MSG 1 What's God going to say to my questions? I'm braced for the worst. I'll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I'll wait to see what God says, how he'll answer my complaint. NIV 1 I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. MSG 2 And then God answered: "Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. NIV 2 Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. MSG 3 This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming - it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time. NIV 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. MSG 4 "Look at that man, bloated by self-importance - full of himself but soul-empty. But the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive. NIV 4 “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness — MSG 5 "Note well: Money deceives. The arrogant rich don't last. They are more hungry for wealth than the grave is for cadavers. Like death, they always want more, but the 'more' they get is dead bodies. They are cemeteries filled with dead nations, graveyards filled with corpses. NIV 5 indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples. MSG 6 Don't give people like this a second thought. Soon the whole world will be taunting them: "'Who do you think you are - getting rich by stealing and extortion? How long do you think you can get away with this?' NIV 6 “Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, “ ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’ MSG 7 Indeed, how long before your victims wake up, stand up and make you the victim? NIV 7 Will not your creditors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their prey. MSG 8 You've plundered nation after nation. Now you'll get a taste of your own medicine. All the survivors are out to plunder you, a payback for all your murders and massacres. NIV 8 Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. MSG 9 "Who do you think you are - recklessly grabbing and looting, Living it up, acting like king of the mountain, acting above it all, above trials and troubles? NIV 9 “Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! MSG 10 You've engineered the ruin of your own house. In ruining others you've ruined yourself. You've undermined your foundations, rotted out your own soul. NIV 10 You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. MSG 11 The bricks of your house will speak up and accuse you. The woodwork will step forward with evidence. NIV 11 The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it. MSG 12 "Who do you think you are - building a town by murder, a city with crime? NIV 12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice! MSG 13 Don't you know that God-of-the-Angel-Armies makes sure nothing comes of that but ashes, Makes sure the harder you work at that kind of thing, the less you are? NIV 13 Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? MSG 14 Meanwhile the earth fills up with awareness of God's glory as the waters cover the sea. NIV 14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORDas the waters cover the sea. MSG 15 "Who do you think you are - inviting your neighbors to your drunken parties, Giving them too much to drink, roping them into your sexual orgies? NIV 15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies! MSG 16 You thought you were having the time of your life. Wrong! It's a time of disgrace. All the time you were drinking, you were drinking from the cup of God's wrath. NIV 16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed ! The cup from the LORD’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory. MSG 17 You'll wake up holding your throbbing head, hung over - hung over from Lebanon violence, Hung over from animal massacres, hung over from murder and mayhem, From multiple violations of place and people. NIV 17 The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. MSG 18 "What's the use of a carved god so skillfully carved by its sculptor? What good is a fancy cast god when all it tells is lies? What sense does it make to be a pious god-maker who makes gods that can't even talk? NIV 18 “Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. MSG 19 Who do you think you are - saying to a stick of wood, 'Wake up,' Or to a dumb stone, 'Get up'? Can they teach you anything about anything? There's nothing to them but surface. There's nothing on the inside. NIV 19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.” MSG 20 "But oh! God is in his holy Temple! Quiet everyone - a holy silence. Listen!" NIV 20 The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.
NIV 1 I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. NIV 2 Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. NIV 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. NIV 4 “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness — NIV 5 indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples. NIV 6 “Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, “ ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’ NIV 7 Will not your creditors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their prey. NIV 8 Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. NIV 9 “Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! NIV 10 You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. NIV 11 The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it. NIV 12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice! NIV 13 Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? NIV 14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORDas the waters cover the sea. NIV 15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies! NIV 16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed ! The cup from the LORD’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory. NIV 17 The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. NIV 18 “Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. NIV 19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.” NIV 20 The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.