Then the heavy lead cover was lifted off the basket, and there was a woman sitting inside it.

（我见有一片圆铅被举起来。）这坐在量器中的是个妇人。

看哪，圆形的铅盖被抬起来，有一个妇人坐在量器中。

看哪，圆形的铅盖被抬起来，有一个妇人坐在量器中。

只见量器的铅盖打开了，里面坐着一个女子。

看哪！量器的圆形铅盖被揭开，有一个妇人坐在量器里面。

（我見有一片圓鉛被舉起來。）這坐在量器中的是個婦人。

看哪，圓形的鉛蓋被抬起來，有一個婦人坐在量器中。

看哪，圓形的鉛蓋被抬起來，有一個婦人坐在量器中。

只見量器的鉛蓋打開了，裡面坐著一個女子。

看哪！量器的圓形鉛蓋被揭開，有一個婦人坐在量器裡面。

看哪，有一片圓鉛被舉起來。這坐在量器中的是個婦人。

看哪，鉛蓋子被抬起來，有一個女人坐在量器裡面！

我則見一鉛片被舉、其式維圓、伊法中有婦坐焉、

又見鉛百斤、人舉於地、斗量中有女坐焉、

又見鉛一塊、重一他連得、一他連得約一千二百三十兩被舉於地、又見一婦坐於伊法中、

Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman!

Then the basket’s cover was lifted up. It was made out of lead. A woman was sitting in the basket!

And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket!

Then a lead cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting inside the basket.

And behold, a lead cover was lifted up.” He continued,“ And this is a woman sitting inside the ephah.”

Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket”;

( and, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead); and this is a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah.

Then a lead cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting inside the basket.

And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this[ is] a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.

Then a round lead cover was raised up, revealing a woman sitting inside the basket.

( and behold, a talent of lead was lifted up); and this is a woman sitting in the middle of the ephah basket.”

One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me.“ Come with me,” he said,“ and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters.The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality.”So the angel took me in the Spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it.The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality.A mysterious name was written on her forehead:“ Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.”I could see that she was drunk— drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.“ Why are you so amazed?” the angel asked.“ I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits.The beast you saw was once alive but isn’t now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world, whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made, will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died.“ This calls for a mind with understanding: The seven heads of the beast represent the seven hills where the woman rules. They also represent seven kings.Five kings have already fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief.“ The scarlet beast that was, but is no longer, is the eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he, too, is headed for destruction.The ten horns of the beast are ten kings who have not yet risen to power. They will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign with the beast.They will all agree to give him their power and authority.Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.”Then the angel said to me,“ The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language.The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire.For God has put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes. They will agree to give their authority to the scarlet beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled.And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world.”

Isaiah son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon:

“ If a man divorces a woman and she goes and marries someone else, he will not take her back again, for that would surely corrupt the land. But you have prostituted yourself with many lovers, so why are you trying to come back to me?” says the Lord.“ Look at the shrines on every hilltop. Is there any place you have not been defiled by your adultery with other gods? You sit like a prostitute beside the road waiting for a customer. You sit alone like a nomad in the desert. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and your wickedness.

This message came to me concerning Moab: In one night the town of Ar will be leveled, and the city of Kir will be destroyed.

Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago.

This message came to me from the Lord:“ Son of man, once there were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother.They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed men to fondle their breasts.The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. I married them, and they bore me sons and daughters. I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem, for Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.“ Then Oholah lusted after other lovers instead of me, and she gave her love to the Assyrian officers.They were all attractive young men, captains and commanders dressed in handsome blue, charioteers driving their horses.And so she prostituted herself with the most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping their idols and defiling herself.For when she left Egypt, she did not leave her spirit of prostitution behind. She was still as lewd as in her youth, when the Egyptians slept with her, fondled her breasts, and used her as a prostitute.“ And so I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers, whom she desired so much.They stripped her, took away her children as their slaves, and then killed her. After she received her punishment, her reputation was known to every woman in the land.“ Yet even though Oholibah saw what had happened to Oholah, her sister, she followed right in her footsteps. And she was even more depraved, abandoning herself to her lust and prostitution.She fawned over all the Assyrian officers— those captains and commanders in handsome uniforms, those charioteers driving their horses— all of them attractive young men.I saw the way she was going, defiling herself just like her older sister.“ Then she carried her prostitution even further. She fell in love with pictures that were painted on a wall— pictures of Babylonian military officers, outfitted in striking red uniforms.Handsome belts encircled their waists, and flowing turbans crowned their heads. They were dressed like chariot officers from the land of Babylonia.When she saw these paintings, she longed to give herself to them, so she sent messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come to her.So they came and committed adultery with her, defiling her in the bed of love. After being defiled, however, she rejected them in disgust.“ In the same way, I became disgusted with Oholibah and rejected her, just as I had rejected her sister, because she flaunted herself before them and gave herself to satisfy their lusts.Yet she turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt.She lusted after lovers with genitals as large as a donkey’s and emissions like those of a horse.And so, Oholibah, you relived your former days as a young girl in Egypt, when you first allowed your breasts to be fondled.“ Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will send your lovers against you from every direction— those very nations from which you turned away in disgust.For the Babylonians will come with all the Chaldeans from Pekod and Shoa and Koa. And all the Assyrians will come with them— handsome young captains, commanders, chariot officers, and other high ranking officers, all riding their horses.They will all come against you from the north with chariots, wagons, and a great army prepared for attack. They will take up positions on every side, surrounding you with men armed with shields and helmets. And I will hand you over to them for punishment so they can do with you as they please.I will turn my jealous anger against you, and they will deal harshly with you. They will cut off your nose and ears, and any survivors will then be slaughtered by the sword. Your children will be taken away as captives, and everything that is left will be burned.They will strip you of your beautiful clothes and jewels.In this way, I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you brought from Egypt. You will never again cast longing eyes on those things or fondly remember your time in Egypt.“ For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will surely hand you over to your enemies, to those you loathe, those you rejected.They will treat you with hatred and rob you of all you own, leaving you stark naked. The shame of your prostitution will be exposed to all the world.You brought all this on yourself by prostituting yourself to other nations, defiling yourself with all their idols.Because you have followed in your sister’s footsteps, I will force you to drink the same cup of terror she drank.“ Yes, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:“ You will drink from your sister’s cup of terror, a cup that is large and deep. It is filled to the brim with scorn and derision.Drunkenness and anguish will fill you, for your cup is filled to the brim with distress and desolation, the same cup your sister Samaria drank.You will drain that cup of terror to the very bottom. Then you will smash it to pieces and beat your breast in anguish. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!“ And because you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You must bear the consequences of all your lewdness and prostitution.”The Lord said to me,“ Son of man, you must accuse Oholah and Oholibah of all their detestable sins.They have committed both adultery and murder— adultery by worshiping idols and murder by burning as sacrifices the children they bore to me.Furthermore, they have defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day!On the very day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they boldly came into my Temple to worship! They came in and defiled my house.“ You sisters sent messengers to distant lands to get men. Then when they arrived, you bathed yourselves, painted your eyelids, and put on your finest jewels for them.You sat with them on a beautifully embroidered couch and put my incense and my special oil on a table that was spread before you.From your room came the sound of many men carousing. They were lustful men and drunkards from the wilderness, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your heads.Then I said,‘ If they really want to have sex with old worn out prostitutes like these, let them!’And that is what they did. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, these shameless prostitutes.But righteous people will judge these sister cities for what they really are— adulterers and murderers.“ Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring an army against them and hand them over to be terrorized and plundered.For their enemies will stone them and kill them with swords. They will butcher their sons and daughters and burn their homes.In this way, I will put an end to lewdness and idolatry in the land, and my judgment will be a warning to all women not to follow your wicked example.You will be fully repaid for all your prostitution— your worship of idols. Yes, you will suffer the full penalty. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”

The Lord gave this message to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him,“ Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son.

Then another message came to me from the Lord:“ Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable sins.Give her this message from the Sovereign Lord: You are nothing but a Canaanite! Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.On the day you were born, no one cared about you. Your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were never washed, rubbed with salt, and wrapped in cloth.No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On the day you were born, you were unwanted, dumped in a field and left to die.“ But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said,‘ Live!’And I helped you to thrive like a plant in the field. You grew up and became a beautiful jewel. Your breasts became full, and your body hair grew, but you were still naked.And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.“ Then I bathed you and washed off your blood, and I rubbed fragrant oils into your skin.I gave you expensive clothing of fine linen and silk, beautifully embroidered, and sandals made of fine goatskin leather.I gave you lovely jewelry, bracelets, beautiful necklaces,a ring for your nose, earrings for your ears, and a lovely crown for your head.And so you were adorned with gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen and costly fabric and were beautifully embroidered. You ate the finest foods— choice flour, honey, and olive oil— and became more beautiful than ever. You looked like a queen, and so you were!Your fame soon spread throughout the world because of your beauty. I dressed you in my splendor and perfected your beauty, says the Sovereign Lord.“ But you thought your fame and beauty were your own. So you gave yourself as a prostitute to every man who came along. Your beauty was theirs for the asking.You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen?You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them. This is adultery against me!You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I gave you to dress your idols. Then you used my special oil and my incense to worship them.Imagine it! You set before them as a sacrifice the choice flour, olive oil, and honey I had given you, says the Sovereign Lord.“ Then you took your sons and daughters— the children you had borne to me— and sacrificed them to your gods. Was your prostitution not enough?Must you also slaughter my children by sacrificing them to idols?In all your years of adultery and detestable sin, you have not once remembered the days long ago when you lay naked in a field, kicking about in your own blood.“ What sorrow awaits you, says the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness,you built a pagan shrine and put altars to idols in every town square.On every street corner you defiled your beauty, offering your body to every passerby in an endless stream of prostitution.Then you added lustful Egypt to your lovers, provoking my anger with your increasing promiscuity.That is why I struck you with my fist and reduced your boundaries. I handed you over to your enemies, the Philistines, and even they were shocked by your lewd conduct.You have prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, too. It seems you can never find enough new lovers! And after your prostitution there, you still were not satisfied.You added to your lovers by embracing Babylonia, the land of merchants, but you still weren’t satisfied.“ What a sick heart you have, says the Sovereign Lord, to do such things as these, acting like a shameless prostitute.You build your pagan shrines on every street corner and your altars to idols in every square. In fact, you have been worse than a prostitute, so eager for sin that you have not even demanded payment.Yes, you are an adulterous wife who takes in strangers instead of her own husband.Prostitutes charge for their services— but not you! You give gifts to your lovers, bribing them to come and have sex with you.So you are the opposite of other prostitutes. You pay your lovers instead of their paying you!“ Therefore, you prostitute, listen to this message from the Lord!This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have poured out your lust and exposed yourself in prostitution to all your lovers, and because you have worshiped detestable idols, and because you have slaughtered your children as sacrifices to your gods,this is what I am going to do. I will gather together all your allies— the lovers with whom you have sinned, both those you loved and those you hated— and I will strip you naked in front of them so they can stare at you.I will punish you for your murder and adultery. I will cover you with blood in my jealous fury.Then I will give you to these many nations who are your lovers, and they will destroy you. They will knock down your pagan shrines and the altars to your idols. They will strip you and take your beautiful jewels, leaving you stark naked.They will band together in a mob to stone you and cut you up with swords.They will burn your homes and punish you in front of many women. I will stop your prostitution and end your payments to your many lovers.“ Then at last my fury against you will be spent, and my jealous anger will subside. I will be calm and will not be angry with you anymore.But first, because you have not remembered your youth but have angered me by doing all these evil things, I will fully repay you for all of your sins, says the Sovereign Lord. For you have added lewd acts to all your detestable sins.Everyone who makes up proverbs will say of you,‘ Like mother, like daughter.’For your mother loathed her husband and her children, and so do you. And you are exactly like your sisters, for they despised their husbands and their children. Truly your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.“ Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters in the north. Your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters in the south.But you have not merely sinned as they did. You quickly surpassed them in corruption.As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, Sodom and her daughters were never as wicked as you and your daughters.Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen.“ Even Samaria did not commit half your sins. You have done far more detestable things than your sisters ever did. They seem righteous compared to you.Shame on you! Your sins are so terrible that you make your sisters seem righteous, even virtuous.“ But someday I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and Samaria, and I will restore you, too.Then you will be truly ashamed of everything you have done, for your sins make them feel good in comparison.Yes, your sisters, Sodom and Samaria, and all their people will be restored, and at that time you also will be restored.In your proud days you held Sodom in contempt.But now your greater wickedness has been exposed to all the world, and you are the one who is scorned— by Edom and all her neighbors and by Philistia.This is your punishment for all your lewdness and detestable sins, says the Lord.“ Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will give you what you deserve, for you have taken your solemn vows lightly by breaking your covenant.Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.Then you will remember with shame all the evil you have done. I will make your sisters, Samaria and Sodom, to be your daughters, even though they are not part of our covenant.And I will reaffirm my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord.You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”