Jer 21:2-7, Eze 2:4-5, Dan 4:19-25, 5:17-28, Mar 14:21 | ESV | STEP | Inquire of the Lord for us , for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.

2 ^a“Inquire of the Lord for us, ^bfor Nebuchadnezzar ^{▼▼Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, an alternate spelling of Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21–52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency} king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to ^dall his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”

3 Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ^eBehold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. ^fAnd I will bring them together into the midst of this city. 5 I myself will fight against you ^gwith outstretched hand and strong arm, ^hin anger and in fury and in great wrath. 6 And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. 7 Afterward, declares the Lord, ⁱI will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. ^jHe shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’

Ezekiel 2:4-5

4 The descendants also are ^kimpudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 And ^lwhether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are ^ma rebellious house) ⁿthey will know that a prophet has been among them.

Daniel 4:19-25

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

19 Then Daniel, whose name was ^oBelteshazzar, was ^pdismayed for a while, and ^qhis thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, ^rmay the dream be for those who hate you ^sand its interpretation for your enemies! 20 ^tThe tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 ^uwhose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 ^vit is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. ^wYour greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, ^xand your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw ^ya watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ^z‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till ^aaseven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 ^abthat you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made ^acto eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and ^adseven periods of time shall pass over you, till ^aeyou know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.

Daniel 5:17-28

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ^af“Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the ^agMost High God ^ahgave ^aiNebuchadnezzar your father ^ajkingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, ^akall peoples, nations, and languages ^altrembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But ^amwhen his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, ^anhe was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 ^aoHe was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, ^apuntil he knew that the ^aqMost High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son, ^{▼▼Or successor} ^asBelshazzar, ^athave not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against ^authe Lord of heaven. And ^avthe vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. ^awAnd you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, ^axbut the God in whose hand is your breath, and ^aywhose are all your ways, ^azyou have not honored.

24 “Then from his presence ^bathe hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered ^{▼▼ Mene sounds like the Aramaic for numbered} the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, ^bcyou have been weighed ^{▼▼ Tekel sounds like the Aramaic for weighed} in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to ^bethe Medes and ^bfPersians.” ^{▼▼ Peres (the singular of Parsin) sounds like the Aramaic for divided and for Persia}

Mark 14:21

21 For the Son of Man goes ^bhas it is written of him, but ^biwoe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^bjIt would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”