as far as ^(FE)Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah,
For they go up the ^(FF)ascent of Luhith weeping;
Indeed, on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of distress ^(FG)over their collapse.
⁶ For the ^(FH)waters of Nimrim are ^[an]desolate.
Indeed, the grass is withered, the new growth has died,
There is ^(FI)no greenery.
⁷ Therefore the ^(FJ)abundance which they have acquired and stored up,
They carry it off over the brook of ^[ao]Arabim.
⁸ For the cry of distress has gone around the territory of Moab,
Its wailing goes as far as Eglaim and its howling to Beer-elim.
⁹ For the waters of Dimon are full of ^[ap]blood;
I will certainly bring added woes upon Dimon,
A ^(FK)lion upon the fugitives of Moab and the remnant of the land.

16 ^(FL)Send the tribute lamb to the ruler of the land,
From ^[aq](FM)Sela by way of the wilderness to the ^(FN)mountain of the daughter of Zion.
² Then, like ^(FO)fluttering birds or scattered nestlings,
The daughters of ^(FP)Moab will be at the crossing places of the ^(FQ)Arnon.
³ “^[ar]Give us advice, make a decision;
^[as]Cast your ^(FR)shadow like night ^[at]at high noon;
^(FS)Hide the outcasts, do not betray the fugitive.
⁴ Let the ^[au]outcasts of Moab stay with you;
Be a hiding place to them from the destroyer.”
For the oppressor has come to an end, destruction has ceased,
^(FT)Oppressors have been removed from the land.
⁵ A ^(FU)throne will be established in faithfulness,
And a judge will sit on it in trustworthiness in the tent of ^(FV)David;
Moreover, he will seek justice,
And be prompt in righteousness.

“Behold, Damascus is about to be ^(GR)removed from being a city
And will become a ^(GS)fallen ruin.
² The cities ^[bc]of ^(GT)Aroer are abandoned;
They will be for ^(GU)herds ^[bd]to lie down in,
And there will be ^(GV)no one to frighten them.
³ The ^[be](GW)fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,
And ^[bf]sovereignty from Damascus
And the remnant of Aram;
They will be like the ^(GX)glory of the sons of Israel,”
Declares the Lord of armies.

18 Woe, land of whirring wings
Which lies beyond the rivers of ^[bo](HS)Cush,
² Which sends messengers by the sea,
Even in ^(HT)papyrus vessels on the surface of the waters.
Go, swift messengers, to a nation ^[bp](HU)tall and smooth,
To a people ^(HV)feared ^[bq]far and wide,
A powerful and oppressive nation
Whose land the rivers divide.
^3 (HW)All you who inhabit the world, and live on earth,
As soon as a flag is raised on the mountains, ^(HX)you will see it,
And as soon as the trumpet is blown, you will hear it.

“I will quietly look ^[br]from My ^(HY)dwelling place
Like dazzling heat in the ^[bs](HZ)sunshine,
Like a cloud of ^(IA)dew in the heat of harvest.”
⁵ For ^(IB)before the harvest, as soon as the bud ^[bt]blossoms
And the flower becomes a ripening grape,
He will cut off the shoots with pruning knives,
And remove and tear away the spreading branches.
⁶ They will be left together for mountain birds ^(IC)of prey,
And for the animals of the earth;
And the birds of prey will spend the summer feeding on them,
And all the animals of the earth will spend harvest time on them.
⁷ At that time a gift of tribute will be brought to the Lord of armies
^[bu]From a ^(ID)people ^[bv]tall and smooth,
From a people feared ^[bw]far and wide,
A powerful and oppressive nation,
Whose land the rivers divide—
To the ^(IE)place of the name of the Lord of armies, to Mount Zion.

Behold, the Lord is ^(IH)riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt;
The ^(II)idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence,
And the ^(IJ)heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
² “So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians;
And they will fight, ^(IK)each against his brother and each against his neighbor,
City against city and kingdom against kingdom.
³ Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them;
And I will confuse their strategy,
So that ^(IL)they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead,
And to ^[bx]mediums and spiritists.
⁴ Furthermore, I will hand the Egyptians over to a ^(IM)cruel master,
And a ^[by]mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord ^[bz]God of armies.

As ^(KJ)windstorms in the ^[cs]Negev come in turns,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.
² A ^(KK)harsh vision has been shown to me;
The ^(KL)treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, ^(KM)Elam, lay siege, Media;
I have put an end to all ^[ct]the groaning she has caused.
³ For this reason my ^(KN)loins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a ^(KO)woman in labor.
I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.
⁴ My ^[cu]mind reels, ^[cv]horror overwhelms me;
The twilight I longed for has been ^(KP)turned into trembling for me.
⁵ They ^(KQ)set the table, they ^[cw]spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink;
“Rise up, captains, oil the shields!”

“Go, station the lookout, have him ^(KR)report what he sees.
⁷ When he sees ^[cx]a ^(KS)column of chariots, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
He is to pay close attention, very close attention.”

“^(KT)Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,
And I am stationed every night at my guard post.
⁹ Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.”
And one said, “^(KU)Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the ^(KV)images of her gods ^[cz]are shattered on the ground.”
¹⁰ My ^(KW)downtrodden people, and my ^[da]afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.

One keeps calling to me from ^(KY)Seir,
“Watchman, ^[dc]how far gone is the night?
Watchman, ^[dd]how far gone is the night?”
¹² The watchman says,
“Morning comes but also night.
If you would inquire, inquire;
Come back again.”

In the thickets of Arabia you ^[de]must spend the night,
You caravans of ^(LA)Dedanites.
¹⁴ Bring water ^[df]for the thirsty,
You inhabitants of the land of ^(LB)Tema;
Meet the fugitive with bread.
¹⁵ For they have ^(LC)fled from the swords,
From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow,
And from the press of battle.

What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the ^(LI)housetops?
² You who were full of noise,
You tumultuous town, you ^(LJ)jubilant city;
Your dead were ^(LK)not killed with the sword,
Nor ^[dh]did they die in battle.
^3 (LL)All your rulers have fled together,
And have been captured ^[di]without the bow;
All of you who were found were taken captive together,
^[dj]Though they had fled far away.
⁴ Therefore I say, “Look away from me,
Let me ^(LM)weep bitterly,
Do not ^[dk]try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”
^5 (LN)For the Lord ^[dl]God of armies has a ^(LO)day of panic, ^(LP)subjugation, and confusion
^(LQ)In the valley of vision,
A breaking down of walls
And a crying ^[dm]to the mountain.
^6 (LR)Elam picked up the quiver,
With the chariots, ^[dn]infantry, and horsemen;
And ^(LS)Kir uncovered the shield.
⁷ Then your choicest valleys were full of chariots,
And the horsemen took positions at the gate.
⁸ And He removed the ^[do]defense of Judah.
On that day you ^[dp]depended on the weapons of the ^(LT)house of the forest,
⁹ And you saw that the breaches
In the wall of the city of David were many;
And you ^(LU)collected the waters of the lower pool.
¹⁰ Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem
And tore down houses to fortify the wall.
¹¹ And you made a reservoir ^(LV)between the two walls
For the waters of the ^(LW)old pool.
But you did not ^[dq]depend on Him who made it,
Nor did you ^[dr]take into consideration Him who planned it long ago.

“Come, go to this steward,
To ^(ME)Shebna who is in charge of the royal household,
¹⁶ ‘What right do you have here,
And whom do you have here,
That you have ^(MF)cut out a tomb for yourself here,
You who cut out a tomb on the height,
You who carve a resting place for ^[dx]yourself in the rock?
¹⁷ Behold, the Lord is about to hurl you violently, you strong man.
And He is about to grasp you firmly
¹⁸ And wrap you up tightly like a ball,
To be ^(MG)driven into a vast country;
There you will die,
And there your splendid chariots will be,
You shame of your master’s house!’
¹⁹ I will ^(MH)depose you from your office,
And ^[dy]I will pull you down from your position.
²⁰ Then it will come about on that day,
That I will summon My servant ^(MI)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
²¹ And I will clothe him with your tunic
And tie your sash securely around him.
I will hand your ^[dz]authority over to him,
And he will become a ^(MJ)father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
²² Then I will put ^(MK)the key of the ^(ML)house of David on his shoulder;
When he opens, no one will shut,
When he shuts, no one will ^(MM)open.
²³ I will drive him like a ^(MN)peg in a firm place,
And he will become a ^(MO)throne of glory to his father’s house.

Wail, you ^(MT)ships of ^(MU)Tarshish,
For Tyre is destroyed, without house or ^[eb](MV)harbor;
It is reported to them from the land of ^[ec](MW)Cyprus.
^2 (MX)Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland,
You merchants of Sidon;
^[ed]Your messengers crossed the sea
³ And were on many waters.
^(MY)The grain of the ^[ee](MZ)Nile, the harvest of the River was her revenue;
And she was the ^(NA)market of nations.
⁴ Be ashamed, ^(NB)Sidon,
For the sea speaks, the stronghold of the sea, saying,
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth,
I have neither brought up young men nor raised virgins.”
⁵ When the report reaches Egypt,
They will be in ^(NC)anguish over the report of Tyre.
⁶ Pass over to ^(ND)Tarshish;
Wail, you inhabitants of the coastland.
⁷ Is this your ^(NE)jubilant city,
Whose origin is from antiquity,
Whose feet used to bring her to ^[ef]colonize distant places?

¹⁴ Wail, you ^(NS)ships of Tarshish,
For your stronghold is destroyed.

¹⁶ Take your harp, wander around the city,
You forgotten prostitute;
Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs,
That you may be remembered.

⁷ The ^(OG)new wine mourns,
The vine decays,
All the joyful-hearted sigh.
⁸ The ^(OH)joy of tambourines ceases,
The noise of revelers stops,
The joy of the harp ceases.
⁹ They do not drink wine with song;
^(OI)Intoxicating drink is ^(OJ)bitter to those who drink it.
¹⁰ The ^(OK)city of chaos is broken down;
^(OL)Every house is shut up so that no one may enter.
¹¹ There is an ^(OM)outcry in the streets concerning the wine;
^(ON)All joy ^[el]turns to gloom.
The joy of the earth is banished.
¹² Desolation is left in the city
And the ^(OO)gate is battered to ruins.
¹³ For ^(OP)so it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples,
As the ^[em]shaking of an olive tree,
As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.
^14 (OQ)They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the ^[en]west concerning the majesty of the Lord.
¹⁵ Therefore ^(OR)glorify the Lord in the ^[eo]east,
The ^(OS)name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
In the ^[ep](OT)coastlands of the sea.
¹⁶ From the ^(OU)ends of the earth we hear songs: “^(OV)Glory to the Righteous One,”
But I say, “^[eq]I am finished! I am finished! Woe to me!
The ^(OW)treacherous deal treacherously,
And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”
^17 (OX)Terror and pit and snare
^[er]Confront you, you inhabitant of the earth.
¹⁸ Then it will be that the one who flees the sound of terror will fall into the pit,
And the one who ^[es]climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare;
For the ^(OY)windows ^[et]above are opened, and the ^(OZ)foundations of the earth shake.
^19 (PA)The earth is broken apart,
The earth is ^(PB)split through,
The earth is shaken violently.
²⁰ The earth ^(PC)trembles like a heavy drinker
And sways like a hut,
For its ^(PD)wrongdoing is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, ^(PE)never to rise again.
²¹ So it will happen on that day,
That the Lord will ^(PF)punish the rebellious ^[eu](PG)angels of ^[ev]heaven on high,
And the ^(PH)kings of the earth on earth.
²² They will be gathered together
Like ^(PI)prisoners in the ^[ew]dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will ^(PJ)be punished.
²³ Then the ^(PK)moon will be ashamed and the sun be put to shame,
For the ^(PL)Lord of armies will reign on ^(PM)Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory will be before His elders.

25 Lord, You are ^(PN)my God;
I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;
For You have ^(PO)worked wonders,
^(PP)Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
² For You have turned a city into a ^(PQ)heap,
A ^(PR)fortified city into a ruin;
A ^(PS)palace of strangers is no longer a city,
It will never be rebuilt.
³ Therefore a strong people will ^(PT)glorify You;
^(PU)Cities of ruthless nations will revere You.
⁴ For You have been a ^(PV)stronghold for the helpless,
A stronghold for the poor in his distress,
A ^(PW)refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;
For the breath of the ^(PX)ruthless
Is like a rain storm against a wall.
⁵ Like heat in a dry land, You subdue the ^(PY)uproar of foreigners;
Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is ^[ex]silenced.

“We have a ^(QO)strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for ^[fh](QP)security.
² Open the ^(QQ)gates, that the ^(QR)righteous nation may enter,
The one that ^[fi]remains faithful.
³ The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect ^(QS)peace,
Because he trusts in You.
^4 (QT)Trust in the Lord forever,
For in ^[fj]God the Lord, we have an everlasting ^(QU)Rock.
⁵ For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the ^(QV)unassailable city;
^(QW)He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
^6 (QX)The foot will trample it,
The feet of the ^(QY)poor, the steps of the helpless.”

27 On that day ^(SF)the Lord will punish ^[fz](SG)Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
With His fierce and great and mighty sword,
Even ^[ga]Leviathan the twisted serpent;
And ^(SH)He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.

28 Woe to the proud crown of the ^(TK)habitually drunk of ^(TL)Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the ^[gp]fertile valley
Of those who are ^[gq]overcome with wine!
² Behold, the Lord has a strong and ^(TM)mighty agent;
As a storm of ^(TN)hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of ^(TO)mighty overflowing waters,
He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand.
³ The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is ^(TP)trampled underfoot.
⁴ And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the ^[gr]fertile valley,
Will be like the ^(TQ)first-ripe fig prior to the summer,
Which ^[gs]one sees,
And ^[gt]as soon as it is in his ^[gu]hand,
He swallows it.
⁵ On that day the ^(TR)Lord of armies will become a beautiful ^(TS)crown
And a glorious wreath to the remnant of His people;
⁶ A ^(TT)spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,
A ^(TU)strength to those who repel the ^[gv]onslaught at the gate.
⁷ And these also ^(TV)reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink:
^(TW)The priest and ^(TX)the prophet reel with intoxicating drink,
They are confused by wine, they stagger from ^(TY)intoxicating drink;
They reel while ^[gw]having ^(TZ)visions,
They stagger when rendering a verdict.
⁸ For all the tables are full of filthy ^(UA)vomit, without a single clean place.

¹⁴ Therefore, ^(UH)hear the word of the Lord, you ^(UI)scoffers,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
¹⁵ Because you have said, “We have made a ^(UJ)covenant with death,
And with ^[gz]Sheol we have made a ^[ha]pact.
^(UK)The ^[hb]gushing flood will not reach us when it passes by,
Because we have made ^(UL)falsehood our refuge and we have ^(UM)concealed ourselves with deception.”

“^(UN)Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested ^(UO)stone,
A precious cornerstone for the foundation, ^[hd]firmly placed.
The one who believes in it will not be ^[he]disturbed.
¹⁷ I will make ^(UP)justice the measuring line
And righteousness the level;
Then ^(UQ)hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
¹⁸ Your ^(UR)covenant with death will be ^[hf](US)canceled,
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the ^(UT)[hg]gushing flood passes through,
Then you will become its ^(UU)trampling ground.
¹⁹ As ^(UV)often as it passes through, it will ^[hh]seize you;
For ^(UW)morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,
And it will be ^[hi]sheer ^(UX)terror to understand ^[hj]what it means.”
²⁰ The bed is too short on which to stretch out,
And the ^(UY)blanket is too ^[hk]small to wrap oneself in.
²¹ For the Lord will rise up as at Mount ^(UZ)Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the Valley of ^(VA)Gibeon,
To do His ^(VB)task, His ^[hl](VC)unusual task,
And to work His work, His ^[hm]extraordinary work.
²² And now do not carry on as ^(VD)scoffers,
Or your shackles will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord ^[hn]God of armies
Of decisive ^(VE)destruction on all the earth.

29 Woe, ^[hv]Ariel, ^[hw]Ariel the city where David once ^(VK)camped!
Add year to year, ^[hx](VL)keep your feasts on schedule.
² I will bring distress to Ariel,
And she will be a city of grieving and ^(VM)mourning;
And she will be like an ^[hy]Ariel to me.
³ I will ^(VN)camp against you ^[hz]encircling you,
And I will set up siegeworks against you,
And I will raise up battle towers against you.
⁴ Then you will ^(VO)be brought low;
From the earth you will speak,
And from the dust where you are prostrate
Your words will come.
Your voice will also be like that of a ^[ia]spirit from the ground,
And your speech will whisper from the dust.

“Because ^(WC)this people approaches Me with their ^[il]words
And honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me,
And their ^[im]reverence for Me ^[in]consists of the commandment of men that is taught;
¹⁴ Therefore behold, I will once again deal ^(WD)marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And ^(WE)the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.”

¹⁷ Is it not yet just a little while
^[iq]Before Lebanon will be turned into a ^(WJ)fertile field,
And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?
¹⁸ On that day those who are ^(WK)deaf will hear ^(WL)words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the ^(WM)eyes of those who are blind will see.
¹⁹ The ^(WN)afflicted also will increase their joy in the Lord,
And the ^(WO)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
²⁰ For the ^(WP)ruthless will come to an end and the ^(WQ)scorner will be finished,
Indeed ^(WR)all who ^[ir]are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,
²¹ Who ^[is]cause a person to be indicted by a word,
And ^(WS)set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate,
And ^[it](WT)defraud the one in the right with ^[iu]meaningless arguments.

“Jacob ^(WV)will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;
²³ But when ^[iv]he sees his ^(WW)children, the ^(WX)work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will ^(WY)sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
²⁴ Those who ^(WZ)err in ^[iw]mind will ^(XA)know ^[ix]the truth,
And those who ^[iy]criticize will ^[iz](XB)accept instruction.

30 “Woe to the ^(XC)rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who ^(XD)execute a plan, but not Mine,
And ^[ja](XE)make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
² Who ^(XF)proceed down to Egypt
Without ^(XG)consulting ^[jb]Me,
^(XH)To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh,
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
³ Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be ^(XI)your shame,
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
⁴ For ^(XJ)their officials are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
⁵ Everyone will be ^(XK)ashamed because of a people who do not benefit them,
Who are ^(XL)not a help or benefit, but a source of shame and also disgrace.”

Through a land of ^(XO)distress and anguish,
From ^[jc]where come lioness and lion, viper and ^(XP)flying serpent,
They ^(XQ)carry their riches on the ^[jd]backs of young donkeys,
And their treasures on ^(XR)camels’ humps,
To a people who will not benefit them;
⁷ Even Egypt, whose ^(XS)help is vain and empty.
Therefore, I have called ^[je]her
“^[jf](XT)Rahab who has been exterminated.”
⁸ Now go, ^(XU)write it on a tablet in their presence
And inscribe it on a scroll,
That it may ^[jg]serve in the time to come
^[jh]As a witness forever.
⁹ For this is a ^(XV)rebellious people, ^(XW)false sons,
Sons who ^[ji]refuse to ^(XX)listen
To the ^[jj]instruction of the Lord;
¹⁰ Who say to the ^(XY)seers, “You must not see visions”;
And to the prophets, “You must not ^(XZ)prophesy the truth to us.
^(YA)Speak to us ^[jk]pleasant words,
Prophesy illusions.
¹¹ Get out of the way, ^(YB)turn aside from the path,
^(YC)Stop speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel!”

“^(YD)Since you have rejected this word
And have put your trust in ^(YE)oppression and crookedness, and have relied on them,
¹³ Therefore this ^(YF)wrongdoing will be to you
Like a ^(YG)breach about to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose collapse comes ^(YH)suddenly in an instant,
¹⁴ Whose collapse is like the smashing of a ^(YI)potter’s jar,
^[jl]So ruthlessly shattered
That a shard will not be found among its pieces
To ^[jm]take fire from a hearth
Or to scoop water from a cistern.”

“In ^[jo]repentance and ^(YJ)rest you will be saved,
In ^(YK)quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing,
¹⁶ And you said, “No, for we will flee on ^(YL)horses!”
Therefore you shall flee!
“And we will ride on swift horses!”
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
^17 (YM)One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left like a signal post on a mountain top,
And like a flag on a hill.

¹⁸ Therefore the Lord ^[jp](YN)longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He ^[jq]waits on ^(YO)high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a ^(YP)God of justice;
How blessed are all those who ^[jr](YQ)long for Him.

²⁷ Behold, ^(ZK)the name of the Lord comes from a ^[ka]remote place;
^(ZL)His anger is burning and ^[kb]dense with ^[kc]smoke;
His lips are filled with ^(ZM)indignation,
And His tongue is like a ^(ZN)consuming fire;
²⁸ His ^(ZO)breath is like an overflowing river,
Which ^(ZP)reaches to the neck,
To ^(ZQ)shake the nations back and forth in a ^[kd]sieve,
And to put in the jaws of the peoples ^(ZR)the bridle which leads astray.
²⁹ You will have ^[ke]songs as in the night when you keep the festival,
And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute,
To go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.
³⁰ And the Lord will cause ^[kf]His voice of authority to be heard,
And the ^[kg]descending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger,
And in the flame of a consuming fire
In cloudburst, downpour, and hailstones.
³¹ For ^(ZS)at the voice of the Lord ^(ZT)Assyria will be terrified,
When He strikes with the ^(ZU)rod.
³² And every ^[kh]blow of the ^[ki](ZV)rod of punishment,
Which the Lord will lay on him,
Will be with the music of ^(ZW)tambourines and lyres;
And in battles, ^(ZX)brandishing weapons, He will fight them.
³³ For ^[kj](ZY)Topheth has long been ready,
Indeed, it has been prepared for the king.
He has made it deep and large,
^[kk]A pyre of fire with plenty of wood;
The ^(ZZ)breath of the Lord, like a torrent of ^(AAA)brimstone, sets it afire.

31 Woe to those who go down to ^(AAB)Egypt for help
And ^(AAC)rely on horses,
And trust in chariots because they are many
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But they do not ^(AAD)look to the ^(AAE)Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!
² Yet He also is ^(AAF)wise and will ^(AAG)bring disaster,
And does ^(AAH)not retract His words,
But will arise against the house of ^(AAI)evildoers,
And against the help of the ^(AAJ)workers of injustice.
³ Now the Egyptians are ^(AAK)human and not God,
And their ^(AAL)horses are flesh and not spirit;
So the Lord will ^(AAM)stretch out His hand,
And any ^(AAN)helper will stumble,
And one who is helped will fall.
And all of them will come to an end together.

⁸ And the ^(AAW)Assyrian will fall by a sword not wielded by a man,
And a ^(AAX)sword not of man will devour him.
So he will ^[kn](AAY)not escape the sword,
And his young men will become ^(AAZ)forced laborers.
⁹ “His ^(ABA)rock will pass away because of panic,
And his officers will be terrified by the ^(ABB)flag,”
Declares the Lord, whose ^(ABC)fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

32 Behold, a ^(ABD)king will reign righteously,
And officials will rule justly.
² Each will be like a ^(ABE)refuge from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like ^[ko](ABF)streams of water in a dry country,
Like the ^(ABG)shade of a ^[kp]huge rock in an exhausted land.
³ Then ^(ABH)the eyes of those who see will not be ^[kq]blinded,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
⁴ The ^[kr]mind of the ^(ABI)rash will discern the ^[ks]truth,
And the tongue of the stammerers will hurry to speak clearly.
⁵ No longer will the ^(ABJ)fool be called noble,
Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.
⁶ For a fool speaks nonsense,
And his heart ^[kt](ABK)inclines toward wickedness:
To practice ^(ABL)ungodliness and to speak error against the Lord,
To ^[ku](ABM)keep the hungry person unsatisfied
And ^[kv]to withhold drink from the thirsty.
⁷ As for a rogue, his weapons are evil;
He ^(ABN)devises wicked schemes
To ^(ABO)destroy the poor with ^[kw]slander,
^(ABP)Even though the needy one speaks ^[kx]what is right.
⁸ But ^(ABQ)the noble person devises noble plans;
And by noble plans he stands.

33 Woe ^(ACO)to you, destroyer,
While you were not destroyed;
And he ^(ACP)who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.
As soon as you finish destroying, ^(ACQ)you will be destroyed;
As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will ^(ACR)deal treacherously with you.
² Lord, ^(ACS)be gracious to us; we have ^(ACT)waited for You.
Be ^[lc]their ^[ld](ACU)strength every morning,
Our salvation also in the ^(ACV)time of distress.
³ At the sound of a roar, ^(ACW)peoples flee;
At the ^(ACX)lifting up of Yourself, nations disperse.
⁴ Your plunder is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
Like an infestation of locusts, people storm it.
⁵ The Lord is ^(ACY)exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has ^(ACZ)filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
⁶ And He will be the ^[le](ADA)stability of your times,
A ^(ADB)wealth of salvation, wisdom, and ^(ADC)knowledge;
The ^(ADD)fear of the Lord is his treasure.
⁷ Behold, their brave men cry out ^[lf]in the streets,
The ^[lg](ADE)ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
⁸ The highways are desolate, ^[lh]the ^(ADF)traveler has ceased,
He has ^(ADG)broken the covenant, he has despised the cities,
He has no regard for mankind.
^9 (ADH)The land mourns and wastes away,
^(ADI)Lebanon is shamed and withers;
^(ADJ)Sharon is like a desert plain,
And Bashan and Carmel ^[li]lose their foliage.
¹⁰ “Now ^(ADK)I will arise,” says the Lord,
“Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.
¹¹ You have ^(ADL)conceived ^[lj]chaff, you will give birth to stubble;
^[lk]My ^(ADM)breath will consume you like a fire.
¹² The peoples will be burned to lime,
^(ADN)Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.

34 Come near, ^(AEO)you nations, to hear; and listen, you peoples!
^(AEP)Let the earth and ^[ls]all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.
² For the Lord’s ^(AEQ)anger is against all the nations,
And His wrath against all their armies.
He has ^[lt](AER)utterly destroyed them,
He has turned them over to ^(AES)slaughter.
³ So their slain will be ^(AET)thrown out,
And their corpses ^[lu]will give off their ^(AEU)stench,
And the mountains will ^[lv]be drenched with their ^(AEV)blood.
⁴ And ^(AEW)all the heavenly ^[lw]lights will ^[lx]wear away,
And the ^(AEX)sky will be rolled up like a scroll;
All its ^[ly]lights will also wither away
As a leaf withers from the vine,
Or as one withers from the fig tree.
⁵ For ^(AEY)My sword has drunk its fill in heaven;
Behold it shall descend for judgment upon ^(AEZ)Edom,
And upon the people whom I have ^(AFA)designated for destruction.
⁶ The sword of the Lord is filled with blood,
It drips with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats,
With the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice in ^(AFB)Bozrah,
And a great slaughter in the land of ^(AFC)Edom.
^7 (AFD)Wild oxen will also ^[lz]fall with them
And ^(AFE)young bulls with strong ones;
So their land will be ^(AFF)soaked with blood,
And their dust ^[ma]become greasy with fat.
⁸ For the Lord has a day of ^(AFG)vengeance,
A year of retribution for the ^[mb]cause of Zion.
^9 [mc]Its streams will be turned into pitch,
And its loose earth into ^(AFH)brimstone,
And its land will become burning pitch.
¹⁰ It will ^(AFI)not be extinguished night or day;
Its ^(AFJ)smoke will go up forever.
From ^(AFK)generation to generation it will be desolate;
^(AFL)None will pass through it forever and ever.
¹¹ But ^[md](AFM)pelican and hedgehog will possess it,
And ^[me]owl and raven will dwell in it;
And He will stretch over it the ^(AFN)line of ^[mf]desolation
And the ^[mg]plumb line of emptiness.
¹² Its nobles—there is ^(AFO)no one there
Whom they may proclaim king—
And all its officials will be ^(AFP)nothing.
¹³ Thorns will come up in its ^(AFQ)fortified towers,
Weeds and thistles in its fortified cities;
It will also be a haunt of ^(AFR)jackals
And a habitat of ostriches.
¹⁴ The desert ^(AFS)creatures will meet with the ^[mh]wolves,
The ^[mi](AFT)goat also will cry to its kind.
Yes, the ^[mj]night-bird will settle there
And will find herself a resting place.
¹⁵ The tree snake will make its nest and lay eggs there,
And it will hatch and gather them under its ^[mk]protection.
Yes, ^(AFU)the ^[ml]hawks will be gathered there,
Every one with its kind.