Acts 17:22

Therefore Yahweh says: “Behold, I will plead your cause, and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea, and make her fountain dry.

They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!”

They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which you are speaking about?

but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves. For I don’t want to be a judge of these matters.”

I found him to be accused about questions of their law, but not to be charged with anything worthy of death or of imprisonment.

who says to the deep, ‘Be dry,’ and ‘I will dry up your rivers;’

“Declare among the nations and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and don’t conceal: say, ‘Babylon has been taken, Bel is disappointed, Merodach is dismayed! Her images are disappointed. Her idols are dismayed.’

Therefore behold, the days come that I will execute judgment on the engraved images of Babylon; and her whole land will be confounded. All her slain will fall in the middle of her.

“Therefore behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will execute judgment on her engraved images; and through all her land the wounded will groan.

They called Barnabas “Jupiter”, and Paul “Mercury”, because he was the chief speaker.

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”

but had certain questions against him about their own religion, and about one Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead?

The sixth poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates. Its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings that come from the sunrise.

Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.”

He said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away! What more do I have? How can you ask me, ‘What ails you?’ ”

They lifted up their voices and wept again; then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth stayed with her.

He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Ahaz gathered together the vessels of God’s house, and cut the vessels of God’s house in pieces, and shut up the doors of Yahweh’s house; and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem.

joined with their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes;

Who doesn’t know that in all these, Yahweh’s hand has done this,

For the zeal of your house consumes me. The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

Streams of tears run down my eyes, because they don’t observe your law.

I look at the faithless with loathing, because they don’t observe your word.

Their land also is full of idols. They worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.

Behold, here comes a troop of men, horsemen in pairs.” He answered, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the engraved images of her gods are broken to the ground.

who frustrates the signs of the liars, and makes diviners mad; who turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish;

you who inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every green tree; who kill the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?

Therefore I am full of Yahweh’s wrath. I am weary with holding it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife will be taken, the aged with him who is full of days.

If I say, I will not make mention of him, or speak any more in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones. I am weary with holding it in. I can’t.

your mother will be utterly disappointed. She who bore you will be confounded. Behold, she will be the least of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

A drought is on her waters, and they will be dried up; for it is a land of engraved images, and they are mad over idols.

Babylon has been a golden cup in Yahweh’s hand, who made all the earth drunk. The nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.

I will execute judgment on Bel in Babylon, and I will bring out of his mouth that which he has swallowed up. The nations will not flow any more to him. Yes, the wall of Babylon will fall.

“Oholah played the prostitute when she was mine. She doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,

I will make the rivers dry, and will sell the land into the hand of evil men. I will make the land desolate, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I, Yahweh, have spoken it.”

They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of bronze, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Their deeds won’t allow them to turn to their God; for the spirit of prostitution is within them, and they don’t know Yahweh.

But as for me, I am full of power by Yahweh’s Spirit, and of judgment, and of might, to declare to Jacob his disobedience, and to Israel his sin.

Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.

So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other.

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another.

beginning from the baptism of John, to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.

Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women.

But those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him very quickly, they departed.

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.

For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.”

For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, I announce to you.

because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”

But certain men joined with him and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.

You see and hear that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods that are made with hands.

When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, “You men of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great goddess Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?

Now, behold, I go bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there;

But after some days, Felix came with Drusilla, his wife, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ Jesus.

When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing against him many and grievous charges which they could not prove,

Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”

Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.

For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble;

Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and not killed;

For behold, this same thing, that you were grieved in a godly way, what earnest care it worked in you. Yes, what defense, indignation, fear, longing, zeal, and vengeance! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be pure in the matter.

in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience.

that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

All the saints greet you, especially those who are of Caesar’s household.

through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron,

and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked

Brothers, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.

And on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”