我吩咐我所挑出来的人；我招呼我的勇士，就是那矜夸高傲之辈，为要成就我怒中所定的。

我吩咐我所分别为圣的人，召唤我的勇士，就是我那狂喜高傲的人，为要执行我的怒气。

我吩咐我所分别为圣的人，召唤我的勇士，就是我那狂喜高傲的人，为要执行我的怒气。

我已向我拣选的士兵发出命令，我已号召我的勇士去倾倒我的烈怒，他们因我的胜利而欢喜。

我向我特选的军兵下了命令；我也呼召了我的勇士，就是我那些骄傲自夸的人，去执行我在怒气中所要作的。

为了成就我的怒气，我已吩咐我所分别出来的人，我已召唤我的勇士，就是那些为我威荣欢腾的人。

我吩咐我所挑出來的人；我招呼我的勇士－就是那矜誇高傲之輩，為要成就我怒中所定的。

我吩咐我所分別為聖的人，召喚我的勇士，就是我那狂喜高傲的人，為要執行我的怒氣。

我吩咐我所分別為聖的人，召喚我的勇士，就是我那狂喜高傲的人，為要執行我的怒氣。

我已向我揀選的士兵發出命令，我已號召我的勇士去傾倒我的烈怒，他們因我的勝利而歡喜。

我向我特選的軍兵下了命令；我也呼召了我的勇士，就是我那些驕傲自誇的人，去執行我在怒氣中所要作的。

我吩咐我那些獻身軍人；我呼召了我的勇士，我那些耀武揚威的高傲者，來執行我忿怒中所要作的。

為了成就我的怒氣，我已吩咐我所分別出來的人，我已召喚我的勇士，就是那些為我威榮歡騰的人。

我已命我所區別者、召我驕樂之傑士、以洩我忿、

主有傑士、召為執事、以洩其憤、莫不踴躍、樂奏其能。

我命我所備之人至、召我勇士、即樂我威嚴者來、代我行刑以洩我怒、

I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath— those who rejoice in my triumph.

The Lord has commanded the soldiers he prepared for battle. He has sent for them to carry out his anger against Babylon. They will be happy when he wins the battle for them.

I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.

I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.”

I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my warriors, who celebrate my triumph, to execute my wrath.

I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have also called for My warriors Who boast in My eminence, To execute My anger.

I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones for My anger— Those who rejoice in My exaltation.”

I have commanded my consecrated ones, yea, I have called my mighty men for mine anger, even my proudly exulting ones.

I have commanded My chosen ones; I have also called My warriors, who exult in My triumph, to execute My wrath.

I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger,[ even] them that rejoice in my highness.

I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, my boasting, arrogant ones.

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

Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, Lord! (niv)

“ You are my war club, my weapon for battle— with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms,with you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver,with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth, with you I shatter young man and young woman,with you I shatter shepherd and flock, with you I shatter farmer and oxen, with you I shatter governors and officials.“ Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord. (niv)

Then I heard another voice from heaven say:“‘ Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup.Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts,‘ I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow; I will never mourn.’Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. (niv)

King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon.A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it: Memorandum:In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans- Euphrates, and Shethar- Bozenai and you other officials of that province, stay away from there.Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God: Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans- Euphrates, so that the work will not stop.Whatever is needed— young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem— must be given them daily without fail,so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble.May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem. I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence.So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.Then the people of Israel— the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles— celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel.And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover.The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves.So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord, the God of Israel.For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel. (niv)

who says to the watery deep,‘ Be dry, and I will dry up your streams,’who says of Cyrus,‘ He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem,“ Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple,“ Let its foundations be laid.”’ (niv)

“ Attack the land of Merathaim and those who live in Pekod. Pursue, kill and completely destroy them,” declares the Lord.“ Do everything I have commanded you.The noise of battle is in the land, the noise of great destruction!How broken and shattered is the hammer of the whole earth! How desolate is Babylon among the nations!I set a trap for you, Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it; you were found and captured because you opposed the Lord.The Lord has opened his arsenal and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do in the land of the Babylonians.Come against her from afar. Break open her granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain. Completely destroy her and leave her no remnant.Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter! Woe to them! For their day has come, the time for them to be punished.Listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon declaring in Zion how the Lord our God has taken vengeance, vengeance for his temple.“ Summon archers against Babylon, all those who draw the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her for her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,” declares the Lord.“ See, I am against you, you arrogant one,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,“ for your day has come, the time for you to be punished.The arrogant one will stumble and fall and no one will help her up; I will kindle a fire in her towns that will consume all who are around her.”This is what the Lord Almighty says:“ The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go.Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon.“ A sword against the Babylonians!” declares the Lord—“ against those who live in Babylon and against her officials and wise men!A sword against her false prophets! They will become fools. A sword against her warriors! They will be filled with terror.A sword against her horses and chariots and all the foreigners in her ranks! They will become weaklings. A sword against her treasures! They will be plundered.A drought on her waters! They will dry up. For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror.“ So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl will dwell. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation.As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighboring towns,” declares the Lord,“ so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it.“ Look! An army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are being stirred up from the ends of the earth.They are armed with bows and spears; they are cruel and without mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Babylon.The king of Babylon has heard reports about them, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets to a rich pastureland, I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? Who is like me and who can challenge me? And what shepherd can stand against me?”Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon, what he has purposed against the land of the Babylonians: The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate.At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble; its cry will resound among the nations. (niv)

Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who volunteer to go to Jerusalem with you, may go.You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem.With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.You and your fellow Israelites may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God.Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God.And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you are responsible to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.Now I, King Artaxerxes, decree that all the treasurers of Trans- Euphrates are to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you—up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit.Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should his wrath fall on the realm of the king and of his sons?You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God.And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates— all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them.Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment. (niv)

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:“ This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:“‘ The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them.And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites— everyone whose heart God had moved— prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.This was the inventory: gold dishes 30 silver dishes 1,000 silver pans 29gold bowls30 matching silver bowls410 other articles1,000In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem. (niv)

“ The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings— and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”Then the angel said to me,“ The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled.The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.” (niv)

Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron,to carry out the sentence written against them— this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the Lord. (niv)

“ Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:“ With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:“ Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”And again they shouted:“ Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:“ Amen, Hallelujah!”Then a voice came from the throne, saying:“ Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!”Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:“ Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. (niv)

For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, (niv)

The Lord has stretched out his hand over the sea and made its kingdoms tremble. He has given an order concerning Phoenicia that her fortresses be destroyed. (niv)

Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. (niv)