Day 256 of 730

¹The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:

²Set up a banner on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

³I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my mighty men for my anger, even my proudly exulting ones.

⁴The noise of a multitude is in the mountains, as of a great people; the noise of an uproar of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for the battle.

⁵They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

⁶Wail; for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

⁷Therefore all hands will be feeble, and everyone's heart will melt.

⁸They will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame.

⁹Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it.

¹⁰For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.

¹¹I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the haughtiness of the terrible.

¹²I will make people more rare than fine gold, even a person than the pure gold of Ophir.

¹³Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

¹⁴It will happen that like a hunted gazelle, and like sheep that no one gathers, they will each turn to their own people, and will each flee to their own land.

¹⁵Everyone who is found will be thrust through. Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

¹⁶Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be ransacked, and their wives raped.

¹⁷Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it.

¹⁸Their bows will dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eyes will not spare children.

¹⁹Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

²⁰It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

²¹But wild animals of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of jackals. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will frolic there.

²²Wolves will cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.

¹For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land. The foreigner will join himself with them, and they will unite with the house of Jacob.

²The peoples will take them, and bring them to their place. The house of Israel will possess them in the Lord's land for servants and for handmaids. They will take as captives those whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

³It will happen in the day that the Lord will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard service in which you were made to serve,

⁴that you will take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, "How the oppressor has ceased! How the attacker has ceased!"

⁵The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,

⁶who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.

⁷The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet. They break out song.

⁸Yes, the fir trees rejoice with you, with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, "Since you are humbled, no lumberjack has come up against us."

⁹Sheol from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

¹⁰They all will answer and ask you, "Have you also become as weak as we are? Have you become like us?"

¹¹Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, with the sound of your stringed instruments. Maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you.

¹²How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low!

¹³You said in your heart, "I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north!

¹⁴I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!"

¹⁵Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.

¹⁶Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, "Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms;

¹⁷who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities; who did not release his prisoners to their home?"

¹⁸All the kings of the nations, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house.

¹⁹But you are cast away from your tomb like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain, who are thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body trodden under foot.

²⁰You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. The seed of evildoers will not be named forever.

²¹Prepare for slaughter of his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, that they not rise up and possess the earth, and fill the surface of the world with cities.

²²"I will rise up against them," says the Lord of hosts, "and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son's son," says the Lord.

²³"I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water. I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," says the Lord of hosts.

²⁴The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so shall it happen; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

²⁵that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and tread him under foot on my mountains. Then his yoke will leave them, and his burden leave their shoulders.

²⁶This is the plan that is determined for the whole earth. This is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.

²⁷For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can stop it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"

²⁸This burden was in the year that king Ahaz died.

²⁹Do not rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck you is broken; for out of the serpent's root an adder will emerge, and his fruit will be a fiery flying serpent.

³⁰The firstborn of the poor will eat, and the needy will lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant will be killed.

³¹Howl, gate! Cry, city! You are melted away, Philistia, all of you; for smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.

³²What will they answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people will take refuge.

¹Praise Yah! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.

²Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, or fully declare all his praise?

³Blessed are those who keep justice. Blessed is one who does what is right at all times.

⁴Remember me, Lord, with the favor that you show to your people. Visit me with your salvation,

⁵that I may see the prosperity of your chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.

⁶We have sinned with our fathers. We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly.

⁷Our fathers did not understand your wonders in Egypt. They did not remember the multitude of your loving kindnesses, but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.

⁸Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power known.

⁹He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up; so he led them through the depths, as through a desert.

¹⁰He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

¹¹The waters covered their adversaries. There was not one of them left.

¹²Then they believed his words. They sang his praise.

¹³They soon forgot his works. They did not wait for his counsel,

¹⁴but gave in to craving in the desert, and tested God in the wasteland.

¹⁵He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.

¹⁶They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron, the Lord's holy one.

¹⁷The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.

¹⁸A fire was kindled in their company. The flame burned up the wicked.

¹⁹They made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped a molten image.

²⁰Thus they exchanged their glory for an image of a bull that eats grass.

²¹They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,

²²Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome things by the Red Sea.

²³Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had Moses, his chosen, not stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, so that he wouldn't destroy them.

²⁴Yes, they despised the pleasant land. They did not believe his word,

²⁵but murmured in their tents, and did not listen to the Lord's voice.

²⁶Therefore he swore to them that he would overthrow them in the wilderness,

²⁷that he would overthrow their seed among the nations, and scatter them in the lands.

²⁸They joined themselves also to Baal Peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.

²⁹Thus they provoked him to anger with their deeds. The plague broke in on them.

³⁰Then Phinehas stood up, and executed judgment, so the plague was stopped.

³¹That was credited to him for righteousness, for all generations to come.

³²They angered him also at the waters of Meribah, so that Moses was troubled for their sakes;

³³because they were rebellious against his spirit, he spoke rashly with his lips.

³⁴They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them,

³⁵but mixed themselves with the nations, and learned their works.

³⁶They served their idols, which became a snare to them.

³⁷Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

³⁸They shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted with blood.

³⁹Thus were they defiled with their works, and prostituted themselves in their deeds.

⁴⁰Therefore the Lord burned with anger against his people. He abhorred his inheritance.

⁴¹He gave them into the hand of the nations. Those who hated them ruled over them.

⁴²Their enemies also oppressed them. They were brought into subjection under their hand.

⁴³Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their counsel, and were brought low in their iniquity.

⁴⁴Nevertheless he regarded their distress, when he heard their cry.

⁴⁵He remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.

⁴⁶He made them also to be pitied by all those who carried them captive.

⁴⁷Save us, Lord, our God, gather us from among the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, to triumph in your praise!

⁴⁸Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting! Let all the people say, "Amen." Praise the Lord!

¹Doesn't wisdom cry out? Doesn't understanding raise her voice?

²On the top of high places by the way, where the paths meet, she stands.

³Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entry doors, she cries aloud:

⁴"To you men, I call! I send my voice to the sons of mankind.

⁵You simple, understand prudence. You fools, be of an understanding heart.

⁶Hear, for I will speak excellent things. The opening of my lips is for right things.

⁷For my mouth speaks truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

⁹They are all plain to him who understands, right to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰Receive my instruction rather than silver; knowledge rather than choice gold.

¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies. All the things that may be desired can't be compared to it.

¹²"I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling. Find out knowledge and discretion.

¹³The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.

¹⁴Counsel and sound knowledge are mine. I have understanding and power.

¹⁵By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

¹⁶By me princes rule; nobles, and all the righteous rulers of the earth.

¹⁷I love those who love me. Those who seek me diligently will find me.

¹⁸With me are riches, honor, enduring wealth, and prosperity.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold; my yield than choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice;

²¹That I may give wealth to those who love me. I fill their treasuries.

²²"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his work, before his deeds of old.

²³I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth existed.

²⁴When there were no depths, I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was brought forth;

²⁶while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world.

²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there; when he set a circle on the surface of the deep,

²⁸when he established the clouds above, when the springs of the deep became strong,

²⁹when he gave to the sea its boundary, that the waters should not violate his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth;

³⁰then I was the craftsman by his side. I was a delight day by day, always rejoicing before him,

³¹Rejoicing in his whole world. My delight was with the sons of men.

³²"Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways.

³³Hear instruction, and be wise. Do not refuse it.

³⁴Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my door posts.

³⁵For whoever finds me, finds life, and will obtain favor from the Lord.

³⁶But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death."