Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
9 Because you have made the Lord—my refuge,(A)
the Most High—your dwelling place,(B)
10 no harm will come to you;
no plague will come near your tent.(C)
11 For He will give His angels orders concerning you,
to protect you in all your ways.(D)
12 They will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.(E)
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent.(F)
The Fall of Babylon
47 “Go down and sit in the dust,(A)
Virgin Daughter Babylon.(B)
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter Chaldea!
For you will no longer be called pampered and spoiled.
2 Take millstones and grind meal;(C)
remove your veil,
strip off your skirt, bare your thigh,
wade through the streams.
3 Your nakedness will be uncovered,
and your shame will be exposed.(D)
I will take vengeance;
I will spare no one.[a]
4 The Holy One of Israel is our Redeemer;(E)
Yahweh of Hosts is His name.
5 “Daughter Chaldea,
sit in silence(F) and go into darkness.
For you will no longer be called mistress of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with My people;
I profaned My possession,
and I placed them under your control.
You showed them no mercy;
you made your yoke very heavy on the elderly.
7 You said, ‘I will be the mistress forever.’
You did not take these things to heart
or think about their outcome.
8 “So now hear this, lover of luxury,
who sits securely,(G)
who says to herself,
‘I exist, and there is no one else.
I will never be a widow
or know the loss of children.’(H)
9 These two things will happen to you
suddenly, in one day:
loss of children and widowhood.
They will happen to you in their entirety,
in spite of your many sorceries(I)
and the potency of your spells.
The Woman and the Scarlet Beast
17 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls(A) came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the notorious prostitute[a] who sits on many[b] waters.(B) 2 The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality.”(C) 3 So he carried me away in the Spirit[c](D) to a desert. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered[d] with blasphemous names and had seven heads and 10 horns.(E) 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She had a gold cup in her hand filled with everything vile(F) and with the impurities of her[e] prostitution. 5 On her forehead a cryptic name(G) was written:
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE VILE THINGS OF THE EARTH.
6 Then I saw that the woman was drunk on the blood of the saints and on the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.
The Meaning of the Woman and of the Beast
7 Then the angel said to me, “Why are you astonished? I will tell you the secret meaning of the woman and of the beast, with the seven heads and the 10 horns, that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss(H) and go to destruction.(I) Those who live on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world(J) will be astonished when they see the beast that was, and is not, and will be present again.(K)
9 “Here is the mind with wisdom:[f](L) The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. 10 They are also seven kings:[g] Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for a little while. 11 The beast that was and is not, is himself an eighth king, yet he belongs to the seven and is going to destruction. 12 The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13 These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14 These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings.(M) Those with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
15 He also said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.(N) 16 The 10 horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute.(O) They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire.(P) 17 For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His plan by having one purpose(Q) and to give their kingdom[h] to the beast until God’s words are accomplished. 18 And the woman you saw is the great city that has an empire[i] over the kings of the earth.”
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