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A Message About Damascus
23 Concerning Damascus:(A)
“Hamath(B) and Arpad(C) are dismayed,
for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
troubled like[a] the restless sea.(D)
24 Damascus has become feeble,
she has turned to flee
and panic has gripped her;
anguish and pain have seized her,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(E)
25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
the town in which I delight?
26 Surely, her young men(F) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced(G) in that day,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
27 “I will set fire(H) to the walls of Damascus;(I)
it will consume(J) the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.(K)”
A Message About Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning Kedar(L) and the kingdoms of Hazor,(M) which Nebuchadnezzar(N) king of Babylon attacked:
This is what the Lord says:
“Arise, and attack Kedar
and destroy the people of the East.(O)
29 Their tents and their flocks(P) will be taken;
their shelters will be carried off
with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
‘Terror(Q) on every side!’
30 “Flee quickly away!
Stay in deep caves,(R) you who live in Hazor,(S)”
declares the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar(T) king of Babylon has plotted against you;
he has devised a plan against you.
31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease,
which lives in confidence,”
declares the Lord,
“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;(U)
its people live far from danger.
32 Their camels(V) will become plunder,
and their large herds(W) will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the winds(X) those who are in distant places[b](Y)
and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor(Z) will become a haunt of jackals,(AA)
a desolate(AB) place forever.
No one will live there;
no people will dwell(AC) in it.”
A Message About Elam
34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(AD) early in the reign of Zedekiah(AE) king of Judah:
35 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will break the bow(AF) of Elam,
the mainstay of their might.
36 I will bring against Elam the four winds(AG)
from the four quarters of heaven;(AH)
I will scatter them to the four winds,
and there will not be a nation
where Elam’s exiles do not go.
37 I will shatter Elam before their foes,
before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
even my fierce anger,”(AI)
declares the Lord.
“I will pursue them with the sword(AJ)
until I have made an end of them.
38 I will set my throne in Elam
and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the Lord.
39 “Yet I will restore(AK) the fortunes of Elam
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.
A Message About Babylon(AL)
50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon(AM) and the land of the Babylonians[c]:
2 “Announce and proclaim(AN) among the nations,
lift up a banner(AO) and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;(AP)
Bel(AQ) will be put to shame,(AR)
Marduk(AS) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols(AT) filled with terror.’
3 A nation from the north(AU) will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live(AV) in it;
both people and animals(AW) will flee away.
4 “In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together(AX)
will go in tears(AY) to seek(AZ) the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way(BA) to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come(BB) and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant(BC)
that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have been lost sheep;(BD)
their shepherds(BE) have led them astray(BF)
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill(BG)
and forgot their own resting place.(BH)
7 Whoever found them devoured(BI) them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,(BJ)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
the Lord, the hope(BK) of their ancestors.’
8 “Flee(BL) out of Babylon;(BM)
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.
9 For I will stir(BN) up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nations(BO) from the land of the north.(BP)
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.(BQ)
Their arrows(BR) will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
10 So Babylonia[d] will be plundered;(BS)
all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.
11 “Because you rejoice and are glad,
you who pillage my inheritance,(BT)
because you frolic like a heifer(BU) threshing grain
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother will be greatly ashamed;
she who gave you birth will be disgraced.(BV)
She will be the least of the nations—
a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.(BW)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
but will be completely desolate.(BX)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;(BY)
they will scoff(BZ) because of all her wounds.(CA)
14 “Take up your positions around Babylon,
all you who draw the bow.(CB)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,(CC)
for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout(CD) against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
her walls(CE) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance(CF) of the Lord,
take vengeance on her;
do to her(CG) as she has done to others.(CH)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword(CI) of the oppressor
let everyone return to their own people,(CJ)
let everyone flee to their own land.(CK)
17 “Israel is a scattered flock(CL)
that lions(CM) have chased away.
The first to devour(CN) them
was the king(CO) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(CP)
was Nebuchadnezzar(CQ) king(CR) of Babylon.”
18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the king(CS) of Assyria.(CT)
19 But I will bring(CU) Israel back to their own pasture,
and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied(CV)
on the hills(CW) of Ephraim and Gilead.(CX)
20 In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,(CY)
and for the sins(CZ) of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive(DA) the remnant(DB) I spare.
21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.(DC)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[e] them,”
declares the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(DD) of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
is the hammer(DE) of the whole earth!(DF)
How desolate(DG) is Babylon
among the nations!
24 I set a trap(DH) for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(DI)
because you opposed(DJ) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weapons(DK) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.(DL)
26 Come against her from afar.(DM)
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.(DN)
Completely destroy(DO) her
and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(DP)
let them go down to the slaughter!(DQ)
Woe to them! For their day(DR) has come,
the time(DS) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(DT) and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zion(DU)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(DV)
vengeance for his temple.(DW)
29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.(DX)
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.(DY)
Repay(DZ) her for her deeds;(EA)
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(EB) the Lord,
the Holy One(EC) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(ED) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(EE) you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(EF) has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(EG) one will stumble and fall(EH)
and no one will help her up;(EI)
I will kindle a fire(EJ) in her towns
that will consume all who are around her.”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“The people of Israel are oppressed,(EK)
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.(EL)
34 Yet their Redeemer(EM) is strong;
the Lord Almighty(EN) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(EO)
so that he may bring rest(EP) to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.
35 “A sword(EQ) against the Babylonians!”(ER)
declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wise(ES) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(ET)
They will be filled with terror.(EU)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(EV)
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.(EW)
A sword against her treasures!(EX)
They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[f] her waters!(EY)
They will dry(EZ) up.
For it is a land of idols,(FA)
idols that will go mad with terror.
39 “So desert creatures(FB) and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.(FC)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah(FD)
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.(FE)
41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(FF)
a great nation and many kings
are being stirred(FG) up from the ends of the earth.(FH)
42 They are armed with bows(FI) and spears;
they are cruel(FJ) and without mercy.(FK)
They sound like the roaring sea(FL)
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(FM)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.(FN)
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(FO)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(FP)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen(FQ) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(FR)
And what shepherd can stand against me?”
45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposed(FS) against the land of the Babylonians:(FT)
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;(FU)
its cry(FV) will resound among the nations.
1 Paul, a servant of God(A) and an apostle(B) of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth(C) that leads to godliness(D)— 2 in the hope of eternal life,(E) which God, who does not lie,(F) promised before the beginning of time,(G) 3 and which now at his appointed season(H) he has brought to light(I) through the preaching entrusted to me(J) by the command of God(K) our Savior,(L)
4 To Titus,(M) my true son(N) in our common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.(O)
Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good(P)
5 The reason I left you in Crete(Q) was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint[a] elders(R) in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless,(S) faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer(T) manages God’s household,(U) he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.(V) 8 Rather, he must be hospitable,(W) one who loves what is good,(X) who is self-controlled,(Y) upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly(Z) to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine(AA) and refute those who oppose it.
Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good
10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk(AB) and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.(AC) 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households(AD) by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete’s own prophets(AE) has said it: “Cretans(AF) are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”[c] 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke(AG) them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith(AH) 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths(AI) or to the merely human commands(AJ) of those who reject the truth.(AK) 15 To the pure, all things are pure,(AL) but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.(AM) In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.(AN) 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.(AO) They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.(AP)
Psalm 97
1 The Lord reigns,(A) let the earth be glad;(B)
let the distant shores(C) rejoice.
2 Clouds(D) and thick darkness(E) surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.(F)
3 Fire(G) goes before(H) him
and consumes(I) his foes on every side.
4 His lightning(J) lights up the world;
the earth(K) sees and trembles.(L)
5 The mountains melt(M) like wax(N) before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.(O)
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,(P)
and all peoples see his glory.(Q)
7 All who worship images(R) are put to shame,(S)
those who boast in idols(T)—
worship him,(U) all you gods!(V)
8 Zion hears and rejoices
and the villages of Judah are glad(W)
because of your judgments,(X) Lord.
9 For you, Lord, are the Most High(Y) over all the earth;(Z)
you are exalted(AA) far above all gods.
10 Let those who love the Lord hate evil,(AB)
for he guards(AC) the lives of his faithful ones(AD)
and delivers(AE) them from the hand of the wicked.(AF)
11 Light shines[a](AG) on the righteous(AH)
and joy on the upright in heart.(AI)
12 Rejoice in the Lord,(AJ) you who are righteous,
and praise his holy name.(AK)
Psalm 98
A psalm.
1 Sing to the Lord(AL) a new song,(AM)
for he has done marvelous things;(AN)
his right hand(AO) and his holy arm(AP)
have worked salvation(AQ) for him.
2 The Lord has made his salvation known(AR)
and revealed his righteousness(AS) to the nations.(AT)
3 He has remembered(AU) his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth(AV) have seen
the salvation of our God.(AW)
4 Shout for joy(AX) to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp,(AY)
with the harp and the sound of singing,(AZ)
6 with trumpets(BA) and the blast of the ram’s horn(BB)—
shout for joy(BC) before the Lord, the King.(BD)
7 Let the sea(BE) resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.(BF)
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,(BG)
let the mountains(BH) sing together for joy;
9 let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.(BI)
13 A sluggard says,(A) “There’s a lion in the road,
a fierce lion roaming the streets!”(B)
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
so a sluggard turns on his bed.(C)
15 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.(D)
16 A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven people who answer discreetly.
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