i[See ver. 3 above]
ck[See ver. 29 above]
cm[See ver. 29 above]
er[See ver. 11 above]
fo[See ver. 27 above]
fp[See ver. 27 above]
hv[See ver. 47 above]
is[See ver. 63 above]
iv[See ver. 22 above]

Isaiah 45:1-5

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

1 Thus says the Lord to ahis anointed, to Cyrus,
bwhose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and cto loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
2I will go before you
and dlevel the exalted places,
Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint  level the mountains

fI will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 gI will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, hwho call you by your name.
4For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
iI call you by your name,
jI name you, though you do not know me.
5 kI am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
lI equip you, though you do not know me,

Jeremiah 50

Judgment on Babylon

1The word that the Lord spoke concerning mBabylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, nby Jeremiah the prophet:

2 Declare among the nations and proclaim,
set up a banner and proclaim,
conceal it not, and say:
oBabylon is taken,
pBel is put to shame,
Merodach is dismayed.
qHer images are put to shame,
her idols are dismayed.’
3For rout of the north a nation has come up against her, swhich shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; tboth man and beast shall flee away.

4 u“In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, vthe people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, wweeping as they come, and they xshall seek the Lord their God. 5 yThey shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, zsaying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an aaeverlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’

6 ab“My people have been lost sheep. acTheir shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. 7All who found them have devoured them, adand their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for aethey have sinned against the Lord, aftheir habitation of righteousness, the Lord, agthe hope of their fathers.’

8 ahFlee from the midst of Babylon, aiand go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock. 9For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon aja gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed. 10 akChaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, declares the Lord.

11 alThough you rejoice, though you exult,
O plunderers of my heritage,
though you frolic like a heifer in the pasture,
and neigh like stallions,
12your mother shall be utterly shamed,
and she who bore you shall be disgraced.
Behold, she shall be the last of the nations,
ama wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 anBecause of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited
but shall be an utter desolation;
aoeveryone who passes by Babylon shall be appalled,
apand hiss because of all her wounds.
14 aqSet yourselves in array against Babylon all around,
arall you who bend the bow;
shoot at her, spare no arrows,
asfor she has sinned against the Lord.
15 atRaise a shout against her all around;
she has surrendered;
her bulwarks have fallen;
auher walls are thrown down.
For avthis is the vengeance of the Lord:
take vengeance on her;
awdo to her as she has done.
16Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the one who handles the sickle in time of harvest;
axbecause of the sword of the oppressor,
ayevery one shall turn to his own people,
and every one shall flee to his own land.
17 azIsrael is a hunted sheep badriven away by lions. bbFirst the king of Assyria bcdevoured him, and now at last bdNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon behas gnawed his bones. 18Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, bfI am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, bgas I punished the king of Assyria. 19 bhI will restore Israel to his pasture, and bihe shall feed on bjCarmel and in bkBashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in blGilead. 20In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, bminiquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for bnI will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

21 “Go up against the land of Merathaim,
 Merathaim means double rebellion

and against the inhabitants of Pekod.
 Pekod means punishment

Kill, bqand devote them to destruction,
That is, set apart ( devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)


declares the Lord,
and do all that I have commanded you.
22 bsThe noise of battle is in the land,
and great destruction!
23 btHow the hammer of the whole earth
is cut down and broken!
buHow Babylon bvhas become
a horror among the nations!
24 bwI set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,
and bxyou did not know it;
you were found and caught,
because you opposed the Lord.
25The Lord has opened his armory
and brought out bythe weapons of his wrath,
for the Lord God of hosts has a work to do
in the land of the Chaldeans.
26Come against her from every quarter;
open her granaries;
bzpile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction;
let nothing be left of her.
27Kill all caher bulls;
let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come,
cbthe time of their punishment.
28“A voice! They ccflee and escape from the land of Babylon, cdto declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for cehis temple.

29 cfSummon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. cgEncamp around her; let no one escape. chRepay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has ciproudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 30 cjTherefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, declares the Lord.

31 Behold, I am against you, O ckproud one,
declares the Lord God of hosts,
clfor your day has come,
the time when I will punish you.
32 cmThe proud one shall stumble and fall,
with none to raise him up,
cnand I will kindle a fire in his cities,
and it will devour all that is around him.
33Thus says the Lord of hosts: coThe people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; cpthey refuse to let them go. 34 cqTheir Redeemer is strong; crthe Lord of hosts is his name. csHe will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

35 “A sword against the Chaldeans, declares the Lord,
and against the inhabitants of Babylon,
and against cther officials and her cuwise men!
36A sword against the diviners,
that they may become fools!
A sword against her cvwarriors,
that they may be destroyed!
37A sword against her horses and against her chariots,
and against all cwthe foreign troops in her midst,
that cxthey may become women!
cyA sword against all her treasures,
that they may be plundered!
38 czA drought against her waters,
that they may be dried up!
daFor it is a land of images,
and they are mad over idols.
39 dbTherefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon, and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations. 40 dcAs when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the Lord, ddso no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.

41 deBehold, a people comes from the north;
a mighty nation and many kings
are stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
42They lay hold of bow and spear;
they are cruel and have no mercy.
The sound of them is like the roaring of the sea;
they ride on horses,
arrayed as a man for battle
against you, O daughter of Babylon!
43 “The king of Babylon heard the report of them,
and his hands fell helpless;
anguish seized him,
pain as of a woman in labor.
44 dfBehold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd dgcan stand before me? 45Therefore hear dhthe plan that the Lord has made against Babylon, diand the purposes that he has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: djSurely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 46 dkAt the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.”

Jeremiah 51

The Utter Destruction of Babylon

1 Thus says the Lord:
Behold, I will stir up dlthe spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon,
against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai,
A code name for Chaldea

2and I will send to Babylon winnowers,
and dnthey shall winnow her,
and they shall empty her land,
when they come against her from every side
doon the day of trouble.
3 dpLet not the archer bend his bow,
and let him not stand up in his armor.
Spare not her young men;
dqdevote to destruction
That is, set apart ( devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
all her army.
4They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans,
dsand wounded in her streets.
5 dtFor Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
by their God, the Lord of hosts,
but the land of the Chaldeans
Hebrew their land
is full of guilt
against the Holy One of Israel.
6 dvFlee from the midst of Babylon;
let every one save his life!
dwBe not cut off in her punishment,
dxfor this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance,
the repayment he is rendering her.
7Babylon was dya golden cup in the Lord’s hand,
dzmaking all the earth drunken;
eathe nations drank of her wine;
therefore the nations went mad.
8 ebSuddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;
ecwail for her!
edTake balm for her pain;
perhaps she may be healed.
9We would have healed Babylon,
but she was not healed.
eeForsake her, and eflet us go
each to his own country,
for egher judgment has reached up to heaven
and has been lifted up even to the skies.
10 ehThe Lord has brought about our vindication;
eicome, let us declare in Zion
the work of the Lord our God.
11 ejSharpen the arrows!
Take up the shields!
ekThe Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of elthe Medes, because emhis purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, enfor that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for eohis temple.

12 ep“Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon;
eqmake the watch strong;
set up watchmen;
prepare the ambushes;
erfor the Lord has both planned and done
what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 esO you who dwell by many waters,
rich in treasures,
your end has come;
the thread of your life is cut.
14 etThe Lord of hosts has sworn by himself:
Surely I will fill you with men, euas many as locusts,
evand they shall raise the shout of victory over you.
15 ew“It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
16When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
17Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
and there is no breath in them.
18They are worthless, a work of delusion;
at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
19Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,
for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
the Lord of hosts is his name.
20 “You are my hammer and weapon of war:
with you I exbreak nations in pieces;
with you I destroy kingdoms;
21with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider;
with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer;
22with you I break in pieces man and woman;
with you I break in pieces eythe old man and the youth;
with you I break in pieces ezthe young man and the young woman;
23with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team;
with you I break in pieces fagovernors and commanders.
24 fb“I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the Lord.

25 Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain,

declares the Lord,
which destroys the whole earth;
I will stretch out my hand against you,
and roll you down from the crags,
fcand make you a burnt mountain.
26No fdstone shall be taken from you for a corner
and no stone for a foundation,
but you shall be fea perpetual waste,
declares the Lord.
27 ff“Set up a standard on the earth;
fgblow the trumpet among the nations;
fhprepare fithe nations for war against her;
summon against her fjthe kingdoms,
fkArarat, Minni, and flAshkenaz;
appoint a fmmarshal against her;
fnbring up horses like bristling locusts.
28 foPrepare fpthe nations for war against her,
the kings of fqthe Medes, frwith their governors fsand deputies,
and every ftland under their dominion.
29 fuThe land trembles and writhes in pain,
fvfor the Lord’s purposes against Babylon stand,
to make the land of Babylon a desolation,
without inhabitant.
30The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting;
they remain in their strongholds;
their strength has failed;
fwthey have become women;
fxher dwellings are on fire;
fyher bars are broken.
31One fzrunner runs to meet another,
and one messenger to meet another,
to tell the king of Babylon
that his city is taken on every side;
32the fords have been gaseized,
the marshes are burned with fire,
and the soldiers are in panic.
33For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
gbThe daughter of Babylon is like gca threshing floor
at the time when it is trodden;
yet a little while
and gdthe time of her harvest will come.”
34 Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon gehas devoured me;
he has crushed me;
he has made me an empty vessel;
gfhe has swallowed me like gga monster;
he has filled his stomach with my delicacies;
he has rinsed me out.
Or  he has expelled me

35The violence done to me and to my kinsmen be upon Babylon,”
let the inhabitant of Zion say.
“My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
let Jerusalem say.
36Therefore thus says the Lord:
Behold, giI will plead your cause
and take vengeance for you.
gjI will dry up her sea
and gkmake her fountain dry,
37and Babylon shall become gla heap of ruins,
gmthe haunt of jackals,
gna horror goand a hissing,
without inhabitant.
38 gp“They shall roar together gqlike lions;
they shall growl like lionscubs.
39 grWhile they are inflamed gsI will prepare them a feast
and gtmake them drunk, that they may become merry,
guthen sleep a perpetual sleep
and not wake, declares the Lord.
40I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and male goats.
41 How gvBabylon
Hebrew Sheshach, a code name for Babylon
is taken,
gxthe praise of the whole earth gyseized!
How Babylon has become
a horror among the nations!
42 gzThe sea has come up on Babylon;
she is covered with its tumultuous waves.
43Her cities have become a horror,
haa land of drought and a desert,
hba land in which no one dwells,
and through which no son of man passes.
44And I will punish hcBel in Babylon,
and hdtake out of his mouth hewhat he has swallowed.
hfThe nations shall no longer flow to him;
hgthe wall of Babylon has fallen.
45 Go out of the midst of her, hhmy people!
Let every one save his life
from hithe fierce anger of the Lord!
46Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful
hjat the report heard in the land,
hkwhen a report comes in one year
and afterward a report in another year,
and violence is in the land,
hland ruler is against ruler.
47 Therefore, behold, the days are coming
when hmI will punish the images of Babylon;
hnher whole land shall be put to shame,
and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.
48 hoThen the heavens and the earth,
and all that is in them,
shall sing for joy over Babylon,
hpfor the destroyers shall come against them out of the north,

declares the Lord.
49Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel,
hqjust as for Babylon have fallen the slain of all the earth.
50 hr“You who have escaped from the sword,
go, do not stand still!
Remember the Lord from far away,
and let Jerusalem come into your mind:
51 hs‘We are put to shame, for we have heard reproach;
htdishonor has covered our face,
hufor foreigners have come
into the holy places of the Lord’s house.’
52 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when hvI will execute judgment upon her images,
hwand through all her land
the wounded shall groan.
53Though Babylon should hxmount up to heaven,
and though she should hyfortify her strong height,
yet destroyers would come from me against her,
declares the Lord.
54 hz“A voice! A cry from Babylon!
The noise of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55For the Lord is laying Babylon waste
and stilling her mighty voice.
iaTheir waves roar like many waters;
the noise of their voice is raised,
56for a destroyer has come upon her,
upon Babylon;
her warriors are taken;
their bows are broken in pieces,
ibfor the Lord is a God of recompense;
he will surely repay.
57 icI will make drunk her officials and her wise men,
idher governors, her commanders, and her warriors;
they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake,
declares iethe King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
58 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
The broad ifwall of Babylon
shall be leveled to the ground,
igand her high gates
shall be burned with fire.
ihThe peoples labor for nothing,
and iithe nations weary themselves only for fire.”
59The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah ijthe son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, ikin the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 ilJeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, imall these words that are written concerning Babylon. 61And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, 62and say, ‘O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so inthat nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be iodesolate forever.’ 63When you finish reading this book, ip, iqtie a stone to it irand cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, 64and say, isThus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, itand they shall become exhausted.’”

Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

Daniel 5:30

30 iuThat very night ivBelshazzar the iwChaldean king was killed.

Daniel 7:5

5And behold, ixanother beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’

Daniel 11:2

2“And now I will show you iythe truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece.
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