Bible Reading Plan

How the oppressor⁽ⁿ⁾ has come to an end!
     How his fury^[a] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(o) of the wicked,^(p)
     the scepter^(q) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(r)
     with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(s) nations
     with relentless aggression.^(t)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(u)
     they break into singing.^(v)
8 Even the junipers^(w) and the cedars of Lebanon
     gloat over you and say,
"Now that you have been laid low,
     no one comes to cut us down."^(x)

⁹ The realm of the dead^(y) below is all astir
     to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed^(z) to greet you—
     all those who were leaders^(aa) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
     all those who were kings over the nations.^(ab)
10 They will all respond,
     they will say to you,
"You also have become weak, as we are;
     you have become like us."^(ac)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^(ad)
     along with the noise of your harps;^(ae)
maggots are spread out beneath you
     and worms^(af) cover you.^(ag)

¹² How you have fallen^(ah) from heaven,
     morning star,^(ai) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
     you who once laid low the nations!^(aj)
13 You said in your heart,
     "I will ascend^(ak) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(al)
     above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(am)
     on the utmost heights^(an) of Mount Zaphon.^[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(ao)
     I will make myself like the Most High."^(ap)
15 But you are brought down^(aq) to the realm of the dead,^(ar)
     to the depths^(as) of the pit.^(at)

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
     they ponder your fate:^(au)
"Is this the man who shook^(av) the earth
     and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,^(aw)
     who overthrew^(ax) its cities
     and would not let his captives go home?"^(ay)

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in state,
     each in his own tomb.^(az)
19 But you are cast out^(ba) of your tomb
     like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,^(bb)
     with those pierced by the sword,^(bc)
     those who descend to the stones of the pit.^(bd)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
²⁰       you will not join them in burial,^(be)
for you have destroyed your land
     and killed your people.

²² "I will rise up^(bk) against them,"
     declares the Lord Almighty.
"I will wipe out Babylon's name^(bl) and survivors,
     her offspring and descendants,^(bm)"
declares the Lord .
²³ "I will turn her into a place for owls^(bn)
     and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(bo)"
     declares the Lord Almighty.^(bp)

"Surely, as I have planned,^(br) so it will be,
     and as I have purposed, so it will happen.^(bs)
25 I will crush the Assyrian^(bt) in my land;
     on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke^(bu) will be taken from my people,
     and his burden removed from their shoulders.^(bv)"

²⁶ This is the plan^(bw) determined for the whole world;
     this is the hand^(bx) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(by) and who can thwart him?
     His hand^(bz) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(ca)

²⁹ Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(ce)
     that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(cf)
     its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(cg)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
     and the needy^(ch) will lie down in safety.^(ci)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(cj)
     it will slay^(ck) your survivors.^(cl)

³¹ Wail,^(cm) you gate!^(cn) Howl, you city!
     Melt away, all you Philistines!^(co)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(cp)
     and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(cq)
32 What answer shall be given
     to the envoys^(cr) of that nation?
"The Lord has established Zion,^(cs)
     and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(ct)"

Ar^(d) in Moab is ruined,^(e)
     destroyed in a night!
Kir^(f) in Moab is ruined,
     destroyed in a night!
² Dibon^(g) goes up to its temple,
     to its high places^(h) to weep;
     Moab wails⁽ⁱ⁾ over Nebo^(j) and Medeba.
Every head is shaved^(k)
     and every beard cut off.^(l)
3 In the streets they wear sackcloth;^(m)
     on the roofs⁽ⁿ⁾ and in the public squares^(o)
they all wail,^(p)
     prostrate with weeping.^(q)
4 Heshbon^(r) and Elealeh^(s) cry out,
     their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.^(t)
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
     and their hearts are faint.

⁵ My heart cries out^(u) over Moab;^(v)
     her fugitives^(w) flee as far as Zoar,^(x)
     as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the hill to Luhith,
     weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim^(y)
     they lament their destruction.^(z)
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up^(aa)
     and the grass is withered;^(ab)
the vegetation is gone^(ac)
     and nothing green is left.^(ad)
7 So the wealth they have acquired^(ae) and stored up
     they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.
⁸ Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;
     their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
     their lamentation as far as Beer^(af) Elim.
⁹ The waters of Dimon^[a] are full of blood,
     but I will bring still more upon Dimon^[b]—
a lion^(ag) upon the fugitives of Moab^(ah)
     and upon those who remain in the land.

³ "Make up your mind," Moab says.
     "Render a decision.
Make your shadow like night—
     at high noon.
Hide the fugitives,⁽ⁱ⁾
     do not betray the refugees.
⁴ Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you;
     be their shelter^(j) from the destroyer."

The oppressor^(k) will come to an end,
     and destruction will cease;^(l)
     the aggressor will vanish from the land.
⁵ In love a throne^(m) will be established;⁽ⁿ⁾
     in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
     one from the house^[a] of David^(o)—
one who in judging seeks justice^(p)
     and speeds the cause of righteousness.

⁶ We have heard of Moab's^(q) pride^(r)—
     how great is her arrogance!—
of her conceit, her pride and her insolence;
     but her boasts are empty.
⁷ Therefore the Moabites wail,^(s)
     they wail together for Moab.
Lament and grieve
     for the raisin cakes^(t) of Kir Hareseth.^(u)
8 The fields of Heshbon^(v) wither,^(w)
     the vines of Sibmah^(x) also.
The rulers of the nations
     have trampled down the choicest vines,^(y)
which once reached Jazer^(z)
     and spread toward the desert.
Their shoots spread out^(aa)
     and went as far as the sea.^[b](ab)
9 So I weep,^(ac) as Jazer weeps,
     for the vines of Sibmah.
Heshbon and Elealeh,^(ad)
     I drench you with tears!^(ae)
The shouts of joy^(af) over your ripened fruit
     and over your harvests^(ag) have been stilled.
¹⁰ Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;^(ah)
     no one sings or shouts^(ai) in the vineyards;
no one treads^(aj) out wine at the presses,^(ak)
     for I have put an end to the shouting.
¹¹ My heart laments for Moab^(al) like a harp,^(am)
     my inmost being^(an) for Kir Hareseth.
¹² When Moab appears at her high place,^(ao)
     she only wears herself out;
when she goes to her shrine^(ap) to pray,
     it is to no avail.^(aq)

"See, Damascus will no longer be a city
     but will become a heap of ruins.^(c)
2 The cities of Aroer^(d) will be deserted
     and left to flocks,^(e) which will lie down,^(f)
     with no one to make them afraid.^(g)
3 The fortified^(h) city will disappear from Ephraim,
     and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
     like the glory⁽ⁱ⁾ of the Israelites,"^(j)
declares the Lord Almighty.

⁴ "In that day^(k) the glory^(l) of Jacob will fade;
     the fat of his body will waste^(m) away.
⁵ It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain,
     gathering⁽ⁿ⁾ the grain in their arms—
as when someone gleans heads of grain^(o)
     in the Valley of Rephaim.^(p)
6 Yet some gleanings will remain,^(q)
     as when an olive tree is beaten,^(r)
leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches,
     four or five on the fruitful boughs,"
declares the Lord , the God of Israel.

⁷ In that day^(s) people will look^(t) to their Maker^(u)
     and turn their eyes to the Holy One^(v) of Israel.
⁸ They will not look to the altars,^(w)
     the work of their hands,^(x)
and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles^[a](y)
     and the incense altars their fingers^(z) have made.

¹⁰ You have forgotten^(ab) God your Savior;^(ac)
     you have not remembered the Rock,^(ad) your fortress.^(ae)
Therefore, though you set out the finest plants
     and plant imported vines,^(af)
11 though on the day you set them out, you make them grow,
     and on the morning^(ag) when you plant them, you bring them to bud,
yet the harvest^(ah) will be as nothing^(ai)
     in the day of disease and incurable^(aj) pain.^(ak)

¹² Woe to the many nations that rage^(al)—
     they rage like the raging sea!^(am)
Woe to the peoples who roar^(an)—
     they roar like the roaring of great waters!^(ao)
13 Although the peoples roar^(ap) like the roar of surging waters,
     when he rebukes^(aq) them they flee^(ar) far away,
driven before the wind like chaff^(as) on the hills,
     like tumbleweed before a gale.^(at)
14 In the evening, sudden^(au) terror!^(av)
     Before the morning, they are gone!^(aw)
This is the portion of those who loot us,
     the lot of those who plunder us.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(e)
     to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive^(f) nation of strange speech,
     whose land is divided by rivers.^(g)

³ All you people of the world,^(h)
     you who live on the earth,
when a banner⁽ⁱ⁾ is raised on the mountains,
     you will see it,
and when a trumpet^(j) sounds,
     you will hear it.
⁴ This is what the Lord says to me:
     "I will remain quiet^(k) and will look on from my dwelling place,^(l)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,^(m)
     like a cloud of dew⁽ⁿ⁾ in the heat of harvest."
⁵ For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
     and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off^(o) the shoots with pruning knives,
     and cut down and take away the spreading branches.^(p)
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey^(q)
     and to the wild animals;^(r)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
     the wild animals all winter.

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(t)
     from a people feared^(u) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
     whose land is divided by rivers^(v)—

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud^(c)
     and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
     and the hearts of the Egyptians melt^(d) with fear.

² "I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
     brother will fight against brother,^(e)
     neighbor against neighbor,
     city against city,
     kingdom against kingdom.^(f)
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,^(g)
     and I will bring their plans^(h) to nothing;⁽ⁱ⁾
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
     the mediums and the spiritists.^(j)
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
     to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king^(k) will rule over them,"
     declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

⁵ The waters of the river will dry up,^(l)
     and the riverbed will be parched and dry.^(m)
6 The canals will stink;⁽ⁿ⁾
     the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.^(o)
The reeds^(p) and rushes will wither,^(q)
7       also the plants^(r) along the Nile,
     at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field^(s) along the Nile
     will become parched, will blow away and be no more.^(t)
8 The fishermen^(u) will groan and lament,
     all who cast hooks^(v) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
     will pine away.
⁹ Those who work with combed flax^(w) will despair,
     the weavers of fine linen^(x) will lose hope.
¹⁰ The workers in cloth will be dejected,
     and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.