Bible in 90 Days

14 The Lord will have compassion^(A) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(B) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(C)
Foreigners^(D) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
² Nations will take them
    and bring^(E) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(F)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(G) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(H)

How the oppressor^(N) has come to an end!
    How his fury^[a] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(O) of the wicked,^(P)
    the scepter^(Q) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(R)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(S) nations
    with relentless aggression.^(T)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(U)
    they break into singing.^(V)
8 Even the junipers^(W) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”^(X)

⁹ The realm of the dead^(Y) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed^(Z) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders^(AA) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.^(AB)
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”^(AC)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^(AD)
    along with the noise of your harps;^(AE)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms^(AF) cover you.^(AG)

¹² How you have fallen^(AH) from heaven,
    morning star,^(AI) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!^(AJ)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend^(AK) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(AL)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(AM)
    on the utmost heights^(AN) of Mount Zaphon.^[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(AO)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”^(AP)
15 But you are brought down^(AQ) to the realm of the dead,^(AR)
    to the depths^(AS) of the pit.^(AT)

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:^(AU)
“Is this the man who shook^(AV) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,^(AW)
    who overthrew^(AX) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”^(AY)

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.^(AZ)
19 But you are cast out^(BA) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,^(BB)
    with those pierced by the sword,^(BC)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.^(BD)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
²⁰     you will not join them in burial,^(BE)
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring^(BF) of the wicked^(BG)
    never be mentioned^(BH) again.
²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(BI)
    for the sins of their ancestors;^(BJ)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up^(BK) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(BL) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,^(BM)”
declares the Lord.
²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(BN)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(BO)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(BP)

“Surely, as I have planned,^(BR) so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.^(BS)
25 I will crush the Assyrian^(BT) in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke^(BU) will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.^(BV)”

²⁶ This is the plan^(BW) determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand^(BX) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(BY) and who can thwart him?
    His hand^(BZ) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(CA)

²⁹ Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(CE)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(CF)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(CG)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy^(CH) will lie down in safety.^(CI)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(CJ)
    it will slay^(CK) your survivors.^(CL)

³¹ Wail,^(CM) you gate!^(CN) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!^(CO)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(CP)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(CQ)
32 What answer shall be given
    to the envoys^(CR) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,^(CS)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(CT)”

Ar^(CX) in Moab is ruined,^(CY)
    destroyed in a night!
Kir^(CZ) in Moab is ruined,
    destroyed in a night!
² Dibon^(DA) goes up to its temple,
    to its high places^(DB) to weep;
    Moab wails^(DC) over Nebo^(DD) and Medeba.
Every head is shaved^(DE)
    and every beard cut off.^(DF)
3 In the streets they wear sackcloth;^(DG)
    on the roofs^(DH) and in the public squares^(DI)
they all wail,^(DJ)
    prostrate with weeping.^(DK)
4 Heshbon^(DL) and Elealeh^(DM) cry out,
    their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.^(DN)
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
    and their hearts are faint.

⁵ My heart cries out^(DO) over Moab;^(DP)
    her fugitives^(DQ) flee as far as Zoar,^(DR)
    as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the hill to Luhith,
    weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim^(DS)
    they lament their destruction.^(DT)
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up^(DU)
    and the grass is withered;^(DV)
the vegetation is gone^(DW)
    and nothing green is left.^(DX)
7 So the wealth they have acquired^(DY) and stored up
    they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.
⁸ Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;
    their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
    their lamentation as far as Beer^(DZ) Elim.
⁹ The waters of Dimon^[c] are full of blood,
    but I will bring still more upon Dimon^[d]—
a lion^(EA) upon the fugitives of Moab^(EB)
    and upon those who remain in the land.

16 Send lambs^(EC) as tribute^(ED)
    to the ruler of the land,
from Sela,^(EE) across the desert,
    to the mount of Daughter Zion.^(EF)
2 Like fluttering birds
    pushed from the nest,^(EG)
so are the women of Moab^(EH)
    at the fords^(EI) of the Arnon.^(EJ)

³ “Make up your mind,” Moab says.
    “Render a decision.
Make your shadow like night—
    at high noon.
Hide the fugitives,^(EK)
    do not betray the refugees.
⁴ Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you;
    be their shelter^(EL) from the destroyer.”

The oppressor^(EM) will come to an end,
    and destruction will cease;^(EN)
    the aggressor will vanish from the land.
⁵ In love a throne^(EO) will be established;^(EP)
    in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
    one from the house^[e] of David^(EQ)—
one who in judging seeks justice^(ER)
    and speeds the cause of righteousness.

⁶ We have heard of Moab’s^(ES) pride^(ET)—
    how great is her arrogance!—
of her conceit, her pride and her insolence;
    but her boasts are empty.
⁷ Therefore the Moabites wail,^(EU)
    they wail together for Moab.
Lament and grieve
    for the raisin cakes^(EV) of Kir Hareseth.^(EW)
8 The fields of Heshbon^(EX) wither,^(EY)
    the vines of Sibmah^(EZ) also.
The rulers of the nations
    have trampled down the choicest vines,^(FA)
which once reached Jazer^(FB)
    and spread toward the desert.
Their shoots spread out^(FC)
    and went as far as the sea.^[f](FD)
9 So I weep,^(FE) as Jazer weeps,
    for the vines of Sibmah.
Heshbon and Elealeh,^(FF)
    I drench you with tears!^(FG)
The shouts of joy^(FH) over your ripened fruit
    and over your harvests^(FI) have been stilled.
¹⁰ Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;^(FJ)
    no one sings or shouts^(FK) in the vineyards;
no one treads^(FL) out wine at the presses,^(FM)
    for I have put an end to the shouting.
¹¹ My heart laments for Moab^(FN) like a harp,^(FO)
    my inmost being^(FP) for Kir Hareseth.
¹² When Moab appears at her high place,^(FQ)
    she only wears herself out;
when she goes to her shrine^(FR) to pray,
    it is to no avail.^(FS)

“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
    but will become a heap of ruins.^(GA)
2 The cities of Aroer^(GB) will be deserted
    and left to flocks,^(GC) which will lie down,^(GD)
    with no one to make them afraid.^(GE)
3 The fortified^(GF) city will disappear from Ephraim,
    and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
    like the glory^(GG) of the Israelites,”^(GH)
declares the Lord Almighty.

⁴ “In that day^(GI) the glory^(GJ) of Jacob will fade;
    the fat of his body will waste^(GK) away.
⁵ It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain,
    gathering^(GL) the grain in their arms—
as when someone gleans heads of grain^(GM)
    in the Valley of Rephaim.^(GN)
6 Yet some gleanings will remain,^(GO)
    as when an olive tree is beaten,^(GP)
leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches,
    four or five on the fruitful boughs,”
declares the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁷ In that day^(GQ) people will look^(GR) to their Maker^(GS)
    and turn their eyes to the Holy One^(GT) of Israel.
⁸ They will not look to the altars,^(GU)
    the work of their hands,^(GV)
and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles^[g](GW)
    and the incense altars their fingers^(GX) have made.

¹⁰ You have forgotten^(GZ) God your Savior;^(HA)
    you have not remembered the Rock,^(HB) your fortress.^(HC)
Therefore, though you set out the finest plants
    and plant imported vines,^(HD)
11 though on the day you set them out, you make them grow,
    and on the morning^(HE) when you plant them, you bring them to bud,
yet the harvest^(HF) will be as nothing^(HG)
    in the day of disease and incurable^(HH) pain.^(HI)

¹² Woe to the many nations that rage^(HJ)—
    they rage like the raging sea!^(HK)
Woe to the peoples who roar^(HL)—
    they roar like the roaring of great waters!^(HM)
13 Although the peoples roar^(HN) like the roar of surging waters,
    when he rebukes^(HO) them they flee^(HP) far away,
driven before the wind like chaff^(HQ) on the hills,
    like tumbleweed before a gale.^(HR)
14 In the evening, sudden^(HS) terror!^(HT)
    Before the morning, they are gone!^(HU)
This is the portion of those who loot us,
    the lot of those who plunder us.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(HZ)
    to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive^(IA) nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers.^(IB)

³ All you people of the world,^(IC)
    you who live on the earth,
when a banner^(ID) is raised on the mountains,
    you will see it,
and when a trumpet^(IE) sounds,
    you will hear it.
⁴ This is what the Lord says to me:
    “I will remain quiet^(IF) and will look on from my dwelling place,^(IG)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,^(IH)
    like a cloud of dew^(II) in the heat of harvest.”
⁵ For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off^(IJ) the shoots with pruning knives,
    and cut down and take away the spreading branches.^(IK)
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey^(IL)
    and to the wild animals;^(IM)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
    the wild animals all winter.

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(IO)
    from a people feared^(IP) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers^(IQ)—

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud^(IU)
    and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
    and the hearts of the Egyptians melt^(IV) with fear.

² “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
    brother will fight against brother,^(IW)
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    kingdom against kingdom.^(IX)
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,^(IY)
    and I will bring their plans^(IZ) to nothing;^(JA)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
    the mediums and the spiritists.^(JB)
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
    to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king^(JC) will rule over them,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

⁵ The waters of the river will dry up,^(JD)
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry.^(JE)
6 The canals will stink;^(JF)
    the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.^(JG)
The reeds^(JH) and rushes will wither,^(JI)
7     also the plants^(JJ) along the Nile,
    at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field^(JK) along the Nile
    will become parched, will blow away and be no more.^(JL)
8 The fishermen^(JM) will groan and lament,
    all who cast hooks^(JN) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
    will pine away.
⁹ Those who work with combed flax^(JO) will despair,
    the weavers of fine linen^(JP) will lose hope.
¹⁰ The workers in cloth will be dejected,
    and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

¹¹ The officials of Zoan^(JQ) are nothing but fools;
    the wise counselors^(JR) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.^(JS)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am one of the wise men,^(JT)
    a disciple of the ancient kings”?

¹² Where are your wise men^(JU) now?
    Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
    has planned^(JV) against Egypt.
¹³ The officials of Zoan^(JW) have become fools,
    the leaders of Memphis^(JX) are deceived;
the cornerstones^(JY) of her peoples
    have led Egypt astray.
¹⁴ The Lord has poured into them
    a spirit of dizziness;^(JZ)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
    as a drunkard staggers^(KA) around in his vomit.
¹⁵ There is nothing Egypt can do—
    head or tail, palm branch or reed.^(KB)

Like whirlwinds^(MP) sweeping through the southland,^(MQ)
    an invader comes from the desert,
    from a land of terror.

² A dire^(MR) vision has been shown to me:
    The traitor betrays,^(MS) the looter takes loot.
Elam,^(MT) attack! Media,^(MU) lay siege!
    I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

³ At this my body is racked with pain,^(MV)
    pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;^(MW)
I am staggered by what I hear,
    I am bewildered^(MX) by what I see.
⁴ My heart^(MY) falters,
    fear makes me tremble;^(MZ)
the twilight I longed for
    has become a horror^(NA) to me.

⁵ They set the tables,
    they spread the rugs,
    they eat, they drink!^(NB)
Get up, you officers,
    oil the shields!^(NC)

“Go, post a lookout^(ND)
    and have him report what he sees.
⁷ When he sees chariots^(NE)
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,^(NF)
let him be alert,
    fully alert.”

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
    every night I stay at my post.
⁹ Look, here comes a man in a chariot^(NH)
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon^(NI) has fallen,^(NJ) has fallen!
All the images of its gods^(NK)
    lie shattered^(NL) on the ground!’”

¹⁰ My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,^(NM)
    I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
    from the God of Israel.

Someone calls to me from Seir,^(NO)
    “Watchman, what is left of the night?
    Watchman, what is left of the night?”
¹² The watchman replies,
    “Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
    and come back yet again.”

You caravans of Dedanites,^(NR)
    who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
¹⁴     bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,^(NS)
    bring food for the fugitives.
¹⁵ They flee^(NT) from the sword,^(NU)
    from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
    and from the heat of battle.

What troubles you now,
    that you have all gone up on the roofs,^(OD)
2 you town so full of commotion,
    you city of tumult^(OE) and revelry?^(OF)
Your slain^(OG) were not killed by the sword,^(OH)
    nor did they die in battle.
³ All your leaders have fled^(OI) together;
    they have been captured^(OJ) without using the bow.
All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,
    having fled while the enemy was still far away.
⁴ Therefore I said, “Turn away from me;
    let me weep^(OK) bitterly.
Do not try to console me
    over the destruction of my people.”^(OL)

⁵ The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day^(OM)
    of tumult and trampling^(ON) and terror^(OO)
    in the Valley of Vision,^(OP)
a day of battering down walls^(OQ)
    and of crying out to the mountains.
⁶ Elam^(OR) takes up the quiver,^(OS)
    with her charioteers and horses;
    Kir^(OT) uncovers the shield.
⁷ Your choicest valleys^(OU) are full of chariots,
    and horsemen are posted at the city gates.^(OV)

⁸ The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
    and you looked in that day^(OW)
    to the weapons^(OX) in the Palace of the Forest.^(OY)
9 You saw that the walls of the City of David
    were broken through^(OZ) in many places;
you stored up water
    in the Lower Pool.^(PA)
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
    and tore down houses^(PB) to strengthen the wall.^(PC)
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls^(PD)
    for the water of the Old Pool,^(PE)
but you did not look to the One who made it,
    or have regard^(PF) for the One who planned^(PG) it long ago.

¹² The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day^(PH)
to weep^(PI) and to wail,
    to tear out your hair^(PJ) and put on sackcloth.^(PK)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,^(PL)
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!^(PM)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”^(PN)

“Go, say to this steward,
    to Shebna^(PQ) the palace^(PR) administrator:^(PS)
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
    to cut out a grave^(PT) for yourself^(PU) here,
hewing your grave on the height
    and chiseling your resting place in the rock?

¹⁷ “Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you
    and hurl^(PV) you away, you mighty man.
¹⁸ He will roll you up tightly like a ball
    and throw^(PW) you into a large country.
There you will die
    and there the chariots^(PX) you were so proud of
    will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
¹⁹ I will depose you from your office,
    and you will be ousted^(PY) from your position.^(PZ)

Wail,^(QQ) you ships^(QR) of Tarshish!^(QS)
    For Tyre is destroyed^(QT)
    and left without house or harbor.
From the land of Cyprus
    word has come to them.

² Be silent,^(QU) you people of the island
    and you merchants^(QV) of Sidon,^(QW)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
³ On the great waters
    came the grain of the Shihor;^(QX)
the harvest of the Nile^[p](QY) was the revenue of Tyre,^(QZ)
    and she became the marketplace of the nations.

⁴ Be ashamed, Sidon,^(RA) and you fortress of the sea,
    for the sea has spoken:
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth;^(RB)
    I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”
⁵ When word comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish^(RC) at the report from Tyre.^(RD)

⁶ Cross over to Tarshish;^(RE)
    wail, you people of the island.
⁷ Is this your city of revelry,^(RF)
    the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
    to settle in far-off lands?
⁸ Who planned this against Tyre,
    the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants^(RG) are princes,
    whose traders^(RH) are renowned in the earth?
⁹ The Lord Almighty planned^(RI) it,
    to bring down^(RJ) her pride in all her splendor
    and to humble^(RK) all who are renowned^(RL) on the earth.

¹⁰ Till^[q] your land as they do along the Nile,
    Daughter Tarshish,
    for you no longer have a harbor.
¹¹ The Lord has stretched out his hand^(RM) over the sea
    and made its kingdoms tremble.^(RN)
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
    that her fortresses be destroyed.^(RO)
12 He said, “No more of your reveling,^(RP)
    Virgin Daughter^(RQ) Sidon, now crushed!

“Up, cross over to Cyprus;^(RR)
    even there you will find no rest.”
¹³ Look at the land of the Babylonians,^[r](RS)
    this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians^(RT) have made it
    a place for desert creatures;^(RU)
they raised up their siege towers,^(RV)
    they stripped its fortresses bare
    and turned it into a ruin.^(RW)

¹⁴ Wail, you ships^(RX) of Tarshish;^(RY)
    your fortress is destroyed!^(RZ)

¹⁶ “Take up a harp, walk through the city,
    you forgotten prostitute;^(SC)
play the harp well, sing many a song,
    so that you will be remembered.”

⁴ The earth dries up^(SS) and withers,^(ST)
    the world languishes and withers,
    the heavens^(SU) languish with the earth.^(SV)
5 The earth is defiled^(SW) by its people;
    they have disobeyed^(SX) the laws,
violated the statutes
    and broken the everlasting covenant.^(SY)
6 Therefore a curse^(SZ) consumes the earth;
    its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,^(TA)
    and very few are left.
⁷ The new wine dries up^(TB) and the vine withers;^(TC)
    all the merrymakers groan.^(TD)
8 The joyful timbrels^(TE) are stilled,
    the noise^(TF) of the revelers^(TG) has stopped,
    the joyful harp^(TH) is silent.^(TI)
9 No longer do they drink wine^(TJ) with a song;
    the beer is bitter^(TK) to its drinkers.
¹⁰ The ruined city^(TL) lies desolate;^(TM)
    the entrance to every house is barred.
¹¹ In the streets they cry out^(TN) for wine;^(TO)
    all joy turns to gloom,^(TP)
    all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
¹² The city is left in ruins,^(TQ)
    its gate^(TR) is battered to pieces.
¹³ So will it be on the earth
    and among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,^(TS)
    or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.^(TT)

¹⁴ They raise their voices, they shout for joy;^(TU)
    from the west^(TV) they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.
¹⁵ Therefore in the east^(TW) give glory^(TX) to the Lord;
    exalt^(TY) the name^(TZ) of the Lord, the God of Israel,
    in the islands^(UA) of the sea.
¹⁶ From the ends of the earth^(UB) we hear singing:^(UC)
    “Glory^(UD) to the Righteous One.”^(UE)

But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!^(UF)
    Woe^(UG) to me!
The treacherous^(UH) betray!
    With treachery the treacherous betray!^(UI)”
¹⁷ Terror^(UJ) and pit and snare^(UK) await you,
    people of the earth.^(UL)
18 Whoever flees^(UM) at the sound of terror
    will fall into a pit;^(UN)
whoever climbs out of the pit
    will be caught in a snare.^(UO)

The floodgates of the heavens^(UP) are opened,
    the foundations of the earth shake.^(UQ)
19 The earth is broken up,^(UR)
    the earth is split asunder,^(US)
    the earth is violently shaken.
²⁰ The earth reels like a drunkard,^(UT)
    it sways like a hut^(UU) in the wind;
so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion^(UV)
    that it falls^(UW)—never to rise again.^(UX)

²¹ In that day^(UY) the Lord will punish^(UZ)
    the powers^(VA) in the heavens above
    and the kings^(VB) on the earth below.
²² They will be herded together
    like prisoners^(VC) bound in a dungeon;^(VD)
they will be shut up in prison
    and be punished^[s] after many days.^(VE)
23 The moon will be dismayed,
    the sun^(VF) ashamed;
for the Lord Almighty will reign^(VG)
    on Mount Zion^(VH) and in Jerusalem,
    and before its elders—with great glory.^(VI)

⁶ On this mountain^(WD) the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast^(WE) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.^(WF)
7 On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud^(WG) that enfolds all peoples,^(WH)
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸     he will swallow up death^(WI) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears^(WJ)
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace^(WK)
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.^(WL)

“Surely this is our God;^(WN)
    we trusted^(WO) in him, and he saved^(WP) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice^(WQ) and be glad in his salvation.”^(WR)

¹⁰ The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;^(WS)
    but Moab^(WT) will be trampled in their land
    as straw is trampled down in the manure.
¹¹ They will stretch out their hands in it,
    as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down^(WU) their pride^(WV)
    despite the cleverness^[t] of their hands.
¹² He will bring down your high fortified walls^(WW)
    and lay them low;^(WX)
he will bring them down to the ground,
    to the very dust.

We have a strong city;^(XA)
    God makes salvation
    its walls^(XB) and ramparts.^(XC)
2 Open the gates^(XD)
    that the righteous^(XE) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
³ You will keep in perfect peace^(XF)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust^(XG) in you.
⁴ Trust^(XH) in the Lord forever,^(XI)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock^(XJ) eternal.
⁵ He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground^(XK)
    and casts it down to the dust.^(XL)
6 Feet trample^(XM) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,^(XN)
    the footsteps of the poor.^(XO)

⁷ The path of the righteous is level;^(XP)
    you, the Upright One,^(XQ) make the way of the righteous smooth.^(XR)
8 Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,^[u](XS)
    we wait^(XT) for you;
your name^(XU) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
⁹ My soul yearns for you in the night;^(XV)
    in the morning my spirit longs^(XW) for you.
When your judgments^(XX) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.^(XY)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,^(XZ)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil^(YA)
    and do not regard^(YB) the majesty of the Lord.
¹¹ Lord, your hand is lifted high,^(YC)
    but they do not see^(YD) it.
Let them see your zeal^(YE) for your people and be put to shame;^(YF)
    let the fire^(YG) reserved for your enemies consume them.

¹² Lord, you establish peace^(YH) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done^(YI) for us.
¹³ Lord our God, other lords^(YJ) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name^(YK) alone do we honor.^(YL)
14 They are now dead,^(YM) they live no more;
    their spirits^(YN) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;^(YO)
    you wiped out all memory of them.^(YP)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.^(YQ)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders^(YR) of the land.

¹⁶ Lord, they came to you in their distress;^(YS)
    when you disciplined^(YT) them,
    they could barely whisper^(YU) a prayer.^[v]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth^(YV)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
¹⁸ We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth^(YW) to wind.
We have not brought salvation^(YX) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.^(YY)

¹⁹ But your dead^(YZ) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust^(ZA)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew^(ZB) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.^(ZC)

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors^(ZD) behind you;
hide^(ZE) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath^(ZF) has passed by.^(ZG)
21 See, the Lord is coming^(ZH) out of his dwelling^(ZI)
    to punish^(ZJ) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood^(ZK) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

the Lord will punish with his sword^(ZM)—
    his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan^(ZN) the gliding serpent,^(ZO)
    Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster^(ZP) of the sea.

“Sing^(ZR) about a fruitful vineyard:^(ZS)
3     I, the Lord, watch over it;
    I water^(ZT) it continually.
I guard^(ZU) it day and night
    so that no one may harm^(ZV) it.
⁴     I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
    I would march against them in battle;
    I would set them all on fire.^(ZW)
5 Or else let them come to me for refuge;^(ZX)
    let them make peace^(ZY) with me,
    yes, let them make peace with me.”

⁶ In days to come Jacob will take root,^(ZZ)
    Israel will bud and blossom^(AAA)
    and fill all the world with fruit.^(AAB)

⁷ Has the Lord struck her
    as he struck^(AAC) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
    as those were killed who killed her?
⁸ By warfare^[w] and exile^(AAD) you contend with her—
    with his fierce blast he drives her out,
    as on a day the east wind^(AAE) blows.
⁹ By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned^(AAF) for,
    and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:^(AAG)
When he makes all the altar stones^(AAH)
    to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles^[x](AAI) or incense altars^(AAJ)
    will be left standing.
¹⁰ The fortified city stands desolate,^(AAK)
    an abandoned settlement, forsaken^(AAL) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,^(AAM)
    there they lie down;^(AAN)
    they strip its branches bare.
¹¹ When its twigs are dry, they are broken off^(AAO)
    and women come and make fires^(AAP) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;^(AAQ)
    so their Maker has no compassion on them,
    and their Creator^(AAR) shows them no favor.^(AAS)

⁵ In that day^(ABO) the Lord Almighty
    will be a glorious^(ABP) crown,^(ABQ)
a beautiful wreath
    for the remnant^(ABR) of his people.
⁶ He will be a spirit of justice^(ABS)
    to the one who sits in judgment,^(ABT)
a source of strength
    to those who turn back the battle^(ABU) at the gate.

⁷ And these also stagger^(ABV) from wine^(ABW)
    and reel^(ABX) from beer:
Priests^(ABY) and prophets^(ABZ) stagger from beer
    and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
    they stagger when seeing visions,^(ACA)
    they stumble when rendering decisions.
⁸ All the tables are covered with vomit^(ACB)
    and there is not a spot without filth.

⁹ “Who is it he is trying to teach?^(ACC)
    To whom is he explaining his message?^(ACD)
To children weaned^(ACE) from their milk,^(ACF)
    to those just taken from the breast?
¹⁰ For it is:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that^[y];
    a little here, a little there.^(ACG)”

¹¹ Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues^(ACH)
    God will speak to this people,^(ACI)
12 to whom he said,
    “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;^(ACJ)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
    but they would not listen.
¹³ So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that;
    a little here, a little there^(ACK)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
    they will be injured^(ACL) and snared and captured.^(ACM)

¹⁴ Therefore hear the word of the Lord,^(ACN) you scoffers^(ACO)
    who rule this people in Jerusalem.
¹⁵ You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,^(ACP)
    with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(ACQ)
    it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie^(ACR) our refuge
    and falsehood^[z] our hiding place.^(ACS)”

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,^(ACT) a tested stone,^(ACU)
    a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;^(ACV)
the one who relies on it
    will never be stricken with panic.^(ACW)
17 I will make justice^(ACX) the measuring line
    and righteousness the plumb line;^(ACY)
hail^(ACZ) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
    and water will overflow^(ADA) your hiding place.
¹⁸ Your covenant with death will be annulled;
    your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.^(ADB)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(ADC)
    you will be beaten down^(ADD) by it.
¹⁹ As often as it comes it will carry you away;^(ADE)
    morning after morning,^(ADF) by day and by night,
    it will sweep through.”

The understanding of this message
    will bring sheer terror.^(ADG)
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
    the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.^(ADH)
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,^(ADI)
    he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon^(ADJ)—
to do his work,^(ADK) his strange work,
    and perform his task, his alien task.
²² Now stop your mocking,^(ADL)
    or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
    of the destruction decreed^(ADM) against the whole land.^(ADN)

²³ Listen^(ADO) and hear my voice;
    pay attention and hear what I say.
²⁴ When a farmer plows for planting,^(ADP) does he plow continually?
    Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
²⁵ When he has leveled the surface,
    does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?^(ADQ)
Does he not plant wheat in its place,^[aa]
    barley^(ADR) in its plot,^[ab]
    and spelt^(ADS) in its field?
²⁶ His God instructs him
    and teaches^(ADT) him the right way.

²⁷ Caraway is not threshed^(ADU) with a sledge,^(ADV)
    nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,^(ADW)
    and cumin with a stick.
²⁸ Grain must be ground to make bread;
    so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart^(ADX) may be rolled over it,
    but one does not use horses to grind grain.
²⁹ All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
    whose plan is wonderful,^(ADY)
    whose wisdom is magnificent.^(ADZ)