Study Desk

Both hands are very able in doing sinful things. The ruler and the judge ask for pay in secret to do what is wrong. The powerful man tells what he wants, and they all make plans together.

The earth will be laid waste because of its people and the things they have done.

Nations will see and be ashamed of all their power. They will put their hands on their mouths, and will not be able to hear with their ears.

They will eat the dust like a snake, like animals that move along the ground. They will come out of their strong-places shaking with fear. They will come in much fear to the Lord our God, and they will be afraid of You.

The Lord says, "Even if they are strong and many, they will be destroyed and pass away. I have brought trouble to you, O Judah, but I will not bring you trouble any more.

The war-wagons race in the streets. They rush through the city. They look like fire and move like lightning.

The leaders are called. They lose their step as they go, and hurry to the wall. The battle-covering is set up.

Where is the home of the lions, the place where they feed their young, where the male and female and young lions went, with nothing to be afraid of?

Horsemen rushing to battle, swords and spears shining, many dead, too many dead bodies to number! They fall over the dead bodies!

Yet she was taken away to a strange land. She was taken away in chains. Her small children were beaten to death at every street corner. They drew names to see who would get her men of honor. And all her great men were put in chains.

Your watchmen are like the flying locusts. Your leaders are like clouds of locusts. They stay in the stone walls on a cold day. When the sun rises they fly away and no one knows where they are.

They fill others with fear. They make their own law about what is fair and honored.

Their horses are faster than leopards, and show less pity than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come on running horses from far away. They fly like an eagle coming down to get food.

They make fun of kings and laugh at rulers. They laugh at every strong city and build a battle-wall to take it.

Then they move through like the wind and keep going. They are guilty men, whose strength is their god."

Your eyes are too pure to look at sin. You cannot look on wrong. Why then do You look with favor on those who do wrong? Why are You quiet when the sinful destroy those who are more right and good than they?

The Babylonians bring all of them up with a hook, and pull them away with their net. They gather them together in their fishing net, and so they have joy and are glad.

So they give gifts in worship to their net. They burn special perfume to their fishing net, because their net catches all the good things and good food they need.

Will they empty their net forever and keep on destroying nations without pity?

Will not those to whom you owe money rise up all at once? Will they not wake up and make you afraid? Then they will take what belongs to you.