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

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 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;

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.

Messengers went all through Israel and Judah. They carried letters from the king and his officials. The king had ordered them to do that. The letters said,“ People of Israel, return to the Lord. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Return to him. Then he will return to you who are left in the land. You have escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria.

Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said to Joab,“ Let me run and take the news to the king. Let me tell him that the Lord has shown that David is in the right. The Lord has done this by saving David from his enemies.”“ I don’t want you to take the news to the king today,” Joab told him.“ You can do it some other time. But you must not do it today, because the king’s son is dead.”Then Joab said to a man from Cush,“ Go. Tell the king what you have seen.” The man bowed down in front of Joab. Then he ran off.Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, spoke again to Joab. He said,“ I don’t care what happens to me. Please let me run behind the man from Cush.” But Joab replied,“ My son, why do you want to go? You don’t have any news that will bring you a reward.”He said,“ I don’t care what happens. I want to run.” So Joab said,“ Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran across the plain of the Jordan River. As he ran, he passed the man from Cush.David was sitting in the area between the inner and outer gates of the city. The man on guard duty went up to the roof over the entrance of the gate by the wall. As he looked out, he saw someone running alone.The guard called out to the king and reported it. The king said,“ If the runner is alone, he must be bringing good news.” The runner came closer and closer.Then the man on guard duty saw another runner. He called out to the man guarding the gate. He said,“ Look! There’s another man running alone!” The king said,“ He must be bringing good news too.”The man on guard duty said,“ I can see that the first one runs like Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.”“ He’s a good man,” the king said.“ He’s bringing good news.”Then Ahimaaz called out to the king,“ Everything’s all right!” He bowed down in front of the king with his face toward the ground. He said,“ You are my king and master. Give praise to the Lord your God! He has handed over to you those who lifted their hands to kill you.”The king asked,“ Is the young man Absalom safe?” Ahimaaz answered,“ I saw total disorder. I saw it just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me to you. But I don’t know what it was all about.”The king said,“ Stand over there and wait.” So he stepped over to one side and stood there.Then the man from Cush arrived. He said,“ You are my king and master. I’m bringing you some good news. The Lord has shown that you are in the right. He has done this by rescuing you today from all those trying to kill you.”

So horrible trouble will come on you. You will not know how to use your evil magic to make it go away. Great trouble will fall on you. No amount of money can keep it away. Something terrible will happen to you all at once. You will not see it coming ahead of time.“ So keep on casting your magic spells. Keep on practicing your evil magic. You have been doing those things ever since you were a child. Perhaps they will help you. Maybe they will scare your enemies away.All the advice you have received has only worn you out! Let those who study the heavens come forward. They claim to know what is going to happen by watching the stars every month. So let them save you from the trouble that is coming on you.

The vision fills my body with pain. Pains take hold of me. They are like the pains of a woman having a baby. I am shaken by what I hear. I’m terrified by what I see.My heart grows weak. Fear makes me tremble. I longed for evening to come. But it brought me horror instead of rest.In my vision the Babylonians set the tables. They spread out the rugs. They eat and drink. Get up, you officers! Rub your shields with oil!The Lord said to me,“ Go. Put a guard on duty on Jerusalem’s walls. Have him report what he sees.Tell him to watch for chariots that are pulled by teams of horses. Tell him to watch for men riding on donkeys or camels. Make sure he stays awake. Make sure he stays wide awake.”“ My master!” the guard shouts back.“ Day after day I stand here on the lookout tower. Every night I stay here on duty.Look! Here comes a man in a chariot! It’s being pulled by a team of horses. He’s calling out the news,‘ Babylon has fallen! It has fallen! All the statues of its gods lie broken in pieces on the ground!’ ”

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.

While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to his servants. He commanded them to bring in some gold and silver cups. They were the cups his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Belshazzar had them brought in so everyone could drink from them. That included the king himself, his nobles, his wives and his concubines.So the servants brought in the gold cups. The cups had been taken from God’s temple in Jerusalem. The king and his nobles drank from them. So did his wives and concubines.As they drank the wine, they praised their gods. The statues of those gods were made out of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood or stone.Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared. They wrote something on the plaster of the palace wall. It happened near the lampstand. The king watched the hand as it wrote.

That same day a man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the front lines of the battle. He went to Shiloh. His clothes were torn. He had dust on his head.When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair. He was by the side of the road. He was watching because his heart was really concerned about the ark of God. The man entered the town and told everyone what had happened. Then the whole town cried out.Eli heard the people crying out. He asked,“ What’s the meaning of all this noise?” The man hurried over to Eli.Eli was 98 years old. His eyes were so bad he couldn’t see.The man told Eli,“ I’ve just come from the front lines of the battle. I just ran away from there today.” Eli asked,“ What happened, son?”The man who brought the news replied,“ Israel ran away from the Philistines. Large numbers of men in the army were wounded or killed. Your two sons Hophni and Phinehas are also dead. And the ark of God has been captured.”When the man spoke about the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair. He had been sitting by the side of the gate. When he fell, he broke his neck and died. He was old and fat. He had led Israel for 40 years.

Mordecai wrote the orders in the name of King Xerxes. He stamped them with the king’s royal mark. He sent them by messengers on horseback. They rode fast horses that were raised just for the king.

One trouble follows another. The whole land is destroyed. In an instant my tents are gone. My home disappears in a moment.

That very night Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, was killed.

“ God, my days race by like a runner. They fly away without seeing any joy.

The messengers rode on the royal horses. They raced along. That’s what the king commanded them to do. The order was also sent out in the fort of Susa.

They were carried by messengers. They were sent to all the king’s territories. The orders commanded people to destroy, kill and wipe out all the Jews. That included young people and old people alike. It included women and children. All the Jews were supposed to be killed on a single day. That day was the 13th day of the 12th month. It was the month of Adar. The orders also commanded people to take everything that belonged to the Jews.A copy of the order had to be sent out as law. It had to be sent to every territory in the kingdom. It had to be announced to the people of every nation. Then they would be ready for that day.The king commanded the messengers to go out. So they did. The order was sent out from the fort of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink wine. But the people in the city were bewildered.

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.