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Proverbs 23

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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¹ This is what the Lord says to me, "Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees.

² "When he sees a chariot, horsemen in pairs, A train of donkeys and a train of camels, Let him pay attention and listen closely, very closely."

³ And the lookout called like a lion, "O Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower by day, And I am stationed every night at my guard post.

⁴ "Now look! Here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs." And one said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; And all the carved images of her gods are shattered on the ground."

⁵ O my threshed people [Judah, who must be judged and trampled down by Babylon], my afflicted of the threshing floor. What I have heard from the LORD of hosts, The God of Israel, I have [joyfully] announced to you [that Babylon is to fall].

⁶ The [mournful, inspired] oracle ([4] a burden to be carried) concerning Dumah (Edom): Someone keeps calling to me from Seir (Edom), "Watchman, what is left of the night [of Assyrian oppression]? Watchman, what is left of the night? [How long until morning?]"

⁷ The watchman says, "The morning comes [only briefly], but also [comes] the night [of Babylonian oppression]. If you would ask [of me then], ask [again, if Edom really wishes to know]; Come back again."

⁸ The [mournful, inspired] oracle ([5] a burden to be carried) concerning Arabia: In the thickets of Arabia you must spend the night, Caravans of Dedanites.

⁹ Bring water for the thirsty [Dedanites], O inhabitants of the land of Tema [in Arabia]; Meet the fugitive with bread.

¹⁰ For they have fled from the swords, From the drawn sword, from the bent bow And from the press of battle and grief of war.

¹¹ For the Lord has said this to me, "Within a year, according to the years of a hired man [who will work no longer than was agreed], all the splendor of [the tribe of] Kedar will end;

¹² and the remainder of the number of archers, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken."

¹³ The [mournful, inspired] oracle ([1] a burden to be carried) concerning the Valley of Vision: What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,

¹⁴ You [Jerusalem] who were full of noise, A tumultuous city, a joyous and exuberant city; Your slain were not slain [in a glorious death] with the sword, Nor did they die in battle.

¹⁵ All your leaders have fled together [with your king], And have been captured without the bow [which they had thrown away]; All of you who were found were taken captive together, Though they had fled far away.

¹⁶ Therefore I say, "Look away from me; Let me weep bitterly. Do not try to comfort me over the destruction of the daughter of my people."

¹⁷ For the Lord GOD of hosts has a day of panic and of tumult, of trampling, of confusion In the Valley of Vision, A [day of] breaking down walls And a crying [for help] to the mountain.

¹⁸ Elam took up the quiver With the chariots, infantry and horsemen; And Kir uncovered the shield.

¹⁹ And it came to pass that your choicest valleys were full of chariots, And the horsemen took their fixed positions [in an offensive array] at the gate [of Jerusalem].

²⁰ Then God removed the [protective] covering of Judah; And in that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest (Solomon's armory).

²¹ You saw that the breaches In the wall of the City of David [the citadel of Zion] were many; You collected [within the city's walls] the waters of the Lower Pool (Siloam).

²² Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem And you tore down the houses [to get materials] to fortify the city wall [by extending it].

²³ You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the waters of the[2] Old Pool, But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you recognize Him who planned it long ago.

²⁴ Therefore in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called you to weeping, to mourning, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth [in humiliation].

²⁵ Instead, there is joy and jubilation, Killing of oxen and slaughtering of sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine, saying, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die."

²⁶ But the LORD of hosts revealed Himself in my ears, "This sin absolutely will not be forgiven you Until you die," says the Lord GOD of hosts.

²⁷ For the Lord GOD of hosts says this, "Go to this [contemptible] steward, To[3] Shebna, who is in charge of the royal household [but is building himself a tomb worthy of a king, and say to him],

²⁸ 'What business do you have here? And whom do you have here, That you have hewn out a tomb here for yourself, You who hew a sepulcher on the height, You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?

²⁹ 'Listen carefully, the LORD is about to hurl you away violently, O man; And He is about to grasp you firmly

³⁰ And roll you up tightly like a ball And toss you into a vast country; There you will die And there your splendid chariots will be, You shame of your master's house.'

³¹ "I will depose you from your office, And you will be pulled down from your position [of importance].

³² "Then it will come to pass in that day That I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah.

³³ "And I will clothe him with your tunic [of distinction] And tie your sash securely around him. I will entrust him with your authority; He will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

³⁴ "Then I will set on his shoulder the key of the house of David; When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open.

³⁵ "I will drive him like a peg in a firm place, And he will become a throne of honor and glory to his father's house.

#	AMP
1	This is what the Lord says to me, "Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees.
2	"When he sees a chariot, horsemen in pairs, A train of donkeys and a train of camels, Let him pay attention and listen closely, very closely."
3	And the lookout called like a lion, "O Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower by day, And I am stationed every night at my guard post.
4	"Now look! Here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs." And one said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; And all the carved images of her gods are shattered on the ground."
5	O my threshed people [Judah, who must be judged and trampled down by Babylon], my afflicted of the threshing floor. What I have heard from the LORD of hosts, The God of Israel, I have [joyfully] announced to you [that Babylon is to fall].
6	The [mournful, inspired] oracle ([4] a burden to be carried) concerning Dumah (Edom): Someone keeps calling to me from Seir (Edom), "Watchman, what is left of the night [of Assyrian oppression]? Watchman, what is left of the night? [How long until morning?]"
7	The watchman says, "The morning comes [only briefly], but also [comes] the night [of Babylonian oppression]. If you would ask [of me then], ask [again, if Edom really wishes to know]; Come back again."
8	The [mournful, inspired] oracle ([5] a burden to be carried) concerning Arabia: In the thickets of Arabia you must spend the night, Caravans of Dedanites.
9	Bring water for the thirsty [Dedanites], O inhabitants of the land of Tema [in Arabia]; Meet the fugitive with bread.
10	For they have fled from the swords, From the drawn sword, from the bent bow And from the press of battle and grief of war.
11	For the Lord has said this to me, "Within a year, according to the years of a hired man [who will work no longer than was agreed], all the splendor of [the tribe of] Kedar will end;
12	and the remainder of the number of archers, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken."
13	The [mournful, inspired] oracle ([1] a burden to be carried) concerning the Valley of Vision: What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,
14	You [Jerusalem] who were full of noise, A tumultuous city, a joyous and exuberant city; Your slain were not slain [in a glorious death] with the sword, Nor did they die in battle.
15	All your leaders have fled together [with your king], And have been captured without the bow [which they had thrown away]; All of you who were found were taken captive together, Though they had fled far away.
16	Therefore I say, "Look away from me; Let me weep bitterly. Do not try to comfort me over the destruction of the daughter of my people."
17	For the Lord GOD of hosts has a day of panic and of tumult, of trampling, of confusion In the Valley of Vision, A [day of] breaking down walls And a crying [for help] to the mountain.
18	Elam took up the quiver With the chariots, infantry and horsemen; And Kir uncovered the shield.
19	And it came to pass that your choicest valleys were full of chariots, And the horsemen took their fixed positions [in an offensive array] at the gate [of Jerusalem].
20	Then God removed the [protective] covering of Judah; And in that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest (Solomon's armory).
21	You saw that the breaches In the wall of the City of David [the citadel of Zion] were many; You collected [within the city's walls] the waters of the Lower Pool (Siloam).
22	Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem And you tore down the houses [to get materials] to fortify the city wall [by extending it].
23	You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the waters of the[2] Old Pool, But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you recognize Him who planned it long ago.
24	Therefore in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called you to weeping, to mourning, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth [in humiliation].
25	Instead, there is joy and jubilation, Killing of oxen and slaughtering of sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine, saying, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die."
26	But the LORD of hosts revealed Himself in my ears, "This sin absolutely will not be forgiven you Until you die," says the Lord GOD of hosts.
27	For the Lord GOD of hosts says this, "Go to this [contemptible] steward, To[3] Shebna, who is in charge of the royal household [but is building himself a tomb worthy of a king, and say to him],
28	'What business do you have here? And whom do you have here, That you have hewn out a tomb here for yourself, You who hew a sepulcher on the height, You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?
29	'Listen carefully, the LORD is about to hurl you away violently, O man; And He is about to grasp you firmly
30	And roll you up tightly like a ball And toss you into a vast country; There you will die And there your splendid chariots will be, You shame of your master's house.'
31	"I will depose you from your office, And you will be pulled down from your position [of importance].
32	"Then it will come to pass in that day That I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah.
33	"And I will clothe him with your tunic [of distinction] And tie your sash securely around him. I will entrust him with your authority; He will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
34	"Then I will set on his shoulder the key of the house of David; When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open.
35	"I will drive him like a peg in a firm place, And he will become a throne of honor and glory to his father's house.

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