“From on high, he sent a fire deep in my bones, and it conquered me. He trapped my feet in his snare and hurled me back. He left me stunned in misery that had no end.
As a sign of their dismay, they threw dust on their heads and shouted with sobs and grief: “How horrible, so horrible, O great city Babylon! For in one moment you suffered such destruction— you who once made the merchants on the sea so very wealthy.
He gave me the interpretation: “The fourth beast means that there will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and shatter it to pieces.
I will make this once revered city an object of horror and astonishment; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will make insulting remarks because of all its wounds!
Therefore, a lion from the forest will attack them, and a desert wolf will ravage them. A leopard is prowling around their cities, waiting to tear those apart who venture out. For the people are rebellious; they’ve sinned repeatedly.
This is your last chance, my final warning. Your time is up! Turn away from all this evil, or the next time you hear from me will be when I am coming to pass judgment upon you. I will snatch you away, and no one will be there to help you escape my judgment.
For Yahweh says, “I will send them four destroyers—the sword to slay, the dogs to drag away, the wild animals to devour, and the birds of prey to consume them.