But because he became proud, stubborn, and cruel, he was removed from his royal throne and lost his place of honor.

They laugh at other people and speak of evil things; they are proud and make plans to oppress others.

Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall.

The Babylonians catch people with hooks, as though they were fish. They drag them off in nets and shout for joy over their catch!

They even worship their nets and offer sacrifices to them, because their nets provide them with the best of everything.

And this is the message: 'Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.' "

Wealth is deceitful. Greedy people are proud and restless---like death itself they are never satisfied. That is why they conquer nation after nation for themselves.

Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself !'

But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself ? ' "

For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great."

In the same way you younger people must submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, "God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble."

At first his kingdom included Babylon, Erech, and Accad, all three of them in Babylonia.

As they wandered about in the East, they came to a plain in Babylonia and settled there.

They said, "Now let's build a city with a tower that reaches the sky, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth."

and he said, "Now then, these are all one people and they speak one language; this is just the beginning of what they are going to do. Soon they will be able to do anything they want!

So the LORD scattered them all over the earth, and they stopped building the city.

The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of all countries were destroyed. God remembered great Babylon and made her drink the wine from his cup---the wine of his furious anger.

On her forehead was written a name that has a secret meaning: "Great Babylon, the mother of all prostitutes and perverts in the world."

They stand a long way off, because they are afraid of sharing in her suffering. They say, "How terrible! How awful! This great and mighty city Babylon! In just one hour you have been punished!"

Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "This is how the great city Babylon will be violently thrown down and will never be seen again.

All riches and wealth come from you; you rule everything by your strength and power; and you are able to make anyone great and strong.

"Yet my people and I cannot really give you anything, because everything is a gift from you, and we have only given back what is yours already.

I intend to build a great temple, because our God is greater than any other god.

Yet no one can really build a temple for God, because even all the vastness of heaven cannot contain him. How then can I build a temple that would be anything more than a place to burn incense to God?

He boasts, "Every one of my commanders is a king!

I reached out to punish those kingdoms that worship idols, idols more numerous than those of Jerusalem and Samaria.

But the Lord says, "When I finish what I am doing on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will punish the emperor of Assyria for all his boasting and all his pride."

The nations of the world were like a bird's nest, and I gathered their wealth as easily as gathering eggs. Not a wing fluttered to scare me off; no beak opened to scream at me!"

You sent your servants to boast to me that with all your chariots you had conquered the highest mountains of Lebanon. You boasted that there you cut down the tallest cedars and the finest cypress trees, and that you reached the deepest parts of the forests.

You boasted that you dug wells and drank water in foreign lands, and that the feet of your soldiers tramped the Nile River dry.

"Mortal man," he said, "tell the ruler of Tyre what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to him: Puffed up with pride, you claim to be a god. You say that like a god you sit on a throne, surrounded by the seas. You may pretend to be a god, but, no, you are mortal, not divine.

Your wisdom and skill made you rich with treasures of gold and silver.

Say that this is what the Sovereign LORD is telling the king of Egypt: I am your enemy, you monster crocodile, lying in the river. You say that the Nile is yours and that you made it.

"The Supreme God made your father Nebuchadnezzar a great king and gave him dignity and majesty.

He was so great that people of all nations, races, and languages were afraid of him and trembled. If he wanted to kill someone, he did; if he wanted to keep someone alive, he did. He honored or disgraced anyone he wanted to.

For six whole months he made a show of the riches of the imperial court with all its splendor and majesty.

Our greatness cannot keep us from death; we will still die like the animals.

O LORD, my God, how great you are! You are clothed with majesty and glory;

They will speak of your glory and majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.

They will tell about all your goodness and sing about your kindness.

He is good to everyone and has compassion on all he made.

They will speak of the glory of your royal power and tell of your might,

Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God's glory.

The peoples of the world will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their wealth into it.

The greatness and the wealth of the nations will be brought into the city.