| 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! |