10 Ask ye of Jehovah rain in the time of the latter rain, even of Jehovah that maketh lightnings; and he will give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. ² For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams, they comfort in vain: therefore they go their way like sheep, they are afflicted, because there is no shepherd. ³ Mine anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the he-goats; for Jehovah of hosts hath visited his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as his goodly horse in the battle. ⁴ From him shall come forth the corner-stone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together. ⁵ And they shall be as mighty men, treading down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Jehovah is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded. ⁶ And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back; for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am Jehovah their God, and I will hear them. ⁷ And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine; yea, their children shall see it, and rejoice; their heart shall be glad in Jehovah.

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⁸ I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them; and they shall increase as they have increased. ⁹ And I will sow them among the peoples; and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and shall return. ¹⁰ I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them. ¹¹ And he will pass through the sea of affliction, and will smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall dry up; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart. ¹² And I will strengthen them in Jehovah; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith Jehovah.

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11 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. ² Wail, O fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly ones are destroyed: wail, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down. ³ A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! for their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! for the pride of the Jordan is laid waste.

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⁴ Thus said Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter; ⁵ whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich; and their own shepherds pity them not. ⁶ For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah; but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’s hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them. ⁷ So I fed the flock of slaughter, verily the poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called ^‍Bands; and I fed the flock. ⁸ And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me. ⁹ Then said I, I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let them that are left eat every one the flesh of another. ¹⁰ And I took my staff Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. ¹¹ And it was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that gave heed unto me knew that it was the word of Jehovah. ¹² And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver. ¹³ And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them unto the potter, in the house of Jehovah. ¹⁴ Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

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¹⁵ And Jehovah said unto me, Take unto thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶ For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not ^‍visit those that are ^‍cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which ^‍is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat sheep, and will tear their hoofs in pieces. ¹⁷ Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

18 After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was lightened with his glory. ² And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a ^‍hold of every unclean and hateful bird. ³ For ^‍by the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations are fallen; and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth waxed rich by the power of her wantonness.

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⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: ⁵ for her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. ⁶ Render unto her even as she rendered, and double unto her the double according to her works: in the cup which she mingled, mingle unto her double. ⁷ How much soever she glorified herself, and waxed wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall in no wise see mourning. ⁸ Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is ^‍the Lord God who judged her. ⁹ And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived wantonly with her, shall weep and wail over her, when they look upon the smoke of her burning, ¹⁰ standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. ¹¹ And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise any more; ¹² merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet; and all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble; ¹³ and cinnamon, and spice, and incense, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep; and merchandise of horses and chariots and ^‍slaves; and souls of men. ¹⁴ And the fruits which thy soul lusted after are gone from thee, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous are perished from thee, and men shall find them no more at all. ¹⁵ The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning; ¹⁶ saying, Woe, woe, the great city, she that was arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearl! ¹⁷ for in one hour so great riches is made desolate. And every shipmaster, and every one that saileth any whither, and mariners, and as many as ^‍gain their living by sea, stood afar off, ¹⁸ and cried out as they looked upon the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like the great city? ¹⁹ And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all that had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. ²⁰ Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophets; for God hath judged your judgment on her.

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²¹ And ^‍a strong angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more at all. ²² And the voice of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in thee; and the voice of a mill shall be heard no more at all in thee; ²³ and the light of a lamp shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the princes of the earth; for with thy sorcery were all the nations deceived. ²⁴ And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.

Praise to Jehovah the abundant Helper.

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146 Praise ye Jehovah.
Praise Jehovah, O my soul.
² While I live will I praise Jehovah:
I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
³ Put not your trust in princes,
Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
⁴ His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth;
In that very day his thoughts perish.
⁵ Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in Jehovah his God:
⁶ Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that in them is;
Who keepeth truth for ever;
⁷ Who executeth justice for the oppressed;
Who giveth food to the hungry.
Jehovah looseth the prisoners;
⁸ Jehovah openeth the eyes of the blind;
Jehovah raiseth up them that are bowed down;
Jehovah loveth the righteous;
⁹ Jehovah preserveth the sojourners;
He upholdeth the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
¹⁰ Jehovah will reign for ever,
Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations.
Praise ye Jehovah.

³³ For the churning of milk bringeth forth butter,
And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood;
So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.