Isaiah 23 Cross References - ISV

¹ Tyre is RebukedA message concerning Tyre. “Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed and is without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it was revealed to them. ² “Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast, you merchants of Sidon, whose messengers crossed over the sea, ³ and were on mighty waters. Her revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; and she became the marketplace of nations. ⁴ Be ashamed, Sidon, because the sea has spoken, the fortress of the sea: I have neither been in labor nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women.” ⁵ When the news reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report about Tyre. ⁶ “You who are crossing over to Tarshish— Wail, you inhabitants of the coast! ⁷ Is this your exciting city, that was founded long ago, whose feet carried her to settle in far-off lands? ⁸ Who has planned this against Tyre, that bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the most renowned on earth? ⁹ The LORD of the Heavenly Armies has planned it— to neutralize all the hubris of grandeur, to discredit all the renowned men of earth. ¹⁰ “Cultivate your land like the Nile, you daughter of Tarshish; for there is no longer a harbor. ¹¹ He has stretched out his hand over the sea; he has made kingdoms tremble. The LORD has issued orders concerning Canaan to destroy its strongholds. ¹² And he said: ‘You will revel no longer, you virgin daughter of Sidon, now crushed. Get up, cross over to Cyprus— but even there you will find no rest.’”
¹³ Tyre’s Desolation and Restoration“Look at the land of the Chaldeans! This is a people that no longer exist; Assyria destined her for desert creatures. They raised up her siege towers, they stripped her fortresses bare and turned her into a ruin. ¹⁴ Wail, you ships of Tarshish, because your stronghold is destroyed!”
¹⁵ It will happen at that time that Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years, the span of a king’s life. Then, at the end of those 70 years, it will turn out for Tyre as in the prostitute’s song: ¹⁶ “Take a harp; walk around the city, you forgotten whore! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, and perhaps you’ll be remembered.”
¹⁷ At the end of 70 years, the LORD will deal with Tyre, at which time she’ll return to her courtesan’s trade, and prostitute herself with the kingdoms of the world on the surface of the earth. ¹⁸ Nevertheless, her profits and her earnings will be dedicated to the LORD; they will not be stored up or hoarded—but her profits will go to those who live in the LORD’s presence, for abundant food and choice clothing.

⁴ Javan’s descendants included Elisha, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim,

²⁴ Ships under control of Kittim will devastate Asshur and Eber, until they are permanently destroyed.”

²⁹ There the boundary turned toward Ramah, reaching to the fortress city of Tyre and turned to Hosah, where it terminated at the Mediterranean Sea. Also included were Mahalab, Achzib,

¹ Preparations to Build the Temple
King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he learned that Solomon had been anointed king to replace his father, because Hiram had been David’s lifelong friend.

²² because the king had ships that sailed to Tarshish accompanied by Hiram’s ships. Once every three years ships from Tarshish returned, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat had ocean-going vessels from Tarshish sail to Ophir for gold, but they never made it because they were shipwrecked at Ezion-geber.

²¹ because the king had ships that sailed to Tarshish accompanied by Hiram’s servants. Once every three years ships from Tarshish returned, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

⁷ as when an east wind destroyed the ships of Tarshish.

¹⁶ against all the ships from Tarshish, and against all their impressive watercraft.

¹ Moab’s Pending JudgmentA message concerning Moab: “For Ir in Moab is destroyed in a night, and Moab is ruined! Because Ir in Moab is destroyed in a single night, Moab is ruined! ² He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon, to the high places to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. His head is completely bald, and every beard is shaved off.

⁸ For the cry has gone out along the border of Moab; her wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, her wailing reaches as far as Beer-elim.

¹² And he said: ‘You will revel no longer, you virgin daughter of Sidon, now crushed. Get up, cross over to Cyprus— but even there you will find no rest.’”

¹⁰ The chaotic city lies broken down; every house is closed up so that no one can enter them.

⁹ For the coastlands will look to me, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring my children from far away, their silver and gold with them, to the name of the LORD your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you.

¹⁰ “Indeed, go over to the coasts of Cyprus and see, send to Kedar and pay very close attention. See if there has ever been such a thing as this!

¹⁰ I’ll destroy the sounds of gladness and rejoicing from them, the sounds of the bridegroom and the bride, the sound of the hand mill and also the light of the lamp. ¹¹ This entire land will be a desolation and a waste, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

¹⁵ Judgment on the NationsFor this is what the LORD God of Israel says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of burning anger from my hand and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

²² all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and all the kings of the coast lands that are beyond the sea;

⁴ for the day is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper who remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastlands of Caphtor.

¹ A Message Condemning TyreDuring the eleventh year, on the first day of the month of our captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: ² “Son of Man, because Tyre has been saying about Jerusalem, ‘The international gateway is broken down! It’s wide open to me! I will be replenished, now that it lies in ruins!’
³ “Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Watch out! I’m coming to get you, Tyre! I’m about to bring many nations to attack you. They’ll come in wave after wave, like the advancing tide, ⁴ and will destroy the city walls of Tyre. After they break down her fortified towers, I’ll scrape away the city’s debris, right down to the bare bedrock, ⁵ and it will become a place where nets will be spread out right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Because I have declared this to happen,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘Tyre will be treated as the spoils of war by the invading nations. ⁶ Furthermore, her citizens who live on the mainland will be executed with swords. That’s how they’ll learn that I am the LORD.’”
⁷ Nebuchadnezzar’s Invasion“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Watch out! I’m about to bring from the north King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, that king of kings. He’ll come with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a vast army. ⁸ He’ll execute your citizens who live on the mainland with swords. He’ll build siege engines to attack you. Then he’ll construct siege ramps against you and build huge shields to protect themselves against you.
⁹ “‘He’ll direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and will breach your fortified towers with axes. ¹⁰ There will be so many horses that the dust raised by them will cover you completely. The walls of your city will tremble from the noise of Nebuchadnezzar’s cavalry, wagons, and chariots when they enter through the gates of your city, as men enter a city that has been breached.
¹¹ “‘Their horses will trample all the public places as he executes your inhabitants with swords. The most fortified of your pillars will be torn to the ground. ¹² They will plunder your riches and loot your businesses. They’ll tear down your walls and demolish your luxurious homes. They’ll grab the stones, wood, and rubble from the destruction and dump it all into the Mediterranean Sea.
¹³ “‘I’ll silence the noise of your songs and the music of your harps won’t be heard anymore. ¹⁴ I’ll turn you into bare rock, and your city will become a place to spread nets. You will never be built again, because I the LORD have decreed this,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
¹⁵ Terror at Tyre’s Destruction“This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: ‘When your wounded citizens groan while the slaughter takes place among you, the people who live in the coastlands will tremble in terror as they hear about your fall, will they not? ¹⁶ That’s when all the kings of the seafaring nations will abandon their thrones, strip off their fancy clothes, and collapse trembling on the ground. They’ll be so frightened as they observe what has happened to you that they’ll be unable to stop trembling. They will be utterly appalled at you! ¹⁷ They’ll sing this mourning song for you: “How lost you are, you inhabited city, that was built in the middle of the sea! How famous you were! How strong on the sea! She and her inhabitants inflicted terror to everyone who lived within her.” ¹⁸ ‘Now the coastland inhabitants will tremble on the day that you fall. The coastland inhabitants, who make their living from the sea, will be terrified when you pass away!’
¹⁹ “This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I turn your city into a ghost town, when I flood you with deep water that covers you completely, ²⁰ I’ll make sure that you go straight to the Pit, into the lowest part of the earth, where you’ll be with people who lived in ancient times. You’ll keep company there with the dead, who have gone into the Pit. As a result, your city won’t be inhabited. Meanwhile, I will display my glory in the land of the living. ²¹ I’m going to send terrifying calamity in your direction, and you won’t exist any longer. You might be sought after, but you’ll never be found again,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

¹ A Message Condemning TyreThis message came to me from the LORD: ² “Son of Man, compose a mourning song for Tyre. ³ Tell Tyre, who lives at the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, who serves as the international merchant to many coastal districts: ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Tyre, you’ve been claiming, “I am beauty perfected.’ ⁴ You’ve set your national boundary in international waters. Your builders made you downright beautiful!”’”
⁵ Tyre’s Luxurious Sailing Vessels‘They brought in a ship made with pine planking from Senir, configured with a mast carved from a cedar from Lebanon, ⁶ equipped with oars made from oaks from Bashan, with ivory-inlaid cypress wood decking imported from the coastlands of Cypress, ⁷ with sails made with embroidered Egyptian linen, festooned with blue banners, and with your sun shades made with purple cloth from Cypress. ⁸ Your sailors were conscripted from Sidon and Arvad, and your officers served aboard as pilots. ⁹ The wise men and elders from Gebal accompanied you, serving as ship’s carpenters. All the maritime navies and their seaman also accompanied you to assist you in doing business internationally.”
¹⁰ Tyre’s International Makeup“Soldiers from Persia, Lud, and Libya, served in your army. They were your mighty soldiers. Their helmets and shields adorned your barracks walls, and they won battle decorations for you. ¹¹ Mercenaries from Arvad and Helech stood guard duty on your walls, while brave men manned your towers. They hung their shields all around your walls— just the right touch to perfect your interior decorating!”
¹² Tyre’s Trading Partners‘Tarshish was your business partner because of your phenomenal wealth. They traded silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise. ¹³ Greece, Tubal, and Meshech bartered with you, exchanging slaves and bronze vessels for your wares. ¹⁴ Beth-togarmah traded horses, war horses, and mules in exchange for what you had to sell. ¹⁵ Men from the low country south of Edom and many of the coastlands were your markets for ivory tusks and ebony that they brought to trade with you.
¹⁶ “Aram was one of your customers because you had so much merchandise. They paid by trading turquoise, purple yarn, embroidered goods, Egyptian linen, coral, and rubies. ¹⁷ The territories of Judah and Israel were your clients, too. They traded wheat from their distribution centers, baked goods, honey, oil, and ointments for your merchandise.
¹⁸ “Because you have so much to sell and are so rich, Damascus has been your trading partner, exchanging wine from Helbon, unbleached wool, ¹⁹ and casks of wine from Izal for your wrought iron, cassia wood, and aromatic reeds.
²⁰ “Dedan traded with you, exchanging riding blankets. ²¹ Arabia, including all the princes of Kedar, came to you, shopping for lambs, rams, and goats. ²² Traders from Sheba and Raamah paid for the best of what you had to offer with all types of spices, precious stones, and gold. ²³ Haran, Canneh, Eden, merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad did business with you, ²⁴ trading garments made into the finest blue and embroidered mantels, and also multi-colored carpets, ropes, and other merchandise.

¹ Prophecy against TyreThis message came to me from the LORD: ² “Son of Man, tell Tyre’s Commander-in-Chief, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Because your heart is arrogant, and because you keep saying, ‘I have taken my seat, I am a god, seated in God’s seat right in the middle of the sea,’ and because you’re a man, and not a god, even though you pretend that you have a god-like heart… ³ Look! You’re wiser than Daniel, aren’t you? No secret is too mysterious for you! ⁴ Your wisdom and understanding brought you phenomenal wealth. You’ve brought gold and silver into your treasuries. ⁵ By your great wisdom, by your skills in trading you have amassed wealth for yourself and your heart has become arrogant because of your wealth.” ⁶ Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “Because you’ve made your heart like that of God ⁷ Therefore, look! I’m bringing foreigners in your direction, the most terrifying of nations! They will direct their violence against the grandeur that you’ve created by your wisdom. ⁸ They’ll send you down to the Pit, and you’ll die defiled in the depths of the sea. ⁹ Is that when you’ll say, ‘I’m God’ to the face of those who will be killing you? After all, you’re a man, and have never been a god, especially when you’re under the control of those who will defile you! ¹⁰ You will die a death fit for the uncircumcised at the hand of foreigners.” ‘for I have said it will be so,’ declares the LORD.”
¹¹ A Rebuke for Tyre’s KingAnother message came to me from the LORD, and this is what it said: ¹² “Son of Man, start singing this lamentation for the king of Tyre. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “You served as my model, my example of complete wisdom and perfect beauty. ¹³ You used to be in Eden— God’s paradise! You wore precious stones for clothing: ruby, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and carbuncle. Your settings were crafted in gold, along with your engravings. On the day of your creation they had been prepared! ¹⁴ “You were the anointed cherub; having been set in place on the holy mountain of God, you walked in the midst of fiery stones. ¹⁵ You were blameless in your behavior from the day you were created until wickedness was discovered in you. ¹⁶ Since your vast business dealings filled you with violent intent from top to bottom, you sinned, so I cast you away as defiled from the mountain of God. I destroyed you, you guardian cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. ¹⁷ Your heart grew arrogant because of your beauty; you annihilated your own wisdom because of your splendor. Then I threw you to the ground in the presence of kings, giving them a good look at you! ¹⁸ By all of your iniquity and unrighteous businesses you defiled your sanctuaries, so I’m going to bring out fire from within you and burn you to ashes on the earth before the whole watching world! ¹⁹ Everyone who knows you throughout all the nations will be appalled at your calamity and you will no longer exist forever.”’”
²⁰ The Judgment of SidonAnother message came to me from the LORD, who had this to say:
²¹ “Son of Man, turn your attention to Sidon and prophesy against her. ²² Tell her: ‘Pay attention to me, Sidon! I’m against you, and I’m going to glorify myself right in your midst.’ They’ll learn that I am the LORD when I carry out these punishments and manifest my holiness in her midst. ²³ I’m going to send disease into that city and blood into her streets. People will drop dead in her midst from the violence done to her from every side. Then they’ll learn that I am the Lord GOD.”
²⁴ The Future Regathering of Israel“The house of Israel will never again suffer from painful briers and sharp thorn bushes that surround them on every side, and they will learn that I am the LORD.

³⁰ because ships will come against him from the Mediterranean islands. Disheartened, he’ll return, incited to vehemence against the holy covenant, and he’ll take action. As he returns, he’ll show deference to those who abandon the holy covenant.

⁴ The LORD’s Judgment upon Philistia“Furthermore, what have you to do with me, Tyre, Sidon, and all the sea coasts of Philistia? Are you taking revenge on me? If you are taking revenge on me, I’ll send it back on you swiftly and promptly, ⁵ since you took my silver and gold, carried my precious treasures into your temples, ⁶ and sold Judah’s and Jerusalem’s descendants to the Greeks, so you can remove them far from their homeland! ⁷ “Look, I will bring them up from where you sold them, I will turn your revenge back upon you, ⁸ and I will sell your sons and daughters into the control of the people of Judah. And they will sell them to the people of Sheba, a country far away.” Indeed, the LORD has spoken.”

⁹ A Warning to TyreThis is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Tyre —and now for a fourth— I will not turn away; because they delivered the entire population to Edom, and did not remember their covenant with their relatives. ¹⁰ So I will send down fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it will devour their fortified citadels.”

² Also Hamath, which borders on it— along with Tyre and Sidon— indeed they are very wise. ³ “Tyre built itself a fortification, hoarding silver like dust and pure gold like mud in a street. ⁴ Look! The Lord will evict her, striking at her power in the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.

¹⁷ because all this wealth has been destroyed in a single hour!”
Every ship’s captain, everyone who traveled by ship, sailors, and everyone who made a living from the sea stood far away. ¹⁸ When they saw the smoke rising from the fire that consumed her, they began to cry out, “What city was like that great city?” ¹⁹ Then they threw dust on their heads and shouted while crying and mourning: “How terrible, how terrible it is for the great city, where all who had ships at sea became rich from her wealth, because it has been destroyed in a single hour!

²² The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters will never be heard within you again. No artisan of any trade will ever be found within you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard within you again. ²³ The light from a lamp will never shine within you again. The voice of a bridegroom and bride will never be heard within you again. For your merchants were the important people of the world, and all the nations were deceived by your witchcraft.

¹⁰ Be in awe and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted throughout the earth.

¹ The LORD Comes as Judge “Be silent before me, you coastlands, and let the people renew their strength! Let them come forward, then let them speak together— let’s draw near for a ruling.

⁵ “Sit silent, and enter into the darkness, you daughter of the Chaldeans; for no more will they call you Queen of Kingdoms.

³ Tell Tyre, who lives at the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, who serves as the international merchant to many coastal districts: ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Tyre, you’ve been claiming, “I am beauty perfected.’ ⁴ You’ve set your national boundary in international waters. Your builders made you downright beautiful!”’”

⁸ Your sailors were conscripted from Sidon and Arvad, and your officers served aboard as pilots. ⁹ The wise men and elders from Gebal accompanied you, serving as ship’s carpenters. All the maritime navies and their seaman also accompanied you to assist you in doing business internationally.”
¹⁰ Tyre’s International Makeup“Soldiers from Persia, Lud, and Libya, served in your army. They were your mighty soldiers. Their helmets and shields adorned your barracks walls, and they won battle decorations for you. ¹¹ Mercenaries from Arvad and Helech stood guard duty on your walls, while brave men manned your towers. They hung their shields all around your walls— just the right touch to perfect your interior decorating!”
¹² Tyre’s Trading Partners‘Tarshish was your business partner because of your phenomenal wealth. They traded silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise. ¹³ Greece, Tubal, and Meshech bartered with you, exchanging slaves and bronze vessels for your wares. ¹⁴ Beth-togarmah traded horses, war horses, and mules in exchange for what you had to sell. ¹⁵ Men from the low country south of Edom and many of the coastlands were your markets for ivory tusks and ebony that they brought to trade with you.
¹⁶ “Aram was one of your customers because you had so much merchandise. They paid by trading turquoise, purple yarn, embroidered goods, Egyptian linen, coral, and rubies. ¹⁷ The territories of Judah and Israel were your clients, too. They traded wheat from their distribution centers, baked goods, honey, oil, and ointments for your merchandise.
¹⁸ “Because you have so much to sell and are so rich, Damascus has been your trading partner, exchanging wine from Helbon, unbleached wool, ¹⁹ and casks of wine from Izal for your wrought iron, cassia wood, and aromatic reeds.
²⁰ “Dedan traded with you, exchanging riding blankets. ²¹ Arabia, including all the princes of Kedar, came to you, shopping for lambs, rams, and goats. ²² Traders from Sheba and Raamah paid for the best of what you had to offer with all types of spices, precious stones, and gold. ²³ Haran, Canneh, Eden, merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad did business with you, ²⁴ trading garments made into the finest blue and embroidered mantels, and also multi-colored carpets, ropes, and other merchandise. ²⁵ Ocean-going fleets carried your merchandise.”
Tyre’s Coming Storm “How filled you were! How glorious you were, at home in the heart of the sea! ²⁶ But your rowers have brought you into dangerous waters. The east wind has broken you in the heart of the ocean! ²⁷ Your wealth, your products, your merchandise your sailors, your pilots, your tailors, your salesmen, all your mercenaries with you— your entire company with you— will fall into the midst of the sea on the day when you’re overthrown! ²⁸ When your ships’ captains cry out, the pasturelands along the coast will cry out! ²⁹ Everyone who handles an oar will abandon ship, they’ll head straight for dry land, ³⁰ and they will cry so loud you won’t be able to make yourself heard! How bitterly they’ll cry! They’ll throw dust on their heads and wallow in ashes. ³¹ They’ll shave their heads bald because of you. They’ll dress themselves in sackcloth and weep for you with deep bitterness of heart, with the most pitiful of mourning. ³² In the depth of their despair they’ll compose a lament for you. This is what they’ll say: ‘Who is like Tyre? Who is so silent in the midst of the sea?’ ³³ Your merchandise went out over the oceans to satisfy many nations; with the abundance of your wealth you enriched the kings of the earth. ³⁴ “But now it’s your time to be wrecked at the bottom of the sea! Your products and your workers have sunk, and so have you! ³⁵ Everyone who lives by the sea is appalled at your destruction. Their leaders are terrified— their faces reflect their fears! ³⁶ Traders circulate among the people, hissing at you. What a horror you’ve become! Now you will cease to exist forever and ever!”

² “Son of Man, tell Tyre’s Commander-in-Chief, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Because your heart is arrogant, and because you keep saying, ‘I have taken my seat, I am a god, seated in God’s seat right in the middle of the sea,’ and because you’re a man, and not a god, even though you pretend that you have a god-like heart…

²⁰ The LORD’s Final Counsel to Habakkuk“The LORD is in his holy Temple. All the earth—be quiet in his presence.”

¹⁰ For the land that you are about to enter to inherit isn’t like the land of Egypt that you just left, where you plant a seed and irrigate it with your feet like a vegetable garden.

⁵ So David assembled all of Israel—from the Shihor River of Egypt to Lebo-hamath—in order to bring the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

⁷ And the bulrushes along the Nile, along the mouth of the Nile, will wither away. All the sown fields of the Nile will become parched, and they will be blown away; there will be nothing left.

⁸ Who has planned this against Tyre, that bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the most renowned on earth?

²⁰ How happy you will be, sowing your seed beside every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range freely!”

¹⁸ Now, what are you doing on the road to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Nile? And what are you doing on the road to Assyria, to drink the waters of the Euphrates?

³ Tell Tyre, who lives at the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, who serves as the international merchant to many coastal districts: ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Tyre, you’ve been claiming, “I am beauty perfected.’ ⁴ You’ve set your national boundary in international waters. Your builders made you downright beautiful!”’”
⁵ Tyre’s Luxurious Sailing Vessels‘They brought in a ship made with pine planking from Senir, configured with a mast carved from a cedar from Lebanon, ⁶ equipped with oars made from oaks from Bashan, with ivory-inlaid cypress wood decking imported from the coastlands of Cypress, ⁷ with sails made with embroidered Egyptian linen, festooned with blue banners, and with your sun shades made with purple cloth from Cypress. ⁸ Your sailors were conscripted from Sidon and Arvad, and your officers served aboard as pilots. ⁹ The wise men and elders from Gebal accompanied you, serving as ship’s carpenters. All the maritime navies and their seaman also accompanied you to assist you in doing business internationally.”
¹⁰ Tyre’s International Makeup“Soldiers from Persia, Lud, and Libya, served in your army. They were your mighty soldiers. Their helmets and shields adorned your barracks walls, and they won battle decorations for you. ¹¹ Mercenaries from Arvad and Helech stood guard duty on your walls, while brave men manned your towers. They hung their shields all around your walls— just the right touch to perfect your interior decorating!”
¹² Tyre’s Trading Partners‘Tarshish was your business partner because of your phenomenal wealth. They traded silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise. ¹³ Greece, Tubal, and Meshech bartered with you, exchanging slaves and bronze vessels for your wares. ¹⁴ Beth-togarmah traded horses, war horses, and mules in exchange for what you had to sell. ¹⁵ Men from the low country south of Edom and many of the coastlands were your markets for ivory tusks and ebony that they brought to trade with you.
¹⁶ “Aram was one of your customers because you had so much merchandise. They paid by trading turquoise, purple yarn, embroidered goods, Egyptian linen, coral, and rubies. ¹⁷ The territories of Judah and Israel were your clients, too. They traded wheat from their distribution centers, baked goods, honey, oil, and ointments for your merchandise.
¹⁸ “Because you have so much to sell and are so rich, Damascus has been your trading partner, exchanging wine from Helbon, unbleached wool, ¹⁹ and casks of wine from Izal for your wrought iron, cassia wood, and aromatic reeds.
²⁰ “Dedan traded with you, exchanging riding blankets. ²¹ Arabia, including all the princes of Kedar, came to you, shopping for lambs, rams, and goats. ²² Traders from Sheba and Raamah paid for the best of what you had to offer with all types of spices, precious stones, and gold. ²³ Haran, Canneh, Eden, merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad did business with you,

³³ Your merchandise went out over the oceans to satisfy many nations; with the abundance of your wealth you enriched the kings of the earth.

⁴ Your wisdom and understanding brought you phenomenal wealth. You’ve brought gold and silver into your treasuries.

⁵ since you took my silver and gold, carried my precious treasures into your temples,

¹¹ The world’s businesses cry and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore— ¹² cargo of gold, silver, gems, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all articles made of ivory, all articles made of very costly wood, bronze, iron, marble, ¹³ cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and slaves (that is, human souls)—

¹⁵ Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, along with the Hittites,

¹⁹ The Canaanite border extended south from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and east toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

³ At the sound of the galloping hooves of his horses, at the rumbling of his chariots, the clatter of his wheels, fathers won’t turn back for their children because their hands are weak, ⁴ for the day is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper who remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastlands of Caphtor.

³ “Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Watch out! I’m coming to get you, Tyre! I’m about to bring many nations to attack you. They’ll come in wave after wave, like the advancing tide, ⁴ and will destroy the city walls of Tyre. After they break down her fortified towers, I’ll scrape away the city’s debris, right down to the bare bedrock, ⁵ and it will become a place where nets will be spread out right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Because I have declared this to happen,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘Tyre will be treated as the spoils of war by the invading nations. ⁶ Furthermore, her citizens who live on the mainland will be executed with swords. That’s how they’ll learn that I am the LORD.’”

¹¹ The glory of Ephraim will fly away like a bird— no birth, no pregnancy, not even a conception. ¹² Even if they rear their children, I will, in turn, make them childless— in fact, woe to them when I turn away from them! ¹³ Ephraim, as I see it, is like Tyre, planted in a comfortable place; Ephraim will bear children but they will be executed.” ¹⁴ Give them, LORD— What will you give? You will give them a womb that miscarries and dry breasts.

²³ The light from a lamp will never shine within you again. The voice of a bridegroom and bride will never be heard within you again. For your merchants were the important people of the world, and all the nations were deceived by your witchcraft.

¹⁴ “The people heard and they quaked, anguish has seized the inhabitants of Philistia. ¹⁵ Then the chiefs of Edom were terrified, the nobles of Moab trembled uncontrollably, and all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away. ¹⁶ Dread and fear have fallen on them, because of the strength of your arm. They have become silent as a stone, until your people pass by, LORD, until this people you acquired pass by.

⁹ “I’m really convinced that the LORD has given you the land,” she said, “because we’re overwhelmed with fear of you. All the other inhabitants of the land are demoralized at your presence, ¹⁰ because we heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Reed Sea right in front of you as you were coming out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan River—to Sihon and Og—whom you completely destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard these reports, we all became terrified and discouraged because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath.

¹⁶ Egypt and Syria Will Worship GodAt that time, the Egyptians will be like women—they will shudder and be afraid before the uplifted hand of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, when he brandishes his hand against her.

¹⁵ Terror at Tyre’s Destruction“This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: ‘When your wounded citizens groan while the slaughter takes place among you, the people who live in the coastlands will tremble in terror as they hear about your fall, will they not? ¹⁶ That’s when all the kings of the seafaring nations will abandon their thrones, strip off their fancy clothes, and collapse trembling on the ground. They’ll be so frightened as they observe what has happened to you that they’ll be unable to stop trembling. They will be utterly appalled at you! ¹⁷ They’ll sing this mourning song for you: “How lost you are, you inhabited city, that was built in the middle of the sea! How famous you were! How strong on the sea! She and her inhabitants inflicted terror to everyone who lived within her.” ¹⁸ ‘Now the coastland inhabitants will tremble on the day that you fall. The coastland inhabitants, who make their living from the sea, will be terrified when you pass away!’
¹⁹ “This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I turn your city into a ghost town, when I flood you with deep water that covers you completely, ²⁰ I’ll make sure that you go straight to the Pit, into the lowest part of the earth, where you’ll be with people who lived in ancient times. You’ll keep company there with the dead, who have gone into the Pit. As a result, your city won’t be inhabited. Meanwhile, I will display my glory in the land of the living. ²¹ I’m going to send terrifying calamity in your direction, and you won’t exist any longer. You might be sought after, but you’ll never be found again,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

¹⁹ Everyone who knows you throughout all the nations will be appalled at your calamity and you will no longer exist forever.”’”

⁷ Therefore, let Moab not wail, let everyone wail for Moab. Lament and grieve deeply for the ruined remains of Kir-hareseth.

¹⁵ For he has fled from swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the heat of battle.”

¹ Tyre is RebukedA message concerning Tyre. “Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed and is without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it was revealed to them. ² “Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast, you merchants of Sidon, whose messengers crossed over the sea,

¹⁰ “Cultivate your land like the Nile, you daughter of Tarshish; for there is no longer a harbor.

⁷ And I have observed servants riding on horses, while princes walk on the ground like servants.

² you who are full of commotion, you passionate city, you rollicking town? Your slain weren’t killed by the sword, nor are they dead in battle.

¹³ and over the land of my people overgrown with thorns and briers— yes, over all the houses of merriment and over this city of revelry.

¹ The Fall of Babylon “Come down and sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a chair, Daughter of the Chaldeans! For no longer will they call you tender and attractive. ² Take millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, strip off your robes, bare your legs, and wade through the rivers.

²⁴ All the nations will ask, ‘Why did the LORD do this to this land? What is the meaning of this fierce and great anger?’ ²⁵ Then they will answer themselves, ‘Because they’ve abandoned the covenant of their LORD, the God of their ancestors that he had made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. ²⁶ They followed and worshipped other gods whom they had not known and whom he did not assign to them. ²⁷ For this reason, the anger of the LORD raged against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that were written in this book. ²⁸ The LORD uprooted them from the land in his anger, wrath, and great fury, deporting them to another land, and that’s the way things are today.’

⁸ “Because this is what he is saying: ‘My commanders are all kings, are they not?

⁹ How, then, can you repulse even one officer from the least of my master’s officials, when you are depending for yourselves on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

⁴⁴ “Look, like a lion comes up from the thicket of the Jordan to a pasture that grows year round, so I’ll drive them away from her in an instant, and I’ll appoint whomever is chosen over her. Indeed, who is like me? Who gives me counsel? Who is the shepherd who will stand against me?” ⁴⁵ Therefore, hear the plan that the LORD has made against Babylon, and the strategy that he devised against the land of the Chaldeans. Surely they’ll drag the little ones of the flock away. Surely their pasture will be desolate because of them.

² “Son of Man, tell Tyre’s Commander-in-Chief, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Because your heart is arrogant, and because you keep saying, ‘I have taken my seat, I am a god, seated in God’s seat right in the middle of the sea,’ and because you’re a man, and not a god, even though you pretend that you have a god-like heart… ³ Look! You’re wiser than Daniel, aren’t you? No secret is too mysterious for you! ⁴ Your wisdom and understanding brought you phenomenal wealth. You’ve brought gold and silver into your treasuries. ⁵ By your great wisdom, by your skills in trading you have amassed wealth for yourself and your heart has become arrogant because of your wealth.” ⁶ Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “Because you’ve made your heart like that of God

¹² “Son of Man, start singing this lamentation for the king of Tyre. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “You served as my model, my example of complete wisdom and perfect beauty. ¹³ You used to be in Eden— God’s paradise! You wore precious stones for clothing: ruby, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and carbuncle. Your settings were crafted in gold, along with your engravings. On the day of your creation they had been prepared! ¹⁴ “You were the anointed cherub; having been set in place on the holy mountain of God, you walked in the midst of fiery stones. ¹⁵ You were blameless in your behavior from the day you were created until wickedness was discovered in you. ¹⁶ Since your vast business dealings filled you with violent intent from top to bottom, you sinned, so I cast you away as defiled from the mountain of God. I destroyed you, you guardian cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. ¹⁷ Your heart grew arrogant because of your beauty; you annihilated your own wisdom because of your splendor. Then I threw you to the ground in the presence of kings, giving them a good look at you! ¹⁸ By all of your iniquity and unrighteous businesses you defiled your sanctuaries, so I’m going to bring out fire from within you and burn you to ashes on the earth before the whole watching world!

⁸ For this reason, her diseases that result in death, misery, and famine will come in a single day. She will be burned up in a fire, because powerful is the Lord God who judges her.”

²¹ He pours contempt on nobles and embarrasses the mighty.

¹¹ dispensed the fury of your anger, made sure that you have humbled every proud person, ¹² stared down and subdued every proud person, trampled the wicked right where they are,

⁴⁰ Having poured contempt on their nobles, causing them to err aimlessly in the way.

¹¹ The haughty looks of mankind will be brought low, the lofty pride of human beings will be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted at that time.

¹⁷ “Humanity’s haughtiness will be humbled, male arrogance will be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

¹³ Therefore my people go into exile because they lack understanding; my honored men go hungry, and the crowd is parched with thirst.

¹⁵ Humanity is brought low, and each one is humbled, while the eyes of the self-exalting are brought low. ¹⁶ But the LORD of the Heavenly Armies is exalted in justice, and the Holy God proves himself to be righteously holy.

¹⁵ the elder and the dignitary is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.

³³ Behold, the Lord GOD of the Heavenly Armies will lop off its boughs with terrifying power; the tallest in height will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

¹¹ I’ll punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I’ll put an end to the pomposity of the arrogant, and overthrow the insolence of tyrants.

²⁴ The LORD of the Heavenly Armies has sworn: “Surely as I have planned, that’s what she will become; and just as I have determined, so will it remain—

²⁷ For the LORD of the Heavenly Armies has planned, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”

¹⁰ I declare from the beginning things to follow, and from ancient times things that have not yet been done; saying, ‘My purpose will stand, and he will accomplish everything that I please.’ ¹¹ I am calling a bird of prey from the east, and from a far country a man with his purpose. Indeed, I’ve spoken; I will certainly make it happen; I’ve planned it; and I will certainly carry it out.

⁶ Ah, sword of the LORD, how long before you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard, be at rest, be silent! ⁷ How can it be quiet, when the LORD has ordered disaster to come to Ashkelon and the seashore? That’s where he has assigned it.”

⁶² and say, ‘LORD, you have declared about this place that you would destroy it so that there wouldn’t be an inhabitant in it, neither human nor animal, because it will be a wasteland forever.’

³⁷ In conclusion, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and give glory to the King of heaven: For everything he does is true, his ways are just, and he is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

¹ The Great Day of the LORD“The coming day is certainly going to burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and all who practice evil will be stubble—the coming day will set them on fire,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

²⁸ to carry out everything that your hand and will had predetermined to take place.

²⁶ Brothers, think about your own calling. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose what is nonsense in the world to make the wise feel ashamed. God chose what is weak in the world to make the strong feel ashamed. ²⁸ And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something, ²⁹ so that no one may boast in God’s presence.

¹¹ In the Messiah we were also chosen when we were predestined according to the purpose of the one who does everything that he wills to do,

¹¹ in keeping with the eternal purpose that God carried out through the Messiah Jesus our Lord,

⁶ But he gives all the more grace. And so he says, “God opposes the arrogant but gives grace to the humble.”

²⁰ The Medium Attends to SaulSaul immediately fell down full-length on the ground. He was terrified because of Samuel’s words, and he had no strength because he had not eaten food all day and all night.

³² the God who clothes me with strength, and who makes my way upright;

¹⁴ Wail, you ships of Tarshish, because your stronghold is destroyed!”

⁶ Fled from cherished Zion are all that were her splendor. Her princes have become like deer that cannot find their feeding grounds. They flee with strength exhausted from their pursuers.

²² I will overthrow royal thrones. I will annihilate the strength of national governments. I will overthrow chariots along with those who drive them. Both horses and their riders will fall, each one by means of his comrade’s weapon.

⁶ For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, the Messiah died for the ungodly.

²⁵ he said, “Canaan is cursed! He will be the lowest of slaves to his relatives.”

¹⁵ Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, along with the Hittites, ¹⁶ the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, ¹⁷ the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, ¹⁸ the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
Later, the Canaanite families were widely scattered. ¹⁹ The Canaanite border extended south from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and east toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the water to retreat by a strong east wind all night, turning the sea into dry land. As the waters were divided,

⁸ By the breath of your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing waters stood up like a hill, the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. ⁹ “The enemy said, ‘I’ll pursue them, I’ll overtake them, I’ll divide the spoil. I’ll satisfy my anger on them, I’ll draw my sword, and my hand will bring them to ruin.’ ¹⁰ “You blew with your breath, and the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty water.

⁶ The nations roared; the kingdoms were shaken. His voice boomed; the earth melts.

³ Be my sheltering refuge where I may go continuously; command my deliverance for you are my rock and fortress.

¹⁹ “They will enter caverns in the rocks and holes in the ground to escape the presence of the terror of the LORD, to escape the splendor of his majesty when he arises to terrify the earth.

⁶ I’m sending my fury against a godless nation, and I’ll command him against the people with whom I’m angry to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets.

¹⁶ “Those who see you will stare at you. They will wonder about you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who made kingdoms quake, ¹⁷ who made the world like a desert, who destroyed its cities, who would not open the jails for his prisoners?’

³ and were on mighty waters. Her revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; and she became the marketplace of nations.

² For you have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified city into a ruin; the foreigners’ citadel is no longer a city— it will never be rebuilt!

⁷ How can it be quiet, when the LORD has ordered disaster to come to Ashkelon and the seashore? That’s where he has assigned it.”

¹⁰ There will be so many horses that the dust raised by them will cover you completely. The walls of your city will tremble from the noise of Nebuchadnezzar’s cavalry, wagons, and chariots when they enter through the gates of your city, as men enter a city that has been breached.

¹⁵ Terror at Tyre’s Destruction“This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: ‘When your wounded citizens groan while the slaughter takes place among you, the people who live in the coastlands will tremble in terror as they hear about your fall, will they not? ¹⁶ That’s when all the kings of the seafaring nations will abandon their thrones, strip off their fancy clothes, and collapse trembling on the ground. They’ll be so frightened as they observe what has happened to you that they’ll be unable to stop trembling. They will be utterly appalled at you! ¹⁷ They’ll sing this mourning song for you: “How lost you are, you inhabited city, that was built in the middle of the sea! How famous you were! How strong on the sea! She and her inhabitants inflicted terror to everyone who lived within her.” ¹⁸ ‘Now the coastland inhabitants will tremble on the day that you fall. The coastland inhabitants, who make their living from the sea, will be terrified when you pass away!’
¹⁹ “This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I turn your city into a ghost town, when I flood you with deep water that covers you completely,

³⁴ “But now it’s your time to be wrecked at the bottom of the sea! Your products and your workers have sunk, and so have you! ³⁵ Everyone who lives by the sea is appalled at your destruction. Their leaders are terrified— their faces reflect their fears!

¹⁶ I made the nations tremble when they heard that Assyria was falling, descending into Sheol to join those who go down into the Pit. Then all of the trees of Eden in the world below were comforted, including the choicest and best of Lebanon, all of whom were well-watered.

⁷ “Now as for the merchant, deceitful balances remain in his hand, and he loves to defraud. ⁸ Ephraim claims, ‘I have become rich, I have made a fortune! Because of all my wealth, no one will find any iniquity or sin in me.’

¹⁴ Now this is what the Lord has decreed about you, Nineveh: “There will be no more children born to carry on your name. I will cut out the graven and molten images from the temples of your gods. I myself will dig your grave, because you are vile.”

⁷ I will shake all nations, and the One desired by all nations will come. Then I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

²¹ every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be consecrated to the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. Everyone who offers sacrifices will come, will take them, and will cook in them. Furthermore, at that time, there will no longer be a Canaanite in the Temple of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.”

¹⁷ Then he began to teach them: “It is written, is it not, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you’ve turned it into a hideout for bandits!”

¹⁶ Then he told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”

¹³ On the Future of Zebulun“Zebulun will settle down near the sea shore and become a safe haven for shipping, bordering Sidon.”

⁶⁴ Scattering among the Nations“He’ll scatter you among the peoples from one end of the earth to the other, and there you’ll serve other gods made of wood and stones, which neither you nor your ancestors have known. ⁶⁵ Among those nations you’ll have no rest. There’ll be no resting place for the soles of your feet. Instead, the LORD will give you an anxious heart, failing eyesight, and a despairing spirit. ⁶⁶ You’ll cling to life, being fearful by both night and day, with no assurance of survival. ⁶⁷ In the morning you’ll say, ‘I wish it were evening.’ Yet in the evening you’ll say, “I wish it were morning,” on account of what you’ll dread and what you’ll see.

⁸ The LORD handed them over to the control of Israel, who defeated them and chased them as far as Greater Sidon and east as far as the Mizpah Valley. They attacked them until none remained.

⁷ Is this your exciting city, that was founded long ago, whose feet carried her to settle in far-off lands?

²² This is the message that the LORD has spoken in opposition to him: “‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises and mocks you; the Daughter of Jerusalem— she tosses her head behind you as you flee.

¹ The Fall of Babylon “Come down and sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a chair, Daughter of the Chaldeans! For no longer will they call you tender and attractive.

¹⁷ “And deliver this message to them: ‘Let tears run down my face, night and day, and don’t let them stop, because my virgin daughter—my people— will be broken with a powerful blow, with a severe wound.

¹¹ Go up to Gilead and get balm, virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you multiply remedies, but there is no healing for you.

³ Judah has gone into exile to escape affliction and servitude. She that sat among the nations, has found no rest. All her pursuers overtook her amid narrow passes.

¹⁵ He rejected all the valiant men— the LORD, in my midst. He set a time to meet with me to crush my young warriors. The LORD has trampled, as in a winepress, the fair virgin that is Judah.

¹⁵ “Go away! Unclean!” they shouted at them. “Go away! Go away! Don’t touch!” When they fled away and wandered, those among the nations decreed, “They cannot live here!”

¹³ “‘I’ll silence the noise of your songs and the music of your harps won’t be heard anymore. ¹⁴ I’ll turn you into bare rock, and your city will become a place to spread nets. You will never be built again, because I the LORD have decreed this,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

⁶ equipped with oars made from oaks from Bashan, with ivory-inlaid cypress wood decking imported from the coastlands of Cypress,

²² The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters will never be heard within you again. No artisan of any trade will ever be found within you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard within you again.

¹⁴ The third river is named the Tigris— it flows to the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁰ His kingdom began in the region of Shinar with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. ¹¹ From there he went north to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, and Calah,

⁹ Therefore it was called Babylon, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth, and from there the LORD scattered them over the surface of the entire earth.

²⁸ Haran died during his father’s lifetime in the land of his birth, that is, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they journeyed together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they had gone as far as Haran, they settled there,

²⁴ Assyria Supplants the Northern KingdomBecause the king of Assyria brought captives from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sephar-vaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria to replace the Israelis, the settlers possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.

¹² Hezekiah Shows His Treasure to the Babylonian EnvoysSome time later, Berodach-baladan, the son of King Baladan of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, because he had heard that Hezekiah had been ill.

¹¹ so the LORD brought in the army commanders who worked for the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him in bronze chains, and took him off to Babylon.

⁹ From Governor Rehum
Shimshai the scribe
The rest of their colleagues—
Judges, envoys, officials, Persians, the people of Erech, the Babylonians, the people of Susa (that is, the Elamites) ¹⁰ and many other nations whom the great and honorable Osnappar deported and resettled in Samaria and in the rest of the province beyond the Euphrates River.

¹⁷ While this messenger was still speaking, another came and announced, “The Chaldeans formed three companies, raided the camels, captured the servants, and killed them with swords. Only I alone escaped to tell you.”

⁹ May the nomads bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust.

⁵ Assyria is an Instrument of Judgment“How terrible it will be for Assyria, the rod of my anger! The club is in their hands!

⁷ But this is not what he intends, and this is not what he thinks in his mind; but it is in his mind to destroy, and to cut down many nations.

¹⁹ Babylon, that jewel of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah, when God overthrew them—

⁷ Nebuchadnezzar’s Invasion“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Watch out! I’m about to bring from the north King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, that king of kings. He’ll come with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a vast army. ⁸ He’ll execute your citizens who live on the mainland with swords. He’ll build siege engines to attack you. Then he’ll construct siege ramps against you and build huge shields to protect themselves against you.
⁹ “‘He’ll direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and will breach your fortified towers with axes. ¹⁰ There will be so many horses that the dust raised by them will cover you completely. The walls of your city will tremble from the noise of Nebuchadnezzar’s cavalry, wagons, and chariots when they enter through the gates of your city, as men enter a city that has been breached.
¹¹ “‘Their horses will trample all the public places as he executes your inhabitants with swords. The most fortified of your pillars will be torn to the ground. ¹² They will plunder your riches and loot your businesses. They’ll tear down your walls and demolish your luxurious homes. They’ll grab the stones, wood, and rubble from the destruction and dump it all into the Mediterranean Sea.
¹³ “‘I’ll silence the noise of your songs and the music of your harps won’t be heard anymore. ¹⁴ I’ll turn you into bare rock, and your city will become a place to spread nets. You will never be built again, because I the LORD have decreed this,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

¹⁸ “Son of Man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his army work very hard to attack Tyre. They tore their hair out and rubbed their shoulders raw! Despite all of that work trying to capture Tyre, neither he nor his army got paid from Tyre for all that!

³⁰ he commented to himself, “Isn’t Babylon great? I’ve built a royal palace in it by my own might and power, for the sake of my majesty.”

⁶ Watch out! For I am bringing in the Chaldeans, that cruel and impetuous people, who sweep across the earth dispossessing people from homes not their own.

⁴ So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live.

¹ Tyre is RebukedA message concerning Tyre. “Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed and is without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it was revealed to them.

⁶ “You who are crossing over to Tarshish— Wail, you inhabitants of the coast!

²⁵ Ocean-going fleets carried your merchandise.”
Tyre’s Coming Storm “How filled you were! How glorious you were, at home in the heart of the sea! ²⁶ But your rowers have brought you into dangerous waters. The east wind has broken you in the heart of the ocean! ²⁷ Your wealth, your products, your merchandise your sailors, your pilots, your tailors, your salesmen, all your mercenaries with you— your entire company with you— will fall into the midst of the sea on the day when you’re overthrown! ²⁸ When your ships’ captains cry out, the pasturelands along the coast will cry out! ²⁹ Everyone who handles an oar will abandon ship, they’ll head straight for dry land, ³⁰ and they will cry so loud you won’t be able to make yourself heard! How bitterly they’ll cry! They’ll throw dust on their heads and wallow in ashes.

¹¹ The world’s businesses cry and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore— ¹² cargo of gold, silver, gems, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all articles made of ivory, all articles made of very costly wood, bronze, iron, marble, ¹³ cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and slaves (that is, human souls)— ¹⁴ “The fruit that you crafted has abandoned you. All your dainties and your splendor are lost, and no one will ever find them again.” ¹⁵ Frightened by the severity of her punishment, businesses that had become rich because of her will stand at a distance, crying and mourning: ¹⁶ “How terrible, how terrible it is for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet and was adorned with gold, gems, and pearls,

⁹ I’m now sending for all the tribes from the north, declares the LORD, and for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I’ll bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I’ll utterly destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting desolation.

³ Then send messengers to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon through the envoys who come to Jerusalem to king Zedekiah of Judah. ⁴ Give them this order for their masters: ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says, and this is what you are to say to your masters, ⁵ “By my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth, mankind, and the animals that are on the face of the earth, and I give it to whomever I see fit. ⁶ Now I’ve given all these lands to my servant, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I’ve even given him the wild animals to serve him. ⁷ All the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until his country’s time also comes, and then many nations and great kings will use him as a slave.

¹⁰ “For this is what the LORD says: ‘When Babylon’s seventy years are completed, I’ll take note of you and will fulfill my good promises to you by bringing you back to this place.

²⁵ Ocean-going fleets carried your merchandise.”
Tyre’s Coming Storm “How filled you were! How glorious you were, at home in the heart of the sea!

¹¹ Neither man nor beast will walk through that area. It won’t even be inhabited for 40 years.

¹⁴ To him dominion was bestowed, along with glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and languages are to serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion—it will never pass away—and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

²¹ The demonic goat is the king of Greece, and the great horn between its eyes is its first king.

¹⁵ There I will restore her vineyards to her, and the Valley of Achor will become a doorway to hope. There she will respond as she did in her youth, when she came up from Egypt.”

¹⁰ Five of them have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must remain in power for a little while.

¹⁰ Look! A woman makes her way to meet him, dressed as a prostitute and intending to entrap him. ¹¹ She is brazen and defiant— her feet don’t remain at home. ¹² Now she is in the street, now in the plazas, she lurks near every corner.

¹⁴ All your lovers have forgotten you; they don’t seek you. Indeed, I’ve struck you down with the blow of an enemy, with the punishment of a cruel foe because your wickedness is great, and your sins are numerous.

¹⁸ Don’t bring the earnings of a female prostitute nor the income of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God as payment for any vow. Both of these are detestable to the LORD your God.”

²⁶ Then you committed immorality with your neighbors, the Egyptians, with perverted lust, and by doing so you fornicated even more, provoking me to anger.

³¹ When you built your mound on every street corner and constructed your high place at every plaza, you weren’t like a common prostitute, in that you’ve insulted the wages of a prostitute

¹³ “Watch out! I’m vehemently angry about the unjust gains that you’ve earned, and about the blood that has been shed among you.

⁶ equipped with oars made from oaks from Bashan, with ivory-inlaid cypress wood decking imported from the coastlands of Cypress, ⁷ with sails made with embroidered Egyptian linen, festooned with blue banners, and with your sun shades made with purple cloth from Cypress.

⁷ All of her carved images will be crushed to pieces, all the earnings of her prostitution will be burned up, and I will destroy all her idols; because she collected the wages of prostitution, and to the wages of prostitution they will return.”

¹¹ Her leaders judge for the money, her priests teach only when they’re paid, and her prophets prophesy for cash. Even so, don’t they all rely on the LORD as they ask, ‘The LORD is among us, is he not? Nothing bad can possibly happen to us!’

⁴ Innumerable are the harlotries of this well-favored whore, this mistress of witchcraft, who enslaves nations through her fornication and families through her sorcery.

⁷ The survivors of Judah will find pasture on it; at twilight they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon, for the LORD their God will visit them, restoring their prosperity.”
The Lord’s Rebuke to Moab and Ammon

¹⁴ Simeon has explained how God first showed his concern for the gentiles by taking from among them a people for his name.

³ He must not drink excessively or be a violent person, but instead be gentle. He must not be argumentative or love money.

⁸ Ministers, too, must be serious. They must not be two-faced, addicted to wine, or greedy for money.

² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over it, not because you must but because you want to, and not greedily but eagerly, as God desires.

¹ The Vision of Babylon the GreatThen one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls came and told me, “Come, I will show you how the notorious prostitute who sits on many waters will be judged. ² The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those living on earth became drunk with the wine of her immorality.”
³ Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was controlled by blasphemy. It had seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman wore purple and scarlet clothes and was adorned with gold, gems, and pearls. In her hand she was holding a gold cup filled with detestable things and the impurities of her immorality. ⁵ On her forehead was written a secret name:
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND DETESTABLE THINGS OF THE EARTH

⁹ The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality with her and lived in luxury with her, will cry and mourn over her when they see the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. ¹⁰ Frightened by the torture that she experiences, they will stand far away and cry out, “How terrible, how terrible it is for that great city, the powerful city Babylon, because your judgment arrived in a single hour!”
¹¹ The world’s businesses cry and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore— ¹² cargo of gold, silver, gems, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all articles made of ivory, all articles made of very costly wood, bronze, iron, marble, ¹³ cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and slaves (that is, human souls)— ¹⁴ “The fruit that you crafted has abandoned you. All your dainties and your splendor are lost, and no one will ever find them again.”

² His judgments are true and just. He has condemned the notorious prostitute who corrupted the world with her immorality. He has taken revenge on her for the blood of his servants.”

³⁶ “You are to make a medallion of pure gold, and engrave on it ‘Holy to the LORD,’ like the engravings of a signet.

¹⁸ You’ll eat only in the presence of the LORD your God at the place that he will choose—you, your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your cities. Rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God in everything you undertake. ¹⁹ Be careful not to forget the descendant of Levi while you live in the land.

¹² Levitical Tithes“When you have finished your harvest, reserve the tithe in the third year (the year of the tithe), and give the entire tithe to the descendants of Levi, to the foreigners, to the orphans, and to the widows, so they may eat and be satisfied in your cities. ¹³ Then declare in the presence of the LORD your God: ‘I’ve removed the holy offering from my house and given it to the descendants of Levi, to the foreigners, to the orphans, and to the widows just as you have commanded me. I haven’t violated or forgotten your commands. ¹⁴ I haven’t eaten any part of it while mourning, nor removed any part of it while unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I’ve obeyed the voice of the LORD my God and did all that he commanded me.

⁷ “At any rate, send me an individual who is a skilled craftsman in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as in purple, crimson, and blue materials, who knows how to craft engravings, so he may work with the craftsmen whom I have assembled in Judah and Jerusalem, as provided for by my father David. ⁸ Also send me cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, since I’m aware that your servants know how to cut down timber from Lebanon. My servants will accompany your servants ⁹ to prepare an abundant amount of timber for me, because the Temple that I’m building is to be great and awesome.

¹¹ Solomon’s WealthIn a letter that he sent to Solomon, King Hiram of Tyre wrote, “Because he loves his people, the LORD has placed you as king over them.” ¹² Hiram also wrote: “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth. He gave King David a wise son, who is acquainted with discretion and understanding, and who is building a temple to the LORD, as well as a royal palace for himself. ¹³ Now I’m sending along Hiram-abi, a skilled craftsman, who is very creative. ¹⁴ He is the son of a mother from the tribe of Dan, and his father is from Tyre. He’s skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and timber, as well as in purple, blue, linen, and crimson materials. He is skilled in engravings, and can craft any design to which he may be assigned. He will work with your skilled artisans and with all of your craftsmen who have been assigned by my lord David, your father. ¹⁵ “So then, may my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, oil, and wine about which he has spoken. ¹⁶ We’ll cut down the timber you need from Lebanon and transport it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so you can move it to Jerusalem.”

¹² The daughter of Tyre will come with a wedding gift; wealthy people will entreat your favor.

¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring gifts, and may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer tribute.

⁹ Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first of all your produce, ¹⁰ so your barns will be filled with abundance, and your vats will burst open with new wine.

²² A good person leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, but the wealth of the wicked is reserved for the righteous.

⁸ Whoever gains wealth by charging exorbitant interest collects it for someone who is kind to the poor.

²⁶ After all, to the person who is good in God’s sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner he gives the troublesome task of acquiring and accumulating in order to leave it to someone who is good in the sight of God. This also is pointless and chasing after the wind.

⁵ Then you will look and be radiant; your heart will swell with joy, because the abundance of the seas will be diverted to you, and the riches of the nations will come to you. ⁶ Throngs of camels will blanket you: the young camels of Midian and Ephu; all those from Shebu will come. They’ll carry gold and frankincense, and proclaim the praise of the LORD. ⁷ All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you. and they’ll come up with acceptance upon my altar, and I’ll glorify my glorious house.”
⁸ The Future Restoration of Zion“Who are these that fly like clouds, and like doves to their windows? ⁹ For the coastlands will look to me, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring my children from far away, their silver and gold with them, to the name of the LORD your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you.

¹³ Get up and smash them to pieces, daughter of Zion, because I will make your horn like iron and your hooves like bronze! And you will beat many people to pieces, and I will consecrate their dishonest gain to the LORD and their assets to the Lord of the entire earth.”

²⁰ Holiness to the LORD“At that time, there will be written on the bells of the horses: HOLINESS TO THE LORDand the pots in the Temple of the LORD will be like the bowls in front of the altar— ²¹ every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be consecrated to the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. Everyone who offers sacrifices will come, will take them, and will cook in them. Furthermore, at that time, there will no longer be a Canaanite in the Temple of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.”

¹⁰ “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. So put me to the test in this right now,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “and see if I won’t throw open the windows of heaven for you and pour out on you blessing without measure.

¹⁹ Teaching about Treasures
“Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, ²¹ because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

³⁵ because I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. ³⁶ I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will say to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you something to eat, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or see you naked and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’
⁴⁰ The king will answer them, ‘I tell all of you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’

⁸ Jerusalem, Idumea, from across the Jordan, and from the region around Tyre and Sidon followed him. They came to him because they kept hearing about everything he was doing.

³ Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza; Susanna; and many others. These women continued to support them out of their personal resources.

¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I’ll store all my grain and goods in them. ¹⁹ Then I’ll say to myself, “You’ve stored up plenty of good things for many years. Take it easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’ ²⁰ But God told him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you. Now who will get the things you’ve accumulated?’

³³ “Sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves wallets that don’t wear out—a dependable treasure in heaven, where no thief can get close and no moth can destroy anything.

⁹ “I’m telling you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they will welcome you into eternal homes. ¹⁰ Whoever is faithful with very little is also faithful with a lot, and whoever is dishonest with very little is also dishonest with a lot. ¹¹ So if you haven’t been faithful with unrighteous wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? ¹² And if you haven’t been faithful with what belongs to foreigners, who will give you what is your own?
¹³ “No servant can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and wealth!”

³⁹ So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him upstairs. All the widows gathered around Peter, crying and showing him all the shirts and coats Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

³ We came in sight of Cyprus, and leaving it on our left, we sailed on to Syria and landed at Tyre because the ship was to unload its cargo there. ⁴ So we located some disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit, they kept telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem, ⁵ but when our time there came to an end, we left and proceeded on our journey. All of them accompanied us with their wives and children out of the city. We knelt on the beach, prayed,

²⁵ Right now, however, I’m going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints, ²⁶ because the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have been eager to share their resources with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. ²⁷ Yes, they were eager to do this, and in fact they are obligated to help them, for if the gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to be of service to them in material things.

⁶ The person who is taught the word should share all his goods with his teacher.

¹⁷ It is not that I am looking for a gift. No, I want to see that you receive the fruit that increases to your benefit. ¹⁸ I have been paid in full and have more than enough. I am fully supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus what you sent—a fragrant aroma, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.