Through the Bible – Day 273

₁At that time you will say,

“I thank you, LORD!

You were angry with me,

but you stopped being angry

and gave me comfort.

₂I trust you to save me,

LORD God,

and I won't be afraid.

My power and my strength

come from you,

and you have saved me.”

₃With great joy, you people

will get water

from the well of victory.

₄At that time you will say,

“Our LORD, we are thankful,

and we worship only you.

We will tell the nations

how glorious you are

and what you have done.

₅Because of your wonderful deeds

we will sing your praises

everywhere on earth.”

₆Sing, people of Zion!

Celebrate the greatness

of the holy LORD of Israel.

God is here to help you.

₂From high on a barren hill

give a signal, shout the orders,

and point the way

to enter the gates

of Babylon's proud rulers.

₃The LORD has commanded

his very best warriors

and his proud heroes

to show how angry he is.

₄Listen to the noisy crowds

on the mountains!

Kingdoms and nations

are joining forces.

The LORD All-Powerful

is bringing together

an army for battle.

₅From a distant land

the LORD is coming

fierce and furious—

he brings his weapons

to destroy the earth.

₆Cry and weep!

The day is coming

when the mighty LORD

will bring destruction.

_7-8All people will be terrified.

Hands will grow limp;

courage will melt away.

Everyone will tremble with pain

like a woman giving birth;

they will stare at each other

with horror on their faces.

₉I, the LORD,

will show no mercy or pity

when that time comes.

In my anger I will destroy

the earth and every sinner

who lives on it.

₁₀Light will disappear

from the stars in the sky;

the dawning sun will turn dark,

and the moon

will lose its glow.

₁₁I will punish this evil world

and its people

because of their sins.

I will crush the horrible pride

of those who are cruel.

₁₂Survivors will be harder to find

than the purest gold.

₁₃I, the LORD All-Powerful,

am terribly angry—

I will make the sky tremble

and the earth shake loose.

₁₄Everyone will run

to their homelands,

just as hunted deer run,

and sheep scatter

when they have no shepherd.

₁₅Those who are captured

will be killed by a sword.

₁₆They will see their children

beaten against rocks,

their homes robbed,

and their wives abused.

₁₇The Medes can't be bought off

with silver or gold,

and I'm sending them

to attack Babylonia.

₁₈Their arrows will slaughter

the young men;

no pity will be shown

to babies and children.

₁₉The city of Babylon

is glorious and powerful,

the pride of the nation.

But it will be like the cities

of Sodom and Gomorrah

after I, the Lord,

destroyed them.

₂₀No one will live in Babylon.

Even nomads won't camp nearby,

and shepherds won't let

their sheep rest there.

₂₁Only desert creatures,

owls, and ostriches

will live in its ruins,

and goats will leap about.

₂₂Hyenas and wolves will howl

from Babylon's fortresses

and beautiful palaces.

Its time is almost up!

That cruel monster is done for!

He won't attack us again.

₅The LORD has crushed the power

of those evil kings,

₆who were furious

and never stopped abusing

the people of other nations.

₇Now all the world is at peace;

its people are celebrating

with joyful songs.

₈King of Babylonia,

even the cypress trees

and the cedars of Lebanon

celebrate and say,

“Since you were put down,

no one comes along

to chop us down.”

₉The world of the dead

eagerly waits for you.

With great excitement,

the spirits of ancient rulers

hear about your coming.

₁₀Each one of them will say,

“Now you are just as weak

as any of us!

₁₁Your pride and your music

have ended here

in the world of the dead.

Worms are your blanket,

maggots are your bed.”

₁₂You, the bright morning star,

have fallen from the sky!

You brought down other nations;

now you are brought down.

₁₃You said to yourself,

“I'll climb to heaven

and place my throne

above the highest stars.

I'll sit there with the gods

far away in the north.

₁₄I'll be above the clouds,

just like God Most High.”

₁₅But now you are deep

in the world of the dead.

₁₆Those who see you will stare

and wonder, “Is this the man

who made the world tremble

and shook up kingdoms?

₁₇Did he capture every city

and make earth a desert?

Is he the one who refused

to let prisoners go home?”

₁₈When kings die, they are buried

in glorious tombs.

₁₉But you will be left unburied,

just another dead body

lying underfoot

like a broken branch.

You will be one of many

killed in battle and gone down

to the deep rocky pit.

₂₀You won't be buried with kings;

you ruined your country

and murdered your people.

You evil monster!

We hope that your family

will be forgotten for ever.

₂₁We will slaughter your sons

to make them pay for the crimes

of their ancestors.

They won't take over the world

or build cities

anywhere on this earth.

₂₄The LORD All-Powerful

has made this promise:

Everything I have planned

will happen just as I said.

₂₅I will wipe out every Assyrian

in my country,

and I will crush those

on my mountains.

I will free my people

from slavery

to the Assyrians.

₂₆I have planned this

for the whole world,

and my mighty arm

controls every nation.

₂₇I, the LORD All-Powerful,

have made these plans.

No one can stop me now!

₂₈This message came from the LORD

in the year King Ahaz died:

₂₉Philistines, don't be happy

just because the rod

that punished you

is broken.

That rod will become

a poisonous snake, and then

a flying fiery dragon.

₃₀The poor and needy will find

pastures for their sheep

and will live in safety.

But I will starve some of you,

and others will be killed.

₃₁Cry and weep in the gates

of your towns,

you Philistines!

Smoke blows in from the north,

and every soldier is ready.

₃₂If a messenger comes

from a distant nation,

you must say:

“The LORD built Zion.

Even the poorest of his people

will find safety there.”