¹² A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds^(A) and pursue with drawn sword.^(B)

Judgment and Covenant Renewal

4 ^[a]“Surely the day is coming;^(A) it will burn like a furnace.^(B) All the arrogant^(C) and every evildoer will be stubble,^(D) and the day that is coming will set them on fire,^(E)” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch^(F) will be left to them. ² But for you who revere my name,^(G) the sun of righteousness^(H) will rise with healing^(I) in its rays. And you will go out and frolic^(J) like well-fed calves. ³ Then you will trample^(K) on the wicked; they will be ashes^(L) under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

² When the days of your siege come to an end, burn^(A) a third^(B) of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind.^(C) For I will pursue them with drawn sword.^{(D) 3} But take a few hairs and tuck them away in the folds of your garment.^{(E) 4} Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire^(F) and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to all Israel.

¹⁹ The great city^(A) split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered^(B) Babylon the Great^(C) and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.^(D)

⁷ The first angel^(A) sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire^(B) mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third^(C) of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.^(D)

⁸ The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain,^(E) all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third^(F) of the sea turned into blood,^{(G) 9} a third^(H) of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky^(I) on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water^(J)— ¹¹ the name of the star is Wormwood.^[a] A third^(K) of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.^(L)

¹² The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third^(M) of them turned dark.^(N) A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.^(O)

¹⁵ who killed the Lord Jesus^(A) and the prophets^(B) and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone ¹⁶ in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles^(C) so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit.^(D) The wrath of God has come upon them at last.^[a]

²¹ For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.^(A)

²² “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect^(B) those days will be shortened.