The Lord has commanded the soldiers he prepared for battle. He has sent for them to carry out his anger against Babylon. They will be happy when he wins the battle for them.

我吩咐我所挑出来的人；我招呼我的勇士，就是那矜夸高傲之辈，为要成就我怒中所定的。

我吩咐我所分别为圣的人，召唤我的勇士，就是我那狂喜高傲的人，为要执行我的怒气。

我吩咐我所分别为圣的人，召唤我的勇士，就是我那狂喜高傲的人，为要执行我的怒气。

我已向我拣选的士兵发出命令，我已号召我的勇士去倾倒我的烈怒，他们因我的胜利而欢喜。

我向我特选的军兵下了命令；我也呼召了我的勇士，就是我那些骄傲自夸的人，去执行我在怒气中所要作的。

为了成就我的怒气，我已吩咐我所分别出来的人，我已召唤我的勇士，就是那些为我威荣欢腾的人。

我吩咐我所挑出來的人；我招呼我的勇士－就是那矜誇高傲之輩，為要成就我怒中所定的。

我吩咐我所分別為聖的人，召喚我的勇士，就是我那狂喜高傲的人，為要執行我的怒氣。

我吩咐我所分別為聖的人，召喚我的勇士，就是我那狂喜高傲的人，為要執行我的怒氣。

我已向我揀選的士兵發出命令，我已號召我的勇士去傾倒我的烈怒，他們因我的勝利而歡喜。

我向我特選的軍兵下了命令；我也呼召了我的勇士，就是我那些驕傲自誇的人，去執行我在怒氣中所要作的。

我吩咐我那些獻身軍人；我呼召了我的勇士，我那些耀武揚威的高傲者，來執行我忿怒中所要作的。

為了成就我的怒氣，我已吩咐我所分別出來的人，我已召喚我的勇士，就是那些為我威榮歡騰的人。

我已命我所區別者、召我驕樂之傑士、以洩我忿、

主有傑士、召為執事、以洩其憤、莫不踴躍、樂奏其能。

我命我所備之人至、召我勇士、即樂我威嚴者來、代我行刑以洩我怒、

I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath— those who rejoice in my triumph.

I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.

I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.”

I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my warriors, who celebrate my triumph, to execute my wrath.

I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have also called for My warriors Who boast in My eminence, To execute My anger.

I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones for My anger— Those who rejoice in My exaltation.”

I have commanded my consecrated ones, yea, I have called my mighty men for mine anger, even my proudly exulting ones.

I have commanded My chosen ones; I have also called My warriors, who exult in My triumph, to execute My wrath.

I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger,[ even] them that rejoice in my highness.

I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, my boasting, arrogant ones.

I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my mighty men for my anger, even my proudly exulting ones.

Come quickly, all you surrounding nations. Gather together in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Lord, send down your soldiers from heaven!

“ Babylon, you are my war club. You are my weapon for battle. I use you to destroy nations. I use you to wipe out kingdoms.I use you to destroy horses and their riders. I use you to destroy chariots and their drivers.I use you to destroy men and women. I use you to destroy old people and young people. I use you to destroy young men and young women.I use you to destroy shepherds and their flocks. I use you to destroy farmers and their oxen. I use you to destroy governors and officials.“ Judah, I will pay Babylon back. You will see it with your own eyes. I will pay back all those who live in Babylon. I will pay them back for all the wrong things they have done in Zion,” announces the Lord.

Then I heard another voice from heaven. It said,“‘ Come out of her, my people.’( Jeremiah 51:45) Then you will not take part in her sins. You will not suffer from any of her plagues.Her sins are piled up to heaven. God has remembered her crimes.Do to her as she has done to others. Pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double dose of what she has poured for others.Give her as much pain and suffering as the glory and wealth she gave herself. She brags to herself,‘ I rule on a throne like a queen. I am not a widow. I will never mourn.’( Isaiah 47:7, 8)But she will be plagued by death, sadness and hunger. In a single day she will suffer all these plagues. She will be burned up by fire. That’s because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.

King Darius gave an order. He had a search made in the official records stored among the treasures at Babylon.A book was found in a safe storeroom at Ecbatana in the land of Media. Here is what was written on it. This is my official reply to your letter.In the first year that Cyrus was king, he gave an order. It concerned God’s temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus said, Rebuild the temple. Then the Jews can offer sacrifices there. Lay its foundations. The temple must be 90 feet high and 90 feet wide.Its walls must have three layers of large stones. They must also have a layer of beautiful wood. Use money from the royal treasures to pay for everything.The gold and silver objects from the house of God must be returned. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them from the first temple in Jerusalem. And he had brought them to Babylon. Now they must be returned to their places in the temple at Jerusalem. They must be put in the house of God there.Tattenai, you are governor of the land west of the Euphrates River. I want you to stay away from the temple in Jerusalem. I also want you, Shethar- Bozenai, and you other officials of that area to stay away from it.Don’t try to stop the work on the temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and their elders rebuild the house of their God. Let them build it in the same place where it stood before.Here is what I want you to do for the elders of the Jews. Here is how you must help them to build the house of their God. Pay all their expenses from the royal treasures. Use the money you collect from the people who live west of the Euphrates. Don’t let the work on the temple stop.Don’t fail to give the priests in Jerusalem what they ask for each day. Give them what they need. Give them young bulls, rams and male lambs. The priests can use them to sacrifice burnt offerings to the God of heaven. Also give them wheat, salt, wine and olive oil.Give them those things so they can offer sacrifices that please the God of heaven. And I want them to pray that things will go well for me and my sons.Don’t change this order. If anyone tries to change it, they must be put to death. A pole must be pulled from their house. The pole must be stuck through their body. Because that person tried to change my royal order, their house must be broken to pieces.God has chosen to put his Name in the temple at Jerusalem. May he wipe out any king or nation that lifts a hand to change this order. May he also wipe out anyone who tries to destroy the temple in Jerusalem. That’s what I have ordered. I am King Darius. Make sure you carry out my order.The governor Tattenai and Shethar- Bozenai carried out King Darius’s order. And so did their friends.The elders of the Jews continued to build the temple. They enjoyed great success because of the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, the prophets. Zechariah belonged to the family line of Iddo. The people finished building the temple. That’s what the God of Israel had commanded them to do. Cyrus and Darius had given orders allowing them to do it. Later, Artaxerxes supplied many things that were needed in the temple. Those three men were kings of Persia.So the temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar. It was in the sixth year that Darius was king.When the house of God was set apart, the people of Israel celebrated with joy. The priests and Levites joined them. So did the rest of those who had returned from the land of Babylon.When the house of God was set apart to him, the people sacrificed 100 bulls. They also sacrificed 200 rams and 400 male lambs. As a sin offering for the whole nation of Israel, the people sacrificed 12 male goats. One goat was sacrificed for each tribe in Israel.The priests were appointed to their groups. And the Levites were appointed to their groups. All of them served God at Jerusalem. They served him in keeping with what is written in the Book of Moses.The people who had returned from the land of Babylon celebrated the Passover Feast. It was on the 14th day of the first month.The priests and Levites had made themselves pure and“ clean.” The Levites killed Passover lambs for the people who had returned from Babylon. They also did it for themselves and their relatives, the priests.So the Israelites who had returned ate the Passover lamb. They ate it together with all those who had separated themselves from the practices of their Gentile neighbors. Those practices were“ unclean.” The people worshiped the Lord. He is the God of Israel.For seven days they celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy. That’s because the Lord had filled them with joy. They were glad because he had changed the mind of the king of Persia. So the king had helped them with the work on the house of the God of Israel.

I say to the deep waters,‘ Dry up. Let your streams become dry.’I say about Cyrus,‘ He is my shepherd. He will accomplish everything I want him to. He will say about Jerusalem,“ Let it be rebuilt.” And he will say about the temple,“ Let its foundations be laid.” ’

“ Enemies of Babylon, attack their land of Merathaim. Make war against those who live in Pekod. Chase them and kill them. Destroy them completely,” announces the Lord.“ Do everything I have commanded you to do.The noise of battle is heard in the land. It is the noise of a great city being destroyed!It has been broken to pieces. It was the hammer that broke the whole earth. How empty Babylon is among the nations!Babylon, I set a trap for you. And you were caught before you knew it. You were found and captured. That is because you opposed me.I have opened up my storeroom. I have brought out the weapons I use when I am angry. I am the Lord and King who rules over all. I have work to do in the land of the Babylonians.So come against it from far away. Open up its storerooms. Stack everything up like piles of grain. Completely destroy that country. Do not leave anyone alive there.Kill all Babylon’s strongest warriors. Let them die in battle. How terrible it will be for them! Their time to be judged has come. Now they will be punished.Listen to those who have escaped. Listen to those who have returned from Babylon. They are announcing in Zion how I have paid Babylon back. I have paid it back for destroying my temple.“ Send for men armed with bows and arrows. Send them against Babylon. Set up camp all around it. Do not let anyone escape. Pay it back for what its people have done. Do to them what they have done to others. They have dared to disobey me. I am the Holy One of Israel.You can be sure its young men will fall dead in the streets. All its soldiers will be put to death at that time,” announces the Lord.“ Proud Babylonians, I am against you,” announces the Lord. The Lord who rules over all says,“ Your day to be judged has come. It is time for you to be punished.You proud people will trip and fall. No one will help you up. I will start a fire in your towns. It will burn up everyone around you.”The Lord who rules over all says,“ The people of Israel are being treated badly. So are the people of Judah. Those who have captured them are holding them. They refuse to let them go.But I am strong and will save them. My name is the Lord Who Rules Over All. I will stand up for them. I will bring peace and rest to their land. But I will bring trouble to those who live in Babylon.“ A sword is coming against the Babylonians!” announces the Lord.“ It is coming against those who live in Babylon. It is coming against their officials and wise men.A sword is coming against their prophets. But they are not really prophets at all! So they will look foolish. A sword is coming against their soldiers! They will be filled with terror.A sword is coming against their horses and chariots! It is coming against all the hired soldiers in their armies. They will become weak. A sword is coming against their treasures! They will be stolen.There will not be any rain for their rivers. So they will dry up. Those things will happen because their land is full of statues of gods. Those gods will go crazy with terror.“ Desert creatures and hyenas will live in Babylon. And so will owls. People will never live there again. It will not be lived in for all time to come.I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. I also destroyed the towns that were near them,” announces the Lord.“ Babylon will be just like them. No one will live there. No human beings will stay there.“ Look! An army is coming from the north. I am stirring up a great nation and many kings. They are coming from a land that is very far away.Their soldiers are armed with bows and spears. They are mean. They do not show any mercy at all. They come riding in on their horses. They sound like the roaring ocean. They are lined up for battle. They are coming to attack you, city of Babylon.The king of Babylon has heard reports about them. His hands can’t help him. He is in great pain. It is like the pain of a woman having a baby.I will be like a lion coming up from the bushes by the Jordan River. I will hunt in rich grasslands. I will chase the people of Babylon from their land in an instant. What nation will I choose to do this? Which one will I appoint? Is anyone like me? Who would dare to argue with me? What leader can stand against me?”So listen to what the Lord has planned against Babylon. Hear what he has planned against the land of the Babylonians. Their young people will be dragged away. Their grasslands will be shocked at their fate.At the news of Babylon’s capture, the earth will shake. The people’s cries will be heard among the nations.

I, Artaxerxes, am writing this letter. I am the greatest king of all. I have given it to Ezra the priest. He is the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven. I give you my greetings.Ezra, I am giving an order about the Israelites in my kingdom. Any of them who want to go to Jerusalem with you may go. The order also allows priests and Levites to go with you.I and my seven advisers are sending you to see how things are going in Judah and Jerusalem. Find out whether the people there are obeying the Law of your God. You have a copy of that law with you.I and my advisers have freely given some silver and gold to the God of Israel. He is the God who lives in Jerusalem. Take that silver and gold with you.Also take any other silver and gold you can get from the land of Babylon. And take the offerings the people and priests choose to give for the temple of their God in Jerusalem.Make sure you use the money to buy bulls, rams and male lambs. Also buy their grain offerings and drink offerings. Then sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.You and the other Jews can do what you think is best with the rest of the silver and gold. Do what your God wants you to do.Give to the God of Jerusalem all the things you are responsible for. Use them for worshiping your God in his temple.You might need to supply some other things for the temple of your God. If you do, take them from among the royal treasures.I, King Artaxerxes, also give this order. It applies to all those who are in charge of the treasures west of the Euphrates River. Make sure you provide anything Ezra the priest might ask you to give. He is the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven.Give Ezra up to three and three- fourths tons of silver. Give him up to 18 tons of wheat. Give him up to 600 gallons of wine and up to 600 gallons of olive oil. And give him as much salt as he needs.Work hard for the temple of the God of heaven. Do everything he has required. I don’t want him to be angry with my kingdom and the kingdom of my sons.Here is something else I want you to know. You have no authority to collect taxes, gifts or fees from these people. You may not collect them from the priests, Levites or musicians. You may not collect them from those who guard the temple gates. You may not collect them from the temple servants. And you may not collect them from other workers at the house of God in Jerusalem.Ezra, appoint judges and other court officials. When you do it, use the wisdom your God gives you. Those you appoint should do what is right and fair when they judge people. They should do it for everyone who lives west of the Euphrates River. They should do it for everyone who knows the laws of your God. And I want you to teach the people who don’t know those laws.Anyone who doesn’t obey the law of your God must be punished. The same thing applies to anyone who doesn’t obey my law. The people must be punished in keeping with the laws they have broken. Some of them must be put to death. Others must be forced to leave the places where they live. Others must have their property taken away from them. Still others must be put in prison.

It was the first year of the rule of Cyrus. He was king of Persia. The Lord inspired him to send a message all through his kingdom. It happened so that what the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah would come true. The message was written down. It said,“ Cyrus, the king of Persia, says,“‘ The Lord is the God of heaven. He has given me all the kingdoms on earth. He has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem and build the Lord’ s temple. He is the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. And may their God be with them.The people still left alive in every place must bring gifts to the people going. They must provide silver and gold to the people going up to Jerusalem. The people must bring goods and livestock. They should also bring any offerings they choose to. All those gifts will be for God’s temple in Jerusalem.’ ”Then everyone God had inspired prepared to go. They wanted to go up to Jerusalem and build the Lord’ s temple there. They included the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin. They also included the priests and Levites.All their neighbors helped them. They gave them silver and gold objects. They gave them goods and livestock. And they gave them gifts of great value. All those things were added to the other offerings the people chose to give.King Cyrus also brought out the objects that belonged to the Lord’ s temple. Nebuchadnezzar had carried them off from Jerusalem. He had put them in the temple of his own god.Cyrus, the king of Persia, told Mithredath to bring them out. Mithredath was in charge of the temple treasures. He counted those objects. Then he gave them to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.Here is a list of the objects. There were 30 gold dishes. There were 1,000 silver dishes. There were 29 silver pans.There were 30 gold bowls. There were 410 matching silver bowls. There were 1,000 other objects.The total number of gold and silver objects was 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of these back with him to Jerusalem. So Sheshbazzar and the Jews who had been forced to leave Judah came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

“ The ten horns you saw are ten kings. They have not yet received a kingdom. But for one hour they will receive authority to rule together with the beast.They have only one purpose. So they will give their power and authority to the beast.They will make war against the Lamb. But the Lamb will have victory over them. That’s because he is the most powerful Lord of all and the greatest King of all. His appointed, chosen and faithful followers will be with him.”Then the angel spoke to me.“ You saw the waters the prostitute sits on,” he said.“ They stand for all the nations of the world, no matter what their race or language is.The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will destroy her and leave her naked. They will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose. So they agreed to give the beast their royal authority. They will give him this authority until God’s words come true.The woman you saw stands for the great city of Babylon. That city rules over the kings of the earth.”

Let his faithful people be filled with joy because of that honor. Let them sing for joy even when they are lying in bed.May they praise God with their mouths. May they hold in their hands a sword that has two edges.Let them pay the nations back. Let them punish the people of the earth.Let them put the kings of those nations in chains. Let them put their nobles in iron chains.Let them carry out God’s sentence against those nations. This will bring glory to all his faithful people. Praise the Lord.

“ You heavens, be glad for this! You people of God, be glad! You apostles and prophets, be glad! God has judged her with the judgment she gave to you.”Then a mighty angel picked up a huge rock. It was the size of a large millstone. He threw it into the sea. Then he said,“ That is how the great city of Babylon will be thrown down. Never again will it be found.The songs of musicians will never be heard in you again. Gone will be the music of harps, flutes and trumpets. No worker of any kind will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you again. Your traders were among the world’s most important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.You were guilty of the murder of prophets and God’s holy people. You were guilty of the blood of all who have been killed on the earth.”After these things I heard a roar in heaven. It sounded like a huge crowd shouting,“ Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.The way he judges is true and fair. He has judged the great prostitute. She made the earth impure with her terrible sins. God has paid her back for killing those who served him.”Again they shouted,“ Hallelujah! The smoke from her fire goes up for ever and ever.”The 24 elders and the four living creatures bowed down. They worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out,“ Amen! Hallelujah!”Then a voice came from the throne. It said,“ Praise our God, all you who serve him! Praise God, all you who have respect for him, both great and small!”Then I heard the noise of a huge crowd. It sounded like the roar of rushing waters and like loud thunder. The people were shouting,“ Hallelujah! Our Lord God is the King who rules over all.Let us be joyful and glad! Let us give him glory! It is time for the Lamb’s wedding. His bride has made herself ready.

Cyrus, I am sending for you by name. I am doing it for the good of the family of Jacob. They are my servant. I am doing it for Israel. They are my chosen people. You do not know anything about me. But I am giving you a title of honor.I am the Lord. There is no other Lord. I am the one and only God. You do not know anything about me. But I will make you strong.

The Lord has reached his powerful hand out over the sea. He has made its kingdoms tremble with fear. He has given a command concerning Phoenicia. He has ordered that its forts be destroyed.

Let Israel be filled with joy because God is their Maker. Let the people of Zion be glad because he is their King.