Woe to Oppressive Jerusalem

Woe to the city that is rebellious[a](A) and defiled,(B)
the oppressive city!
She has not obeyed;(C)
she has not accepted discipline.(D)
She has not trusted(E) in the Lord;
she has not drawn near to her God.
The[b] princes within her are roaring lions;(F)
her judges are wolves of the night,(G)
which leave nothing for[c] the morning.
Her prophets are reckless(H)
treacherous men.
Her priests profane the sanctuary;
they do violence to instruction.(I)
The righteous Lord is in her;(J)
he does no wrong.(K)
He applies his justice morning by morning;
he does not fail at dawn,
yet the one who does wrong knows no shame.(L)

I have cut off nations;
their corner towers(M) are destroyed.
I have laid waste their streets,
with no one to pass through.
Their cities lie devastated,
without a person, without an inhabitant.(N)
I said: You will certainly fear me
and accept correction.
Then her dwelling place[d]
would not be cut off
based on all that I had allocated to her.
However, they became more corrupt
in all their actions.
Therefore, wait for me(O)
this is the Lord’s declaration—
until the day I rise up for plunder.[e]
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
in order to pour out my indignation(P) on them,
all my burning anger;
for the whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of my jealousy.(Q)

Final Restoration Promised

For I will then restore
pure(R) speech to the peoples
so that all of them may call
on the name of the Lord
and serve him with a single purpose.[f]
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush(S)
my supplicants, my dispersed people,
will bring an offering to me.
11 On that day you[g] will not be put to shame(T)
because of everything you have done
in rebelling(U) against me.
For then I will remove
from among you your jubilant,(V) arrogant people,
and you will never again be haughty
on my holy mountain.(W)
12 I will leave
a meek and humble people(X) among you,
and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant(Y) of Israel will no longer
do wrong or tell lies;
a deceitful tongue will not be found
in their mouths.
They will pasture and lie down,
with nothing to make them afraid.(Z)

14 Sing for joy, Daughter Zion;
shout loudly, Israel!
Be glad and celebrate with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has removed your punishment;
he has turned back your enemy.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is among you;
you need no longer fear harm.
16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, do not let your hands grow weak.(AA)
17 The Lord your God is among you,
a warrior(AB) who saves.
He will rejoice over you(AC) with gladness.
He will be quiet[h] in his love.
He will delight in you with singing.”(AD)

18 I will gather those who have been driven(AE)
from the appointed festivals;
they will be a tribute from you[i]
and a reproach on her.[j]
19 Yes, at that time
I will deal with all who oppress you.
I will save the lame(AF) and gather the outcasts;(AG)
I will make those who were disgraced
throughout the earth
receive praise and fame.
20 At that time I will bring you[k] back,
yes, at the time I will gather you.
I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes(AH) before your eyes.
The Lord has spoken.

Footnotes

  1. 3:1 Or filthy
  2. 3:3 Lit Her
  3. 3:3 Or that had nothing to gnaw in
  4. 3:7 LXX, Syr read her eyes
  5. 3:8 LXX, Syr read for a witness; Vg reads up forever
  6. 3:9 Lit with one shoulder
  7. 3:11 = Israel
  8. 3:17 LXX, Syr read He will renew you
  9. 3:18 = Jerusalem
  10. 3:18 Hb obscure
  11. 3:20 = people of Israel

Jerusalem

Woe to the city of oppressors,(A)
    rebellious(B) and defiled!(C)
She obeys(D) no one,
    she accepts no correction.(E)
She does not trust(F) in the Lord,
    she does not draw near(G) to her God.
Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;(H)
her rulers are evening wolves,(I)
    who leave nothing for the morning.(J)
Her prophets are unprincipled;
    they are treacherous people.(K)
Her priests profane the sanctuary
    and do violence to the law.(L)
The Lord within her is righteous;(M)
    he does no wrong.(N)
Morning by morning(O) he dispenses his justice,
    and every new day he does not fail,(P)
    yet the unrighteous know no shame.(Q)

Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant

“I have destroyed nations;
    their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
    with no one passing through.
Their cities are laid waste;(R)
    they are deserted and empty.
Of Jerusalem I thought,
    ‘Surely you will fear me
    and accept correction!’(S)
Then her place of refuge[a] would not be destroyed,
    nor all my punishments come upon[b] her.
But they were still eager
    to act corruptly(T) in all they did.
Therefore wait(U) for me,”
    declares the Lord,
    “for the day I will stand up to testify.[c]
I have decided to assemble(V) the nations,(W)
    to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath(X) on them—
    all my fierce anger.(Y)
The whole world will be consumed(Z)
    by the fire of my jealous anger.

Restoration of Israel’s Remnant

“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
    that all of them may call(AA) on the name of the Lord(AB)
    and serve(AC) him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush[d](AD)
    my worshipers, my scattered people,
    will bring me offerings.(AE)
11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame(AF)
    for all the wrongs you have done to me,(AG)
because I will remove from you
    your arrogant boasters.(AH)
Never again will you be haughty
    on my holy hill.(AI)
12 But I will leave within you
    the meek(AJ) and humble.
The remnant of Israel
    will trust(AK) in the name of the Lord.
13 They(AL) will do no wrong;(AM)
    they will tell no lies.(AN)
A deceitful tongue
    will not be found in their mouths.(AO)
They will eat and lie down(AP)
    and no one will make them afraid.(AQ)

14 Sing, Daughter Zion;(AR)
    shout aloud,(AS) Israel!
Be glad and rejoice(AT) with all your heart,
    Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
    he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;(AU)
    never again will you fear(AV) any harm.(AW)
16 On that day
    they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
    do not let your hands hang limp.(AX)
17 The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.(AY)
He will take great delight(AZ) in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,(BA)
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”(BB)

18 “I will remove from you
    all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
    which is a burden and reproach for you.
19 At that time I will deal
    with all who oppressed(BC) you.
I will rescue the lame;
    I will gather the exiles.(BD)
I will give them praise(BE) and honor
    in every land where they have suffered shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
    at that time I will bring(BF) you home.
I will give you honor(BG) and praise(BH)
    among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes[e](BI)
    before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:7 Or her sanctuary
  2. Zephaniah 3:7 Or all those I appointed over
  3. Zephaniah 3:8 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew will rise up to plunder
  4. Zephaniah 3:10 That is, the upper Nile region
  5. Zephaniah 3:20 Or I bring back your captives

The Mighty Angel and the Small Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel(A) coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow(B) over his head.[a] His face was like the sun, his legs[b] were like pillars of fire,(C) and he held a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land, and he called out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders raised their voices. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders said,(D) and do not write it down!”

Then the angel that I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. He swore by the one who lives forever and ever,(E) who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, “There will no longer be a delay, but in the days when the seventh angel(F) will blow his trumpet, then the mystery of God(G) will be completed, as he announced to his servants the prophets.”(H)

Then the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”(I)

10 Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter.(J) 11 And they said to me, “You must prophesy again about[c] many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”(K)

The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given a measuring reed(L) like a rod,[d] with these words: “Go[e] and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there. But exclude the courtyard outside the temple.(M) Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations,[f](N) and they will trample the holy city(O) for forty-two months.(P) I will grant[g] my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.”(Q) These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord[h] of the earth.(R) If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies;(S) if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy.(T) They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood(U) and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.(V)

The Witnesses Martyred

When they finish their testimony, the beast(W) that comes up out of the abyss(X) will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them. Their dead bodies[i](Y) will lie in the main street[j] of the great city,(Z) which figuratively[k] is called Sodom(AA) and Egypt,(AB) where also their Lord was crucified. And some of[l] the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations(AC) will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb.(AD) 10 Those who live on the earth will gloat(AE) over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

The Witnesses Resurrected

11 But after three and a half days, the breath[m] of life(AF) from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard[n] a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.(AG) 13 At that moment a violent earthquake took place,(AH) a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe(AI) has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon!

The Seventh Trumpet

15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet,(AJ) and there were loud voices in heaven saying,

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign forever and ever.(AK)

16 The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, 17 saying,

We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty,
who is and who was,[o](AL)
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.(AM)
18 The nations were angry,(AN)
but your wrath has come.
The time has come
for the dead to be judged
and to give the reward
to your servants the prophets,(AO)
to the saints, and to those who fear your name,
both small and great,(AP)
and the time has come to destroy
those who destroy the earth.

19 Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant[p] appeared in his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder,(AQ) an earthquake,[q] and severe hail.

Footnotes

  1. 10:1 Or a halo on his head
  2. 10:1 Or feet
  3. 10:11 Or prophesy again against
  4. 11:1 Other mss add and the angel stood up
  5. 11:1 Lit “Arise
  6. 11:2 Or Gentiles
  7. 11:3 Or I will give to
  8. 11:4 Other mss read God
  9. 11:8 Or Their corpse
  10. 11:8 Or lie on the broad street
  11. 11:8 Or spiritually
  12. 11:9 Lit And from
  13. 11:11 Or spirit
  14. 11:12 Other mss read Then I heard
  15. 11:17 Other mss add and who is to come
  16. 11:19 Other mss read ark of the covenant of the Lord
  17. 11:19 Other mss omit an earthquake

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel(A) coming down from heaven.(B) He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow(C) above his head; his face was like the sun,(D) and his legs were like fiery pillars.(E) He was holding a little scroll,(F) which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,(G) and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.(H) When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders(I) spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write;(J) but I heard a voice from heaven(K) say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”(L)

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land(M) raised his right hand to heaven.(N) And he swore(O) by him who lives for ever and ever,(P) who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,(Q) and said, “There will be no more delay!(R) But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet,(S) the mystery(T) of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”(U)

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven(V) spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll(W) that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’[a](X) 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth,(Y) but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy(Z) again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”(AA)

The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod(AB) and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. But exclude the outer court;(AC) do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.(AD) They will trample on the holy city(AE) for 42 months.(AF) And I will appoint my two witnesses,(AG) and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,(AH) clothed in sackcloth.”(AI) They are “the two olive trees”(AJ) and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”[b](AK) If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.(AL) This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.(AM) They have power to shut up the heavens(AN) so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;(AO) and they have power to turn the waters into blood(AP) and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast(AQ) that comes up from the Abyss(AR) will attack them,(AS) and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city(AT)—which is figuratively called Sodom(AU) and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.(AV) For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation(AW) will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.(AX) 10 The inhabitants of the earth(AY) will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,(AZ) because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

11 But after the three and a half days(BA) the breath[c] of life from God entered them,(BB) and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”(BC) And they went up to heaven in a cloud,(BD) while their enemies looked on.

13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake(BE) and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory(BF) to the God of heaven.(BG)

14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.(BH)

The Seventh Trumpet

15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,(BI) and there were loud voices(BJ) in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
    the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,(BK)
    and he will reign for ever and ever.”(BL)

16 And the twenty-four elders,(BM) who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces(BN) and worshiped God, 17 saying:

“We give thanks(BO) to you, Lord God Almighty,(BP)
    the One who is and who was,(BQ)
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.(BR)
18 The nations were angry,(BS)
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,(BT)
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets(BU)
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small(BV)
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

19 Then God’s temple(BW) in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.(BX) And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,(BY) an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.(BZ)

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 10:9 Ezek. 3:3
  2. Revelation 11:4 See Zech. 4:3,11,14.
  3. Revelation 11:11 Or Spirit (see Ezek. 37:5,14)

Psalm 145

Praising God’s Greatness

A hymn of David.

I[a] exalt you, my God the King,
and bless your name forever and ever.(A)
I will bless you every day;
I will praise your name forever and ever.(B)

The Lord is great and is highly praised;(C)
his greatness is unsearchable.(D)
One generation will declare your works to the next
and will proclaim your mighty acts.(E)
I[b] will speak of your splendor and glorious majesty
and[c] your wondrous works.(F)
They will proclaim the power of your awe-inspiring acts,
and I will declare your greatness.[d](G)
They will give a testimony of your great goodness
and will joyfully sing of your righteousness.(H)

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and great in faithful love.(I)
The Lord is good to everyone;(J)
his compassion rests on all he has made.(K)

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Footnotes

  1. 145:1 The lines of this poem form an acrostic.
  2. 145:5 LXX, Syr read They
  3. 145:5 LXX, Syr read and they will tell of
  4. 145:6 Alt Hb tradition, Jer read great deeds

Psalm 145[a]

A psalm of praise. Of David.

I will exalt you,(A) my God the King;(B)
    I will praise your name(C) for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise(D) you
    and extol your name(E) for ever and ever.

Great(F) is the Lord and most worthy of praise;(G)
    his greatness no one can fathom.(H)
One generation(I) commends your works to another;
    they tell(J) of your mighty acts.(K)
They speak of the glorious splendor(L) of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b](M)
They tell(N) of the power of your awesome works—(O)
    and I will proclaim(P) your great deeds.(Q)
They celebrate your abundant goodness(R)
    and joyfully sing(S) of your righteousness.(T)

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,(U)
    slow to anger and rich in love.(V)

The Lord is good(W) to all;
    he has compassion(X) on all he has made.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which (including verse 13b) begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  2. Psalm 145:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text On the glorious splendor of your majesty / and on your wonderful works I will meditate

Otherwise, he will drink,
forget what is decreed,(A)
and pervert justice for all the oppressed.[a](B)
Give beer to one who is dying
and wine to one whose life is bitter.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 31:5 Lit sons of affliction

lest they drink(A) and forget what has been decreed,(B)
    and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
Let beer be for those who are perishing,
    wine(C) for those who are in anguish!

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