Thus spake Isaiah —
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Thy sons that thou shalt beget
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They shall be taken away
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And be eunuchs
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In the palace of the King of Babylon
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Howl ye, howl ye, therefore:
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For the day of the Lord is at hand!
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By the waters of Babylon
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By the waters of Babylon
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There we sat down: yea, we wept
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And hanged our harps upon the willows
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For they that wasted us
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Required of us mirth;
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They that carried us away captive
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Required of us a song
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Sing us one of the songs of Zion
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How shall we sing the Lord’s song
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In a strange land?
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If I forget thee, O Jerusalem
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Let my right hand forget her cunning
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If I do not remember thee
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Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth
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Yea, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy
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By the waters of Babylon
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There we sat down: yea, we wept
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O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed
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Happy shall he be that taketh thy children
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And dasheth them against a stone
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For with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down
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And shall be found no more at all
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Babylon was a great city
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Her merchandise was of gold and silver
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Of precious stones, of pearls, of fine linen
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Of purple, silk and scarlet
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All manner vessels of ivory
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All manner vessels of most precious wood
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Of brass, iron and marble
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Cinnamon, odours and ointments
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Of frankincense, wine and oil
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Fine flour, wheat and beasts
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Sheep, horses, chariots, slaves
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And the souls of men
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In Babylon
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Belshazzar the King
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Made a great feast
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Made a feast to a thousand of his lords
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And drank wine before the thousand
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Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine
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Commanded us to bring the gold and silver vessels:
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Yea! |
the golden vessels, which his father, Nebuchadnezzar
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Had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem
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He commanded us to bring the golden vessels
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Of the temple of the house of God
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That the King, his Princes, his wives
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And his concubines might drink therein
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Then the King commanded us:
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Bring ye the cornet, flute, sackbut, psaltery
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And all kinds of music: they drank wine again
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Yea, drank from the sacred vessels
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And then spake the King:
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Praise ye
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The God of Gold
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Praise ye
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The God of Silver
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Praise ye
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The God of Iron
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Praise ye
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The God of Wood
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Praise ye
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The God of Stone
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Praise ye
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The God of Brass
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Praise ye the Gods!
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Thus in Babylon, the mighty city
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Belshazzar the King made a great feast
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Made a feast to a thousand of his lords
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And drank wine before the thousand
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Belshazzar whiles he tasted the wine
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Commanded us to bring the gold and silver vessels
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That his Princes, his wives and his concubines
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Might rejoice and drink therein
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After they had praised their strange gods
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The idols and the devils
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False gods who can neither see nor hear
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Called they for the timbrel and the pleasant harp
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To extol the glory of the King
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Then they pledged the King before the people
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Crying, Thou, O King, art King of Kings:
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O King, live for ever…
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And in that same hour, as they feasted
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Came forth fingers of a man’s hand
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And the King saw
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The part of the hand that wrote
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And this was the writing that was written:
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'MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN'
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'THOU ART WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE
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AND FOUND WANTING'
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In that night was Belshazzar the King slain
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And his Kingdom divided
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Then sing aloud to God our strength:
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Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob
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Take a psalm, bring hither the timbrel
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Blow up the trumpet in the new moon
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Blow up the trumpet in Zion
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For Babylon the Great is fallen, fallen
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Alleluia!
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Then sing aloud to God our strength:
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Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob
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While the Kings of the Earth lament
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And the merchants of the Earth
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Weep, wail and rend their raiment
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They cry, Alas, Alas, that great city
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In one hour is her judgement come
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The trumpeters and pipers are silent
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And the harpers have ceased to harp
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And the light of a candle shall shine no more
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Then sing aloud to God our strength
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Make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob
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For Babylon the Great is fallen
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Alleluia! |