159 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
159 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 2
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1. I will climb up to my watchtower
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and stand at my guardpost.
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There I will wait to see what the LORD says
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and how he will answer my complaint.The LORD's Second Reply
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2. Then the LORD said to me,
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"Write my answer plainly on tablets,
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so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
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3. This vision is for a future time.
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It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
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If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
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for it will surely take place.
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It will not be delayed.
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4. "Look at the proud!
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They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.
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But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.
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5. Wealth is treacherous,
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and the arrogant are never at rest.
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They open their mouths as wide as the grave,
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and like death, they are never satisfied.
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In their greed they have gathered up many nations
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and swallowed many peoples.
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6. "But soon their captives will taunt them.
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They will mock them, saying,
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'What sorrow awaits you thieves!
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Now you will get what you deserve!
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You've become rich by extortion,
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but how much longer can this go on?'
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7. Suddenly, your debtors will take action.
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They will turn on you and take all you have,
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while you stand trembling and helpless.
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8. Because you have plundered many nations,
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now all the survivors will plunder you.
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You committed murder throughout the countryside
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and filled the towns with violence.
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9. "What sorrow awaits you who build big houses
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with money gained dishonestly!
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You believe your wealth will buy security,
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putting your family's nest beyond the reach of danger.
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10. But by the murders you committed,
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you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives.
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11. The very stones in the walls cry out against you,
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and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.
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12. "What sorrow awaits you who build cities
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with money gained through murder and corruption!
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13. Has not the LORD of Heaven's Armies promised
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that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes?
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They work so hard,
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but all in vain!
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14. For as the waters fill the sea,
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the earth will be filled with an awareness
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of the glory of the LORD.
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15. "What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk!
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You force your cup on them
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so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness.
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16. But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced.
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Come, drink and be exposed!
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Drink from the cup of the LORD's judgment,
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and all your glory will be turned to shame.
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17. You cut down the forests of Lebanon.
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Now you will be cut down.
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You destroyed the wild animals,
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so now their terror will be yours.
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You committed murder throughout the countryside
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and filled the towns with violence.
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18. "What good is an idol carved by man,
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or a cast image that deceives you?
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How foolish to trust in your own creation--
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a god that can't even talk!
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19. What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols,
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'Wake up and save us!'
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To speechless stone images you say,
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'Rise up and teach us!'
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Can an idol tell you what to do?
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They may be overlaid with gold and silver,
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but they are lifeless inside.
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20. But the LORD is in his holy Temple.
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Let all the earth be silent before him."
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