29th December

¹ Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?² Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?³ They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows.⁴ Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.⁵ Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?⁶ Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.⁷ He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.⁸ The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.⁹ Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?¹⁰ Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?¹¹ Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?¹² Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?¹³ Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?¹⁴ Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,¹⁵ And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.¹⁶ She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not her's: her labour is in vain without fear;¹⁷ Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.¹⁸ What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.¹⁹ Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?²⁰ Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.²¹ He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.²² He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.²³ The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.²⁴ He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.²⁵ He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.²⁶ Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?²⁷ Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?²⁸ She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.²⁹ From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.³⁰ Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.

¹ The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.² I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,³ And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.⁴ Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.⁵ And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel.⁶ A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?⁷ Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.⁸ And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.⁹ And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts.¹⁰ Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.¹¹ For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.¹² But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.¹³ Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD.¹⁴ But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the LORD a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

¹ And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:² With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.³ So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.⁴ And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:⁵ And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.⁶ And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.⁷ And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.⁸ The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.⁹ And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.¹⁰ And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.¹¹ And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.¹² And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.¹³ These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.¹⁴ These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.¹⁵ And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.¹⁶ And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.¹⁷ For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.¹⁸ And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

¹ And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.² And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.³ For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.⁵ For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.⁶ Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.⁷ How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.⁸ Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.⁹ And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,¹⁰ Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.¹¹ And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:¹² The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,¹³ And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.¹⁴ And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.¹⁵ The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,¹⁶ And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!¹⁷ For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,¹⁸ And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!¹⁹ And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.²⁰ Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.²¹ And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.²² And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;²³ And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.²⁴ And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.