Isaiah 21

New International Version

A Prophecy Against Babylon

21 A prophecy^(A) against the Desert^(B) by the Sea:

Like whirlwinds^(C) sweeping through the southland,^(D)
an invader comes from the desert,
from a land of terror.

²A dire^(E) vision has been shown to me:
The traitor betrays,^(F) the looter takes loot.
Elam,^(G) attack! Media,^(H) lay siege!
I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

³At this my body is racked with pain,^(I)
    pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;^(J)
I am staggered by what I hear,
    I am bewildered^(K) by what I see.
⁴My heart^(L) falters,
    fear makes me tremble;^(M)
the twilight I longed for
    has become a horror^(N) to me.

⁵They set the tables,
    they spread the rugs,
    they eat, they drink!^(O)
Get up, you officers,
    oil the shields!^(P)

⁶This is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout^(Q)
    and have him report what he sees.
⁷When he sees chariots^(R)
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,^(S)
let him be alert,
    fully alert.”

⁸And the lookout^[a]^(T) shouted,

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
    every night I stay at my post.
⁹Look, here comes a man in a chariot^(U)
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon^(V) has fallen,^(W) has fallen!
All the images of its gods^(X)
    lie shattered^(Y) on the ground!’”

¹⁰My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,^(Z)
I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
from the God of Israel.

A Prophecy Against Edom

¹¹A prophecy against Dumah^[b]:^(AA)

Someone calls to me from Seir,^(AB)
    “Watchman, what is left of the night?
    Watchman, what is left of the night?”
¹²The watchman replies,
    “Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
    and come back yet again.”

A Prophecy Against Arabia

¹³A prophecy^(AC) against Arabia:^(AD)

You caravans of Dedanites,^(AE)
    who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
¹⁴    bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,^(AF)
    bring food for the fugitives.
¹⁵They flee^(AG) from the sword,^(AH)
    from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
    and from the heat of battle.

¹⁶This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract^(AI) would count it, all the splendor^(AJ) of Kedar^(AK) will come to an end. ¹⁷The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.^(AL)” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.^(AM)

Footnotes

Isaiah 21:8 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text A lion
Isaiah 21:11 Dumah, a wordplay on Edom, means silence or stillness.

Jeremiah 43

New International Version

43 When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them^(A)— ²Azariah son of Hoshaiah^(B) and Johanan^(C) son of Kareah and all the arrogant^(D) men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!^(E) The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’^(F) ³But Baruch^(G) son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,^[a] so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”^(H)

⁴So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people^(I) disobeyed the Lord’s command^(J) to stay in the land of Judah.^(K) ⁵Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.^(L) ⁶They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women,^(M) the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch^(N) son of Neriah along with them. ⁷So they entered Egypt^(O) in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.^(P)

⁸In Tahpanhes^(Q) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ⁹“While the Jews are watching, take some large stones^(R) with you and bury them in clay in the brick^(S) pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace^(T) in Tahpanhes. ¹⁰Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant^(U) Nebuchadnezzar^(V) king of Babylon, and I will set his throne^(W) over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy^(X) above them. ¹¹He will come and attack Egypt,^(Y) bringing death^(Z) to those destined^(AA) for death, captivity to those destined for captivity,^(AB) and the sword to those destined for the sword.^(AC) ¹²He will set fire^(AD) to the temples^(AE) of the gods^(AF) of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.^(AG) As a shepherd picks^(AH) his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. ¹³There in the temple of the sun^[b]^(AI) in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars^(AJ) and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 43:3 Or Chaldeans
Jeremiah 43:13 Or in Heliopolis

Micah 6

New International Version

The Lord’s Case Against Israel

6 Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;^(A)
let the hills hear what you have to say.

²“Hear,^(B) you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;^(C)
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case^(D) against his people;
he is lodging a charge^(E) against Israel.

³“My people, what have I done to you?
    How have I burdened^(F) you?^(G) Answer me.
⁴I brought you up out of Egypt^(H)
    and redeemed you from the land of slavery.^(I)
I sent Moses^(J) to lead you,
    also Aaron^(K) and Miriam.^(L)
⁵My people, remember
    what Balak^(M) king of Moab plotted
    and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim^(N) to Gilgal,^(O)
    that you may know the righteous acts^(P) of the Lord.”

⁶With what shall I come before^(Q) the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?^(R)
⁷Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,^(S)
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?^(T)
Shall I offer my firstborn^(U) for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?^(V)
⁸He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly^(W) and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly^[a]^(X) with your God.^(Y)

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

⁹Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
    and to fear your name is wisdom—
    “Heed the rod^(Z) and the One who appointed it.^[b]
¹⁰Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
    and the short ephah,^[c] which is accursed?^(AA)
¹¹Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,^(AB)
    with a bag of false weights?^(AC)
¹²Your rich people are violent;^(AD)
    your inhabitants are liars^(AE)
    and their tongues speak deceitfully.^(AF)
¹³Therefore, I have begun to destroy^(AG) you,
    to ruin^[d] you because of your sins.
¹⁴You will eat but not be satisfied;^(AH)
    your stomach will still be empty.^[e]
You will store up but save nothing,^(AI)
    because what you save^[f] I will give to the sword.
¹⁵You will plant but not harvest;^(AJ)
    you will press olives but not use the oil,
    you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.^(AK)
¹⁶You have observed the statutes of Omri^(AL)
    and all the practices of Ahab’s^(AM) house;
    you have followed their traditions.^(AN)
Therefore I will give you over to ruin^(AO)
    and your people to derision;
    you will bear the scorn^(AP) of the nations.^[g]”

Footnotes

Micah 6:8 Or prudently
Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
Micah 6:10 An ephah was a dry measure.
Micah 6:13 Or Therefore, I will make you ill and destroy you; / I will ruin
Micah 6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Micah 6:14 Or You will press toward birth but not give birth, / and what you bring to birth
Micah 6:16 Septuagint; Hebrew scorn due my people