11 But [a](A)pelican and hedgehog will possess it,
And [b]owl and raven will dwell in it;
And He will stretch over it the (B)line of [c]desolation
And the [d]plumb line of emptiness.
12 Its nobles—there is (C)no one there
Whom they may proclaim king—
And all its officials will be (D)nothing.
13 Thorns will come up in its (E)fortified towers,
Weeds and thistles in its fortified cities;
It will also be a haunt of (F)jackals
And a habitat of ostriches.
14 The desert (G)creatures will meet with the [e]wolves,
The [f](H)goat also will cry to its kind.
Yes, the [g]night-bird will settle there
And will find herself a resting place.
15 The tree snake will make its nest and lay eggs there,
And it will hatch and gather them under its [h]protection.
Yes, (I)the [i]hawks will be gathered there,
Every one with its kind.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 34:11 Or owl; or jackdaw
  2. Isaiah 34:11 Or great horned owl
  3. Isaiah 34:11 Or formlessness
  4. Isaiah 34:11 Lit stones of void
  5. Isaiah 34:14 Or howling creatures
  6. Isaiah 34:14 Or goat demon
  7. Isaiah 34:14 Or a demon; Heb Lilith
  8. Isaiah 34:15 Lit shade
  9. Isaiah 34:15 Or kites

14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
[a]All animals that range in herds;
Both the [b](A)pelican and the hedgehog
Will spend their nights in [c]the tops of her pillars;
[d]Birds will sing in the window,
Devastation will be on the threshold;
For He has uncovered the cedar work.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 2:14 Or All kinds of beasts in crowds; lit Every kind of beast of a nation
  2. Zephaniah 2:14 Or owl; or jackdaw
  3. Zephaniah 2:14 Lit her capitals
  4. Zephaniah 2:14 Lit A voice

And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “[a](A)Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She (B)has become a dwelling place of demons and a [b]prison of every (C)unclean spirit, and a [c]prison of every unclean and hateful bird.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 18:2 Lit Babylon...fell, fell
  2. Revelation 18:2 Or haunt
  3. Revelation 18:2 Or haunt

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