Isa 14:16-17, Jer 25:9-26, Jer 46-49, Jer 52, Hab 1:9-10, 2:5-8, 17 | ESV | STEP | Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: Is this the man who made the earth tremble , who shook kingdoms ,

16 Those who see you will stare at you
and ponder over you:
‘Is this ^athe man who made the earth tremble,
who shook kingdoms,
17 who made the world like a desert
and overthrew its cities,
^bwho did not let his prisoners go home?’

Jeremiah 25:9-26

9 ^cbehold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, ^dmy servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, ^eand make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10 Moreover, ^fI will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, ^gthe grinding of the millstones and ^hthe light of the lamp. 11 ⁱThis whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and ^jthese nations shall serve the king of Babylon ^kseventy years. 12 Then after ^lseventy years are completed, ^mI will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, ⁿthe land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, ^omaking the land an everlasting waste. 13 I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written ^pin this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14 ^qFor many nations ^rand great kings shall make slaves even of them, ^sand I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath

15 Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: ^t“Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of ^uthe sword that I am sending among them.”

17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, ^vand made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: 18 ^wJerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials, ^xto make them a desolation and a waste, a hissing and a curse, as at this day; 19 ^yPharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, all his people, 20 and ^zall the mixed tribes among them; all the kings of ^aathe land of Uz and all the kings of ^abthe land of the Philistines ( ^acAshkelon, ^adGaza, Ekron, and the remnant of ^aeAshdod); 21 ^afEdom, ^agMoab, and the sons of ^ahAmmon; 22 all the kings of ^aiTyre, all the kings of ^ajSidon, and the kings of the coastland across ^akthe sea; 23 ^alDedan, ^amTema, ^anBuz, and all who cut ^aothe corners of their hair; 24 all the ^apkings of Arabia and all the kings of ^aqthe mixed tribes who dwell in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of ^arElam, and all the kings of ^asMedia; 26 all the kings of ^atthe north, far and near, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of ^auBabylon ^{▼▼Hebrew Sheshach, a code name for Babylon} shall drink.

Jeremiah 46

Judgment on Egypt

1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet ^awconcerning the nations.

2 About Egypt. ^axConcerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in ^aythe fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

3 ^az“Prepare buckler and shield,
and advance for battle!
4 ^baHarness the horses;
mount, O horsemen!
Take your stations with your helmets,
^bbpolish your spears,
put on your armor!
5 Why have I seen it?
They are dismayed
and have turned backward.
Their ^bcwarriors are beaten down
and have fled in haste;
^bdthey look not back—
^beterror on every side!

declares the Lord.
6 “The swift cannot flee away,
nor the warrior escape;
^bfin the north by the river Euphrates
^bgthey have stumbled and fallen.
7 “Who is this, ^bhrising like the Nile,
like rivers ^biwhose waters surge?
8 Egypt rises like the Nile,
like rivers ^bjwhose waters surge.
He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth,
I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.’
9 ^bkAdvance, O horses,
and rage, O chariots!
Let the warriors go out:
men of Cush and ^blPut who handle the shield,
^bmmen of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.
10 ^bnThat day is the day of the Lord God of hosts,
^boa day of vengeance,
^bpto avenge himself on his foes.
^bqThe sword shall devour and be sated
and drink its fill of their blood.
For the Lord God of hosts holds ^bra sacrifice
^bsin the north country ^btby the river Euphrates.
11 ^buGo up to Gilead, and take ^bvbalm,
O virgin daughter of Egypt!
In vain you have used many medicines;
^bwthere is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your shame,
and the earth is full of your cry;
^bxfor warrior has stumbled against warrior;
they have both fallen together.”
13 The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of ^byNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt:

14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in ^bzMigdol;
proclaim in ^caMemphis and ^cbTahpanhes;
say, ^cc‘Stand ready and be prepared,
for ^cdthe sword shall devour around you.’
15 Why are your mighty ones face down?
They do not stand ^{▼▼Hebrew He does not stand}
because the Lord thrust them down.
16 He made many stumble, ^cfand they fell,
and they said one to another,
‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people
and to the land of our birth,
^cgbecause of the sword of the oppressor.’
17 Call the name of ^chPharaoh, king of Egypt,
‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.’
18 ^ci“As I live, declares the King,
^cjwhose name is the Lord of hosts,
like ^ckTabor among the mountains
and like ^clCarmel by the sea, shall one come.
19 ^cmPrepare yourselves baggage for exile,
O ^cninhabitants of Egypt!
For ^coMemphis shall become a waste,
a ruin, ^cpwithout inhabitant.
20 “A beautiful ^cqheifer is Egypt,
but a biting fly ^crfrom the north has come upon her.
21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst
are like ^csfattened calves;
yes, they have turned and fled together;
they did not stand,
for the day of their calamity has come upon them,
^ctthe time of their punishment.
22 “She makes ^cua sound like a serpent gliding away;
for her enemies march in force
and come against her with axes
^cvlike those who fell trees.
23 ^cwThey shall cut down her forest,

declares the Lord,
though it is impenetrable,
because ^cxthey are more numerous than locusts;
they are without number.
24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame;
she shall be delivered into the hand of ^cya people from the north.”
25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon ^czAmon of ^daThebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt ^dband her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 ^dcI will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. ^ddAfterward Egypt shall be inhabited ^deas in the days of old, declares the Lord.

27 ^df“But fear not, O Jacob my servant,
nor be dismayed, O Israel,
for behold, I will save you from far away,
and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
and none shall make him afraid.
28 ^dgFear not, O Jacob my servant,

declares the Lord,
for I am with you.
I will make a full end of all the nations
to which I have driven you,
but of you I will not make a full end.
^dhI will discipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”

Jeremiah 47

Judgment on the Philistines

1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet ^diconcerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down ^djGaza.

2 “Thus says the Lord:
^dkBehold, waters are rising ^dlout of the north,
^dmand shall become an overflowing torrent;
they shall overflow ^dnthe land and all that fills it,
the city and those who dwell in it.
Men shall cry out,
and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.
3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions,
^doat the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels,
the fathers ^dplook not back to their children,
so feeble are their hands,
4 because of the day that is coming to destroy
all ^dqthe Philistines,
to cut off from ^drTyre and Sidon
every helper that remains.
For the Lord is destroying the Philistines,
^dsthe remnant of the coastland of ^dtCaphtor.
5 ^duBaldness has come upon Gaza;
^dvAshkelon has perished.
O remnant of their valley,
^dwhow long will you gash yourselves?
6 ^dxAh, sword of the Lord!
How long till you are quiet?
Put yourself into your scabbard;
rest and be still!
7 How can it ^{▼▼Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew you} be quiet
^dzwhen the Lord has given it a charge?
Against ^eaAshkelon and against the seashore
^ebhe has appointed it.”

Jeremiah 48

Judgment on Moab

1 ^ecConcerning Moab.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:

“Woe to ^edNebo, for it is laid waste!
^eeKiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken;
the fortress is put to shame ^efand broken down;
2 the renown of Moab is no more.
In ^egHeshbon they planned disaster against her:
‘Come, let us cut her off ^ehfrom being a nation!’
You also, O ^eiMadmen, shall be brought to silence;
the sword shall pursue you.
3 “A voice! A cry from ^ejHoronaim,
‘Desolation and great destruction!’
4 Moab is destroyed;
her little ones have made a cry.
5 ^ekFor at the ascent of Luhith
they go up weeping; ^{▼▼Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping}
for ^emat the descent of Horonaim
they have heard the distressed cry ^{▼▼Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry} of destruction.
6 Flee! Save yourselves!
You will be like ^eoa juniper in the desert!
7 For, ^epbecause you trusted in your works and your treasures,
you also shall be taken;
and ^eqChemosh ^ershall go into exile
with ^eshis priests and his officials.
8 ^etThe destroyer shall come upon every city,
and no city shall escape;
the valley shall perish,
and ^euthe plain shall be destroyed,
as the Lord has spoken.
9 “Give wings to Moab,
for she would fly away;
her cities shall become a desolation,
with no inhabitant in them.
10 ^ev“Cursed is he who does ^ewthe work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth
and has ^exsettled on his dregs;
he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
nor has he gone into exile;
so his taste remains in him,
and his scent is not changed.
12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his ^{▼▼Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their} jars in pieces. 13 Then ^ezMoab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as ^fathe house of Israel was ashamed of ^fbBethel, their confidence.

14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes
and mighty men of war’?
15 The destroyer of ^fcMoab and his cities has come up,
and the choicest of his young men have ^fdgone down to slaughter,
declares ^fethe King, ^ffwhose name is the Lord of hosts.
16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
and his affliction hastens swiftly.
17 ^fgGrieve for him, all you who are around him,
and all who know his name;
say, ^fh‘How the mighty scepter is broken,
the glorious staff.’
18 ^fi“Come down from your glory,
and sit on the parched ground,
O inhabitant of ^fjDibon!
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you;
he has destroyed your strongholds.
19 ^fkStand by the way ^fland watch,
O inhabitant of ^fmAroer!
Ask him who flees and her who escapes;
say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken;
^fnwail and cry!
Tell it beside ^fothe Arnon,
that ^fpMoab is laid waste.
21 “Judgment has come upon ^fqthe tableland, upon Holon, and ^frJahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and ^fsDibon, and ^ftNebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and ^fuKiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and ^fvBeth-meon, 24 and ^fwKerioth, and ^fxBozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 ^fyThe horn of Moab is cut off, and ^fzhis arm is broken, declares the Lord.

26 ^ga“Make him drunk, ^gbbecause he magnified himself against the Lord, so that Moab shall ^gcwallow in his vomit, ^gdand he too shall be held in derision. 27 ^geWas not Israel a derision to you? ^gfWas he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him ^ggyou wagged your head?

28 ^gh“Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock,
O inhabitants of Moab!
Be ^gilike the dove that nests
in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.
29 ^gjWe have heard of the pride of Moab—
he is very proud—
of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance,
and the haughtiness of his heart.
30 I know his insolence, declares the Lord;
^gkhis boasts are false,
his deeds are false.
31 ^glTherefore I wail for Moab;
I cry out for all Moab;
for the men of ^gmKir-hareseth I mourn.
32 More than for ^gnJazer I weep for you,
^goO vine of ^gpSibmah!
^gqYour branches passed over the sea,
reached to the Sea of ^grJazer;
on your summer fruits and your grapes
the destroyer has fallen.
33 ^gsGladness and joy have been taken away
from the fruitful land of Moab;
I have made the wine cease from the winepresses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy;
the shouting is not the shout of joy.
34 ^gt“From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to ^guHoronaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the Lord, him who offers sacrifice in ^gvthe high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of ^gwKir-hareseth. ^gxTherefore the riches they gained have perished.

37 ^gy“For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. ^gzOn all the hands are gashes, and ^haaround the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like ^hba vessel for which no one cares, declares the Lord. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! ^hcHow Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab ^hdhas become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.”

40 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, ^heone shall fly swiftly like an eagle
^hfand spread his wings against Moab;
41 ^hgthe cities shall be taken
and the strongholds seized.
^hhThe heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day
like the heart of ^hia woman in her birth pains;
42 Moab shall be ^hjdestroyed and be no longer a people,
because ^hkhe magnified himself against the Lord.
43 ^hlTerror, pit, and snare
are before you, O inhabitant of Moab!

declares the Lord.
44 He who flees from the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
^hmFor I will bring these things upon Moab,
the year of their punishment,

declares the Lord.
45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
fugitives stop without strength,
for fire came out from Heshbon,
flame from the house of Sihon;
it has destroyed ^hnthe forehead of Moab,
the crown of ^hothe sons of tumult.
46 ^hpWoe to you, O Moab!
The people of ^hqChemosh are undone,
for your sons have been taken captive,
and your daughters into captivity.
47 ^hrYet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
in the latter days, declares the Lord.”
Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

Jeremiah 49

Judgment on Ammon

1 ^hsConcerning the Ammonites.

Thus says the Lord:

“Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then has ^htMilcom ^hudispossessed Gad,
and his people settled in its cities?
2 Therefore, behold, the days are coming,
declares the Lord,
when I will cause ^hvthe battle cry to be heard
against ^hwRabbah of the Ammonites;
it shall become a desolate ^hxmound,
and its villages shall be burned with fire;
then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him,
says the Lord.
3 “Wail, O ^hyHeshbon, for Ai is laid waste!
Cry out, O daughters of ^hzRabbah!
^iaPut on sackcloth,
lament, and run to and fro among the hedges!
For ^ibMilcom shall go into exile,
^icwith his priests and his officials.
4 Why do you boast of your valleys, ^{▼▼Hebrew boast of your valleys, your valley flows}
^ieO faithless daughter,
^ifwho trusted in her treasures, saying,
‘Who will come against me?’
5 Behold, ^igI will bring terror upon you,
declares the Lord God of hosts,
from all who are around you,
and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him,
with none to gather the fugitives.
6 “But ^ihafterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the Lord.”

Judgment on Edom

7 Concerning ⁱⁱEdom.

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

^ij“Is wisdom no more in ^ikTeman?
^ilHas counsel perished from the prudent?
^imHas their wisdom vanished?
8 ⁱⁿFlee, turn back, dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of ^ioDedan!
For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,
^ipthe time when I punish him.
9 ^iqIf grape gatherers came to you,
would they not leave ^irgleanings?
^isIf thieves came by night,
would they not destroy only enough for themselves?
10 ^itBut I have stripped Esau bare;
^iuI have uncovered his hiding places,
and he is not able to conceal himself.
His children are destroyed, and his brothers,
and his neighbors; and ^ivhe is no more.
11 ^iwLeave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive;
^ixand let your widows trust in me.”
12 For thus says the Lord: ^iy“If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, ^izwill you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink. 13 ^jaFor I have sworn by myself, declares the Lord, that ^jbBozrah shall become ^jca horror, a taunt, a waste, and a curse, and all her cities shall be perpetual wastes.”

14 ^jdI have heard a message from the Lord,
and an envoy has been sent among the nations:
^je“Gather yourselves together and come against her,
and rise up for battle!
15 For behold, I will make you small among the nations,
despised among mankind.
16 The horror you inspire has deceived you,
and the pride of your heart,
you who live in the clefts of the rock, ^{▼▼Or of Sela}
who hold the height of the hill.
Though you ^jgmake your nest as high as the eagle’s,
I will bring you down from there,

declares the Lord.
17 ^jh“Edom shall become a horror. ^jiEveryone who passes by it will be horrified ^jjand will hiss because of all its disasters. 18 ^jkAs when Sodom and Gomorrah and their ^jlneighboring cities were overthrown, says the Lord, ^jmno man shall dwell there, ^jnno man shall sojourn in her. 19 ^joBehold, ^jplike a lion coming up from ^jqthe jungle of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make him ^{▼▼Septuagint, Syriac them} run away from her. And I will appoint over her whomever I choose. ^jsFor who is like me? ^jtWho will summon me? ^juWhat shepherd can stand before me? 20 Therefore hear the plan that the Lord has made against ^jvEdom and the purposes that he has formed against the inhabitants of ^jwTeman: ^jxEven the little ones of the flock shall be dragged away. Surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 21 At the sound of their fall ^jythe earth shall tremble; the sound of their cry shall be heard at the Red Sea. 22 Behold, ^jzone shall mount up and fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against ^kaBozrah, and the heart of the warriors of Edom shall be in that day like the heart ^kbof a woman in her birth pains.”

Judgment on Damascus

23 Concerning ^kcDamascus:

^kd“Hamath and ^keArpad are confounded,
for they have heard bad news;
they melt in fear,
^kfthey are troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet.
24 ^kgDamascus has become feeble, ^khshe turned to flee,
and panic seized her;
anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her,
as ^kiof a woman in labor.
25 How is ^kjthe famous city not forsaken,
the city of my joy?
26 ^kkTherefore her young men shall fall in her squares,
and all her soldiers shall be destroyed in that day,

declares the Lord of hosts.
27 And ^klI will kindle a fire in the wall of ^kmDamascus,
and it shall devour the strongholds of ^knBen-hadad.”

Judgment on Kedar and Hazor

28 Concerning ^koKedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down.

Thus says the Lord:
^kp“Rise up, advance against ^kqKedar!
Destroy ^krthe people of the east!
29 ^ksTheir tents and their flocks shall be taken,
their ^ktcurtains and all their goods;
their camels shall be led away from them,
and men shall cry to them: ^ku‘Terror on every side!’
30 ^kvFlee, wander far away, dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor!

declares the Lord.
For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
has made a plan against you
and formed a purpose against you.
31 ^kw“Rise up, advance against a nation ^kxat ease,
^kythat dwells securely,

declares the Lord,
^kzthat has no gates or bars,
that dwells alone.
32 ^laTheir camels shall become plunder,
their herds of livestock a spoil.
^lbI will scatter to every wind
^lcthose who cut the corners of their hair,
and I will bring their calamity
from every side of them,

declares the Lord.
33 Hazor shall become ^lda haunt of jackals,
an everlasting waste;
^leno man shall dwell there;
^lfno man shall sojourn in her.”

Judgment on Elam

34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning ^lgElam, in the beginning of the reign of ^lhZedekiah king of Judah.

35 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will break ^lithe bow of ^ljElam, the mainstay of their might. 36 And I will bring upon ^lkElam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. And I will scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of ^llElam shall not come. 37 I will ^lmterrify ^lnElam before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, ^lomy fierce anger, declares the Lord. ^lpI will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them, 38 and I will set my throne in ^lqElam and destroy their king and officials, declares the Lord.

39 “But in the latter days ^lrI will restore the fortunes of ^lsElam, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 52

The Fall of Jerusalem Recounted

1 ^ltZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^luaccording to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 ^lvAnd in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. 5 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at ^lwRiblah. 11 ^lxHe put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison ^lytill the day of his death.

The Temple Burned

12 ^lzIn the fifth month, on ^mathe tenth day of the month—that was ^mbthe nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who ^mcserved the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 13 And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 14 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people and the rest of the people who were left in the city and ^mdthe deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the artisans. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

17 And the ^mepillars of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the ^mfbronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and ^mgcarried all the bronze to Babylon. 18 And they took away ^mhthe pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the basins and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service; 19 ^mialso the small bowls and the fire pans and the basins and the pots and ^mjthe lampstands and ^mkthe dishes for incense ^mland the bowls for drink offerings. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. 20 As for the two pillars, the one sea, ^mmthe twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, ^{▼▼Hebrew lacks the sea} and the stands, which Solomon the king had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these things was beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} ^mpits circumference was twelve cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow. 22 On it was a capital of bronze. The height of the one capital was ^mqfive cubits. A network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around.

The People Exiled to Babylon

24 And the captain of the guard took ^mrSeraiah the chief priest, and ^msZephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; 25 and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and ^mtseven men of the king’s council, who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city. 26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at ^muRiblah. 27 And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at ^mvRiblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

28 This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: ^mwin the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; 29 ^mxin the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison

31 ^myAnd in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed ^{▼▼Hebrew king, lifted up the head of} ^naJehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of ^nbthe kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, 34 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.

Habakkuk 1:9-10

9 They all come ^ncfor violence,
all their faces forward.
They gather captives ^ndlike sand.
10 At kings they scoff,
and at rulers they laugh.
^neThey laugh at every fortress,
for ^nfthey pile up earth and take it.

Habakkuk 2:5-8

5 “Moreover, wine ^{▼▼Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll wealth} is ^nha traitor,
an arrogant man who is never at rest. ^{▼▼The meaning of the Hebrew of these two lines is uncertain}
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death ^njhe has never enough.
^nkHe gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”

Woe to the Chaldeans

6 Shall not all these ^nltake up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,

^nm“Woe to him ⁿⁿwho heaps up what is not his own—
for ^nohow long?—
and ^nploads himself with pledges!”
7 ^nqWill not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be spoil for them.
8 ^nrBecause you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
^nsfor the blood of man and ^ntviolence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.

Habakkuk 2:17

17 ^nuThe violence ^nvdone to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
^nwfor the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.