One runner runs to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to tell the king of Babylon that his city is taken on every side;

跑报的要彼此相遇，送信的要互相迎接，报告巴比伦王说：“城的四方被攻取了，

通报的彼此相遇，送信的彼此相遇，报告巴比伦王，城的四方都被攻下了，

通报的彼此相遇，送信的彼此相遇，报告巴比伦王，城的四方都被攻下了，

报信的人接踵而来，向巴比伦王禀告，‘整座城已失守，

驿卒一个接一个跑来，报信的也相继而至，向巴比伦王报告，他的京城已经完全被攻取了。

跑報的要彼此相遇，送信的要互相迎接，報告巴比倫王說：城的四方被攻取了，

通報的彼此相遇，送信的彼此相遇，報告巴比倫王，城的四方都被攻下了，

通報的彼此相遇，送信的彼此相遇，報告巴比倫王，城的四方都被攻下了，

報信的人接踵而來，向巴比倫王稟告，『整座城已失守，

驛卒一個接一個跑來，報信的也相繼而至，向巴比倫王報告，他的京城已經完全被攻取了。

跑急訊的跑到碰見跑急訊的，報信息的碰到報信息的，去報告巴比倫王知道；他京城已四面被攻取了；

郵人遞傳、使者相遇、報告巴比倫王、其邑四周被取、

使者絡繹而來、告巴比倫王曰、

驛與驛相繼而至、使與使接踵而來、告巴比倫王、其邑已陷、四周攻取、

One courier follows another and messenger follows messenger to announce to the king of Babylon that his entire city is captured,

One messenger after another comes to the king of Babylon. All of them announce that his entire city is captured.

The news is passed from one runner to the next as the messengers hurry to tell the king that his city has been captured.

Messenger races to meet messenger, and herald to meet herald, to announce to the king of Babylon that his city has been captured from end to end.

One courier runs to meet another, And one messenger to meet another, To tell the king of Babylon That his city has been captured from end to end;

One runner will run to meet another, And one messenger to meet another, To show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides;

One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on every quarter:

Messenger races to meet messenger, and herald to meet herald, to announce to the king of Babylon that his city has been captured from end to end.

One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at[ one] end,

One runner after another will come to the king of Babylon. One messenger after another will come bringing news. They will bring news to the king of Babylon that his whole city has been captured.

One runner will run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on every quarter.

So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying,“ O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.

Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said,“ Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.”And Joab said to him,“ You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son is dead.”Then Joab said to the Cushite,“ Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran.Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab,“ Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said,“ Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?”“ Come what may,” he said,“ I will run.” So he said to him,“ Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone.The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said,“ If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer.The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said,“ See, another man running alone!” The king said,“ He also brings news.”The watchman said,“ I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said,“ He is a good man and comes with good news.”Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king,“ All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said,“ Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.”And the king said,“ Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered,“ When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.”And the king said,“ Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said,“ Good news for my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing.Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror.You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you.

Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am bowed down so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see.My heart staggers; horror has appalled me; the twilight I longed for has been turned for me into trembling.They prepare the table, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink. Arise, O princes; oil the shield!For thus the Lord said to me:“ Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees.When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, let him listen diligently, very diligently.”Then he who saw cried out:“ Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord, continually by day, and at my post I am stationed whole nights.And behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs!” And he answered,“ Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered to the ground.”

I set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon, and you did not know it; you were found and caught, because you opposed the Lord.

Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote.

A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out.When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said,“ What is this uproar?” Then the man hurried and came and told Eli.Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set so that he could not see.And the man said to Eli,“ I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said,“ How did it go, my son?”He who brought the news answered and said,“ Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king’s service, bred from the royal stud,

Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in a moment.

That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.

“ My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good.

So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king’s service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.

Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day.The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

“ The king of Babylon heard the report of them, and his hands fell helpless; anguish seized him, pain as of a woman in labor.