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Prophecy against Damascus
23 Concerning (A)Damascus.
“(B)Hamath and (C)Arpad are put to shame,
For they have heard bad news;
They are (D)disheartened.
There is anxiety by the sea,
It (E)cannot be calmed.
24 “Damascus has become helpless;
She has turned away to flee,
And panic has gripped her;
(F)Distress and pangs have taken hold of her
Like a woman in childbirth.
25 “How [a]the (G)city of praise has not been deserted,
The town of My joy!
26 “Therefore, her (H)young men will fall in her streets,
And all the men of war will be [b]silenced in that day,” declares the Lord of hosts.
27 “I will (I)set fire to the wall of Damascus,
And it will devour the [c]fortified towers of (J)Ben-hadad.”
Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning (K)Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. Thus says the Lord,
“Arise, go up to Kedar
And devastate the [d](L)men of the east.
29 “They will take away their tents and their flocks;
They will carry off for themselves
Their tent (M)curtains, all their goods and their (N)camels,
And they will call out to one another, ‘(O)Terror on every side!’
30 “Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor,” declares the Lord;
“For (P)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against you
And devised a scheme against you.
31 “Arise, go up against a nation which is (Q)at ease,
Which lives securely,” declares the Lord.
“It has (R)no gates or bars;
They (S)dwell alone.
32 “Their camels will become plunder,
And their many cattle for booty,
And I will (T)scatter to all the winds those who (U)cut the corners of their hair;
And I will bring their disaster from every side,” declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor will become a (V)haunt of jackals,
A desolation forever;
No one will live there,
Nor will a son of man reside in it.”
Prophecy against Elam
34 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet concerning (W)Elam, (X)at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:
35 “Thus says the Lord of hosts,
‘Behold, I am going to (Y)break the bow of Elam,
The [e]finest of their might.
36 ‘I will bring upon Elam the (Z)four winds
From the four ends of heaven,
And will (AA)scatter them to all these winds;
And there will be no nation
To which the outcasts of Elam will not go.
37 ‘So I will [f]shatter Elam before their enemies
And before those who seek their lives;
And I will (AB)bring calamity upon them,
Even My (AC)fierce anger,’ declares the Lord,
‘And I will (AD)send out the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
38 ‘Then I will set My throne in Elam
And destroy [g]out of it king and princes,’
Declares the Lord.
39 ‘But it will come about in the last days
That I will (AE)restore the [h]fortunes of Elam,’”
Declares the Lord.
Prophecy against Babylon
50 The word which the Lord spoke concerning (AF)Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:
2 “(AG)Declare and proclaim among the nations.
Proclaim it and (AH)lift up a standard.
Do not conceal it but say,
‘(AI)Babylon has been captured,
(AJ)Bel has been put to shame, [i]Marduk has been [j]shattered;
Her (AK)images have been put to shame, her idols have been shattered.’
3 For a nation has come up against her out of the (AL)north; it will make her land (AM)an object of horror, and there will be (AN)no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off, they have gone away!
4 “In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah (AO)as well; they will go along (AP)weeping as they go, and it will be (AQ)the Lord their God they will seek. 5 They will (AR)ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces [k]in its direction; [l]they [m]will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an (AS)everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have become (AT)lost sheep;
(AU)Their shepherds have led them astray.
They have made them turn aside on the (AV)mountains;
They have gone along from mountain to hill
And have forgotten their (AW)resting place.
7 “All who came upon them have devoured them;
And their adversaries have said, ‘(AX)We are not guilty,
Inasmuch as they have sinned against the Lord who is the (AY)habitation of righteousness,
Even the Lord, the (AZ)hope of their fathers.’
8 “Wander away from the (BA)midst of Babylon
And [n]go forth from the land of the Chaldeans;
Be also like male goats [o]at the head of the flock.
9 “For behold, I am going to (BB)arouse and bring up against Babylon
A horde of great nations from the land of the north,
And they will draw up their battle lines against her;
From there she will be taken captive.
Their arrows will be like [p]an expert warrior
Who does not return empty-handed.
10 “[q](BC)Chaldea will become plunder;
All who plunder her will have enough,” declares the Lord.
11 “Because you are glad, because you are jubilant,
O you who (BD)pillage My heritage,
Because you skip about [r]like a threshing (BE)heifer
And neigh like [s]stallions,
12 Your (BF)mother [t]will be greatly ashamed,
She who gave you birth [u]will be humiliated.
Behold, she will be the least of the nations,
A (BG)wilderness, a parched land and a desert.
13 “Because of the indignation of the Lord she will (BH)not be inhabited,
But she will be (BI)completely desolate;
Everyone who passes by Babylon (BJ)will be horrified
And will hiss because of all her wounds.
14 “Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side,
All you who [v]bend the bow;
Shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows,
For she has (BK)sinned against the Lord.
15 “Raise your battle cry against her on every side!
She has (BL)given [w]herself up, her pillars have fallen,
Her (BM)walls have been torn down.
For this is the (BN)vengeance of the Lord:
Take vengeance on her;
(BO)As she has done to others, so do to her.
16 “Cut off the (BP)sower from Babylon
And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest;
From before [x]the (BQ)sword of the oppressor
(BR)They will each turn back to his own people
And they will each flee to his own land.
17 “Israel is a (BS)scattered [y]flock, the (BT)lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the (BU)king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is (BV)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 18 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I (BW)punished the king of Assyria. 19 And I will (BX)bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his [z]desire will be satisfied in the (BY)hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days and at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but (BZ)there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those (CA)whom I leave as a remnant.’
21 “Against the land of [aa]Merathaim, go up against it,
And against the inhabitants of [ab](CB)Pekod.
Slay and [ac]utterly destroy them,” declares the Lord,
“And do according to all that I have commanded you.
22 “The (CC)noise of battle is in the land,
And great destruction.
23 “How the (CD)hammer of the whole earth
Has been cut off and broken!
How Babylon has become
An object of horror among the nations!
24 “I (CE)set a snare for you and you were also (CF)caught, O Babylon,
While you yourself were not aware;
You have been found and also seized
Because you have engaged in (CG)conflict with the Lord.”
25 The Lord has opened His armory
And has brought forth the (CH)weapons of His indignation,
For it is a (CI)work of the Lord [ad]God of hosts
In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come to her from the [ae]farthest border;
(CJ)Open up her barns,
Pile her up like heaps
And [af](CK)utterly destroy her,
Let nothing be left to her.
27 (CL)Put all her young bulls to the sword;
Let them (CM)go down to the slaughter!
Woe be upon them, for their (CN)day has come,
The time of their punishment.
28 There is a (CO)sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon,
To declare in Zion the (CP)vengeance of the Lord our God,
Vengeance for His (CQ)temple.
29 “Summon [ag]many against Babylon,
All those who [ah]bend the bow:
Encamp against her on every side,
Let there be no escape[ai].
Repay her according to her work;
(CR)According to all that she has done, so do to her;
For she has become (CS)arrogant against the Lord,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 “Therefore her (CT)young men will fall in her streets,
And all her men of war will be [aj](CU)silenced in that day,” declares the Lord.
31 “Behold, (CV)I am against you, O [ak]arrogant one,”
Declares the Lord [al]God of hosts,
“For your day has come,
The time [am]when I will punish you.
32 “The [an](CW)arrogant one will stumble and fall
With no one to raise him up;
And I will (CX)set fire to his cities
And it will devour all his environs.”
33 Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“The sons of Israel are oppressed,
And the sons of Judah as well;
And (CY)all who took them captive have held them fast,
They have refused to let them go.
34 “Their (CZ)Redeemer is strong, (DA)the Lord of hosts is His name;
He will vigorously (DB)plead their case
So that He may (DC)bring rest to [ao]the earth,
But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 “A (DD)sword against the Chaldeans,” declares the Lord,
“And against the inhabitants of Babylon
And against her (DE)officials and her (DF)wise men!
36 “A sword against the (DG)oracle priests, and they will become fools!
A sword against her (DH)mighty men, and they will be [ap](DI)shattered!
37 “A sword against [aq]their (DJ)horses and against [ar]their chariots
And against all the [as](DK)foreigners who are in the midst of her,
And they will become (DL)women!
A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!
38 “A [at](DM)drought on her waters, and they will be dried up!
For it is a land of (DN)idols,
And they are mad over fearsome idols.
39 “Therefore the (DO)desert creatures will live there along with the jackals;
The ostriches also will live in it,
And it will (DP)never again be inhabited
Or dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 “As when God overthrew (DQ)Sodom
And Gomorrah with its neighbors,” declares the Lord,
“No man will live there,
Nor will any son of man reside in it.
41 “Behold, a people is coming (DR)from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.
42 “They (DS)seize their bow and javelin;
They are (DT)cruel and have no mercy.
Their (DU)voice roars like the sea;
And they ride on (DV)horses,
(DW)Marshalled like a man for the battle
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.
43 “The (DX)king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands hang limp;
(DY)Distress has gripped him,
Agony like a woman in childbirth.
44 “(DZ)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the [au]thicket of the Jordan to [av]a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make them run away from it, and whoever is (EA)chosen I will appoint over it. For who is (EB)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can (EC)stand before Me?” 45 Therefore hear the (ED)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: (EE)surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their [aw]pasture desolate because of them. 46 At the [ax]shout, “Babylon has been seized!” the (EF)earth is shaken, and an (EG)outcry is heard among the nations.
Salutation
1 Paul, (A)a bond-servant of God and an (B)apostle of Jesus Christ, [a]for the faith of those (C)chosen of God and (D)the knowledge of the truth which is (E)according to godliness, 2 in (F)the hope of eternal life, which God, (G)who cannot lie, (H)promised [b](I)long ages ago, 3 but (J)at the proper time manifested, even His word, in (K)the proclamation (L)with which I was entrusted (M)according to the commandment of (N)God our Savior,
4 To (O)Titus, (P)my true child [c]in a (Q)common faith: (R)Grace and peace from God the Father and (S)Christ Jesus our Savior.
Qualifications of Elders
5 For this reason I left you in (T)Crete, that you would set in order what remains and (U)appoint (V)elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, (W)if any man is above reproach, the (X)husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of (Y)dissipation or (Z)rebellion. 7 For the [d](AA)overseer must be above reproach as (AB)God’s steward, not (AC)self-willed, not quick-tempered, not (AD)addicted to wine, not pugnacious, (AE)not fond of sordid gain, 8 but (AF)hospitable, (AG)loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 9 (AH)holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in (AI)sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
10 (AJ)For there are many (AK)rebellious men, (AL)empty talkers and deceivers, especially (AM)those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting (AN)whole families, teaching (AO)things they should not teach (AP)for the sake of sordid gain. 12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “(AQ)Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason (AR)reprove them (AS)severely so that they may be (AT)sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Jewish (AU)myths and (AV)commandments of men who (AW)turn away from the truth. 15 (AX)To the pure, all things are pure; but (AY)to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their (AZ)mind and their conscience are defiled. 16 (BA)They profess to know God, but by their deeds they (BB)deny Him, being (BC)detestable and (BD)disobedient and (BE)worthless (BF)for any good deed.
The Lord’s Power and Dominion.
97 (A)The Lord [a]reigns, let the (B)earth rejoice;
Let the many [b](C)islands be glad.
2 (D)Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
(E)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
3 (F)Fire goes before Him
And (G)burns up His adversaries round about.
4 His (H)lightnings lit up the world;
The earth saw and (I)trembled.
5 The mountains (J)melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the (K)Lord of the whole earth.
6 The (L)heavens declare His righteousness,
And (M)all the peoples have seen His glory.
7 Let all those be ashamed who serve (N)graven images,
Who boast themselves of (O)idols;
[c](P)Worship Him, all you [d]gods.
8 Zion [e]heard this and (Q)was glad,
And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced
Because of Your judgments, O Lord.
9 For You are the Lord (R)Most High over all the earth;
You are exalted far (S)above all [f]gods.
10 (T)Hate evil, you who love the Lord,
Who (U)preserves the souls of His godly ones;
He (V)delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 (W)Light is sown like seed for the righteous
And (X)gladness for the upright in heart.
12 Be (Y)glad in the Lord, you righteous ones,
And (Z)give thanks [g]to His holy name.
A Call to Praise the Lord for His Righteousness.
A Psalm.
98 O sing to the Lord a (AA)new song,
For He has done (AB)wonderful things,
His (AC)right hand and His (AD)holy arm have [h]gained the victory for Him.
2 (AE)The Lord has made known His salvation;
He has (AF)revealed His [i]righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has (AG)remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
(AH)All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 (AI)Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
(AJ)Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the (AK)lyre,
With the lyre and the [j](AL)sound of melody.
6 With (AM)trumpets and the sound of the horn
(AN)Shout joyfully before (AO)the King, the Lord.
7 Let the (AP)sea roar and [k]all it contains,
The (AQ)world and those who dwell in it.
8 Let the (AR)rivers clap their hands,
Let the (AS)mountains sing together for joy
9 Before the Lord, for He is coming to (AT)judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness
And (AU)the peoples with [l]equity.
13 The (A)sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
A lion is [a]in the open square!”
14 As the door turns on its hinges,
So does the (B)sluggard on his bed.
15 The (C)sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.
16 The sluggard is (D)wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can [b]give a discreet answer.
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