Chapter 253 of 257

13 And Iheard avoice from heaven saying, “Write:

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth—your word is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for them I sanctify myself, so that they themselves also may be sanctified in the truth.

Become fellow imitators of me, brothers, and observe those who walk in this way, just as you have us as an example. 18 For many live, of whom I spoke about to you many times, but now speak about even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose God is the stomach, and whose glory is in their shame, the ones who think on earthly things. 20 For our commonwealth exists in heaven, from which also we eagerly await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our humble body to be conformed to his glorious body, in accordance with the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Marriage must be held in honor by all, and the marriage bed be undefiled, because God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.

lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they prostitute themselves after their gods, and they sacrifice to their gods, and they invite you, and you eat their sacrifice,

Adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘When you come to the land that I am about to give to you and you reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh for your acceptance; the priest shall wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 And on the day of your waving the sheaf you shall offer a yearling male lamb without defect as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 13 And its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of finely milled flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, an appeasing fragrance; and its libation shall be a fourth of a hin of wine. 14 And you shall not eat bread or roasted grain or ripe grain until this very same day, until you present your God’s offering. This must be a lasting statute for your generations in all your dwellings.

And I saw another angel flying directly overhead, having an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who reside on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and language and people, 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the springs of water!”

8 And another second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who caused all the nations to drink from the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”

9 And another third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself also will drink of the wine of the anger of God that has been mixed full strength in the cup of his wrath, and will be tortured with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torture went up forever and ever, and those who worshiped the beast and his image did not have rest day and night, along with anyone who received the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patient endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith in Jesus.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write:

‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “in order that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow after them.”

14 And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud was seated one like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Send out your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe!” 16 And the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 And another angel came out of the temple that is in heaven; he also had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel who had authority over the fire went out from the altar, and he called out with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Send out your sharp sickle and harvest the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are at their prime!” 19 And the angel swung his sickle into the earth and harvested the vine of the earth, and threw the grapes into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was stomped outside the city, and blood went out from the winepress up to the bridles of the horses, about one thousand six hundred stadia.

Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I proclaimed to you, which you have also received, in which you also stand, 2 by which you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the message I proclaimed to you, unless you believed to no purpose. 3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised up on the third day according to the scriptures,

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what can be known about God is evident among them, for God made it clear to them. 20 For from the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, both his eternal power and deity, are discerned clearly, being understood in the things created, so that they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God with the likeness of an image of mortal human beings and birds and quadrupeds and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to immorality, that their bodies would be dishonored among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God with a lie, and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed for eternity. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their females exchanged the natural relations for those contrary to nature, 27 and likewise also the males, abandoning the natural relations with the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males committing the shameless deed, and receiving in themselves the penalty that was necessary for their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to recognize God, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do the things that are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greediness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malevolence. They are gossipers, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, contrivers of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 senseless, faithless, unfeeling, unmerciful, 32 who, although they know the requirements of God, that those who do such things are worthy of death, not only do they do the same things, but also they approve of those who do them.

The start of wisdom is fear of Yahweh,

and knowledge of the Holy One, insight.

And another second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who caused all the nations to drink from the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”

And there were lightnings and sounds and thunders, and there was a great earthquake, as has not happened from the time humanity has been on the earth—so great in this way was the earthquake. 19 And the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of his furious wrath.

And I saw another beast coming up from the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he was speaking like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast on behalf of him, and he causes the earth and those who live in it to worship the first beast whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And he performs great signs, so that he even causes fire from heaven to come down to the earth before people. 14 And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that it has been granted to him to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who has the wound of the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was given to him to put breath into the image of the beast, in order that the image of the beast both spoke and caused that all those, unless they worshiped the image of the beast, should be killed.

And another third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself also will drink of the wine of the anger of God that has been mixed full strength in the cup of his wrath, and will be tortured with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torture went up forever and ever, and those who worshiped the beast and his image did not have rest day and night, along with anyone who received the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patient endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith in Jesus.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write:

‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “in order that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow after them.”

For thus said Yahweh, the God of Israel, to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand, and you must give it to all the nations to whom I am sending you to drink. 16 And they will drink, and they will stagger, and they will act like madmen because of the presence of the sword that I am sending among them.”

17 So I took the cup from the hand of Yahweh and I gave it to all the nations to whom Yahweh sent me to drink: 18 Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, and its kings, and its officials, to make them a site of ruins, a horror, an object of hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; 19 Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his servants, and his officials, and all his people; 20 and all the other people; and all the kings of the land of Uz; and all the kings of the land of the Philistines—Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; 21 Edom, and Moab, and the Ammonites; 22 and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastland that is across the sea; 23 and Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all those who are trimmed to the side; 24 and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the other people who dwell in the desert; 25 and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media; 26 and all the kings of the north, near and far, each one to his brother, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach, he will drink after them.

27 “And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “Drink and become drunk, and vomit, and fall, and you must not rise because of the presence of the sword that I am sending among you.” ’ 28 And it will happen, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “You must certainly drink! 29 For look, on the city that is called by my name I am beginning to inflict harm, and you indeed, will you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth,” declares Yahweh of hosts.’

30 And you yourself shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them:

‘Yahweh will roar from on high,

and from his holy dwelling place he will give his voice.

He will roar mightily against his settlement,

a jubilant shout like those who tread grapes,

he will answer against all the inhabitants of the earth.

31 The rage of battle will resound to the end of the earth,

for there is a lawsuit of Yahweh against the nations.

He is entering into judgment with all wicked flesh,

he will give them to the sword,’ declares Yahweh.”

32 Thus says Yahweh of hosts,

“Look, disaster is going out from nation to nation,

and a great tempest is stirred up from the farthest parts of the earth.

33 And the slain ones of Yahweh will be on that day

from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth,

and they will not be mourned,

and they will not be gathered,

and they will not be buried.

They will become like dung on the surface of the ground.

34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out.

And roll about in mourning in the dust, O leaders of the flock.

For your days of slaughter and your dispersions have arrived,

and you will fall like a vessel of desire.

35 And flight will perish from the shepherds,

and escape from the leaders of the flock.

36 A sound, the cry of distress of the shepherds

and the wailing of the leaders of the flock,

for Yahweh is despoiling their pasture.

37 And the peaceful settlements are devastated

because of the burning anger of Yahweh.

38 He has left his den like a lion,

for their land has become a horror,

because of the anger of the oppressors,

and because of his burning anger.”

Babylon was a cup of gold in the hand of Yahweh,

making drunk all the earth.

The nations drank of her wine.

Therefore the nations acted like madmen.

8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and she is shattered.

Wail over her!

Take balm for her wounds,

perhaps she may be healed.

9 We tried to heal Babylon, and she was not healed.

Forsake her and let us go each one to his country,

for her judgment has reached to the heavens,

and it has been lifted up to the skies.

10 Yahweh has brought forth our vindication.

Come and let us make known in Zion the work of Yahweh our God.

11 Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers!

Yahweh has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.

Because his plan concerning Babylon is to destroy it,

for that is the vengeance of Yahweh,

the vengeance for his temple.

12 Against the walls of Babylon raise a banner;

post a strong watch, post watchmen, prepare the ambushes,

for Yahweh has both planned as well as performed

what he has spoken concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.

13 O you who live by mighty waters, rich in treasures,

your end has come, the measure of your life.

14 Yahweh of hosts has sworn by himself,

“Surely I will fill you with troops like the creeping locusts,

and they will sing over you a war cry.”

15 He is the one who made the earth by his power,

the one who created the world by his wisdom,

and by his understanding he stretched out the heavens.

16 At the giving of his voice

there is a roar of waters in the heavens,

and he causes the patches of mist

to go up from the end of the earth.

He makes lightning for the rain,

and he brings out the wind from his storehouses.

17 All humankind turns out to be stupid,

without knowledge.

Every goldsmith is put to shame

by the divine image.

For his cast image is a lie,

and there is no breath in them.

18 They are worthless,

a work of mockery.

At the time of their punishment,

they will perish.

19 The portion of Jacob is not like these,

for he is the creator of everything,

and the tribe of his inheritance.

Yahweh of hosts is his name.

20 He says, “You are a war club for me,

a weapon of battle,

and I smash nations with you,

and I destroy kingdoms with you.

21 And I smash the horse with you,

and its rider,

and I smash the chariot with you,

and its rider.

22 And I smash man and woman with you,

and I smash the old man and the boy with you,

and I smash the young man and the young woman with you.

23 And I smash the shepherd and his flock with you,

and I smash the farmer and his team with you,

and I smash the governors and the officials with you.

24 And I will repay Babylon,

and all the inhabitants of Chaldea,

all their wickedness that they have done in Zion

before your eyes,” declares Yahweh.

25 “Look, I am against you,

O mountain of the destruction,” declares Yahweh,

“the one that destroys the whole earth.

And I will stretch out my hand against you,

and I will roll you down from the cliffs,

and I will make you as a mountain burned away.

26 They will not take from you

a stone for a corner,

and a stone for a foundation,

for you will be an everlasting desolation,” declares Yahweh.

27 Raise a banner in the land;

blow a horn among the nations;

prepare for holy war against her;

summon the nations against her,

the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz;

summon against her an official;

bring up horses like bristhng creeping locusts.

28 Prepare the nations for holy war against her,

the kings of the Medes,

with their governors and all their officials,

and every land of their dominion.

29 And the land quakes and writhes,

for the plans of Yahweh against Babylon stand,

to make the land of Babylon as a horror,

without inhabitant.

30 The warriors of Babylon have ceased to fight,

they remain in the strongholds,

their power has dried up,

they have become as women.

Her dwelling places are set on fire,

her bars are broken.

31 one runner runs to meet another runner,

and one messenger to meet another messenger,

to tell the king of Babylon that his city has been captured,

from end to end.

32 And the fords have been seized,

and the reed marshes have been burned with fire,

and the soldiers are horrified.

33 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel,

“The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor

at the time it is trodden down,

just a little while

and the time of the harvest will come for her.”

34 Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon

has devoured me and sucked me dry;

he has made me an empty vessel;

he has swallowed me like the sea monster;

he has filled his belly with my delicacies;

he has rinsed me.

35 “May the violence done to me and to my flesh be on Babylon,”

the inhabitants of Zion will say;

and “My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”

Jerusalem will say.

36 Therefore thus says Yahweh,

“Look, I am going to contend your case,

and I will avenge your vengeance,

and I will cause her sea to dry up,

and I will cause her fountain to dry up.

37 And Babylon will become as a heap of stones,

a lair of jackals,

an object of horror, and an object of hissing,

without inhabitants.

38 They will roar together like the young lions,

they will growl like the cubs of lions.

39 At their becoming hot I will set their banquets,

and I will make them drunk,

so that they will fall into a swoon,

and they will sleep an everlasting sleep,

and they will not wake up,” declares Yahweh.

40 “I will bring them down like young rams to slaughter,

like rams and goats.

41 How Sheshach is captured,

and the glory of all the earth is seized!

How Babylon has become as an object of horror

among the nations!

42 The sea has risen over Babylon,

she has been covered by the roar of its waves.

43 Her cities have become as an object of horror,

a dry land and a wilderness,

a land in which no person lives,

nor does a son of humankind pass through it.

44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon,

and I will wrench out from his mouth what he has swallowed.

And the nations will not stream towards him any longer

what’s worse, the wall of Babylon has fallen.

45 Come out from her midst, my people,

and save each one his life

from the burning anger of Yahweh.

46 Now so that you are not fainthearted,

and you are afraid at the rumors that are heard in the land—

and in the year the rumor comes,

and in the year after it the rumor,

and violence is in the land,

with ruler against ruler—

47 therefore look, days are coming,

and I will punish the images of Babylon,

and all her land will be put to shame,

and all her slain ones will fall in the midst of her.

48 Then the heaven and the earth and all that is in them

will shout for joy over Babylon,

for from the north

the destroyers will come to it,” declares Yahweh.

49 Babylon must fall not only because of the slain ones of Israel,

but also because of Babylon the slain ones of all the earth have fallen.

50 Survivors of the sword, go!

You must not linger!

Remember Yahweh from far away,

and let Jerusalem come to your mind.

51 We are ashamed,

for we have heard taunts,

disgrace covers our faces,

for strangers have come to the holy places of the house of Yahweh.

52 “Therefore look, days are coming,” declares Yahweh,

“and I will punish her images,

and the fatally wounded will sigh through all her land.

53 Though Babylon goes up to the heavens,

and though she fortifies the high place of her strength,

from me destroyers will come to her,” declares Yahweh.

54 The sound of a cry for help from Babylon,

and a great collapse from the land of the Chaldeans.

55 For Yahweh is devastating Babylon,

and he obliterates her loud noise from her.

Their waves roar like mighty waters,

the roar of their voices resounds.

56 For a destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon,

and her warriors are captured.

Their bows are broken;

for Yahweh is a God of recompense,

certainly he will repay.

57 “And I will make drunk her officials, and her wise men,

her governors, and her officials, and her warriors,

and they will sleep an everlasting sleep,

and they will not wake up,”

declares the King, Yahweh of hosts is his name.

58 Thus says Yahweh of hosts:

“The broad walls of Babylon will be utterly demolished,

and her high gates will burn with fire,

and the peoples will labor for nothing,

and the nations for fire,

and they will grow weary.”

59 The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah, the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, at his going with Zedekiah, the king of Judah, to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. Now Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 And Jeremiah wrote all the disasters that would come on Babylon in one scroll, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “At your coming to Babylon, then you must see that you read aloud all these words. 62 And you must say, ‘Yahweh, you yourself spoke against this place, to destroy it, so that there will not be in it anything living, from humankind to animals, for it will be an everlasting desolation.’ 63 And then when you finish reading aloud this scroll, you must tie a stone on it, and you must throw it into the middle of the Euphrates. 64 And you must say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, and she will not rise, because of the face of the disasters that I am bringing on her, and they will grow weary.’ ”

Thus far the words of Jeremiah.

And another second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who caused all the nations to drink from the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”

For there is a cup in the hand of Yahweh

with wine that foams, fully mixed,

and he pours out from this.

Surely all the wicked of the land

will quaff it down to its dregs.

O Yahweh, I have heard the report of you;

O Yahweh, I stand in awe of your works.

In the midst of the years, revive it!

In the midst of the years, make it known!

In wrath, may you remember to show compassion.

he himself also will drink of the wine of the anger of God that has been mixed full strength in the cup of his wrath, and will be tortured with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

And the smoke of their torture went up forever and ever, and those who worshiped the beast and his image did not have rest day and night, along with anyone who received the mark of his name.

And it was granted to them that they should not kill them, but that they would be tormented five months, and their torment is like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person.

And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them, and will celebrate and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who live on the earth.

And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet also are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

And the smoke of their torture went up forever and ever, and those who worshiped the beast and his image did not have rest day and night, along with anyone who received the mark of his name.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write:

‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “in order that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow after them.”

We ought to give thanks to God always concerning you, brothers, just as it is fitting, because your faith is flourishing and the love of each one of you all toward one another is increasing 4 so that we ourselves boast in you in the churches of God about your patient endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring, 5 a proof of the righteous judgment of God, so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, on behalf of which also you are suffering, 6 since it is righteous in the sight of God to pay back those who are afflicting you with affliction, 7 and to you who are being afflicted, rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, 8 with burning flame giving punishment to those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, 9 who will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, 10 whenever he should come to be glorified on that day by his saints and to be marveled at by all who believe, because our testimony was believed among you, 11 for which purpose we also pray always for you, that you may be considered worthy of the calling of our God, and he might fulfill every desire for goodness and work of faith with power, 12 in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud was seated one like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Send out your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe!” 16 And the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

“I continued watching in the visions of the night, and look, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man was coming, and he came to the Ancient of Days, and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and kingship that all the peoples, the nations, and languages would serve him; his dominion is a dominion without end that will not cease, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded around his chest with a golden belt,

And another angel came out of the temple that is in heaven; he also had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel who had authority over the fire went out from the altar, and he called out with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Send out your sharp sickle and harvest the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are at their prime!” 19 And the angel swung his sickle into the earth and harvested the vine of the earth, and threw the grapes into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was stomped outside the city, and blood went out from the winepress up to the bridles of the horses, about one thousand six hundred stadia.

Jesus said to them, “My food is that I do the will of the one who sent me and complete his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months and the harvest comes’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already. 36 The one who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life, in order that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together. 37 For in this instance the saying is true, ‘It is one who sows and another who reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have worked, and you have entered into their work.”

He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel in the midst of the wheat and went away. 26 So when the wheat sprouted and yielded grain, then the darnel appeared also. 27 So the slaves of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have darnel?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So the slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, “No, lest when you gather the darnel you uproot the wheat together with it. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the season of the harvest I will tell the reapers, “First gather the darnel and tie it into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my storehouse.” ’ ”

Then he left the crowds and came into the house, and his disciples came to him saying, “Explain the parable of the darnel in the field to us.” 37 So he answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world. And the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one. 39 And the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Thus just as the darnel is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all the causes of sin and those who do lawless deeds, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth! 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear!

Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 9 And even now the ax is positioned at the root of the trees; therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 And the crowds were asking him, saying, “What then should we do?” 11 And he answered and said to them, “The one who has two tunics must share with the one who does not have one, and the one who has food must do likewise.” 12 And tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you are ordered to.” 14 And those who served in the army were also asking him, saying, “What should we also do?” And he said to them, “Extort from no one, and do not blackmail anyone, and be content with your pay.”

15 And while the people were waiting expectantly and all were pondering in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but the one who is more powerful than I am is coming, of whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

And the fourth generation shall return here, for the guilt of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Send forth the sickle,

for the harvest is ripe!

Go tread,

for the winepress is full!

The vats overflow,

because their evil is great!

14 Commotion, commotion

in the valley of decision!

For the day of Yahweh is near

in the valley of decision!

15 The sun and the moon grow dark,

and the stars have withheld their splendor.

16 And Yahweh roars from Zion;

from Jerusalem he utters his voice,

and the heavens and the earth shake.

But Yahweh is a refuge for his people,

and a protection for the children of Israel.

17 And you will know that I, Yahweh your God,

am dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain.

And Jerusalem will be a place of holiness,

and strangers will pass through it no longer.

18 And it will happen on that day;

the mountains will drip new wine,

and the hills will flow with milk,

and all the channels of Judah will flow with water.

A spring from the house of Yahweh will come forth,

and it will water the valley of Acacia Trees.

19 Egypt will become a desolation,

and Edom will become a desolate desert,

because of the violence they did against the children of Judah,

in whose land they have shed innocent blood.

20 But Judah will be inhabited forever,

and Jerusalem for all generations.

21 I will cleanse their bloodguilt that I did not cleanse,

for Yahweh is dwelling in Zion.

You uprooted a vine from Egypt;

you drove out the nations and planted it.

9 You prepared a place before it,

and it took deep root and filled the land.

10 The mountains were covered with its shade,

and the mighty cedars with its boughs.

11 It spread its branches to the sea

and its shoots to the river.

12 Why have you broken down its walls,

so that all who pass on the road pluck fruit from it?

13 Swine from the forests devour it

and creatures of the field feed on it.

14 Please return, O God of hosts.

Observe from heaven and see,

and pay attention to this vine,

15 even the stalk that your right hand planted,

and concerning the shoot you strengthened for yourself.

16 It is burned with fire, cut down.

They perish at the rebuke of your face.

Let me sing for my beloved

a song of my love concerning his vineyard:

My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.

2 And he dug it and cleared it of stones,

and he planted it with choice vines,

and he built a watchtower in the middle of it,

and he even hewed out a wine vat in it,

and he waited for it to yield grapes—

but it yielded wild grapes.

3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem

and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.

4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?

Why did I hope for it to yield grapes, and it yielded wild grapes?

5 And now let me tell you what I myself am about to do to my vineyard.

I will remove its hedge, and it shall become a devastation.

I will break down its wall, and it shall become a trampling.

6 And I will make it a wasteland;

it shall not be pruned and hoed,

and it shall be overgrown with briers and thornbushes.

And concerning the clouds, I will command them not to send rain down upon it.

7 For the vineyard of Yahweh of hosts is the house of Israel,

and the man of Judah is the plantation of his delight.

And he waited for justice,

but look! Bloodshed!

For righteousness,

but look! A cry of distress!

“Listen to another parable: There was a man—a master of a house—who planted a vineyard, and put a fence around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower, and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey. 34 And when the season of fruit drew near, he sent his slaves to the tenant farmers to collect his fruit. 35 And the tenant farmers seized his slaves, one of whom they beat, and one of whom they killed, and one of whom they stoned. 36 Again, he sent other slaves, more than the first ones, and they did the same thing to them. 37 So finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance!’ 39 And they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 Now when the master of the vineyard arrives, what will he do to those tenant farmers?” 41 They said to him, “He will destroy those evil men completely and lease the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him the fruits in their season.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures,

‘The stone which the builders rejected,

this has become the cornerstone.

This came about from the Lord,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 For this reason, I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a people who produce its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls—it will crush him!” 45 And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them, 46 and although they wanted to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds, because they looked upon him as a prophet.

Look! A day is coming for Yahweh, when your plunder will be divided in your midst. 2 I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, and they will loot the houses, and the women will be raped; half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations, like when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in half, from east to west, by a very great valley; and half of the mountain will withdraw toward the north, and the other half toward the south.

And he gathered them to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon.

Who is this, coming from Edom,

from Bozrah in bright red garments?

Who is this honored in his garment,

lying down in his great strength?

“It is I, speaking in justice,

mighty to save!”

2 Why are your garments red,

and your garments like he who treads in the winepress?

3 “I have trodden the winepress alone,

and there was no man from the peoples with me.

And I trod them in my anger,

and I trampled them in my wrath,

and spattered their juice on my garments,

and stained all my clothing,

4 for the day of vengeance was in my heart,

and the year of my blood-vengeance has come!

5 And I looked, but there was no helper,

and I was appalled, but there was no one who sustains,

so my arm came to assist me,

and my wrath was what sustained me.

6 And I trampled peoples in my anger,

and I made them drunk in my wrath,

and I brought their juice down to the earth.”

And I saw another great and marvelous sign in heaven: seven angels having seven plagues that are the last ones, because with them the wrath of God is completed. 2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and his image and the number of his name were standing by the glassy sea, holding harps from God. 3 And they were singing the song of Moses, the slave of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:

“Great and marvelous are your works,

Lord God All-Powerful;

righteous and true are your ways,

King of the ages!

4 Who would never fear, Lord,

and glorify your name?

For only you are holy,

because all the nations will come

and worship before you,

because your righteous deeds have been revealed.”

The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly!

And they conquered him by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

and they did not love their lives until death.

and that no one was able to buy or to sell except the one who had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of his name.

If anyone is going into captivity, into captivity he goes.

If anyone is to be killed by the sword, by the sword he is to be killed.

Here is the patient endurance and the faith of the saints.

And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal, and in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.

Yah is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him—the God of my father—and I will exalt him.

Yah is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation.

who appeared in glory and were speaking about his departure which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.

Yahweh is righteous in all his ways,

and loyal in all his works.

saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the springs of water!”

All the nations that you have made will come

and bow down before you, O Lord,

and glorify your name.

O Lord, you have been our help in all generations.

2 Before the mountains were born

and you brought forth the earth and the world,

even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

How great are your deeds, O Yahweh;

how very deep are your thoughts.

Yahweh has made known his salvation;

to the eyes of the nations he has revealed his righteousness.

He has sent redemption to his people;

he has commanded his covenant forever;

holy and fearful is his name.

Yahweh is righteous in all his ways,

and loyal in all his works.

Who would never fear, Lord,

and glorify your name?

For only you are holy,

because all the nations will come

and worship before you,

because your righteous deeds have been revealed.”

And I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

And the seventh poured out his bowl on the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”

But in the days of the sound of the seventh angel, whenever he is about to blow the trumpet, then the mystery of God is completed, as he announced to his own slaves the prophets.”

And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had, 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, holy and true Lord, will you not judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” 11 And to each one of them a white robe was given, and it was said to them that they should rest yet a short time, until the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were about to be killed as they had been were completed also.

And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple, and there were lightnings and sounds and thunders and an earthquake and large hail.

And the cloud covered the tent of assembly, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was unable to go into the tent of assembly because the cloud settled on it and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle.

And when Solomon finished praying, then fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of Yahweh filled the house. 2 And the priests were not able to go into the house of Yahweh, for the glory of Yahweh had filled the house. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire come down and the glory of Yahweh upon the house, they knelt down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loyal love is everlasting.

4 Then the king and all the people were offering a sacrifice before Yahweh.

And the pivots of the thresholds shook from the sound of those who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

And the glory of Yahweh rose up from on the cherub toward the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the brightness of the glory of Yahweh.

And the first went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and there was an evil and painful sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

And Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, “Take for yourselves full handfuls of soot from a smelting furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heavens before the eyes of Pharaoh. 9 And it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and it will become on humans and on animals a skin sore sprouting blisters in all the land of Egypt.” 10 And they took the soot of the smelting furnace, and they stood before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkled it toward the heavens, and it became skin sores sprouting blisters on humans and on animals. 11 And the magicians were not able to stand before Moses because of the skin sores, for the skin sores were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12 And Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken to Moses.

“Yahweh shall afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scurvy and with the skin rash that cannot be healed.

Yahweh shall strike you with grievous boils on the knees and on the upper thighs from which you will not be able to be healed, from the sole of your foot and up to your crown.

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